Josh Arieh Wins Sixth Bracelet And Second Of 2023

Six really is the magic number at the 2023 WSOP! Josh Arieh joins the likes of Jeremy Ausmus, Shaun Deeb, Jason Mercier, and Brian Rast in winning his sixth bracelet at the 2023 World Series of Poker - just a few weeks after winning his fifth. Josh collected over $700,000 for his efforts, and his second bracelet win of the year moves him up to second in the WSOP POY rankings.

Final Day Domination

Josh came into the final day third in chips, slightly behind Joao Vieira and Yingui Li, and got off to a great start by chipping up early on. It only took him until level 2 to assume the chip lead, and from there, he was on a roll.

Despite being at a final table with veritable mixed-game legends such as Dan Heimiller, Mike Matusow, John Hennigan, and Scott Seiver, Josh continued to accumulate chips at an alarming pace and maintained his position as the chip lead. After the short stacks Hal Rotholz and Scott Seiver were eliminated, Josh knocked out John Hennigan and Mike Matusow to grow his chip stack even further.

The eliminations somewhat slowed when the table reached four-handed play, but Joao Vieira went on a tough run of hands and was eventually eliminated by Arieh. Josh would then go on to eliminate Yingui Li by catching a pair in Limit Hold’em to set up a heads-up match against Dan Heimiller, where Josh held a 2:1 chip lead.

Josh’s aggression ensured that his chip lead grew even further, as Dan seemingly had no answers to the one-man wrecking crew that was Josh Arieh. After relentless aggression from Josh, the win was sealed with a hand of Omaha Hi-Lo, where Josh spiked an ace to beat the queens of Dan Heimiller to win $711,313 and his sixth WSOP bracelet.

Hall of Fame Imminent?

One question that’s dominated a lot of this WSOP is who will be the next entrant into the WSOP Hall of Fame. With such a tough nomination sheet, it’s really anyone’s game, and Josh’s second bracelet of the year could have given him the boost he needs to get his name alongside the poker greats.

When asked about his Hall of Fame chances, Josh said, “It's definitely in the back of my mind. This year belongs to (Brian) Rast, he's an absolute crusher and he did what he had to do. Maybe one year when they fix the nomination process and more than one player gets in, then maybe I'll have my turn. I'll just keep playing and doing what I do and whatever happens happens.”

Whether or not he gets into the Hall of Fame this year, Josh can take comfort in the fact that he seemingly has everything figured out - a two-time bracelet winner this year, winning millions of dollars in tournaments, and having a great family life. In fact, Josh attributed his recent success to his happy home life, saying, “My life is so amazing outside of poker. I got my sh** straight and my relationships with my daughters and with Rachel... everything is just great. It's definitely helped my career.”

Having won four bracelets in the last two years, we don’t think anyone will be betting against Josh picking up more WSOP hardware in the coming years.

Event #80 $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. Final Table Results

Can Josh win two bracelets again at the 2024 WSOP? Will anyone else win their sixth bracelet at this year’s WSOP? Let us know on social media and stay tuned for all the latest WSOP news and events.

Image Source: Pokernews.com