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Six bracelets. Three PPC titles. Induction into the hallowed chambers of the Poker Hall of Fame. Brian Rast had accomplished it all throughout his poker career, cementing his status as one of the game’s all-time greats. But not even he ever had quite a day like the one he just had to finish off Event #50: $10,000 Razz Championship at the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

Rast was heads-up for his seventh bracelet against Andrew Yeh in a battle that proved the toughest of them all. Rast was left short. Then he doubled. Then he was short again before finding a miracle. Rinse and repeat, as Rast had to scratch and claw his way through a heads-up duel the likes of which he had never experienced before. It ended, finally, with Rast not only coming back but defeating Yeh to take the title and $306,644 top prize by prevailing over the 134-player field.

Final Table Results

“Immense Gratitude”

The emotions for Rast afterward were palpable. After shaking Yeh’s hand following the last hand, he slunk back in his seat, his head buried in his hands, as he tried to make sense of what he had just accomplished. Tears streamed down his face. He fought the long, hard battle and won.

“Just immense gratitude. I feel like no one ever deserves to win a tournament because it’s so crazy what has to happen to win. I was very short at least twice, if not three times,” Rast said afterward. “I really liked my mindset on this one. I was just telling myself, even before the final table, just focus on your play. If you bust at this point, no matter what happens, you have a great life, you’re doing well, playing good poker. And that’s all I can control. I was very happy how I played, and just these ups and downs, emotionally. That was the longest heads-up battle that I’ve ever had. Andrew made it really tough.”

Rast was trying to become just the 14th player in WSOP history with seven bracelets, but after so many years, he’s learned not to focus so much on the end result but rather what it takes to get there. He was content if he felt like he played good, even if the cards fell in Yeh’s favor. It’s a lesson he took to heart last year when, despite two incredible results, he still felt unsatisfied.

“I had a good series last year, but I got heads-up in the $25K PLO and I wasn’t that happy with how I played, particularly in a couple big spots. And even in the Main Event, I had my best run ever (24th place) but I wasn’t happy with my bustout hand," he said.

“Honestly, that’s sometimes way tougher than the result, right? Because I’ve played so much, when I’m in a good mindset, it’s like, okay, the result is going to be whatever the poker gods, whatever luck deems it. But I can play well. I was just so happy with this one because I thought I played really, really good the entire tournament, even heads-up. I don’t think I’ve ever cried that much after winning something, which is crazy because this is No. 7.”

Day 4 Action

Rast and Yeh returned for an extra Day 4 after being unable to decide the champion late into the night yesterday. Yeh led 6,095,000 to 1,940,000 at the start and quickly made a 6-5-4-3-A to win a big pot and drop Rast to just 260,000, just over one big bet.

Rast doubled up twice to get back to 900,000, then made a 6-5-3-2-A to double up yet again. But Yeh kept the pressure on, putting in bets through to seventh as Rast called. Yeh then bet again on seventh and Rast tanked for several minutes before calling. Yeh showed a J-9-8-7-4 and Rast mucked to drop back down below 1,000,000.

Rast was on fumes with just 500,000 just as the players were preparing to take the first break in the day. Late registration in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship, the event that Yeh won his lone bracelet in 2022, was just about to end, and it looked like he was going to make it as he had Rast all in and was showing a 6-5-4-3-A. Rast was drawing incredibly thin going to seventh and the two players peeled his last card together. “He fricking got it,” Yeh said in disbelief as Rast pulled a five to make a wheel and miraculously stay alive yet again. “The dream is alive,” Rast declared.

Rast’s job wasn’t done just yet, as he was on 500,000 again before making an 8-6-4-3-A to earn yet another double up. He climbed above 3,000,000 when he showed a 7-5-4-2-A, then took over the chip lead for the first time today. Rast then bet on seventh and sent Yeh deep into the tank. Yeh ended up taking nearly five minutes before calling, and Rast showed an 8-6-5-4-3 to win the big pot and drop Yeh to a short stack.

Yeh was down to just 600,000 when he raised all in with a king showing, and Rast called with a deuce. Rast ended up with a 10-9-3-2-A, and Yeh’s board only improved to a queen as he was left drawing dead even before looking at his last card. The dream was not only alive for Rast, but it was realized.

For all his accomplishments, bracelet No. 7 puts Rast in another category of the game’s elite. “Let’s put him in again,” WSOP VP Jack Effel joked with the Hall of Famer after the tournament. He’s come a long way, from someone grinding cash games who didn’t take the WSOP seriously at first, to among the game’s best champions. Throughout it all, he’s looked back at his career over the years and taken stock of just where he stands.

“I have thought about where I should be. For the most part, I don’t think it’s appropriate for someone. That’s for you guys to determine. That’s for other players to say,” he said.

“I’ve been able to look at my career at various times, especially in retrospect, it becomes easier to place where I’ve been and everything. What I’ve done in my career has also changed quite a bit. Basically, before COVID, I never took the World Series super seriously. I used to grind my ass off way more than I do today. I would play the Bobby’s Room game, then I would come play 10-12 tournaments, max late-regging, just to mix it up and give myself something to do. Post-COVID, I basically just come. I don’t play cash. I don’t even play full year-round poker anymore. I come to the WSOP in order to treat this as a game in itself, to grind my ass off and do well.”

Rast recognizes that, one day, this will all end. Whether he doesn’t have the same motivation or the same results, he’ll stop grinding as he does now. But that day isn’t today, and Rast, even after all these years, still shows that he’s very much got it.

“Every year I keep telling myself, when am I going to lose it? And every year, I just keep having good results. And more importantly than the results, I feel very satisfied with my play. I guess at 43, I’m still doing alright and that makes me happy.”

That concludes PokerNews’ coverage of the $10,000 Razz Championship. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the 2025 WSOP.

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