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One of the events slated for its final day today is the $2,500 Big Bet Mix featuring Mike Sexton. At this final table, Sexton chases a unique record, as he’s on the verge of becoming the first player in poker history to win a World Series of Poker bracelet 30 years after winning his first. Back in 1989, Sexton won his first bracelet in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event for $104,400 and he’s not been able to repeat a similar feat since.
To date, Sexton has $6.6 million in career tournaments earnings including a World Poker Tour victory in 2016 when he took down the Montreal stop. The Poker Hall of Fame member won the 2006 Tournament of Champions for $1,000,000 and in 2012 he finished ninth in the first ever Big One for One Drop for $1.1 million. At the WSOP, however, Sexton looks back on 30 years filled with close calls preventing him from becoming a two-time champ.
Sexton has two runner-up finishes at the WSOP, in 2002 and 2011, as well as four fourth-place finishes in 1992, 1995, 1996, and 2008. The latter score, $248,160 in the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship, is Sexton’s biggest open event result at the WSOP.
At the final table today, Sexton goes up against the likes of Ryan Hughes, Arthur Morris, Phillip Hui, Joseph Couden, Jonathan Depa, and Loren Klein with $127,808 up top. PokerNews will provide reporting of this event.
Watch the full life story of Mike Sexton on Pokerography on PokerGO.
The WSOP Record Books
Scouring the WSOP record books this morning has taught me that Sexton could grab two records at once with a win today. Sexton could become the player with the largest gap between two bracelet wins as well as the largest gap between their first and last win. Up until just a few days ago, the largest gap between wins was held by David ‘Chip’ Reese with 24 years between wins (1982-2006) before Jim Bechtel took down the $10,000 2-7 No Limit Single Draw Championship a staggering 26 years after his Main Event win in 1993.
Currently, there are 23 players that have won a bracelet at least 15 years after their first including Daniel Negreanu (1998-2013), Erik Seidel (1992-2007), and John Hennigan (2002-2019). The record, as it stands, is held by both Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth who managed to win bracelets as far as 29 years apart. Today, Sexton can become the first player ever to do it 30 years apart.
The full list of players with at least 15 years between their first and most last bracelet win is as follows.
| Name | First | Last | Difference in Years | Total Bracelets |
| Doyle Brunson | 1976 | 2005 | 29 | 10 |
| Phil Hellmuth | 1989 | 2018 | 29 | 15 |
| Chip Reese | 1978 | 2006 | 28 | 3 |
| Billy Baxter | 1975 | 2002 | 27 | 7 |
| Jim Bechtel | 1993 | 2019 | 26 | 2 |
| Jay Heimowitz | 1975 | 2001 | 26 | 6 |
| Mickey Appleman | 1980 | 2003 | 23 | 4 |
| Ted Forrest | 1993 | 2014 | 21 | 6 |
| Johnny Chan | 1985 | 2005 | 20 | 10 |
| Hans Tuna Lund | 1978 | 1996 | 18 | 2 |
| Amarillo Slim | 1972 | 1990 | 18 | 4 |
| Johnny Moss | 1970 | 1988 | 18 | 9 |
| Berry Johnston | 1983 | 2001 | 18 | 5 |
| Chris Ferguson | 2000 | 2017 | 17 | 6 |
| Stu Ungar | 1980 | 1997 | 17 | 5 |
| Peter Vilandos | 1995 | 2012 | 17 | 3 |
| John Hennigan | 2002 | 2019 | 17 | 6 |
| Frankie O’Dell | 2003 | 2019 | 16 | 3 |
| Starla Brodie | 1979 | 1995 | 16 | 2 |
| Hoyt Corkins | 1992 | 2007 | 15 | 2 |
| Dody Roach | 1981 | 1996 | 15 | 2 |
| Erik Seidel | 1992 | 2007 | 15 | 8 |
| Daniel Negreanu | 1998 | 2013 | 15 | 6 |
As players such as Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Ted Forrest, Chris Ferguson, John Hennigan, and Erik Seidel look to stay active at the World Series of Poker, it is highly likely that this record will extend to 40 years or more but for now, it’s Sexton’s crown for the taking.
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