WSOP 2011 News: Who Is Poker Player Brian Rast?

Written by:
Patrick Flanigan
Published on:
Jul/08/2011
Brian Rast

Learn the name.  Outside of Phil Hellmuth, Brian Rast has been making waves at this year’s World Series of Poker, winning – not one – but two bracelets. 

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Rast WSOP experience came as a chance encounter with his poker pro buddy Antonio Esfandiari.

From the Sun:

Esfandiari insisted Rast play in a $1,500 WSOP pot-limit hold’em tournament that day and even staked him in the event.
Rast went on to win it for $227,232. Because of the cash, the 29-year-old Rast felt he had a sufficient enough bankroll to buy into the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship.

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Early Thursday morning, Rast went on to win the Poker Player’s Championship, beating WSOP bracelet record holder Phil Hellmuth.  It was the third time during the event that Hellmuth had cashed out in second place.  Rast deprived him of his 12th bracelet. 

“This bracelet means a lot,” Rast said. “It’s nice that I won a tournament where I can say I beat some of the best players in the world.”

Rast, who resides in Las Vegas, has 16 career cashes.  It was his 14th place finish at the 2009 WSOP Event #2 No Limit Hold’em that yielded the most money prior to this year’s event:  $204,275.

Rast was better known to online poker players up to this point by his handle tassarast‘.

Born in Denver, Colorado, this Stanford dropout got his inspiration to play poker full time from the movie “Rounders”.

With this year’s winnings at the WSOP he can finally pay off those dastardly student loans.

 

- Patrick Flanagan, Gambling911.com

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