Brian Rast Wins Inaugural Super High Roller Bowl for $7,525,000

The first-ever Super High Roller Bowl took place at ARIA Resort & Casino in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, with action wrapping up on July 4, 2015. The enormous $500,000 buy-in event attracted a field of 43 entries to generate a $21.5 million prize pool. Walking away triumphant with the $7.525 million top prize was Brian Rast. The win proved the largest live tournament score of Rast’s career.

Inaugural Super High Roller Bowl Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Brian Rast	United States	$7,525,000
2	Scott Seiver	United States	$5,160,000
3	Connor Drinan	United States	$3,225,000
4	Timofey Kuznetsov	Russia	$2,150,000
5	David Peters	United States	$1,505,000
6	Tom Marchese	United States	$1,075,000
7	Erik Seidel	United States	$860,000

On the final day, Rast entered with the chip lead and eventually found himself heads up with Scott Seiver. Seiver began the final duel with the chip lead, having about twice as many chips as Rast. Rast was able to turn the tables, though. In the end, Rast’s ace-nine of spades was able to out-flip Seiver’s pocket fives thanks to a nine hitting on the flop after all of the money went in preflop. Rast’s pair of nines proved to be the winner, eliminating Seiver in second place for $5.16 million.

Finishing behind Seiver was Connor Drinan in third place for $3.225 million. Drinan’s finish came one year after he famously lost with pocket aces against the pocket aces of Cary Katz in the WSOP $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop.

The other players to cash in the event were Timofey Kuznetsov in fourth place for $2.15 million, David Peters in fifth place for $1.505 million, Tom Marchese in sixth place for $1.075 million, and Erik Seidel in seventh place for $860,000.

The three-day Super High Roller Bowl played down to the final seven players on Day 2, with the top seven places set to finish in the money. Andrew Robl earned the unwanted title of “bubble boy” when he busted in eighth place at the hands of Rast. Like he did when he defeated Seiver in heads-up play, Rast won a flip to eliminate Robl, only this time Rast was the player in the flip with the pocket pair. Rast’s pocket queens were up against Robl’s ace-king. The money went in preflop, Rast flopped a set of queens, and he held from there.

Others to compete in the inaugural Super High Roller Bowl were Ben Lamb, Isaac Baron, Daniel Negreanu, Jason Koon, Phil Galfond, and Bobby Baldwin. These players all reached Day 2 of the tournament but failed to make it to the money.

Among those busting on Day 1 were Phil Ivey, Jason Mercier, Doug Polk, Fedor Holz, and Isaac Haxton.