Dan Zack Aiming for WSOP Player of the Year Title after Two Bracelet Wins

Posted by Dave Consolazio . March 25, 2024

With 40 events in the can, the 2022 World Series of Poker has seen 39 bracelet winners. The reason for the second number being lower is that Dan Zack’s win in Event #40 made him the first double bracelet winner this summer after his initial success in Event #15.

With three career WSOP bracelets – each in a different discipline – it’s hard to argue with Dan Zack’s status as both a fan favorite and a highly respected poker player by his elite peers. Can he go on and win this year’s WSOP Player of the Year award?

Zack’s First Win This Year Comes in Omaha Hi-Lo Event

“You fought so hard and played so well. Really was anyone’s tournament.”

It took an incredible seven hours of heads-up play to give Daniel Zack his first bracelet this series (and second overall). In Event #15, the $10,000 buy-in Omaha Hi-Lo Championship, he bettered the field after coming back from behind to win an epic seven-hour heads-up battle for the gold. Little did he know that it wouldn’t even be his longest battle this month, let alone this series.

With some terrific players making the final table, Jake Liebeskind (5^th for $105,913), Ray Dekhharghani (4^th for $142,456) and Israel’s Yuval Bronshtein (3^rd for $195,203) all came close to victory without knowing that they could safely return to their hotel rooms and enjoy a leisurely seven-hour sleep without missing the denouement. Of the three, perhaps Bronshtein would be regretting missing heads-up the most. Not only did he get closest, but he also led for long periods earlier in the event.

Ultimately, it was mano-a-mano for the gold and Dustin Dirksen was Zack’s opponent. After their epic seven-hour battle, Zack was victorious, and Dirksen the first to congratulate him.

You’re a gentleman and a scholar. Well deserved victory.

— Dustin Dirksen (@DustinDirksen) June 11, 2022

In response, Zack said: “Thanks Dustin, you fought so hard and played so well. Really was anyone’s tournament. All the respect.”

WSOP 2022 Event #15 $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship Final Table Results:
Position	Player	Country	Prize
1^st	Dan Zack	U.S.A.	$440,757
2^nd	Dustin Dirksen	U.S.A.	$272,408
3^rd	Yuval Bronshtein	Israel	$195,203
4^th	Ray Dekhharghani	U.S.A.	$142,456
5^th	Jake Liebeskind	U.S.A.	$105,913

Dan Makes it a Double in Seven Card Stud Event

Zack took down the 40^th event of the 2022 World Series when he beat David Funkhouser to the title after eight hours of heads-up play. In doing so, Zack not only won the $324,174 top prize but took the overall lead in the 2022 WSOP Player of the Year race. On the final day, just three players came back to fight for the title, as the previous day’s scheduled last day of the event overran.

On what transpired to be the penultimate day, Brian Hastings (7^th for $49,571), busted first, followed by Chad Eveslage (6^th for $63,914), whose own strong start to the World Series has seen him reach multiple final tables. In fifth place, Shaun Deeb would have been frustrated to bust, cashing for $83,465 but missing out on those vital podium places for Player of the Year points.

When the final three returned to play down to a winner, Ziya Rahim was the man who missed out on heads-up, cashing for $147,800 when David Funkhouser made a straight and six-five low. Winning that pot gave Funkhouse 5.7 million chips, more than double Zack’s 2.5m, but ultimately, it wasn’t enough. Winning $200,356, Funkhouser was consigned to the runner-up spot as Zack, who won with aces and deuces, claimed the third WSOP title of his career and the $324,174 top prize, celebrating in modest style.

I won!

— Daniel Zack (@Dan__Zack) June 22, 2022

WSOP 2022 Event #40 $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship:
Place	Player	Country	Prize
1^st	Daniel Zack	U.S.A.	$324,174
2^nd	David Funkhouser	U.S.A.	$200,356
3^rd	Ziya Rahim	U.S.A.	$147,800
4^th	Eric Kurtzman	U.S.A.	$110,379
5^th	Shaun Deeb	U.S.A.	$83,465
6^th	Chad Eveslage	U.S.A.	$63,914
7^th	Brian Hastings	U.S.A.	$49,571

Is Dan Zack Top of the WSOP Player of the Year Leaderboard?

With 40 events in the can of the 102 that will take place this summer, how is Dan Zack doing in the WSOP Player of the Year race? He most certainly is, piling up 2,981 points, a touch clear of Daniel Weinman (2,521) and David Peters (2,222). Chad Eveslage (2,012) and Michael Moncek (1,974) round out the top five.

With two Dans at the top of the list and only one Phil (Ivey) scraping into 10^th place on the leaderboard with 1,680 points, it could well be, as Dan Smith hailed it beforehand, the ‘Summer of Dan’. But no-one will rule out players such as Scott Seiver (6^th on 1,910 points) or Shaun Deeb (8^th on 1,824), with the reigning champion Josh Arieh putting up an equally stirring fight to retain his title as he sits in 12^th on 1,594 points.

With another 48 live WSOP events and plenty of online events to play too, the friendly race that provides poker fans with so much entertainment all summer and will end with one player getting their own flag on the wall of either Bally’s (soon to be the Horseshoe) or Paris casinos, there is still everything to play for.

Daniel Zack may be tough to catch, but this is the World Series of Poker, and with stars chasing him down, we can’t wait to find out who the 2022 World Series of Poker Player of the Year will be.

WSOP 2022 Player of the Year Leaderboard (After 40 Events):
Position	Player	Country	Points
1^st	Daniel Zack	U.S.A.	2,981.36
2^nd	Daniel Weinman	U.S.A.	2,521.93
3^rd	David Peters	U.S.A.	2,222.30
4^th	Chad Eveslage	U.S.A.	2,012.12
5^th	Michael Moncek	U.S.A.	1,974.41
6^th	Scott Seiver	U.S.A.	1,910.98
7^th	Jake Schindler	U.S.A.	1,842.34
8^th	Shaun Deeb	U.S.A.	1,824.96
9^th	Alex Livingston	Canada	1,725.33
10^th	Phil Ivey	U.S.A.	1,680.28
11^th	Brad Ruben	U.S.A.	1,617.59
12^th	Josh Arieh	U.S.A.	1,594.01