Jason Riesenberg: $799K in Cashes, Zero Bracelets, and the Chip Lead at Two Tables

Jason Riesenberg has cashed for $799,593 in tournament poker, and the only thing missing from his résumé is the one line that matters.

Right now he sits atop the chip counts in WSOP Event #74, the $1,500 8-Game Mixed, with 1,450,000 chips and 18 players remaining. Two tables. One bracelet up for grabs. Nearly $800K in career earnings and exactly zero pieces of WSOP gold.

The Résumé Without the Trophy Case

Riesenberg's career earnings put him in rare company for a player with no bracelet and no ring. He's ground out that total across a mixed-game résumé heavy on events most hold'em grinders skip entirely: Stud, Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw, and the rotating 8-Game format that rewards versatility over volume.

Nearly $800K in career earnings and exactly zero pieces of WSOP gold.

What stands out in the data is just how close he's stayed to the edges without breaking through. His WSOP profile lists only one career final table before this run. That's a player who cashes consistently but hasn't found the top of a bracket until now.

The $1,500 8-Game Mixed is the kind of event built for a player like Riesenberg. It rotates through eight disciplines every orbit, punishing specialists and rewarding the player who leaks the least across all formats. At 1,450,000 chips with 18 left, Riesenberg has the second-largest stack at the two remaining tables.

The Field Around Him

Michael Balan leads the overall chip counts at 1,880,000. Balan has $210,480 in lifetime tournament cashes and three final-table appearances, making him another player hunting for first hardware.

Jordan Siegel, who led the field earlier when 23 players remained with 575,000, has since built to 845,000. Siegel brings $1,023,695 in career earnings and four lifetime final tables. Like Riesenberg: no bracelet, no ring.

Notably absent from the final 18 is John Racener, a three-time bracelet winner with $11,622,916 in career earnings and 39 final tables. Racener busted before the field trimmed to two tables, eliminating the most decorated player in the bracket.

Svetlana Gromenkova, a one-bracelet, one-ring holder with $529,949 in career earnings, also fell short, busting in 27th place or later.

What Makes This Run Different

The narrative frame is clean: three of the top four stacks belong to players with zero bracelets and zero rings. Riesenberg ($799,593), Siegel ($1,023,695), and Balan ($210,480) have combined for over $2 million in career tournament cashes and own a combined zero WSOP trophies.

For Riesenberg, a win in Event #74 would do two things at once. It would push his lifetime earnings past $800K, and it would replace the most conspicuous blank on a mixed-game grinder's résumé.

One final table stands between him and the only credential that's eluded a career spent mastering eight games at once.