WSOP Bracelets: What You Need to Know

WSOP bracelets are among the most prized possessions among professional poker players. They recognize excellence in the most iconic poker festival, the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

All event winners at the WSOP receive bracelets on top of their cash prizes. However, for many long-time poker pros, the WSOP bracelets can mean more to them than any monetary value. Below, we’ll explore the origins of these gold bracelets and how the tradition has evolved through the years.

WSOP Bracelets: The Origins

The gold WSOP bracelets were first introduced for the 1976 WSOP. This all helped to create a sense of grandeur and prestige surrounding the WSOP’s tournaments, especially the Main Event.

At the inaugural WSOP in 1970, the first WSOP champions were awarded a modest silver trophy on top of their cash winnings. Becky Behnen, the offspring of WSOP founder Benny Binion, said the players continued to receive these “corny” trophies for winning events until the end of the 1974 WSOP.

A year later, winners of WSOP events were presented with a sterling silver plate, as the event organisers sought to create an elite feel to proceedings. In 1976, gold bracelets were issued, although the tradition was lost on the regular winners at the time.

Doyle Brunson once said in an interview that he was non-plussed by the prestige of a WSOP bracelet. In fact, “Texas Dolly” admitted they meant nothing to him and didn’t even turn up to be presented with two of the ten WSOP bracelets he won in his illustrious poker career.

WSOP Bracelets Vs WSOPC Rings

The WSOP had existed for 35 years when organisers opted to create a new WSOP Circuit in 2005. This was described as a series of warm-up events to whet the appetite for the WSOP proper in Las Vegas.

During the opening year, WSOPC events were staged in other cities, such as Atlantic City, New Orleans, and Lake Tahoe, as well as other prestigious poker room venues on the Las Vegas Strip.

In keeping with the tradition of handing out gold bracelets to WSOP event winners, the WSOPC organisers opted to present similar gestures to WSOPC event winners. From the outset in 2005, any WSOPC event winner received a gold ring. These rings are made of genuine gold, diamonds, and other gems.

In 2018, New Jersey hosted the first online WSOP Circuit event to be eligible for a WSOPC ring.

It is generally accepted that WSOPC events are of a lower standard than those of the WSOP. The lower buy-ins attract a bigger crowd of recreational and intermediate poker players, which can be juicy for experienced players. 

At the time of writing, Maurice Hawkins holds the most WSOPC rings with 14 victories to his name. Canadian Ari Engel holds the most WSOPC rings and WSOP bracelets combined with ten rings and two bracelets.

WSOP Bracelets: What Are They Worth?

As with most sporting memorabilia items, the value of a WSOP bracelet isn’t necessarily determined by the quality of the gold on the bracelet. It has much more to do with the sentimental value, especially those with a significant back story.

Over the years, there have been multiple cases of WSOP bracelets being traded online. The poker community came alive in 2019 when a unanimous user launched an eBay auction to sell a gold WSOP bracelet awarded for winning a $2,500-entry Limit Omaha tournament. 

Although we could do some detective work to narrow down the possible seller of the bracelet in question, the main headline was the bracelet’s sale price—a cool $50,000. This was a significant fee, considering it was a lesser-known Limit Omaha event.

The biggest story surrounding the sale of a WSOP bracelet happened in 2013. An auction site randomly marketed the 2006 WSOP Main Event gold bracelet. This bracelet was awarded to Jamie Gold, the film producer and unorthodox poker player who stunned the poker world by landing the $12 million first prize.

Gold’s WSOP Main Event bracelet eventually sold for over $65,000. When Gold was quizzed about the auction, the story turns even more bizarre. He insisted he had no idea about the sale, so whose hands had the bracelet fallen into?

Peter Eastgate is another high-profile WSOP Main Event winner. The Dane, who won over $9.1 million at the 2008 Main Event, sold his gold bracelet in 2010, raising $147,500. Best of all, Eastgate immediately donated all of the proceeds to UNICEF in a magnificent gesture.

Can You Buy a WSOP Bracelet?

If you want to buy a slice of poker greatness as a keepsake, you must keep your eyes peeled online. A quick cut-and-paste job of the term “buy WSOP bracelet” into a major search engine brings up examples of recent WSOP bracelet auctions on eBay, proving there are still players looking to sell their bracelets.

It’s also worthwhile checking online community boards and forums like Reddit. This can be a haven for poker fanatics. You’ll often find Reddit threads of users looking to sell their WSOP bracelets. Of course, it’s equally important to be careful when making these kinds of transactions online. Trusting the authenticity of the bracelets you’re buying can be difficult. The last thing you want is to be scammed just for wanting a piece of poker memorabilia.

You should also note that the number of WSOP events eligible for bracelets is rising year-on-year. We’re not just talking about Texas Hold’em or Omaha poker anymore; there are other variants to consider. This increases the chances of WSOP bracelets entering the poker community’s circulation. However, it also diminishes their monetary and sentimental value if they’re destined to become ten-a-penny in the coming decade.

Who Makes the WSOP Bracelets?

The original gold WSOP bracelets cost around $500 to manufacture. It’s not common knowledge who got the nod to produce them, but the WSOP would later join forces with Mordechai Yerushalmi, one of the leading jewellers in Las Vegas, to design and produce the next generation of WSOP bracelets.

This jeweller, whose store still exists today as the longest-running family-owned jewellery store in the city, was given exclusive rights to create these timeless accessories. That was until 2004 when Harrah’s Entertainment acquired the rights to the WSOP.

This means Yerushalmi’s final gold WSOP Main Event bracelet went, rather fittingly, to Chris Moneymaker. This was the man behind the “poker boom”, who qualified via online satellite and took down the entire tournament.

In 2005, Memphis-based Gold and Diamond International won the tender for the next batch of WSOP bracelets and the WSOPC rings.

Twelve months later, the privilege was reserved for Frederick Goldman, Inc., which oversaw the traditional gold bracelets. Its 2006 Main Event bracelet featured 120g of white and yellow gold and 7.2 carats of diamonds. At this time, commemorative watches manufactured by high-end watch manufacturer Corum also started to be part of the overall presentation package.

Corum went on to get the deal for the 2007 WSOP bracelets. More recent producers of WSOP bracelets include the Australia-based OnTilt Designs, who returned the design to the old-school look of the 1970s and 80s. Jason Arasheben, the designer of Championship rings for NBA and NFL winners, LA Lakers and Green Bay Packers, also got in on the WSOP bracelet act in 2012.

Jostens received the contract to produce WSOP bracelets in 2019 and has retained the deal ever since. Each of their designs are hand-crafted, ensuring the utmost style and sophistication for the winners.

Are WSOP Bracelets Here to Stay?

It’s difficult to imagine life in the WSOP without the golden bracelets. For many aspiring poker professionals, landing that first gold bracelet is the stuff of poker dreams. However, as we’ve already alluded to, with more WSOP events getting the bracelet treatment, will this water down their allure over time?

In our high-tech world, there’s always a chance that gold bracelets get usurped by a new trend or craze. They could be replaced by exclusive non-fungible tokens (NFTs), representing unique assets like artwork or jewellery. The NFTs denote ownership and authenticity of any given asset. Like bracelets, NFTs can also be traded via the blockchain, allowing fans to acquire a virtual piece of WSOP history.

Final Thoughts

In summary, WSOP bracelets are one of the longest-standing links to the World Series of Poker’s origins. Although they may have more sentimental value than monetary value, they are still warmly received by all WSOP event winners today.

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