Five Thoughts: The 2016 WSOP’s Most Memorable Performances, Outside of the Unforgettable

It has been exactly one month since the summer stanza of the 2016 World Series of Poker wrapped up in Las Vegas. Attention has obviously turned to the final nine players left in the Main Event as they prepare to play down to a champion in late October and early November, and of course, when we look back at the series, it’s hard to forget the performances of double-bracelet winner and 2016 WSOP Player of the Year Jason Mercier, and the summer’s leading money winner, Fedor Holz.

However, there were several other players who may not have dominated media coverage this summer, but had the kind of results they’re not likely to forget, nor should we. With that in mind, we’re turning this week’s Five Thoughts into a top five list, looking back at the 2016 WSOP’s top performances to remember, outside of those unforgettable ones.

It may have been tough sledding putting together a memorable summer, with Mercier stealing all the headlines and Holz winning all the money, but the following players more than managed it:

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1. Bonomo Plays Bridesmaid Justin Bonomo

Casual observers may have thought Justin Bonomo was too busy championing the cause of social justice around the poker community to play the game at the highest level. Boy, would they have been wrong.

Bonomo didn’t win his second WSOP bracelet this summer, but he came oh-so-close with two runner-up finishes and two third place finishes.

In fact, he booked six cashes for a total of $1,363,044 in earnings over the course of the series, good for fifth on the 2016 WSOP money-winner’s list. Plus, one of those runner-up finishes came in the prestigious $50,000 Poker Players Championship, where it took a boat-over-Broadway bad beat to bounce him out and give Brian Rast his second title in that event.

With four final tables and over $1.3 million in earnings, Bonomo continued to prove he’s one of the game’s best, and while it may not have grabbed too many headlines, his performance at the 2016 WSOP was surely one to remember.

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He may not have came first, second, and first in three consecutive $10,000 Championship level events over the course of a historic week like Jason Mercier did, but at the end of the series, Dan Smith put together a memorable run in two …

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