In the illustrious history of the PocketFives Rankings, 55 different players have managed to hold down the #1 spot. This edition of the RANK & FILE focuses on how those players perform during the 2019 World Series of Poker.

Calvin Anderson Hits Six Figures

It continues to be a solid summer for Calvin ‘cal42688’ Anderson who continues to rack up impressive cashes in his pursuit of his third World Series of Poker gold bracelet. After a series of five-figure cashes, Anderson has quickly surpassed six-figures in total cashes so far in the series.

Anderson just missed out on the final table of Event #42 ($600 Mixed No Limit Hold’em/Pot Limit Omaha Deepstack 8 Handed) falling in 11th place for $12,954. Just two days later on June 20, he did find a seat at the final table of Event #49 ($10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw) where he battled against the likes of Mike Gorodinsky, Mark Gregorich and eventual champion Luke Schwartz but ended up finishing in sixth place for $42,898.

Less than a week later it looked like Anderson was yet again going to have a shot at a bracelet, however, he finished Event #62 ($10,000 Razz Championship) in 10th place picking up another $25,008 for his efforts.

After tacking on a cash of just over $3,000 in Event #64 ($888 Crazy Eights), Anderson has over $135,000 in total WSOP cashes this year and from the looks of how hard he’s been grinding the schedule at the Rio, he doesn’t look to be finished yet.

Ari Engel Gets It Done

Ari Engel’s victory in Event #48 ($2,500 No Limit Hold’em) not only brought him his first WSOP gold bracelet and over $427,000, but it made him the first (but not the only) former #1-ranked PocketFiver to earn a bracelet in 2019.

Engel took himself out of the ‘No Gold Club’ list as one of the best to go without a bracelet, but it also helped restore some of the confidence he’d been looking for at the WSOP. With that renewed confidence, additional results follow as he’s picked up cashes in three events since his bracelet win.

Just days after his win, Engel basically bubbled the final table of Event #60 ($1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better) finishing in 10th place for $15,871. He subsequently picked up cashes in Event #64 ($888 Crazy Eights) and Event #69 ($1,000 Mini Main Event).

So far Engel has collected eight cashes for a summer total of just over $465,000.

Shaun Deeb Final Tables the PPC

Shaun Deeb continues his pursuit the 2019 World Series of Poker Player of the Year with his campaign continuing to impress.

Even though he has yet to win a bracelet this summer, Deeb currently has 12 cashes for a total of over $522,000. After taking home $8,656 in Event #51 ($2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi/Lo/Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo), Deeb added another five-figure cash to his summer with a 24th place finish in Event #52 ($10,000 PLO 8 Handed) for $30,532.

The highlight of his summer though has to be his deep run in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, where he finished in fifth place for just over $232,000. This helped him rise to third place in the Player of the Year standings behind Dan Zack and Phil Hui. Deeb tacked on an in-the-money finish in Event #64 ($888 Crazy Eights) and sits in prime position to make the jump to the top of the POY leaderboard.

Michael Wasserman Goes Three-For-Three

Michael ‘StrungOut1’ Wasserman, who hit the #1 rank back in 2015, had a solid week at the WSOP after cashing in three consecutive events.

First up, Wasserman finished in the money in Event #55 ($1,000 WSOP.com ONLINE Double Stack) for $2,533. At the same time, he was likely playing live in Event #56 ($1,500 NL Super Turbo Bounty) where he finished in 257th place for $1,414. If that weren’t enough cashing for one day, he was also part of a team in Event #57 ($1,000 Tag Team Event) where he added another $778 to his bankroll.

Three cashes in a 24-hour period is not a bad day at the Rio. Wasserman currently has six cashes this summer totaling just over $10,000 in earnings.