button in SafariHossein Ensan Making a Serious Run at a Second WSOP Main Event Title
Winning the WSOP Main Event twice in the post-Moneymaker era is about as unlikely as winning the Main Event and Poker Players Championship in the same year.
The latter improbable scenario actually did happen last summer when Michael Mizrachi won both events. The first scenario just might happen as Hossein Ensan, the 2019 champion, has a big stack on Day 8 with only two tables away from the bracelet.
Johnny Moss (1970, 1971, and 1974) and Stu Ungar (1980, 1981, and 1997) are the only three-time Main Event winners, while Doyle Brunson (1976 and 1977) and Johnny Chan (1987 and 1988) and two-time winners. But those wins all came in an era when fields were a couple hundred players or fewer. The Main Event has cracked 5,000 players every year since 2005, and the likelihood of winning twice these days is barely above 0%.
So, you're saying there's a chance? Yes, there is a chance, as Ensan is proving this week.
Can Ensan Win the WSOP Main Event Again?
Ensan isn't the only Moneymaker era winner to make a serious run at a second title. Joe Cada, the 2009 winner, reached the final table in 2018 and finished in fifth place. The difference between the two is, unless things change before Day 8 concludes, Ensan is better positioned on the last pre-final table session.
Ensan, a 62-year-old Iranian-German, said his second journey deep in the Main Event "brings back a lot of memories from seven years ago, and I'm enjoying every moment of it."
"I have much more experience than before," Ensan said.
Ensan could use that experience to his advantage. He's the only player remaining who has ever reached the WSOP Main Event final table. No one else in this field has proven they can win the biggest tournament in the world.
The 2019 champ left for dinner break on Day 8 fourth in chips with 15 players remaining. The blinds are now becoming a factor for everyone for the first time in the tournament. Malcolm Trayner, the 22-year-old Aussie Millions champion a few months ago, had the chip lead at break with 81,900,000 chips and the blinds are up to 500,000/1,000,000, meaning no player is very close to 100 big blinds.
That could change before long, especially if Trayner wins a big pot. Ensan, who defeated Dario Sammartino heads-up at the 2019 Main Event, will return from break with a healthy stack of 55,600,000, good for 55 big blinds. He's one sizeable hand away from the chip lead. And if he gets there, given his experience deep in the Main Event, he'll be tough to beat.
