Ben Yu: Four-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner and Mixed-Game Specialist
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Ben Yu is an American professional poker player and four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner whose tournament career combines mixed-game expertise with success in high-stakes no-limit hold’em. His four bracelets have come in Limit Hold’em, 2-7 Triple Draw and No-Limit Hold’em, including a $50,000 High Roller victory worth more than $1.65 million.
As of September 21, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Yu with $10,062,532 in live tournament earnings and a career-best cash of $1,650,773. The World Series of Poker lists him with four bracelets, zero WSOP Circuit rings and more than $7.65 million in WSOP earnings.
Yu remains active in tournament poker. His recorded 2026 results include cashes across no-limit hold’em, pot-limit Omaha, razz, stud hi-lo, Badugi, triple draw and multi-game events at the World Series of Poker.
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Who Is Ben Yu?
Ben Yu is an American professional poker player based in Las Vegas. The WSOP identifies Dayton, Ohio, as his birthplace, while its reporting on his career notes that he grew up in the Los Angeles area.
Yu attended Stanford University, where he earned a degree in civil and environmental engineering in 2008. He also studied public policy. Rather than leaving school to pursue poker full time, Yu stepped away from the game for several years to complete his education.
During that period, he gained experience outside poker, including work on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and time in Panama. He eventually returned to poker and developed into a regular at the World Series of Poker and other major tournament series.
Yu has said that watching the poker boom of the early 2000s helped spark his interest in the game. In particular, the success of Chris Moneymaker during the 2003 WSOP Main Event helped inspire Yu to pursue the goal of eventually winning a WSOP event himself.
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Ben Yu’s Early Poker Career
Yu began recording WSOP cashes in 2008, but his first major breakthrough did not come immediately.
One of his most important early results arrived at the 2010 World Series of Poker, where he finished second in a bracelet event. Yu later explained that the score significantly increased his bankroll and gave him more confidence to continue competing.
His tournament volume and results grew over the next several years. By the middle of the 2010s, Yu had established himself as a frequent WSOP casher with experience across several poker variants.
That versatility became central to his career. Yu began as a Limit Hold’em player, but he deliberately expanded his game selection rather than remaining tied to a single format.
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How Many WSOP Bracelets Does Ben Yu Have?
Ben Yu has four World Series of Poker bracelets.
As of September 21, 2026, the WSOP lists Yu with four bracelet victories and zero WSOP Circuit rings.
His four bracelet wins are:
2015 — $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship — $291,456
2017 — $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship — $232,738
2018 — $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller — $1,650,773
2021 — $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship — $721,453
The range of formats represented by those victories is one of the defining features of Yu’s tournament record.
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Ben Yu’s First WSOP Bracelet
Yu won his first WSOP bracelet in the 2015 $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship.
The tournament drew 117 entries and generated a prize pool of $1,099,800. Yu defeated Jesse Martin heads-up and earned $291,456.
The victory came after years of WSOP cashes and several close calls. It also rewarded Yu in the poker variant that had played an important role in his early development.
At the time, Yu described his approach to improvement as an ongoing process of adding new poker games to his skill set. Rather than specializing exclusively in Limit Hold’em, he had made a deliberate effort to become proficient in additional variants.
That approach would become even more significant as his bracelet career developed.
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Second Bracelet in 2-7 Triple Draw
Yu captured his second bracelet at the 2017 World Series of Poker in the $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship.
The event attracted 80 entries and produced a $752,000 prize pool. Yu defeated Shaun Deeb heads-up and collected $232,738.
The final table also included accomplished players such as Nick Schulman, Mike Watson, Shawn Buchanan and Mike Matusow.
Winning championships in both Limit Hold’em and 2-7 Triple Draw reinforced Yu’s credentials as a player capable of competing at a high level outside the no-limit hold’em tournaments that dominate much of the modern poker schedule.
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Ben Yu’s $1.65 Million High Roller Victory
Yu’s largest recorded tournament score came during the 2018 World Series of Poker.
Before that victory, he had already produced several deep runs during the series. Most notably, Yu finished second to Shaun Deeb in the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller for $866,924.
Later that summer, Yu entered the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller.
The event drew 128 entries and featured a final table containing several established high-stakes professionals. Yu eventually defeated Sean Winter heads-up to win his third bracelet and $1,650,773.
It remains the largest live tournament cash listed on his Hendon Mob record as of September 21, 2026.
The victory was also significant because Yu’s first two bracelets had come in limit and mixed-game formats. His $50,000 High Roller title demonstrated that his tournament success extended to elite no-limit hold’em competition.
Yu credited extensive study as an important part of his improvement in high-stakes no-limit hold’em. He sought advice from Justin Bonomo and discussed working on ranges and solver-based study away from the table.
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Fourth WSOP Bracelet in 2021
Yu added his fourth bracelet at the 2021 World Series of Poker.
He won the $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship, defeating a field of 329 entries and earning $721,453.
The championship gave Yu a second bracelet in no-limit hold’em and expanded a WSOP résumé that already included victories in Limit Hold’em and 2-7 Triple Draw.
By that point, his bracelet record reflected two different sides of his tournament career: long-standing strength in mixed and limit games alongside proven results in high-level no-limit hold’em.
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Ben Yu’s WPT Results
Yu has also produced significant results on the World Poker Tour, although he has not won a WPT Main Tour title.
The World Poker Tour lists Yu with five Main Tour cashes, one final table and $679,661 in WPT earnings.
His best WPT result came at the 2015 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio in Las Vegas. Yu finished third and earned $607,433.
That result came during the same year as his first WSOP bracelet, making 2015 one of the important turning points in his tournament career.
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How Much Has Ben Yu Won in Live Poker Tournaments?
As of September 21, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Ben Yu with $10,062,532 in live tournament earnings.
Tournament earnings databases change as new results are added, so that figure should be treated as a dated snapshot rather than a permanent total.
Yu’s largest recorded live cash is $1,650,773 for winning the 2018 WSOP $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller.
Other seven- and six-figure results include his $866,924 runner-up finish in the 2018 WSOP $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, $721,453 for his 2021 bracelet victory and $607,433 for third place in the 2015 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic.
The WSOP separately lists more than $7.65 million in earnings from events contained in its player database.
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What Kind of Poker Player Is Ben Yu?
Yu is best described as a versatile tournament professional with a particularly strong mixed-game background.
The description is supported by both his tournament record and his own comments about how he developed as a player. His first bracelet came in Limit Hold’em, his second in 2-7 Triple Draw and his later WSOP results include deep runs across pot-limit Omaha, stud, razz, H.O.R.S.E. and other mixed formats.
His approach has also emphasized study and continued development.
When Yu moved further into elite no-limit hold’em competition, he publicly discussed studying ranges, using solver-based tools and learning from opponents with more high-roller experience.
His career therefore does not fit neatly into a single specialization. He has won bracelets in traditional limit poker, draw poker and no-limit hold’em while continuing to enter a broad mix of WSOP events.
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Ben Yu at the 2026 World Series of Poker
Yu remained an active tournament player during the 2026 World Series of Poker.
The Hendon Mob records 17 live cashes for Yu at the series between May 26 and July 8, 2026. His results covered a wide selection of formats rather than a single game.
Among the events in which he cashed were:
$10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship
$1,500 Limit Badugi
$10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship
$10,000 Pot-Limit Big O Championship
$10,000 Razz Championship
$3,000 Nine-Game Mix
$1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo
$2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball
Those results show that mixed-game competition remains an important part of Yu’s tournament schedule.
His most recent live tournament result currently listed by The Hendon Mob is a 102nd-place finish in the $300 Gladiators of Poker at the 2026 WSOP on July 8.
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Why Ben Yu Matters in Poker
Ben Yu’s significance comes from the combination of longevity, versatility and major-title success.
He has been cashing at the World Series of Poker since 2008 and has accumulated four bracelets across substantially different forms of poker. His record includes championship-level success in Limit Hold’em and 2-7 Triple Draw as well as a seven-figure victory in one of the WSOP’s highest-buy-in no-limit hold’em events.
His progression also illustrates the increasing technical demands of modern tournament poker. Yu has spoken openly about deliberately learning additional variants, studying away from the table and adapting his approach as he moved into tougher high-stakes fields.
More than a decade after winning his first bracelet, his 2026 results show that he continues to compete extensively at the WSOP across both mixed games and hold’em.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Ben Yu have?
Ben Yu has four WSOP bracelets. He won them in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2021.
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Does Ben Yu have any WSOP Circuit rings?
No. As of September 21, 2026, the World Series of Poker lists Ben Yu with four bracelets and zero WSOP Circuit rings.
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How much has Ben Yu won playing live poker tournaments?
As of September 21, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Ben Yu with $10,062,532 in live tournament earnings. Tournament earnings totals change as new results are recorded.
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What is Ben Yu’s largest tournament cash?
Ben Yu’s largest recorded live tournament cash is $1,650,773. He earned it by winning the 2018 WSOP $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller.
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Has Ben Yu won a World Poker Tour title?
No. The World Poker Tour lists Yu with five Main Tour cashes and one final table but no WPT Main Tour victories. His best WPT finish was third in the 2015 Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $607,433.
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Where did Ben Yu go to college?
Ben Yu attended Stanford University and graduated in 2008 with a degree in civil and environmental engineering. He also studied public policy.
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What poker games does Ben Yu play?
Yu competes in both no-limit hold’em and mixed games. His recorded results include Limit Hold’em, 2-7 Triple Draw, razz, stud, H.O.R.S.E., pot-limit Omaha, Badugi and other mixed formats.
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Is Ben Yu still active in poker?
Yes. Ben Yu recorded numerous live tournament cashes during the 2026 World Series of Poker, with results extending through July 2026.
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When did Ben Yu win his first WSOP bracelet?
Ben Yu won his first bracelet in 2015 when he captured the $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship for $291,456.
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Why is Ben Yu known as a versatile poker player?
Yu has won WSOP bracelets in Limit Hold’em, 2-7 Triple Draw and No-Limit Hold’em while also posting tournament results across a wide range of mixed-game formats. His career has been built around learning and competing in multiple poker disciplines rather than concentrating on only one game.