Jesus Rises Again as Chris Ferguson Breaks WSOP Cash Record

July 5th, 2017 | by Jason Reynolds

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has seen another record fall and then equaled as players go cash crazy on route to the Main Event.

Chris Ferguson (pictured) breaks the record for the most number of cashes in a single WSOP, but John Racener matches it hours later. (Image: gl-wiki.com)

This year’s WSOP has been one for the record books, quite literally. Following mammoth turnouts in the Millionaire Maker and Seniors event, many are expecting the Main Event to host one of its largest ever fields.

Ferguson Playing for Redemption

However, before players get ready to tango in the Big Dance, Chris Ferguson has been the talk of the tables once again. The former Full Tilt executive, who was held partly responsible for the loss of millions of dollars in player funds, caught the headlines in June when he appeared at the WSOP.

When Full Tilt went into meltdown following a 2011 DOJ indictment, Ferguson and his fellow executives went into hiding. With millions of players in the US unable to access their bankrolls, PokerStars’ parent company, the Rational Group, was forced to step in, purchase Full Tilt and save the day.

Since that time, Ferguson has been conspicuous by his absence from the live tournament scene. This summer, however, he couldn’t have put himself in the spotlight anymore if he tried.

After almost winning Event #51, the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo – Championship, (he finished 4^th), Ferguson jumped to second in the WSOP Player of the Year rankings.

Another Wrinkle to the WSOP’s 2017 Story

Although there’s still a way to go in the Player of the Year race, Ferguson notched up a notable feat after finishing 277^th in the $888 No Limit Hold’em Crazy Eights. With another $3,611 in the bank, Ferguson closed the book on his 14^th cash of the WSOP.

As well as being the leading tally of the Series so far (correct at the time of the writing), that total represents a new record. Roland Israelashvili’s 13 cashes in 2016 was the previous high, but Ferguson has beaten that with more than five events to go.

For some, Ferguson holding any sort of record wouldn’t be good for the game, which is why there will likely have been some cheers when John Racener cashed for the 14^th time. Taking part in the $3,333 WSOP.com ONLINE No Limit Hold’em High Roller, Racener took his 2017 WSOP earnings to more than $350,000 with a 49^th place finish.

At this point, Racener would be the fan favorite for the record number of cashes. However, Ferguson has proved he’s capable of gutting it out in the face of adversity and making a min-cash. Whichever way it goes, this is yet another interesting wrinkle to the 2017 WSOP.