Ryan Riess is an American poker player who won the 2013 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
In 2017, he added a World Poker Tour title and has amassed over $15 million in live earnings over the course of his career.
Biography
Riess' first recorded tournament cash came in 2012 with a runner-up finish in the WSOP Circuit Hammond Main Event for $239,0763.
A little over a year later, he was world champion. He defeated Jay Farber heads-up to win over $8.3 million in prize money after besting a field of 6,352 players.
“The title means everything,” Riess said after his win. “The money’s great, but being a professional poker player, money comes and goes... The title is everything. I would not be happy with second place.”
In 2018, he narrowly missed out on the WSOP Europe Main Event, finishing fourth behind eventual winner Jack Sinclair.
The following year, he made the final table of the EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event, again falling in fourth place and narrowly missing out on a Triple Crown.
WSOP Main Event Winners 2004-13
| YEAR | ENTRIES | CHAMPION | COUNTRY | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 6,352 | Ryan Riess | United States | $8,361,570 |
| 2012 | 6,598 | Greg Merson | United States | $8,531,853 |
| 2011 | 6,865 | Pius Heinz | Germany | $8,715,638 |
| 2010 | 7,319 | Jonathan Duhamel | Canada | $8,944,310 |
| 2009 | 6,494 | Joe Cada | United States | $8,547,042 |
| 2008 | 6,844 | Peter Eastgate | Denmark | $9,119,517 |
| 2007 | 6,358 | Jerry Yang | United States | $8,250,000 |
| 2006 | 8,773 | Jamie Gold | United States | $12,000,000 |
| 2005 | 5,619 | Joe Hachem | Australia | $7,500,000 |
| 2004 | 2,576 | Greg Raymer | United States | $5,000,000 |
