Maryland beginnings
Greg Merson began playing poker with neighborhood friends in 2003. He attended the University of Maryland before focusing on the game and developing into a short-handed cash game specialist.
His first World Series of Poker cash came in the 2009 Main Event, where he finished 639th in a field of 6,494 entries. The result marked the beginning of a WSOP record that would soon change dramatically.
The 2012 season
Merson won his first bracelet in the 2012 $10,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em Championship. He topped 474 entries and earned $1,136,197.
Later that summer, he entered the Main Event and survived a moment when his stack had fallen to roughly one big blind. He recovered, reached the final table third in chips and advanced to heads-up play against Jesse Sylvia.
Two bracelets, the Main Event championship and WSOP Player of the Year in one season.
Merson won the title for $8,531,853. The victory made him the first player since Chris Ferguson in 2000 to win a preliminary bracelet and the Main Event in the same WSOP season. His combined results secured the 2012 WSOP Player of the Year award.
A lasting Main Event connection
Merson has continued to compete across live and online events. In 2025, thirteen years after his championship, he returned for another deep Main Event run and finished 52nd for $200,000.
During that run, he spoke about the value of changing gears as the table, stack and pace of the tournament change. The point matched the patience behind his 2012 comeback and the demands of a tournament that plays out over many long days.