Former national player Max Kruse is aiming for his second world title at the Poker World Championship (WSOP) in Las Vegas. Only a few opponents stand between him, the legendary gold bracelet and prize money of over 300,000 euros.
Max Kruse has been a regular guest at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) held annually in Las Vegas for many years. The ex-Bundesliga striker also visits the event in the World Cup year – and is extremely successful.
On Wednesday morning (CET), Kruse reached the final table in event number 48, in which the poker variant Razz is played, in which the worst hand wins at the end. With a buy-in of $10,000, the tournament is one of the larger ones in the WSOP. The title at stake is correspondingly prestigious.
Kruse one of five world champions at the final table
In addition to the World Cup title, the winner of the event will receive one of the legendary gold bracelets and, in this case, prize money of 357,000 US dollars (approx. 307,000 euros). 155 players took part, only eight are still in the running. Kruse is one of them. The former German international goes to the final table, which will be played on Thursday, with the third-most chips.
Kruse is one of five world champions fighting for victory in Event 48. The 38-year-old won his first and only Poker World Championship title in 2022 at the WSOP Europe. At that time he was only able to take part in the tournament because he was suspended from VfL Wolfsburg at the time. The Wolves accused him of, among other things, a lack of discipline.
Kruse has been a well-known face in the poker scene for many years. The “Hendon Mob” portal lists the ex-professional with total winnings of 582,000 US dollars (approx. 500,000 euros) in live tournaments. He won his highest individual win alongside his World Cup title, which was sweetened with around 135,000 euros.