Find Out Why Shaun Deeb Gives Away All of His WSOP Gold Bracelets

There’s no denying that Shaun Deeb is a future Poker Hall of Famer. Whether you know him from his online poker days, where he won more than a dozen COOP titles on PokerStars, or as the 2018 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year, Deeb has amassed nearly $13 million in live tournament earnings dating back to 2006 according to The Hendon Mob.
Deeb, who in February 2024 accepted a buyout in his $1 million body fat loss prop bet against Bill Perkins, is also a six-time WSOP gold bracelet winner, but did you know that just like Phil Hellmuth, he’s made a habit of gifting them to those close to him?
With the 2025 WSOP fast approaching, PokerNews chatted with Deeb about why he gives away his bracelets, which ones he’d keep if he were to win them, and why giving away No. 6 to honor his good friend, the late Thayer Rasmussen, meant so much to him.
Where’d They All Go?

Deeb won his first gold bracelet a decade ago when he took down the 2015 WSOP Event #15: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em Championship for $318,857. The following year, he nabbed his second bracelet, and in 2018, he added two more en route to winning WSOP POY. He’d go on to win No. 5 and No. 6 in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
“I've gifted them all away,” Deeb revealed. “The first one went to my grandma, the second went to my wife, the third went to my dad, and the fourth I gave to my uncle. The fifth I gave to my friend, Fred, who was battling cancer at the time, and then the sixth to Thayer’s family.”
Interestingly, Deeb also has four runner-up finishes in WSOP bracelet events, as well as another four third-place finishes. Had things turned out just a little differently in those spots, he could very well have 14 bracelets to his name. But as they say, “If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.”
Even so, it does beg the question – who will get future bracelets?
“My kids have been begging for one, and I don't want them to fight, so I told them if I win two in a year, you'll get them together,” Deeb shared. “I mean, there's been so many people I'm close with over the years that I want to give that token to.”
He continued: “I'm never going to wear them. They're going to sit in a safety deposit box, so I always said the only two I'd keep would be the Main Event or the $50K PPC. I just care about those events a little bit more than I don't really think it's good to give those out. So, that's kind of always been my plan, my whole career.”
Shaun Deeb’s Gifted WSOP Gold Bracelets
Date | Tournament | Prize | Gifted Bracelet to... |
---|---|---|---|
June 11, 2023 | Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix 6-Handed | $198,854 | Thayer Rasmussen’s family |
October 27, 2021 | Event #53: $25,000 High Roller PLO | $1,251,860 | Fred, friend battling cancer |
July 11, 2018 | Event #74: $10,000 NLH 6-Handed Championship | $814,179 | Uncle |
June 20, 2018 | Event #42: $25,000 PLO 8-Handed High Roller | $1,402,683 | Father |
June 27, 2016 | Event #49: $1,500 Seven-Card Stud | $111,101 | Wife |
June 4, 2015 | Event #15: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em Championship | $318,857 | Grandma |
Honoring "THAY3R"

In April 2023, Deeb took to X to share the unfortunate news that online poker legend Thayer "THAY3R" Rasmussen had passed away.
“I was super close with him,” said Deeb. “We started [online MTT group] Waffle Crush together. I was close with his brother as well. His parents were awesome every time I met them. So, when he passed away, I told his brother, Geoff, I said, ‘You know, I'm winning a bracelet this summer.’”
Indeed, two months later, Deeb captured bracelet No. 6 when he took down the 2023 WSOP Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix 6-Handed for $198,854.
“We were planning on doing something during the series, do a little get-together in his honor because they didn't want to do a funeral, but everyone was all over the place,” Deeb remembered. “They had lost someone else in their family around that time, so it was just rough for them. So, we got together in Las Vegas and I presented his mom with a bracelet.”
It was a moment that Thayer’s younger brother, Frank, caught on camera and shared on X:
It was a touching gesture, and one that was expounded upon as Thayer’s mother was intent on including her entire family.
“She decided to bring it to a jeweler to get it split up so everyone in the family can have a piece,” Deeb shared. “I think she said she had nine pieces made. I think she gave the queen of clubs to Geoff as there was some hand that was very memorable between the two of them. So, you know, it's just great that that whole family has my appreciation for my friendship with Thayer.”

Deeb concluded: “He helped me so much in my career and never won a bracelet himself. It's definitely probably my second favorite bracelet. I love gifting them out and knowing how many people get to appreciate that token and wear it and have it as part of them.”
If things go well for Deeb this summer during the 2025 series, there’s a good chance his kids could be donning WSOP gold. After that, who might get bracelet No. 9 and beyond is anybody’s guess.
In this Series
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- 2 Mark Your Calendar: 2025 WSOP to Run in Las Vegas from May 27-July 16
- 3 2025 WSOP Schedule Released: 100 Bracelet Events Confirmed
- 4 Hellmuth Calls Time on the WSOP Main Event: 'I Just Can't Do It Anymore'
- 5 Negreanu, Other Poker Pros Sound Off on Hellmuth's WSOP Main Event Complaints
- 6 Fedor Holz Says WSOP Bans Are Coming for Online Poker Cheaters
- 7 WSOP Bracelets - All Your Questions Answered
- 8 Daniel Negreanu Reveals His WSOP 2025 Schedule; 'Kid Poker' to Play the Seniors Event?
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- 10 Poker Raffles Is Sending Someone to the WSOP Main Event for Only £1
- 11 PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge Returns to 2025 WSOP w/ 50 SEATS for Deepstack Championship
- 12 What Happened to Peter Eastgate's 2008 WSOP Main Event Bracelet That Sold for $150,000?
- 13 Is a Poker Vlogger an Industry Employee? WSOP's New Rules Stir Controversy
- 14 What Are the Biggest Wins in WSOP History?
- 15 WSOP Records That Will (Probably) Never Be Broken
- 16 Looking at the Worst Bad Beats in World Series of Poker History
- 17 WSOP Tournament of Champions $1 Million Freeroll Returning to Commerce Casino May 15-17
- 18 Is It Worth Playing Cash Games During the WSOP?
- 19 TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Things To Do In Las Vegas During The 2025 WSOP
- 20 How Foreign Travelers to the 2025 WSOP Will Be Impacted by Trump's Executive Order
- 21 WSOP+ App Launches to Streamline 2025 World Series of Poker Experience
- 22 Electronic Devices, Player Bans & More: 6 Key 2025 WSOP Rule Changes You Must Know
- 23 Check Out the PokerGO Streaming Schedule for the 2025 World Series of Poker
- 24 Find Out Why Shaun Deeb Gives Away All of His WSOP Gold Bracelets
- 25 2025 World Series of Poker 'Not Going to Be About Results' for Daniel Negreanu
- 26 PokerNews Named Official Live Reporting Partner of the 2025 WSOP
- 27 Five Reasons Winning Poker Players Lose Money at the WSOP
- 28 PokerNews Staff 2025 WSOP Predictions - Player of the Year? Potential Bans?
- 29 Phil Hellmuth Will Play the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event After All
- 30 Follow All the Daniel Negreanu $25K Fantasy Draft Picks this WSOP with PokerNews
- 31 Upcoming Milestones and Record Possibilities at the 2025 WSOP Part 1
- 32 Upcoming Milestones and Record Possibilities at the 2025 WSOP Part 2
- 33 Horseshoe & Paris: Your Guide to the Home of the World Series of Poker (WSOP)
- 34 Why Shaun Deeb isn't as 'Amped Up' for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) This Year
- 35 Texas Mike Goes All In Blind at WSOP, Runs into Jacks, Queens, Kings & Aces
- 36 Phil Ivey Arrives at 2025 WSOP, Promptly Busts Moments After Questionable Bet
- 37 'Fake News' Doug Polk Trashes Phil Hellmuth for Backtracking on WSOP Main Event Plans
- 38 Alan Keating ‘Got Outplayed’ in WSOP Heads-Up Event; Wants to Face Negreanu
- 39 Poker Player Who Hit $6.4M Pai Gow Jackpot Pulls $1M WSOP Mystery Bounty
- 40 WSOP $1 Million Mystery Bounty Pulled Within an Hour
- 41 Phil Hellmuth's Son Has World Series of Poker Bracelet Dreams of His Own
- 42 WSOP Hands of the Week: Schulman Owns Kabrhel & A New Cult-Hero
- 43 Negreanu vs. Blom: Poker Legends Set to Square Off for WSOP Bracelet
- 44 Bad Blood Brewing Between Shaun Deeb and Sean Perry in WSOP High Roller
- 45 'Texas Mike' Makes Unconventional Play on Soft Bubble in WSOP High Roller
- 46 How WSOP Champ Beat Improbable Odds to Win a $1 Million Bonus Check
- 47 Has This Unsung Poker Star Been the Top WSOP Performer Since 2015?
- 48 Gus Hansen Involved in One of the Rarest Poker Hands You'll See at the 2025 WSOP
- 49 Did WSOP High Roller Winner Angle Shoot at Final Table?
- 50 WATCH: Full Seat Redraw Needed in WSOP High Roller After 72 Max Late Register
- 51 Poker Player Penalized for Expletives After Refusing to Color Up Deep in WSOP Event
- 52 WSOP Online Poker Bracelet Event Canceled on Day 2 Due to Technical Issues
- 53 Massive Cooler Near Money Bubble of WSOP's Biggest Buy-In So Far
- 54 Daniel Negreanu Reaches Another 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Final Table
- 55 It's Becoming the 'Summer of Isildur' at the 2025 World Series of Poker
- 56 Phil Ivey Records First Cash at 2025 WSOP, and He's Big-Stacked in $100K High Roller
- 57 How Are Team Grosvenor Getting on in Las Vegas?
- 58 WSOP Addresses Cancelled Online Bracelet Event: “Disruption Severely Impacted Integrity of the Game”
- 59 Big Changes Announced for WSOP Circuit; Remaining 2025 Schedule Released
- 60 Brutal River Card Dooms Mike Matusow Deep in WSOP Seniors High Roller
- 61 'Whiny' Phil Hellmuth Vows to 'Play Great Poker' After Slow Start to 2025 WSOP
- 62 WSOP Performance of the Week: Schulman Strengthens Hall of Fame Case w/ Bracelet #7
- 63 Angela Defoe Balances Poker, Artistry & Being Married to a Rock Star
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- 69 Hands of the Week: Peters FINALLY Shuts Up Kabrhel on $250k Bubble
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- 72 'Rampage' Struggling to Spin it Up at 2025 World Series of Poker -- 'Ready to Quit'
- 73 Which of These Players is the Best Without a WSOP Bracelet in 2025?
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- 75 Update: Phil Ivey's 12th Bracelet Run Ends at WSOP $25K Final Table
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- 77 Player Who Coolered Matusow at 2005 Main Event Final Table Runs Deep in WSOP Seniors
- 78 Male Poker Player Sparks Controversy After WSOP Ladies Champs Satellite Win
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- 81 WATCH: Texas Mike Goes All In Blind Near $50K PLO Money Bubble
- 82 Poker Vlogging Legend Brad Owen Chasing 'Dream' By Shot-Taking in $50K WSOP PPC
- 83 Did Chip Dumping Occur with $1 Million Bonus at Stake During WSOP Final Table?
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- 92 Poker Player Busts Early in WSOP Main Event with Top Pair
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- 103 Vegas Dream Alive for Long Island Poker Player After Jamie Gold Poker Giveaway
- 104 Is Shaun Deeb on the Verge of Wrapping Up the 2025 WSOP PoY Race?
- 105 Phil Hellmuth & Son Both Kicking Along on Day 2 of WSOP Main Event
- 106 Daniel Negreanu Wants to Normalize Calling the Clock on Poker Tankers
- 107 Quads Crack Flopped Top Set for Monster Day 2 Pot in WSOP Main Event
- 108 Is Big-Stacked Rigby Headed for Another Deep WSOP Main Event Run?
- 109 One-Outer Sends Phil Hellmuth Packing from 2025 WSOP Main Event
- 110 2023 WSOP Europe Champ Among Chip Leaders After Day 3 of WSOP Main Event
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