Nine Years After Near Tragedy, Arash Ghaneian Wins Second Bracelet in $10,000 Stud Hi-Lo Championship
Low Card: 75,000
Completion: 250,000
Limits: 250,000-500,000
It took an extra day and countless hours trading back-and-forth pots, but Arash Ghaneian won his second World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and $376,476 in Event #74: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship after a heads-up battle for the ages against golf betting mogul Richard Sklar.
Ghaneian, a Las Vegas finance broker whose first bracelet dates back to 2015 in $1,500 H.O.R.S.E., came out on top after navigating a formidable final table featuring the likes of high-stakes pro Michael Rocco, Poker Hall of Famer Todd Brunson and Eric Wasserson, who spent the unscheduled Day 4 on the rail coaching and cheering on Sklar.
"We came in today, we battled," Ghaneian told PokerNews in a winner's interview. "When the limits went that high, you know, I talked to him right after dinner and said, 'Hey, this could go either way.' And the cards fell my way at the end, and I'm grateful to win the second one."
Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arash Ghaneian | United States | $376,476 |
| 2 | Richard Sklar | United States | $250,984 |
| 3 | Thomas Taylor | Canada | $173,533 |
| 4 | Todd Brunson | United States | $122,663 |
| 5 | Eric Wasserson | United States | $88,686 |
| 6 | Dario Alioto | Italy | $65,620 |
| 7 | Andrey Zhigalov | Russia | $49,715 |
| 8 | Michael Rocco | United States | $38,589 |
Getting to Enjoy the Moment
Ghaneian won his second bracelet under better circumstances than the first time around. When he fought for his first bracelet in 2015, his wife, Liz, faced serious health complications while pregnant with two of their children.
"She was carrying twins, and she almost lost the twins," said Ghaneian. "Right after we won it, we went to the hospital. That was really, we didn't get to enjoy it. Right now, we literally get to enjoy this moment because these stresses [aren't] there."
"We thought we were going to lose them and we had like 12 hours. So it was play the final table and drive right to the hospital. That was insane. So this one is just amazing to not have that stress of stuff. We get to go eat with them and hang out with the kids, take them to dinner, celebrate the Fourth of July tomorrow, great to be an American. F***in' love it. I'm grateful, man, I'm very grateful."
Nine years later, Liz was on the rail throughout the final table in a custom "AG is the OG" t-shirt and cheered as her husband dragged pots over seven hours of heads-up play on Day 4.
"I had a really, really nice rail just rooting me on. It was wonderful. I'm grateful for all of them."
Ghaneian Takes on "The Best Rail in the F***ing History of the World"
Sklar, a notorious golf bettor who has won millions betting with the likes of Phil Ivey, had his own rail cheering him on and it included some of the game's biggest crushers like Wasserson, six-time bracelet winner Jason Mercier and WSOP Player of the Year frontrunner Scott Seiver.
"You've got the real bracelet winners over there!" Ghaneian told Sklar as he laughed that he was playing against "the best rail in the f***ing history of the world."
Ghaneian and Sklar traded pots and leads back and forth for several hours before Ghaneian gained momentum as he scooped with a full house and picked up a few decent pots to chip away at his heads-up nemesis.
Sklar got down to two bets before managing a small double with a straight on seventh street, but he couldn't overcome Ghaneian. Sklar got his final chips in with a pair and eight-six low as he ran into a wheel, and Ghaneian stood in triumph.
Ghaneian, who noted that he is "not a tournament player by any means," acknowledged Sklar as a great player and tough opponent.
"I've never considered myself a tournament player, but I enjoy the competition," he said. "It's nice to compete with these guys. The best in the world play this, and it's nice to come out on top. It feels great."
And even though he isn't a tournament player, make no mistake that he wanted the WSOP hardware.
"The money is great. I love the money, but I definitely wanted the bracelet ... I would almost want to get second-place money and get the bracelet as well because it's just that important."
That wraps up PokerNews' coverage of the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, but be sure to check out the 2024 WSOP live reporting portal for coverage of other events.