Why Chris Brewer’s WSOP winner interview struck a chord

If you’ve not been following the results from the World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2023, let us bring you up to speed on the biggest prize awarded so far.

It went to American high-stakes poker pro Chris Brewer, who took down the $250,000 buy-in Super High Roller for a colossal $5,293,556 and his first gold bracelet. To do it, he had to defeat a field consisting of many of the very best tournament players in the world.

You’re no doubt already familiar with Brewer. Even prior to that score, the player from Oregon had more than $10 million in live cashes throughout his career, having enjoyed victories on the Triton tour, European Poker Tour (EPT), and Poker Go events.

So why are we dedicating a blog article to this particular victory? Isn’t it just a case of “Super High Roller regular wins Super High Roller?”

Well, kind of.

But it’s what happened once the tournament was over that really grabbed the poker world’s attention.

THE INTERVIEW

You see, many of the crushers who play poker’s highest stakes have trained themselves to maintain an even keel. To maintain their composure regardless of results. To not get too down when things are going bad, and to not get too high when things go well.

It’s an important skill and one that all poker players need to form to varying degrees. The problem with it? Often, those competing at the game’s highest echelon come across as slightly robotic in victory, unwilling – perhaps even unable – to bring their real emotions to the surface.

But in his winner interview, Brewer did exactly that. This victory – five times larger than his previous high score – really meant a lot to him. And he told us why.

“I’ve had so many tough ones…. It feels really good.”

Don’t miss @Chris_D_Brewer‘s emotional winner’s interview with @nataliedbode after his @WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller victory. pic.twitter.com/hTwMXVIekS

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) June 19, 2023

If you haven’t been following the WSOP results, chances are you probably don’t keep track of the Super High Roller scene either. That’s understandable, there seems to be a high roller series running somewhere in the world at all times.

But those who do keep an eye on the scene will know that, despite a lot of success along the way, Chris Brewer had had more than his fair share of bad luck in the biggest moments.

Bad beat after bad beat, often on huge money bubbles. He bubbled the Super High Roller Bowl in brutal fashion.

And this happened at the WSOP.

As he said in his interview, “I’ve had some tough ones.”

FIGHTING BACK

So it was fantastic not only to see Brewer run good in a huge spot for once (he got lucky to win the final hand), but to let out the emotion he’d stored up as he battled through the perseverance.

Bad runs happen to every poker player, regardless of skill level. It’s the ability to continue performing at a high level when everything seems to go against you that’s most impressive.

Not surprising, then, that there was an outpouring of support for Brewer from the poker community.

That was one of the most powerful clips I’ve ever seen. The only thing that trumps @Chris_D_Brewer’s incredible work ethic is his heart. I hope he shares his up & down inspirational story publicly, it’s quite a doozy. Karma is so real, she’s often just behind schedule. https://t.co/8d8CgSwESI

— Garrett Adelstein (@GmanPoker) June 19, 2023

Struggling to hold back tears watching this. Extremely happy for @Chris_D_Brewer . He’s been through some rough stretches and has fought through with impressive resolve. Congrats ❤️ https://t.co/6M2OfEWPnK

— Daniel Zack (@Dan__Zack) June 19, 2023

We’ve all been through those stretches of nothing going our way, feeling like it might never end.

Congrats, @Chris_D_Brewer, for coming out on the other side of it! https://t.co/yHomRrludv

— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) June 19, 2023

Best chat of the Series. Such a well-deserved W. Congrats to Chris. https://t.co/CcOZjB6ehm

— Jeff Platt (@jeffplatt) June 19, 2023

We’ve seen similar battles against adversity in the BBZ community, too.

Just recently, we spoke to BBZ student Jonatan Fors, who took down a SCOOP 2023 title. He told us: “For a long time, I felt I just couldn’t win a big tournament for some reason. While I felt ecstatic, I also felt a sort of relief after it finally happened.”

The same feeling was true for BBZ student Evan Horton, who after banking a career-high score told us: “It is extremely validating when you put so much time and effort into something and you have waited and grinded patiently to finally achieve something like this.

“Friends and family see the time it takes and although I love it, I’ve never really had anything significant to show for it. But now I do. Poker can be so painful sometimes, but also so glorious.”

Brewer endured more than his fair share of pain but stuck with it.

Now he has the glory.