Ask poker fans who they’d most like to see win a World Series of Poker bracelet and many of them will give you the same name in one word that is wholly unrelated to the game of poker itself: Chainsaw.
Allen Kessler, for whom ‘Chainsaw’ is an affectionate nickname, has arrived in Las Vegas and is looking forward to playing a bigger part in the 54th annual WSOP than ever before. Not only is he playing plenty of bracelet events in an attempt to finally win one of the world’s most famous poker titles, but he’s also selling some of his action too.
A Man in Love with WSOP
Far from waiting until the summer to play at the World Series like so many players who will arrive in Las Vegas this week, Kessler is a year-round kind of guy. He’s part of Sin City’s furniture, and this extends to the WSOP tour in the form of its Circuit stops.
“I basically play throughout the year,” he says. “Mostly WSOP circuit and WPT events. This year I played two [Mixed Games] series at Caesars and Wynn leading up to WSOP since there are so few of those offered anywhere.”
Kessler could hardly be better prepared, and the man nicknamed Chainsaw due to a joke once made “… on poker radio about how [I] cut through the competition” is looking forward to lots of facets of the World Series, but one most of all.
“[Seeing] all my mixed game friends in the 1500 and 10k mix.”
Kessler’s legendary ‘Chainsaw Reports’ from the WSOP felt on PokerNews are perennially popular with viewers living the Las Vegas drama from their own homes.
Kessler Aims to Break His Duck
“PLAY WELL, MAKE FINAL TABLES AND ULTIMATELY WIN A BRACELET.”
After so many years at the World Series, one of the long-running frustrations for Kessler – and reflective goals of all his fans – is for Chainsaw to finally get his hands on a World Series of Poker bracelet. He’s been close so many times, but never got over the line.
“My main goals are to play well, make final tables and ultimately win a bracelet,’ he says. “I’ve been heads-up four times.”
That record is one that clearly frustrates Kessler. By now, he should have bagged one. Instead, Kessler – who has won 18 ranking events in the live arena – has come runner-up on those agonizing previous four occasions at the World Series.
Coming second to Todd Brunson in the 2005 $2,500 Omaha Hi-Lo event, Kessler has since lost to Frank Kassela in 2010 in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 8 Championships, to Brian Rast in the 2011 $1,500 PLO event and six years ago was runner-up to local Czech player Lukas Zaskodny in the WSOPE €2,200 Pot-Limit Omaha event. Clearly, Kessler would like 2023 to be his year.
As much in touch with the modern game as anyone, Kessler isn’t just selling action on PokerStake, he is using one of poker’s hottest places to meet and listen to the stars too.
“Just yesterday I decided to try Twitter Spaces,” he tells us. “It blew up and eventually had 300 listeners and several well-known names stopped by.”
This article originally appeared on PokerStake.com
