What would be a ninth WCOOP title mean to Shaun Deeb apart from drawing level with the most successful WCOOP player of all-time, Denis Strebkov? It’s hard to say, but Deeb is just 13 eliminations away from achieving that lofty goal.

Long a divisive figure in the game of poker, Deeb’s reputation as something of an anti-hero should have nothing to do with his professional record, which is immense. Consistently not just a winning player to the tune of millions, Deeb has a remarkable ability to hang around in tournament poker and puts himself in the position for glory time and time again.

Deeb has certainly done that in the $5,200-entry PLO Event #37 in this year’s WCOOP (World Championship of Online Poker), where he currently sits second in chips with just 14 players left.

With 125 entries, the prizepool of $625,000 saw just 69 players enter, but many of them re-entered, with nearly half of the total entries coming by that method. With a top prize of $140,506, it was a rollercoaster ride to the final two tables.