James Obst (Andy McLEOD)

James Obst was an excellent chess player before he became an excellent poker player. He began his career before he was even of legal playing age, at 14. He played mainly online at PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. He won 2 major online tournaments that propelled his career; the Spring Championship of Online Poker on PokerStars (to date, he has 4 SCOOP titles to his credit) and a Full Tilt Online Poker Series. At just 19, he had already amassed $1.5 million in online tournament winnings. But James has not only excelled online, he also has, as we shall see, several fine performances in major events in live casinos.

His first WSOP bracelet

In 2017, James finally won his first WSOP bracelet in a $10,000 Razz tournament (aka the Seven Card Stud Low) for a purse of $265,138. This wasn't more than he'd won the year before in the WSOP $10,000 Main Event (where he won $427,000), but it solidified his status as an elite player. After all, what player doesn't dream of winning a WSOP bracelet? His most recent great performance came in June 2023 when he finished 4th in a 7-handed tournament for a prize money of $411,824.

What does James Obst do away from the poker tables?

Although in 2023 poker is still a big part of James Obst's life, he still has other passions. He still plays chess with an impressive rating of 2097. To keep fit, he also plays two of his other passions, tennis and golf. He has also been seen doing a bit of coaching on the online coaching site founded by Phil Galfond, RunItOnce.