“If you sit at the table believing others are better than you, you have no business being there,” says Riess. To him, poker doesn't forgive doubts. You may not be the best player in the room, but you must believe you are. Otherwise, you’ll start folding hands you shouldn’t and playing a game you don’t want to play.
A Life-Changing Win
At 23, when Ryan sat at the final table of the Main Event, he wasn’t thinking about payouts or what sixth or fifth place might mean. He wanted to win. Simply because he didn’t entertain any other scenario. Today, he admits he was naive — but that naivety allowed him to play free from the burden of expectations.
“Today, I’d look at the payouts. Back then, I didn’t,” he reflects. Over time, poker has evolved. It’s become more technical, cautious, and survival-oriented than victory-driven. Yet Riess argues that playing too mechanically and perfectly is still the biggest mistake in huge WSOP fields. “If you want all the chips, you have to exploit. GTO won’t get you there.”
His approach to the game adjusts according to the buy-in. In high roller tournaments, he respects the balance and technical skills of his opponents. In mass events, he aims for maximum gain by reading opponents’ tendencies and habits. It’s not about how a move looks; it’s about how many chips it can bring. For him, being exploitable is a lesser evil than being passive.
The Hunt for a Second Title
Interestingly, even more than a decade after his iconic win, Riess doesn’t feel that poker is a closed chapter for him. Ryan is active in both online and live poker, and over the years, he’s managed to double his record $8.3 million tournament earnings (as of January 1, 2026, HendonMob shows his total winnings at $16.9 million).
He says he’d certainly like a second bracelet, but what entices him more is winning the Main Event again. Not for the money or the stats, but because it’s the tournament that defines poker like no other. “It’s indescribable,” he says. And it’s clear from his words that he remains unchanged in one aspect — even after all these years, he still believes it’s possible. And that distinguishes him from most players at the table.
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