In the final days of the WSOP, professional player Xixiang Lou from China made history by winning his second gold bracelet of this year's series, becoming the first person from China to achieve this feat.

Lou secured his first career gold bracelet in Event #41: Mixed Double Board Bomb Pot. This victory boosted his confidence, enabling him to win another bracelet in a much higher buy-in event.

Lou's Second WSOP Bracelet

Before embarking on his historic trip to Las Vegas, Lou had already showcased his talent in Mixed game events. At APT Jeju, he reached nine final tables, six of which were Mixed game events. Notable performances include winning Event: PLO High/Hi-Lo Mix 5 Cards, finishing 4th in Event: 9 Game - Mix Game Master, and coming 2nd in Event: Limit R-O-S-E 8 Max. His most significant victory in Jeju was capturing the Golden Lion in the Main Event, solidifying his status as a top player.

Lou's second gold bracelet of the summer came from Event #96: $25,000 High Roller HORSE (8-Handed). The event attracted 120 participants with a total prize pool exceeding $2.8 million. Lou ended Day 1 with the second-largest chip stack, but still faced a long journey as the money bubble would burst at the top 18. Notable Asian players like Koji Fujimoto and Ren Lin were eliminated before reaching the money.

The bubble burst on Day 2, with the first elimination in the money being none other than Phil Hellmuth, who holds the record with 17 WSOP bracelets. Other notable players who cashed in Event #96: $25,000 High Roller HORSE (8-Handed) included Phil Ivey (12th place) and Scott Seiver (6th place).

Lou, along with Michael Moncek and Albert Daher, reached the final three. Moncek finished in 3rd place. Lou secured a crucial pot in Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, putting Daher in a difficult position, and subsequently finished him off in the following pots. Xixiang Lou clinched his second gold bracelet in a single WSOP season.

With this victory, he took home $725,795, the largest prize he has won in a single event. Xixiang Lou's breakout year has propelled him into the top 9 on the all-time poker earnings leaderboard for China (according to Hendonmob), with $4.3 million in earnings.

At the 2024 WSOP, he has cashed 8 times, reaching the final table in 4 of those events. In addition to his 2 gold bracelets, he finished 6th in Event #35: $1,500 HORSE (8-Handed) and 3rd in Event #77: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet Event (6-Handed). It has been a successful year for Lou and for Asian players in general.