The Controversial Fallout That Shook The Poker World

24 Sep 2025

In this topic we’ll talk about the epic poker feud between Jason Mercier and Vanessa Selbst at the 2016 WSOP which led to one of the greatest WSOP poker moments in history. This is a roller coaster poker tale of regret, bravery and insane wagers which made Jason Mercier a real legend.

The World Series of Poker has always been full of drama, but few stories have stirred as much controversy as the 2016 side bet between Jason Mercier and Vanessa Selbst. What started as a drunken wager in the Bahamas turned into a multimillion-dollar sweat that captivated the poker community, sparked heated debates, and left both players’ legacies forever tied to one unforgettable summer.

Jason Mercier had long been a regular at the WSOP, but it was during the dramatic events of the 2016 series that he truly stole the spotlight. This is the story of a controversial fallout between Jason Mercier and Vanessa Selbst — one that led to one of the most talked-about poker moments of all time.

Our story starts in January 2016, at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Around the tables, the buzz was all about a wager between Vanessa Selbst and Dmitry Urbanovich.

The bet centered on Urbanovich’s chances of winning three events at the upcoming World Series of Poker. At just 21, Urbanovich was gearing up for his WSOP debut. Vanessa voiced her belief that the true odds should be at least 10,000 to 1, or even higher. Despite that, she and Urbanovich struck a deal at 200 to 1 odds — with Urbanovich putting up $10,000 against Vanessa’s $2 million.

The Stakes for Vanessa Selbst

Though Selbst was the clear favorite, her willingness to risk such a massive sum — even if it was equivalent to just a single tournament buy-in for her bankroll — struck many as either fearless or reckless.

The Wynn sportsbook offers wagers on the WSOP winner each year with a maximum cap of $10,000. Yet this private bet dwarfed that. Vanessa may have been a high-roller, but she wasn’t a billionaire. Even if the odds were slim, losing $2 million could have been financially devastating.

Jason Mercier Steps In

When Jason Mercier learned about the wager, he approached Vanessa during a PokerStars Pro dinner at Atlantis. He asked if she’d consider offering him a similar deal. Initially hesitant, Vanessa admitted Mercier was a far stronger contender than Urbanovich.

After some back-and-forth, the two settled on 180 to 1 odds, sealing it with a handshake. Mercier handed over his $10,000 the very same night.

Of course, winning a WSOP bracelet is not easy. The number of events has grown over the years, as have the field sizes. Throughout WSOP history, no one had ever won more than three bracelets in a single year.

Since Puggy Pearson’s milestone, only five other players have managed to win three WSOP bracelets in a single year. Jason Mercier himself, despite entering hundreds of events between 2008 and 2015, had just three bracelets to his name before 2016.

Daniel Negreanu later remarked that he had never seen a wager like the one between Mercier and Vanessa. According to him, no one had ever laid 180 to 1 odds on a bracelet bet, and he described the move as flat-out ill-advised.

Six months later, what had begun as a drunken prop bet was morphing into Vanessa’s nightmare. Just ten days into the 2016 WSOP, Mercier captured his first bracelet by winning the $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball Championship.

Fresh off the win, photos and all, Mercier rushed straight to register for the $10,000 Seven Card Razz Championship. He went on to finish runner-up in that event, coming dangerously close to securing two bracelets within a matter of days.

Vanessa’s Attempt to Hedge

At that point, Vanessa was rattled. Mercier was running like a god, and he was already two-thirds of the way to a result that could have cleaned her out. Realizing the danger, Vanessa tried to hedge her position. She began offering 25 to 1 odds to anyone willing to bet against Mercier winning two or more bracelets that year.

On Twitter, she explained her predicament. On day one, she and Urbanovich had been drinking and impulsively made the wager. On day two, regret set in. On day three, she got drunk again and — in a moment of flawed logic — decided to take on even more bets, thinking it would reduce her risk.

By day four, she admitted the mistake and reached out to Jason, asking to cancel the bet and even offering a $1,000 buyout. Mercier refused. After Jason won his first bracelet, Vanessa upped the offer dramatically, putting $100,000 on the table to walk away from the deal. Mercier rejected again.

Vanessa later said she expected a more empathetic response from Jason, given the circumstances. But Mercier fired back on Twitter, saying the offer was far too low at that point. He also pushed back on her claim that she had been “highly intoxicated” when the wager was made, suggesting she wasn’t being entirely sincere. For him, the decision was simple: let it ride.

Both Mercier and Vanessa were seasoned professionals, and within the poker world, wagering while intoxicated is rarely, if ever, accepted as grounds to avoid a bet. Alcohol often plays a role in initiating these unconventional side bets, and there was little reason why this particular wager should be treated any differently. After all, Vanessa had made a nearly identical wager with Urbanovich under the same conditions.

As public opinion began turning sharply against her, Vanessa realized that taking the matter to Twitter had only backfired. Still, she couldn’t resist taking one last dig at Jason before stepping back from the debate.

For Mercier, missing out on the Razz bracelet had been a crushing blow. He admitted feeling drained and disappointed, openly saying he had “blown it”. But the grind didn’t stop there. While he was licking his wounds, registration for the $10,000 HORSE Championship was nearing its close.

Mercier knew this event was one of his best shots. Unlike the massive No-Limit Hold’em fields, HORSE required mastery across multiple variants — something far fewer players possessed at an elite level. After a quick dinner, he hustled back to the Rio and bought in just before registration closed.

Three grueling days later, and after nearly 34 hours of play across five different poker formats, Jason Mercier emerged victorious once again. He pocketed $423,000 and claimed his second bracelet of the summer:

A Historic Heater

In the span of just one week, Mercier had posted results of first, second, and first—all in $10,000 championship-level events. His winnings swelled to nearly $2 million, combining both tournament payouts and side action.

And now, he stood on the edge of history. Just one bracelet away from securing an additional $2.5 million, including Vanessa’s infamous $1.8 million bet. For context, his previous best summer at the WSOP had topped out at about $700,000. The 2016 run was already legendary, but it wasn’t over yet.

On the night of June 17, fresh off his HORSE Championship victory, Jason Mercier left the Rio alone. Instead of celebrating at the tables, he drove to a jewelry store, certain of his destiny. Fueled by the confidence of his heater, Mercier picked out a diamond ring. His plan: propose to his longtime girlfriend, Natasha, once he secured his third bracelet of the summer.

The very next event was the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship. Mercier reached the final table but fell short in eighth place. He kept grinding through more events but failed to make another deep run.

Event #59, the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em, drew 863 entries. Although Mercier had just cashed in the PLO Championship, his momentum was clearly fading. He busted on Day 1, another disappointment in what had begun to feel like a downswing.

A Proposal on the Rail

Three days later, Mercier was back at a WSOP final table — but this time, he wasn’t the one in the spotlight. His girlfriend, Natasha, was deep in the hunt for her own bracelet, with nearly $800,000 up top. Mercier stood on the rail, watching anxiously.

When Natasha’s run ended in third place, Jason jumped the rail, embraced her, and then dropped to one knee. He pulled out the diamond ring he had bought after the HORSE event. Natasha said yes without hesitation. Like a river card that hits your flush, it seemed Jason Mercier was running that good — both at the tables and in life.

The last event of the 2016 WSOP was the Little One for One Drop on July 13. With unlimited re-entries available on Day 1, Mercier fired seven bullets before bagging a stack that carried him into Day 2.

Among the massive 4,360 entries, he battled his way into 470th place. It was his 11th cash of the summer, but the dream of a third bracelet slipped away. By then, Vanessa Selbst had successfully hedged enough of her action to limit the potential damage of their infamous bet. In the end, her early assessment had proven correct — winning three bracelets in a single year was a near-impossible feat.

Even without the third bracelet, Mercier’s 2016 run was historic. His performance secured him WSOP Player of the Year honors and mainstream media attention beyond the poker world. He also became the first player to win four WSOP bracelets in the 2010s, cementing his legacy as one of the era’s greats.

Legacy of the Fallout

The Mercier–Selbst bet is still remembered as one of the wildest side stories in WSOP history. A spur-of-the-moment wager turned into weeks of tension, sweat, and headlines that the poker world couldn’t stop talking about.

Vanessa Selbst walked away with her bankroll intact but with plenty of second-guessing about why she put herself in that position in the first place. Jason Mercier fell just short of the elusive third bracelet, yet still walked away with two titles, nearly $2 million, Player of the Year honors, and a fiancée.

It was a reminder that poker is never just about the cards. Ego, risk, timing, and even a single drunken night can shape careers and reputations. That’s why, years later, the 2016 WSOP side bet between Mercier and Selbst is still talked about — not just as a gamble gone wrong, but as a piece of poker history.