Daniel Ott

Daniel Ott is an American poker player from Altoona, Pennsylvania. He first drew widespread attention at the 2017 World Series of Poker, where he reached the final table of the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event. At the time, he was 26 years old and largely unknown, with almost no live tournament experience.

Ott was new to live tournament play. The 2017 WSOP was his first summer at the series, and the Main Event was one of the first tournaments he had ever entered. Earlier in the same summer, he recorded two small cashes: a $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold'em event (Event #10) and a $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em MONSTER STACK event (Event #47). Those two results combined for $3,656 in prize money and, as he noted, were enough to create player profiles for him on WSOP.com and The Hendon Mob.

In an interview with PokerNews, Ott explained that his Main Event run was a huge opportunity. "This is one of the first tournaments I've played and cashed in," he said. He also revealed that he had been "playing online, studying a little bit, trying to get better." When asked why he decided to travel to Las Vegas, he replied, "I heard these were some good tournaments and I finally had some money to buy in." His approach to the event was captured in the phrase "Go big or go home."

Like many young poker players, Ott became interested in the game after watching Chris Moneymaker's televised success. The so-called Moneymaker effect inspired him to take up poker and eventually try the WSOP.

Ott's deep run in the Main Event was remarkable given his lack of experience. He entered the final table with 26,475,000 in chips, occupying Seat 9. The final table featured several notable players, including eventual champion Scott Blumstein of Morristown, New Jersey. Blumstein began the final table as chip leader.

Ott managed to survive eliminations until only he and Blumstein remained. The heads-up duel lasted 65 hands, and the overall final table went to 246 hands. On the climactic hand, Blumstein's A♥2♦ defeated Ott's A♦8♦ when a deuce appeared on the river. With that hand, Blumstein won the 2017 WSOP Main Event, taking home the $8,150,000 first-place prize. Ott finished as the runner-up.

During the final table, Ott showed a calm, focused demeanor. "I'm trying not to think of the millions of dollars at the top," he said. "I'm just trying to stay focused."

Although Ott's live tournament résumé was thin, his runner-up finish put his name on the poker map. His two earlier cashes had already created official records on WSOP.com and The Hendon Mob, and the Main Event performance gave him a permanent place in WSOP history. The final table profile described him as "pretty new to live tournament play," making his deep run all the more impressive.

For context, Blumstein's career tournament winnings eventually exceeded $8,600,000 as of 2024, mostly due to his Main Event win. Ott's own career earnings are not detailed in the same way, but his second-place finish remains his defining result.

Ott's story resonated with recreational and aspiring players because it showed that a relative newcomer, with limited live results and a modest bankroll, could navigate poker's biggest stage, stay focused, and nearly win the world championship. His quotes from the event — "Go big or go home" and "I'm just trying to stay focused" — have become part of the narrative of the 2017 Main Event.

Daniel Ott's name is now permanently connected to one of poker's most memorable Main Event final tables. His heads-up battle against Scott Blumstein is remembered for the dramatic river deuce, and his underdog story remains a favorite example of how quickly a newcomer can rise in tournament poker. For many fans, Ott represents the idea that a solid, focused approach and a bit of good fortune can carry an unknown player to poker's biggest stage.