Gregory "Greg" Merson (born December 8, 1987) is a professional professional poker player from Maryland. He was crowned the winner of the Main Event at the 2012 World Series of Poker (WSOP). During the same year, he also won a WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 Six Handed No-Limit Hold'em World Championship. Largely as a result of these two championships, he is the 2012 WSOP Player of the Year.

He held strong throughout the year, and at the end of the day that strength proved to be too much for the field of 6,958 players who had their hopes shattered during this year’s games. None, of course, more so than the Final Nine, the Octo Nine, the beasts that ruled the tables throughout the summer and showed up back at the Rio for the Final Table; only to be so close yet so far away when one by one they fell . . . until there were only two left: Greg Merson and Jesse James Sylvia.

In the final hand, Merson went all in with 69 million+ in poker chips holding a Kd-5d and Sylvia called with a Qs-Js before the flop. The tension was palpable. After what seemed like a lifetime, the flop, the turn and the river were all blank, which gave Greg Merson the 2012 WSOP Championship title, the coveted gold and platinum bracelet encrusted with diamonds and 8.5+ million dollars.

Added to all that the fact that this was his second gold bracelet for the year, plus he won the “Player of the Year” honor by edging out Phil Hellmuth. What an amazing year for a true gentleman of the game of poker!