The Madrid Machine: Adrián Mateos becomes the youngest player to capture six WSOP bracelets
Adrian Mateos secures his sixth WSOP bracelet at just 31. We break down the defining hands, his rise from the online grind, and his career-defining record.
Vyacheslav
Bobovich
When a 19-year-old kid from Spain won the WSOP Europe Main Event back in 2013, the sceptics dismissed it as a massive sunrun that would soon fizzle out. Thirteen years later, Adrian Mateos continues to prove them dead wrong.
Just days ago at the 2026 WSOP in Las Vegas, the Spaniard captured his sixth gold bracelet, conquering the most prestigious event on the schedule u2014 Event #41: $250,000 Super High Roller. The victory secured him a staggering $4,334,411 payday and officially cemented him as the youngest player in history to win six bracelets. At just 31 years of age, he is ahead of the curve; legends like Phil Ivey were only just getting warmed up at that stage of their careers. Fittingly, Ivey himself was sitting at this very final table.
From the Tennis Court to the Poker Table
Today, Mateos is an elite high roller, but his journey started in a classic fashion for the 2000s generation. As a child, Adrian was highly competitive in tennis, but at age 16, he stumbled upon poker on television and was instantly hooked. The moment he turned 18, he began crushing the online poker streets. MTT regulars know his legendary moniker "Amadi_017" all too well. Before turning into a live arena superstar, Mateos forged his game online, capturing multiple WCOOP and SCOOP titles, including a victory in the prestigious $25,000 WCOOP Super High Roller.
As he transitioned to the live high-stakes circuit, the Spaniard earned a new nickname u2014 "La Mu00e1quina". Fellow high rollers dubbed him "The Machine" for his robotic, precise decision-making, phenomenal endurance, and complete lack of emotion during grueling, hours-long sessions.
u201cI block the straight flushu201d
His campaign at the 2026 WSOP got underway with a hand that instantly became the major viral sensation across poker social media. In the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em event, the Spaniard found himself playing a deep-stack pot against Jovan Kenjic.
On a board of Ku2665ufe0f 7u2665ufe0f 6u2665ufe0f 5u2665ufe0f 4u2660ufe0f, on a bloated river, Adrian moved all-in. After a long tank, Kenjic confidently announced to the table, u201cI'm relaxed, I block the straight flush,u201d before clicking the call button. With Au2665ufe0f 9u2665ufe0f, he held the nut flush, while his pocket nine of hearts blocked Adrian's most logical straight flush combinations. Kenjic was convinced the Spaniard was pulling a massive bluff.
Imagine the shock of Kenjic and the rail when Mateos coolly turned over his hand u2014 4u2665ufe0f 3u2665ufe0f. Mateos had locked up the low straight flush, three to seven. The hand instantly turned into a meme in the poker community, proving that the Spaniard was playing in absolute god mode.
And who could forget 2015, and his legendary bluff against Johnny Lodden at the EPT Grand Final? On a board of Au2660ufe0f 3u2666ufe0f 9u2663ufe0f 4u2663ufe0f Au2666ufe0f, Mateos held Ju2660ufe0f 10u2660ufe0f and convinced his opponent he had a monster. Shoving all-in, the Spaniard forced Lodden to fold pocket fives. More than a decade has passed, and Mateos still reads his opponents like an open book.
Clash of Titans in the $250,000 Super High Roller
In the $250,000 Super High Roller, the field was incredibly tough, but Mateos put on an absolute masterclass. On his way to the title, "The Machine" systematically dismantled and outlasted the absolute elite of the live poker world: Phil Ivey (8th), Jason Koon (5th), Sean Winter (4th), and billionaire businessman David Einhorn (3rd).
Heads-up, Mateos faced off against the leader of the All-Time Money List, Bryn Kenney. Crucial action unfolded on a flop of 2u2665ufe0f 4u2663ufe0f 10u2660ufe0f. Kenney, holding top pair with 10u2665ufe0f 9u2666ufe0f, fired a heavy continuation bet, only to face an aggressive check-raise from the Spaniard, prompting Kenney to jam all-in. Mateos snapped him off, turning over the iconic Doyle Brunson hand, 10u2663ufe0f 2u2663ufe0f, for a flopped top and bottom two pair. The turn 8u2666ufe0f and river 3u2666ufe0f offered no help to the American. At just 31, Adrian Mateos secured his sixth career gold bracelet and officially became the youngest six-time champion in WSOP history.
From a Year-Long Downswing to $10.7m in a Single Month
Photo: Triton Poker
Over the last thirty days, Adrian Mateos has amassed more than $10,000,000 u2014 winning $6,370,000 at the Triton Invitational in Montenegro in May, and following it up with the WSOP Super High Roller victory in June for an additional $4,334,411.
Following his heads-up victory, the Spaniard admitted that this triumph was the result of overcoming a grueling, testing period:
u201cItu2019s crazy. Before Triton, I was in a downswing for about a year, losing every live tournament. But I kept working hard and was getting good results online. I trusted the process and kept showing up. Now, Iu2019ve had a month of pure sunrun, won a lot of money, and Iu2019m extremely happy about it.u201d
The ability to absorb the variance, maintain iron-clad discipline, and keep grinding through a prolonged downswing is what truly defines a world-class champion. Six bracelets at age 31 send a clear message: if Adrian keeps up this pace, Phil Hellmuth might seriously need to look over his shoulder at his once-untouchable record of 17 bracelets. We are witnessing the rise of a new king on the poker Olympus in real-time.