Five Incredible Stories from WSOP 2026
July 22, 2026
WSOP 2026 will be remembered not only for its bracelets and seven-figure payouts. Right at the poker tables, storylines unfolded that look more like film scripts.
🟡The golden retriever with no right to a buy-in
Ben Ditch's dog became one of the most recognizable stars of the series, regularly appearing at the final tables at the Horseshoe and Paris. Chief is one of just 75 dogs in the US certified to detect drops in cortisol levels. Ditch has been diagnosed with a rare endocrine disorder requiring constant monitoring, and the retriever has repeatedly saved his owner's life by signaling long before clinical symptoms appear.
🟡Amit Agarwal and his own tournament structure
Having paid $10,000 to enter the Main Event, Agarwal asked himself: is he obligated to be at the table the whole time? The answer turned out to be no, and the player twice left the tournament to watch the movie "Obsession," hit the gym, and play some cheap cash.
WSOP rules do not require a player to be physically present at the table as long as their stack remains in play.
🟡The 90-year-old finalist
In late May, Perry Green made the final table of the $1,500 Omaha 8 or Better and finished sixth for a payout of $30,099. It wasn't a sensation in the moment, but it became one in context: Green is 90 years old, and his three bracelets date back to 1976, 1977, and 1979. Over a career spanning nearly half a century, he has amassed $1.3 million in prize money.
🟡The million-dollar envelope
In the debut Mini Mystery Millions with a $550 buy-in, Andrew Shelton pulled a bounty worth $1 million. The tournament drew 20,488 entries, with the prize pool exceeding $9.3 million. Before this, Shelton's biggest career cash was $22,000. The Mystery Bounty format involves random distribution of bounty envelopes, and Shelton opened the one and only such envelope in the entire room.
🟡A Main Event seat by will
Michael Hughes trained prison staff in Afghanistan and was killed in a suicide bombing in 2014. In his will he left his friends $10,000 with a single condition: send one of them to the Main Event. His last wish was finally carried out 12 years later, delayed by drawn-out legal disputes, the pandemic, and family circumstances.
The group came together and held a home satellite, where Nayson Weller won the seat. He came to Las Vegas not alone, but with a group of Hughes's friends who accompanied him throughout the tournament. Weller busted midway through Day 2 without making the money, but the promise had been kept.
🟡The golden retriever with no right to a buy-in
Ben Ditch's dog became one of the most recognizable stars of the series, regularly appearing at the final tables at the Horseshoe and Paris. Chief is one of just 75 dogs in the US certified to detect drops in cortisol levels. Ditch has been diagnosed with a rare endocrine disorder requiring constant monitoring, and the retriever has repeatedly saved his owner's life by signaling long before clinical symptoms appear.
🟡Amit Agarwal and his own tournament structure
Having paid $10,000 to enter the Main Event, Agarwal asked himself: is he obligated to be at the table the whole time? The answer turned out to be no, and the player twice left the tournament to watch the movie "Obsession," hit the gym, and play some cheap cash.
"I'm developing my own structure"The tactic allowed him to make it to the end of Day 2. Ironically, Agarwal busted almost as soon as he decided to return to the table, without reaching the money.
WSOP rules do not require a player to be physically present at the table as long as their stack remains in play.
🟡The 90-year-old finalist
In late May, Perry Green made the final table of the $1,500 Omaha 8 or Better and finished sixth for a payout of $30,099. It wasn't a sensation in the moment, but it became one in context: Green is 90 years old, and his three bracelets date back to 1976, 1977, and 1979. Over a career spanning nearly half a century, he has amassed $1.3 million in prize money.
🟡The million-dollar envelope
In the debut Mini Mystery Millions with a $550 buy-in, Andrew Shelton pulled a bounty worth $1 million. The tournament drew 20,488 entries, with the prize pool exceeding $9.3 million. Before this, Shelton's biggest career cash was $22,000. The Mystery Bounty format involves random distribution of bounty envelopes, and Shelton opened the one and only such envelope in the entire room.
🟡A Main Event seat by will
Michael Hughes trained prison staff in Afghanistan and was killed in a suicide bombing in 2014. In his will he left his friends $10,000 with a single condition: send one of them to the Main Event. His last wish was finally carried out 12 years later, delayed by drawn-out legal disputes, the pandemic, and family circumstances.
The group came together and held a home satellite, where Nayson Weller won the seat. He came to Las Vegas not alone, but with a group of Hughes's friends who accompanied him throughout the tournament. Weller busted midway through Day 2 without making the money, but the promise had been kept.
Read next
Jason Wheeler became the winner of the Main Event at the PokerStars Open Barcelona series with a €1,650 buy-in, taking home $847,960 in prize money. The tournament drew 4,333 entries, generating a prize pool of $7.3 million.
August 23, 2026
Dealer started a fight in a dispute over the blinds
August 23, 2026
"$10 million won't change me." Lucas Jumalon talks about his goals in his poker career and a big purchase after winning the WSOP Main Event
August 22, 2026
Two-time WSOP champion Brent Carter has passed away
August 22, 2026
