WSOP Digest: June 29 — July 4

Two-thirds of the World Series of Poker tournaments have already gone by. The sixth week of the festival in Las Vegas will go down in history mainly for the latest wins by Sean Deeb, Michael Mizrachi, and Daniel Negreanu. Beyond that, bracelets found new owners in several other events, and hundreds of players have already begun the chase for a dream — the Main Event title.

The new nine-timers

Photo: Regina Cortina

Last week, Benny Glaser won his ninth WSOP bracelet, tying the title count with Johnny Moss. But just a few days later, two more names joined their company.

The first was Michael Mizrachi. The reigning WSOP Main Event champion fell short in the Poker Players' Championship, failing to defend his title in that event, but bounced back in the Pot-Limit Omaha Championship with a $10,000 buy-in. Mizrachi took the lead late on Day 1 and never let go of it. At the final table, the American high roller eliminated five opponents, then beat Zarvan Tumboli of India heads-up.

After the win, which brought him $1,350,203, Mizrachi was characteristically "modest," saying he'd simply grown tired of winning the PPC, so he focused on a different tournament instead:

"Obviously every bracelet is an incredible achievement. Winning the Poker Players' Championship four times, winning the Main Event — that's insane. But I got tired of winning the PPC, so this year we mixed things up a bit. Let Glaser win it, let him enjoy it. It's his first PPC title, he earned it, he's an amazing player."

Photo: Jess Beck

Right behind Mizrachi, Sean Deeb won his ninth bracelet. The two-time WSOP Player of the Year became champion of the $1,500 8-Game Mix and earned $181,625. The American pro started the final day as chip leader but nearly busted after losing a huge pot against Fu Wang. Two quick double-ups saved Deeb from disaster, and he beat Dan Zack heads-up, for whom this bracelet could have been the first. We covered Sean Deeb's road to the top of the poker world in more detail in a separate article.

Both Deeb and Mizrachi again made it clear that nine bracelets aren't enough for them. Both players said they want to break Phil Hellmuth's record of 17 WSOP titles.

"I'm coming for Phil. Nine bracelets is just another step. As long as I can breathe and hold cards, I'll keep grinding to become the best of all time," said Deeb.

"I'm going to catch up to Hellmuth. That's my goal. It's still a long road... I need to average two or three bracelets a year. Hopefully I'll pick up one more title this summer, and then a few more this winter in the Bahamas," Mizrachi shared his plans.

Negreanu's win over Martirosyan

Photo: Jess Beck

One step below Deeb, Mizrachi, Glaser, and Moss now stands Daniel Negreanu. The Canadian waited 11 years for his seventh bracelet, but reached his eighth in just two years. This week he won the $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha.

Negreanu started the final day of the event with the second-largest stack but quickly lost most of it. Winning several big pots helped him climb back among the leaders. Meanwhile, Artur Martirosyan was sending opponents to the rail one after another. The Russian pro entered the 5-max final table as a short stack but managed to fight his way to heads-up.

However, luck was on Negreanu's side in the heads-up. After the event, the Canadian himself admitted the cards had come his way. Martirosyan, who fell short of his fifth bracelet, lamented his bad luck against an opponent he felt comfortable playing:

"The heads-up was absolutely hopeless. I won a couple of hands at the start, and then lost almost every hand after that. I never connected with the flop, kept folding to continuation bets, bluffed a couple of times, and got caught. And I got caught at the top of my range, where I was counting on hitting a lot of hands. He [Negreanu] always seemed to have a strong hand. He's a very comfortable opponent, but you can't fight the run of cards."

A sensation in the Ladies Championship and Cabrel's lucky hippo

Photo: Jess Beck

In 2024 and 2025, the $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship was won by Shiina Okamoto. This time, however, the Japanese player unexpectedly busted out on Day 1. Sky Chen sensationally took her place as the women's event champion. The amateur had spent the previous 11 years working as a software engineer and came to Las Vegas with friends who were competing in a mahjong tournament.

A spontaneous decision to play in the WSOP led Chen to victory. She topped a field of 1,475 opponents, then won a tense heads-up match against Aubrey Williams. During the battle, the amateur made a hero call with A♣️10♦️ against her opponent's pocket eights and caught an A♥️ on the flop. Sky Chen won a professional poker tournament for the first time in her life and earned $194,630.

"I was mostly playing for fun, and also because I really wanted a bracelet. It was fun chasing that dream. It feels unreal. I don't know what I'm feeling right now, because it seemed like the era when an amateur could show up and win a bracelet was already over. But I never would have believed I could do the same thing," Chen shared her emotions after the win.

Photo: Regina Cortina

And there's no sensation in the fact that Martin Kabrhel found himself in the spotlight. The Czech high roller was running between rooms, playing simultaneously in the $3,000 Freezeout and the $600 Deepstack Championship. He made the money in both events, earning more than $11,000 combined. At the same time, Kabrhel was also playing in the hybrid WSOP Online $3,200 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller, where he reached the final table.

At the live final table of that event, Martin Kabrhel put on a show. First, the Czech's pocket sixes ran over Brian Wood's pocket sevens after he made a flush on the river, and he refused to shake his opponent's hand. Then a fan made him happy by handing him a giant plush hippo. Kabrhel uses a small hippo figurine as a card protector and a bluff-catching aid.

The new toy became Martin Kabrhel's talisman. In the heads-up, he beat Krista Gifford and claimed the sixth bracelet of his career. On top of that, the Czech took home $195,195 for the result.

The second million-dollar bounty

Photo: Eloy Cabacas

The first $1,000,000 mystery bounty of WSOP 2026 was landed by Andrew Shelton at the very start of June. This week, the second seven-figure surprise went to Jonathan Schiller. The American amateur made a lucky entry into the $1,000 Mystery Millions NLH and caught the coveted million-dollar envelope.

While Shelton promised to spend his million on parties, Schiller intends to use his to pay off debts, cover a mortgage, buy a car, and take a family vacation to Orlando. In the tournament itself, the 38-year-old amateur didn't get far, busting out on Day 2. The champion turned out to be nine-time WSOP Circuit ring holder Matt Higgins, who claimed his first bracelet.

Soccer at the WSOP

Photo: @worldcupofvegas/Instagram

The FIFA World Cup, hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, couldn't pass by the World Series unnoticed. Poker players held their own World Cup in Vegas, featuring 16 teams. Team Russia lost to Turkey in the first knockout round, and Turkey in turn lost to Israel in the next stage. The champion turned out to be Team Spain, featuring Adrian Mateos, who beat Israel in the final. Notably, Spain became the first team in history to win this championship three times.

Photo: Eloy Cabacas

And a genuine world and European football champion has entered the WSOP Main Event. Former Spain national team defender Gerard Piqué joined the fray in Flight 1b and finished it in 293rd place with 145 big blinds. Right behind Piqué in the chip counts is Michael Mizrachi (382nd place, 122 BBs).

Hellmuth's show at the start of the WSOP Main Event

Photo: Eloy Cabacas

And, of course, the start of the World Series' main event couldn't go without Phil Hellmuth's traditional costumed entrance. The 17-time WSOP champion has kept up this tradition for about 20 years now. This time, he showed up at the casino dressed as a superhero. He was joined by his sons Nicholas and Phillip, dressed as Batman and Captain America, while Daniel "Jungleman" Cates dressed up as an ancient angel.

Phil Hellmuth's Main Event entrances have often been accompanied by models. Michael Mizrachi apparently decided to borrow that idea for himself. The newly minted nine-time champion showed up in the room with a group of women carrying signs spelling out the letters of his nickname: "G-R-I-N-D-E-R."

Photo: Eloy Cabacas

Results of all WSOP events from the past week

What's next?

Photo: Regina Cortina

Of course, now nearly all attention will be focused on the WSOP Main Event. Will the event break the 10,000-entrant barrier? Which top pros will bust out in the first few days? How will Phil Hellmuth and Sean Deeb's bet turn out? And beyond all these storylines, several more intriguing tournaments await us. Among them will be a $1,000 PLO Mystery Bounty and a $50,000 hold'em high roller. Pokerflow will keep you posted on all the most interesting moments in real time.