World Series of Poker Digest: June 1–6

The World Series of Poker continues in Las Vegas — the most massive and significant event in the industry. The second week saw several bracelet events take place, including the festival's first high roller. Furthermore, we learned the name of the Heads-Up Championship winner, while an American amateur became a millionaire thanks to the Mystery Bounty. We have gathered all the most vital action in our latest digest.

First Million and a Debut Victory in a Monster Field

Phillip Cheung with his Mini Mystery Millions bracelet

The start of the week was certainly a lucky one for amateur Andrew Shelton. The American poker player, who had career earnings of $21,961, pulled the $1,000,000 mystery bounty envelope in the $550 Mini Mystery Millions. He stepped onto the stage after 43 other players and knew he'd hit the jackpot as soon as he saw the first digit on the revealed sheet. After the initial thrill, Shelton shared that he plans to spend his windfall on partying rather than grinding tournaments.

In the tournament itself, Andrew Shelton finished 102nd, securing a modest $3,350. Navigating the massive field of 20,488 entrants to claim the top prize was Phillip Cheung. The event was the seventh-largest in WSOP history in Las Vegas, earning the American player his first career bracelet. Cheung outlasted a tough field, including three-time series champion David Prociak. 

Heads-up, Phillip Cheung defeated Jalal Mustafa, who was aiming to become the first Palestinian to win a bracelet. The champion locked up $400,000, effectively doubling his total career earnings. After the event, Cheung highlighted the impact of his coach Kristen Foxen:

"Without her, I wouldn't be holding this bracelet. We spoke for about an hour before the final day, and everything she said put things into perspective."

Kuznetsov Falls Short in Heads-Up Championship Final

Photo: Poker.org

This week featured the decisive matches of the prestigious $25,000 Heads-Up Championship. Nikita Kuznetsov stormed his way to the finals, knocking out stars like Adrian Mateos, Thomas Eychenne, Henri Puustinen, and Alex Foxen. However, the Russian fell just short of capturing his first gold bracelet. In the final face-off, he was defeated by Bulgaria’s Dimitar Danchev, who claimed his second career WSOP title. We covered all the key action of this championship in a dedicated article.

Triumph of the Student

Photo: Regina Cortina

To arrive in Las Vegas for the WSOP, secure your first cash, and immediately walk away with a bracelet? It sounds like a poker fairy tale, but post-graduate student Honghao Zhang turned it into reality. The Georgia Institute of Technology student emerged victorious in the $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, which drew a field of 1,840 players.

Zhang entered both the final table and 3-handed play as the short stack. However, the graduate student orchestrated an impressive comeback, exploiting the aggression of his more experienced opponent, Harlan Karnofsky, to build a comfortable lead in heads-up play. In the final hand, his A♦️5♣️ dominated his opponent's A♠️4♣️. Honghao Zhang secured the first-place prize of $346,108, though it did not surpass his career-best cash. The 26-year-old’s top score remains the $355,000 he pocketed for a runner-up finish in an $1,100 event at the WPT Championship Series 2025. 

Following his victory, Zhang revealed he never lost confidence even with a short stack, and expressed his ambition to chase more gold:

"I felt I had an edge even when I was short-stacked during 3-handed play. I managed to adjust to my opponents because we had played quite a few hands together. I just stayed patient and waited for the right spot to accumulate their chips.

I mostly play cash games. Poker is a hobby for me. But now, I’ll be gunning for another bracelet at WSOP 2026." 

Long-Awaited Victories

Photo: Jess Beck

Some players spend years grinding and fighting for another victory at the World Series. This week brought happy endings to two such narratives.

Justin Liberto won his first bracelet back in 2015 in the $3,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em. Since then, he had reached multiple final tables, finishing in almost every position but first. Finally, the American regular achieved his ultimate goal. Liberto took down the $1,500 Big O event, defeating Chris Lee heads-up, who was also eyeing his first career bracelet. Along with the title, the newly crowned two-time champion pocketed $265,297. 

Naoya Kihara had to wait even longer for his second bracelet. In 2011, he became the first Japanese player to win at the WSOP, but the gold had eluded him ever since. The 44-year-old finally snapped his dry spell in the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship, battle-testing himself against a field that included Phil Hellmuth, Shaun Deeb, Alex Foxen, and Daniel Negreanu. 

Photo: Jess Beck

What's more, Kihara was once on the brink of elimination, left with just a single small blind late on Day 1 after an unsuccessful bluff. However, Kihara managed a spectacular chip-and-a-chair comeback, subsequently busting Hellmuth and Dan Shak, before defeating David Lin heads-up to claim the first-place prize of $428,923. 

After the event, Naoya Kihara admitted that his WSOP dry spell had him considering stepping away from the game, but this win has extended his career by a couple of years:

"I'm already 44, and I was almost done with poker, but I came back and now I hope to fight for another bracelet. I was thinking of quitting tournament poker. But after this win, I've decided to give myself another two or three years."

First Bracelet at 57

Photo: Jess Beck

The first high roller of WSOP 2026 delivered another beautiful victory story. The $10,000 buy-in event attracted 657 entrants, featuring multiple series champions. However, the final duel came down to two players chasing their maiden gold bracelets.

With Cliff Josephy, Joey Weissman, Roman Hrabec, John Reisner, and Chris Brewer busting one by one at the final table, Alex Kruz and businessman Nassim Salem faced off heads-up. In the final hand, the 57-year-old entrepreneur's A♦️Q♠️ spiked an ace on the turn to beat his opponent's pocket jacks. Salem claimed the bracelet and the top prize of $1,089,964, while Kruz earned $726,598. 

After his victory, Nassim Salem thanked his coach Rui Campos, whom he met at the tables during the WSOP Main Event, and noted that he hadn't even let himself dream of the title:

"I told my family, 'I just want to finish third.' I wasn't expecting second or first. I entered the final table as the chip leader, but I thought: if I finish third, I won't be disappointed."

The Bet and the Curse of Shaun Deeb

Photo: Eloy Cabacas

This week, Shaun Deeb grabbed headlines less for his runs at the table and more for his off-felt antics. The seven-time WSOP champion initially declined a $250,000 fantasy bet against Ben Lamb and Daniel Negreanu. His rivals offered Deeb a fantasy team challenge, but Deeb refused to book it without a spot. Lamb then offered a new 1-on-1 bet if Deeb would completely give up chicken strips for the duration of the series, but the American regular turned that down as well. Fellow pro Josh Arieh calculated that Shaun's love for chicken was costing him roughly $83,000 in pure equity, prompting Lamb to start a weekly public tracker of Deeb's chicken strip consumption versus his tournament buy-ins on X.

Shortly after, Shaun Deeb encountered some literal dark magic. WSOP commentator Jeff Platt took to social media to call out Deeb for his disrespectful behaviour towards reporters. Highlighting that such treatment wouldn't fly, Platt summoned WWE superstar Danhausen to intervene. The wrestler, known for placing curses on his ring rivals and even teams like the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, obliged Platt's request and cursed Deeb. In an eerie coincidence, the WSOP champ busted shortly after in fifth place in the Lowball Championship. Coincidence? Or the curse at work?

More Champions Crowned

Photo: Eloy Cabacas

Several other tournaments wrapped up this week. Winning their maiden gold bracelets were former chess player Michael Kazella, American Stephen Hubbard, and his compatriots Philip Ardire and Antonio Vargas. Armenia-born Las Vegas resident Karapet Galstyan secured his second title, while Scott Clements became a four-time WSOP champion.

WSOP Event Results from the Past Week

What's Next?

Photo: Poker.org

The upcoming week promises to be just as action-packed. On the schedule are 12 tournaments, featuring everything from value-driven events like the $500 COLOSSUS and the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo Bounty to elite high rollers with $50,000 and $100,000 buy-ins. Elite pros and hopeful amateurs alike will take to the felt to chase their dream of capturing WSOP gold. Pokerflow will keep you updated on all the key events and major stories.