Today at the
World Series

What Happened

Brayden Lou, 21, a recent Gordon College graduate from San Diego, won Event #25: $500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em for $196,066 and his first WSOP bracelet in just his fourth career live tournament. Lou entered the final heads-up session as a significant chip underdog, holding 26 million chips against Jason Hoffman's 76 million, and came back to win. Hoffman, who had led the tournament for the entire final day, finished runner-up. PokerNews covered the victory as the best father-son road trip story of the 2026 WSOP. The tournament drew 4,100 entries and generated a prize pool of $1,701,500.

Why It Matters

A 21-year-old winning a chip-deficit heads-up battle in his fourth live tournament is exactly the story the WSOP produces every summer that no forecast could have predicted. Lou did not just survive the $500 field - he climbed through it without re-entries, came back from three-to-one down, and closed. The freezeout format means every chip came from winning poker, not re-buying.

What Happened

Event #28: $600 Deepstack Mixed NLH/PLO crowned Brent Gregory of Missouri as its champion for $204,140 and his first bracelet - but the story is what Gregory had to overcome. Maurice Hawkins, the all-time WSOP Circuit ring leader with 25 rings, built a commanding heads-up chip advantage and appeared headed for the bracelet that has eluded him for his entire career. Gregory responded with three consecutive doubles to complete the comeback. Hawkins finished runner-up for $135,864. The final table featured Daniel Negreanu (8th place, exited when Hawkins rivered a full house over his turned PLO flush) and Alex Foxen (5th place). The event drew 3,332 entries for a $1,679,328 prize pool.

Why It Matters

Hawkins is the most decorated WSOP Circuit player in history and has never won a bracelet. He had the position, the stack, and the moment - and Gregory came back three times to take it. The recurring theme of Hawkins coming close is now one of poker's most extended unanswered questions.

What Happened

Artur Martirosian won Event #24: $25,000 High Roller Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em for $1,286,285 and his fourth career WSOP bracelet, defeating his friend Pavel Plesuv heads-up in a marathon match. Plesuv briefly led during the heads-up battle before Martirosian's pocket fours held against Plesuv's ace-nine in the decisive hand. Plesuv earned $857,510, the third-largest live result of his career. Martirosian, 28 years old, has over $40 million in career tournament earnings - the most of any Russian-born player in history. Sean Winter entered the seven-player final table as chip leader; Chance Kornuth entered with approximately 10 big blinds.

Why It Matters

Four WSOP bracelets at 28 puts Martirosian in rare company regardless of era. Phil Hellmuth has 17 and is 61. Martirosian's pace and career earnings at his age make him one of the most accomplished tournament players of his generation specifically at the WSOP, not just in lifetime totals.

What Happened

Event #29: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em resumes today at noon in the Paris Ballroom with 12 survivors. Santhosh Suvarna (India) leads with 7,700,000 chips after bursting the money bubble and eliminating Phil Hellmuth to top the counts. Chang Lee sits second in chips; Brandon Wilson third. The winner collects $1,922,870. Each remaining player is guaranteed at least $105,000. Notable Day 1 casualties include Daniel Negreanu, who busted both bullets - first losing with pocket aces to Batmunkh Unubukh's ace-king, then eliminated later - and Jason Koon, the defending champion, who lost pocket kings to Orpen Kisacikoglu's pocket aces and ultimately busted both entries. 104 players entered across Day 1.

Why It Matters

The $50K High Roller is the most prestigious event at the 2026 WSOP outside the Main Event by buy-in and field quality. Suvarna already holds two WSOP bracelets. A win today would give him three, and at $1,922,870 it would be his biggest career score. Koon's double-bullet elimination guarantees a new champion regardless of today's outcome.

What Happened

Event #18: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold'em plays to a winner today with eight survivors and a $1,302,125 top prize. Kevin Eyster enters as chip leader with 126,700,000 - more than one-fifth of the chips in play - after eliminating Day 3 leader Valentin Vornicu in 20th on Day 4. Salvatore DiCarlo sits second at 103,200,000; Matthew Miller is third at 98,500,000. The short stack, Nikolaos Angelou, holds 31,600,000. All eight players have locked up at least $190,000. The tournament drew a record 11,933 entries, surpassing last year's 9,920, for a prize pool of $15,841,047.

Why It Matters

The Monster Stack is the largest single-field event remaining at the 2026 WSOP and drew the most entries of any event in the series so far. 11,933 players entered and eight play today for a bracelet worth over $1.3 million. Eyster's lead is substantial, but one-fifth of the chips still leaves a lot of poker for the other seven.

What Happened

Four additional bracelets completed the record Day 15 count. Bryce Yockey won Event #27: $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship for $371,664 - his third bracelet - defeating Ryan Miller heads-up after holding nearly 70 percent of the chips in play at the six-handed final table. Chad Eveslage, who led the event by double entering the final day, finished fourth for $111,305. Jake Schwartz, who entered the day pursuing his first bracelet, finished third for $161,292. Braxton Dunaway won Event #26: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em for $288,064 - his second bracelet - defeating Erwann Pecheux heads-up. Mike Holtz won Event #31: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty for his second bracelet ('Daddy's Got 2 Now'). Christopher Alcindor of Canada won Event #22: $1,500 Big O for $387,110 - his first bracelet - surviving a final table where Day 3 chip leader John Holley finished 24th.

Why It Matters

Yockey's Dealer's Choice win closes a notable near-miss chapter: he lost the $50K PPC heads-up to Daniel Negreanu in 2024 and previously suffered one of the most-replayed bad beats in mixed-game television history. This bracelet belongs in a different category than the others on his shelf. The Eveslage story - leading by double and finishing fourth - is the most instructive data point from Day 15 for anyone who draws comfort from chip leads.