WSOP 2026 Week #1: First Bracelet, $1M Bounty & More
It has been a week since the 57th edition of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) began. The Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, Nevada, have burst with action. Although only 8 out of 50 days have passed, they were filled with plenty of exciting moments. We have already seen how a recreational player grabbed $1M, how pocket aces betrayed Negreanu, and how the debut bracelet found its owner. See the top highlights from the first week.
The First WSOP 2026 Bracelet Goes to the US
Daniyal Gheba outplayed 570 opponents in Event #2: $5K 8-Handed NLH. That was a shark-heavy field, especially the final table, which was an exciting battleground. Chenxiang Miao was a leader initially. Over the course, Gheba and Miao switched the chip lead. But the decisive 5-bet of Gheba brought him the debut WSOP bracelet and a $500K – his new best cash.
It was the first gold award in the 57th edition. But it also leaves a mark in history as the first-ever title won in the brand-new Mothership Stage inside the Paris Ballroom.
Bad Beats of Daniel Negreanu
GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu faced a disappointing start this year. KidPoker was about to enter his prime in $5K No-Limit Hold'em. Having bullets, KidPoker seemed to be very close to grabbing his debut cash of the year, so he went all-in. But Ryuta Nakai took him down to earth, revealing the set of 10s. She busted Daniel right on the bubble.
The seven-time bracelet winner didn’t seem to give up. Defeating a Block Wilson and Darius Samual, among others, Negreanu took the seat in the $25,000 HU Championship. Playing against Biao Ding, Daniel built a massive chip stack of 88 Big Blinds (Ding got 9). History repeats itself. Luck smiled at Ding and doubled the stack size three times in a row. KidPoker ended his heads-up run with A-K, losing to Ding’s A-A.
Phil Chun Crushes the Opening Tourney for $400,000
$550 Mini Mystery Millions lasted from May 26 to June 1. It was anticipated to be massive, not least because of the $1M one of the envelopes contained. The opening tournament drew over 20k participants, and US grinder Philip Chun dominated the tough final table. He finished with a $400k prize. Jalil Houssain was extremely close to bringing the first WSOP award to Palestine, but finished as runner-up.
See how the final spot has ended:
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philip Chun | United States | $400k |
| 2 | Jalil Houssain | Palestine | $265k |
| 3 | Kartik Ved | India | $200k |
| 4 | David Prociak | United States | $155k |
| 5 | Axel Bayout | France | $115k |
The opening tournament saw the birth of one more poker millionaire. Chun was first with just a $400k prize from the standard pool. Andrew Shelton, a recreational player from the US, drew the Mystery Bounty envelope and got a $1M prize. Before it, his total lifetime earnings sat at just $20,000.
Phil Hellmuth’s Hunt for 18th WSOP Bracelet
Phil Hellmuth made a deep run into the Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, attempting to chase one more WSOP bracelet. He jumped into the action, 6th among 15 participants, on Day 3. The Hall of Fame member has survived to the final stretch.
His chase for the 18th award ended in 7th place. Holding pocket Aces, the Poker Brat lost to Dylan Weisman’s flush. Hellmuth took home just $54k, but they achieved something bigger. The player extended his own final table record – he reached the 76th spot in his career. The HU match between Weisman and Scott Clements brought the win and the 4th bracelet to the latter.
Hellmuth’s Run Comes to an End@phil_hellmuth deep run in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship ended in seventh place after this final clash with @Dweisman13 saw his aces cracked. The 17-time bracelet winner came within six spots of another WSOP title, but the wait… pic.twitter.com/qCR4FSSzfE
— WSOP - World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 2, 2026
Shaun Deeb Plans to Chase POY Once Again
The nine-time WSOP bracelet holder, Shaun Deeb, aims to show himself soon. The reigning Player of the Year (POY) plans to be the first player to acquire the title two consecutive years. He is sure that this year will bring him the third POY award of his career. Some fans love him, others not, but the fact is – Shaun is back.
His performance on the WSOP 2026 is not very impressive. He built a massive stack on Event #2: $5,000 8-Handed NLH but ran out of chips. Bouncing back to the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, he finished as runner-up in the second round.
WSOP now counts the Europe and Paradise tournaments' results for awarding the POY title, so it currently seems the only hope for Shaun to acquire the desired award once again.
7th Day of WSOP Brought Four New Bracelet Holders
The action in Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas was absolutely exciting on the 7th day of the championship. 4 more grinders have acquired the bracelets in a 24-hour window. This single-day gold rush wrapped everything from small-stakes tournaments to high-roller events.
Take a look at the players who stepped into the spotlight as new bracelet owners:
- Philip Chun – $500 Mini Mystery Millions
- Scott Clements – $10k Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
- Dimitar Danchev – $25k Heads-Up NLH Championship
- Karapet Galstyan – $600 Deepstack NLH.
It was just a warm-up, but it already brought plenty of exciting moments that go down in poker history. The action now shifts to the $1,5k Monster Stack NLH and the $25k High Roller NLH, kicking off in less than 24 hours.
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