The Muck · WSOP Daily Brief
Day 14 Edition
The results from yesterday's three final tables landed and they were worth the wait. Kristen Foxen won the $25,000 High Roller for $1,773,083, a sixth bracelet, the biggest score of her career, and the first open WSOP win in Las Vegas by a woman in five years. She closed it by snap-calling Galen Hall's all-in with pocket aces, which is the poker version of finding a parking spot directly in front of the door. Naoya Kihara won the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship to become the first double bracelet winner of 2026, three days after his last one, while Michael Mizrachi brought bracelet-number-nine energy to that same final and busted sixth. Allen Kessler led three-handed and finished third, which is the most Allen Kessler sentence ever written. Erik Seidel went out ninth chasing an 11th bracelet in the $25K 6-Handed, and Martin Kabrhel lasted exactly one hand in that event, by design, sort of.
Story 01 of 6
Kristen Foxen won Event #19: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em for $1,773,083 and her sixth career WSOP bracelet, defeating Galen Hall heads-up out of a 345-entry field at the Horseshoe and Paris. It is the largest live score of her career and, per PokerNews, the fourth-largest score of all time for a female player. Hall entered the final day with nearly a third of the chips in play after a Day 3 sun run in which he eliminated seven players. Foxen ground back into it, busting Ignacio Moron in fifth (pocket eights over A-T), then Biao Ding in third when she rivered a flush. Heads-up, Hall built a 2:1 lead before a brutal cooler flipped it: both players turned a straight, but Foxen's was queen-high to Hall's jack-high, and the chips went in on the river. Minutes later Hall shoved A-4 and Foxen snap-called with pocket aces to finish it. Final table: 1. Foxen ($1,773,083), 2. Galen Hall ($1,182,050), 3. Biao Ding ($819,504), 4. Joey Weissman ($577,326), 5. Ignacio Moron ($413,389), 6. Zdenek Zizka ($300,942), 7. Ihar Soika ($222,798), 8. Giuseppe Calio ($167,792).
Why it mattersFoxen has said for years that the bracelet she wanted was one from a tough field, an event she would feel prouder of, not a smaller or online event. The $25K High Roller is exactly that. No woman had won an open WSOP event in Las Vegas in five years, and Foxen ended that against a final table stacked with elite pros. It is the kind of result that travels well beyond poker media.
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Naoya Kihara won Event #23: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $301,970, becoming the first player to win two bracelets at the 2026 WSOP. It came just three days after he took the $10,000 NL 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship, both at the $10K championship level. He beat James Cheung heads-up, Kihara's two pair holding against Cheung's seventh-street pair of nines. Cheung, notably, was also chasing his second bracelet of the summer. The final table chewed up the favorites: defending Player of the Year Michael Mizrachi busted sixth for $54,458, Chris Brewer went fifth ($72,254), and Jeremy Ausmus fourth ($98,782). Allen 'Chainsaw' Kessler held the chip lead three-handed and looked, finally, like the moment had come. He was then outdrawn at two key points and finished third for $139,036. The rail stood and applauded. Final table: 1. Kihara ($301,970), 2. James Cheung ($201,308), 3. Allen Kessler ($139,036), 4. Jeremy Ausmus ($98,782), 5. Chris Brewer ($72,254), 6. Michael Mizrachi ($54,458), 7. Ryan Miller ($42,333), 8. Jason Kluska ($33,974).
Why it mattersTwo championship-level bracelets in three days is a rare feat at the WSOP and a serious Player of the Year haul for Kihara. The Mizrachi subplot matters too: the defending POY brought a chip lead into the final and left in sixth, a reminder that even the best run-good eventually corrects. And Kessler now has another agonizing near-miss on a resume that has long deserved gold.
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Event #24: $25,000 High Roller Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em (242 entries, $5,687,000 prize pool, 37 paid) is down to its final seven for today, with a $1,286,285 top prize. Ten-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel, trying to become only the third player ever past 10 WSOP bracelets, fell just short of the final table in ninth. Sean Winter leads the final seven at 7,950,000, followed by Artur Martirosian (6,545,000) and Pavel Plesuv (5,965,000). Also in: Yosuke Miki (4,605,000), who could make it three Japanese bracelets this summer, Klemens Roiter (4,530,000), Marius Gierse (3,888,000), and a short-stacked Chance Kornuth (835,000, about 10 big blinds). The final table starts at 1:30 p.m. local time with a 2.5-hour delayed stream once they reach six.
Why it mattersAn 11th bracelet would put Seidel in territory occupied by almost no one, so a ninth-place exit is a real story in itself. Beyond that, this is a loaded final seven, and Winter, a perennial high-roller threat without a bracelet to match his results, sits on top of it.
Story 04 of 6
Martin Kabrhel late-registered Day 2 of the $25,000 High Roller Six-Handed and lasted a single hand. All in for his 150,000 starting stack against Nick Petrangelo, Kabrhel narrated the spot as 'miniature Casino Royale only' and openly mused about whether he wanted a 'free afternoon' instead of a tournament. He got it. His pocket sixes ran into Petrangelo's A-K, the board paired an ace, and Kabrhel signed off with 'that's it for today, one hand and one hand only, see you later, alligator.' When another player suggested he fire the $2,000 event for Fantasy points, Kabrhel was not amused. He has yet to post a real result this summer, with a $15,879 cash for 28th in the $5,000 8-Handed as his best.
Why it mattersKabrhel is a genuine high-stakes player and reliably one of the most-discussed personalities at any series. A one-hand bust in a $25K, delivered with a running monologue, is exactly the kind of content that travels on poker Twitter regardless of the chip counts around it.
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Event #27: $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship drew an all-star cast of 135 entries, with 66 reaching Day 2. The Dealer's Choice, which lets players pick from roughly 20 poker variants, is usually owned by career mixed-game specialists. Instead the two chip leaders are big-bet players: Chris Brewer (347,000) and Jesse Lonis (339,500), both better known for No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha, and each already a two-time bracelet winner. Behind them is a who's who of mixed-game royalty including Bryce Yockey, Matt Glantz, Chad Eveslage, Marco Johnson, Frank Kassela, John Hennigan, Todd Brunson, Eli Elezra, and defending champion Ryan Hoenig. Day 2 resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time with late registration open through the first level.
Why it mattersThe Dealer's Choice Championship is one of the toughest, most specialized fields on the schedule, and seeing two No-Limit and PLO specialists on top after Day 1 is a small upset of expectations. There is a long way to go and the mixed-game contingent is deep, but the leaderboard is a fun subversion of the usual order.
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Event #25: $500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em, a rarity on the modern schedule because there are no re-entries, drew 4,100 players. Thirty-minute levels plus the one-bullet format reduced the field to just 162 by the end of Day 1, with Rahulinder Dhillon (2,334,500) leading and 17-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Josh Reichard lurking in tenth, still chasing a first bracelet. The winner gets $190,066. Elsewhere on a busy day, Canada's Xuan Liu bagged a top-three stack on Day 1 of Event #26: $2,000 NLH (968 entries, Jason Palker leads at 742,000), and the $1,500 Monster Stack sent 660 survivors from four Day 2 flights into a combined Day 3, with She Wong bagging the biggest single flight stack at 3,800,000. Three more bracelet events fire today, including Event #28: $600 Mixed NLH/PLO.
Why it mattersThe freezeout is a throwback, and 4,100 entries for a one-bullet $500 is a strong signal that recreational players will still show up for a pure format. Combined with the Monster Stack merge and a slate of new events firing, Day 14 is a reminder of how wide the WSOP net is cast, from $500 freezeouts to $25K high rollers on the same floor.
23 confirmed bracelets awarded through Day 13. Kristen Foxen (Event #19) and Naoya Kihara (Event #23) are the two most recent, both confirmed on June 7. Events #22, #24, and #25 have final days playing today (June 8).
Second bracelet in three days. First double bracelet winner of 2026. Beat James Cheung heads-up. Mizrachi busted 6th, Kessler 3rd.
Sixth bracelet, career-high score, first open WSOP win by a woman in Las Vegas in five years. Beat Galen Hall heads-up with pocket aces.
First bracelet. Never played the format competitively. Entered for $25K Fantasy points. Full recap in June 7 edition.
Fifth career bracelet.
Kihara's first of two bracelets in three days.
First bracelet. Coached by Faraz Jaka.
First bracelet.
Second bracelet.
Fourth bracelet. Denied Hellmuth bracelet #18.
Second bracelet.
First bracelet. Coached by Kristen Foxen.
Counts below reflect entering-the-day stacks for events in progress on June 8. Event #24 final table (7 left) and Event #22 Big O final day are playing down to a winner today; the others list chip-leader stacks at the most recent bag.
Notable eliminations from the past 24 hours.
Led almost wire to wire, eliminated seven players on Day 3, then shoved A-4 into Foxen's pocket aces on the final hand.
Defending POY and 2025 ME champ. Brought a chip lead into the final, left sixth. Bracelet #9 will have to wait.
Held the chip lead three-handed, then was outdrawn twice. Still chasing a first bracelet. Rail gave him a standing ovation.
Was also chasing a second bracelet of the summer. Lost heads-up to Kihara, seventh-street nines into Kihara's two pair.
Ten-time bracelet winner, fell just short of the final table while chasing an 11th.
Late-registered, lasted one hand, pocket sixes into Petrangelo's A-K. Requested a 'free afternoon' and received one.
Won the $10K 2-7 Lowball Championship and the $10K Stud Championship in three days. Two wins at the championship level is a major Player of the Year haul. Exact updated WSOP POY standings were not published at brief generation time.
Her $25K High Roller win vaulted her to second on the PGT leaderboard at 1,258 points, 13 behind leader Brock Wilson. The PGT race is separate from the WSOP POY race, but it captures how strong her last 12 months have been, with four seven-figure cashes.
Brought a chip lead into the Stud Championship final and busted sixth for $54,458. The repeat POY bid continues but the run-good corrected at the worst time. Still in the mix given his volume and pedigree.
Reported among the WSOP POY frontrunners through the early-to-mid series, built for long seasons of heavy volume. A precise current-day leaderboard incorporating Days 11 to 13 was not available at brief generation time.