Image courtesy of the World Series of Poker (Miguel Cortes)
The week behind us was certainly the most exciting one of the 2026 World Series of Poker. There were so many big and interesting stories that we could easily fill a few pages. But knowing that nobody is down to read articles that long these days, we’ll try to focus on the biggest ones.
Things kicked off with Kristen Foxen triumphing in the $25k High Roller event, beating an impressive lineup of players to claim her sixth WSOP bracelet.
Not long after, Alex made a super deep run in a $600 NLHE/PLO event, getting to the final table in a field of about 3,500 players. And he was joined at that final table by Daniel Negreanu and Maurice Hawkins. What are the odds of that happening in a huge field event?
While none of the three managed to claim the bracelet in that tournament, Nick Schulman did not miss his opportunity in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E, where he beat the field of 780 players to claim his eighth WSOP bracelet.
WSOP officials came out with some huge news last night, announcing major changes to the Poker Hall of Fame, allowing for more inductees every year.
And, just in case you’ve been wondering what Martin Kabrhel has been up to, the man has been all over the place, battling it out in tournaments, playing some massive cash game pots, and, of course, annoying the hell out of his opponents.
2026 WSOP Week 3 Bracelet Winners
| Event | Winner | Prize Money | Total Entries |
| #21 – $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better | Frederic Norman | $235,377 | 1,093 |
| #22 – $1,500 Big O | Christopher Alcindor | $387,110 | 2,150 |
| #23 – $10k Seven Card Stud Championship | Naoya Kihara | $301,970 | 130 |
| #24 – $25k High Roller Six Handed No-Limit Hold’em | Artur Martirosian | $1,286,285 | 242 |
| #25 – $500 Freezeout No-Limit Holdem | Brayden Lou | $190,066 | 4,100 |
| #26 – $2,000 No-Limit Holdem | Braxton Dunaway | $288,064 | 968 |
| #27 – $10k Dealer’s Choice Championship | Bryce Yockey | $371,664 | 163 |
| #28 – $600 Deepstack Mixed No-Limit Hold’em; Pot-Limit Omaha | Brent Gregory | $204,140 | 3,332 |
| #29 – $50k High Roller No-Limit Hold’em | Santhosh Suvarna | $1,922,870 | 167 |
| #30 – $1,500 Limit Hold’em 7-Handed | Dennis Weiss | $133,704 | 510 |
| #31 – $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em | Mike Holtz | $238,097 | 2,103 |
| #32 – $3,000 No-Limit Holdem | Omar Zazay | $538,158 | 1,300 |
| #33 – $10k Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship | Nathan Gamble | $767,395 | 390 |
| #36 – $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em | Yuri Dzivielevski | $2,841,432 | 115 |
| #37 – $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. | Nick Schulman | $183,366 | 780 |
Poker Hall of Fame Expansions
For a long time, a big segment of the poker community has been asking for the rules governing the Poker Hall of Fame induction process to change. The WSOP listened and finally made a historic decision that should allow for more players deserving of the honor to be inducted.
From this year onward, the process will be as follows. To begin with, there will be a public vote for players over 40. Nominations are open for this year, so feel free to cast your vote.
Eight public nominees with the most votes will make the final list, and 33 living members of the Poker Hall of Fame will cast their votes. Each member gets up to four votes.
Any nominee receiving a two-thirds majority will be inducted automatically, which means that we could have up to six players inducted this year and every next year, provided these rules stay in place.
In the event that no single nominee gets the required majority, the one player with the highest number of total votes will be inducted.
Is this good, or is up to six players just a bit too much? We’ll have to wait and see how the poker community reacts to the news.
Kristen Foxen Does It Again
Kristen Foxen has been recognized as the best female poker player for a while now. She battles it out regularly with some of the best players in the world, and her results show that she can hold her own.
But just in case someone forgot how good a player she was, Kristen went on to remind the world by taking down the $25k WSOP High Roller, claiming his sixth WSOP gold and pocketing just shy of $1.8 million.
The event attracted 345 entries, and it should come as no surprise that we saw some of the biggest names in all of poker in that field.
On her way to the top, Foxen outlasted the likes of Ren Lin, Stephen Chidwick, Nick Schulman, and Jesse Lonis, eventually defeating Gallen Hall in the final skirmish.
This was the largest cash of Kristen’s career so far, bringing her lifetime tournament earnings to a whopping $19 million.
And, to make that victory even sweeter, her sixth WSOP bracelet was presented to her by her husband, Alex Foxen. If there was a competition for the most romantic moment of the Series, they’d have it in the bag!
Nick Schulman, the Master of the Mix
When Nick Schulman enters a mixed game event, you shouldn’t bet against him. He’s proven time and time again that non-Hold’em games are his playground (although he’s pretty good at Texas Hold’em, too), and he’s just confirmed what we knew all along.
Playing in Event #37 – $1,500 H.O.R.S.E, Schulman was the last man standing in the field of 780 players, claiming his eighth WSOP bracelet and pocketing over $180,000.
The victory also comes as a confirmation that Nick’s last year’s induction into the Poker Hall of Fame was not a random decision. He was inducted as soon as he became eligible by turning 40, and the poker community recognized his skills.
Earlier in the series, he had a close call as well, finishing runner-up in a $1,500 Badugi event, and we certainly wouldn’t put it past him to claim another bracelet or two before things wrap up for the summer. There is plenty more action to come.
Not Your Everyday $600 Tournament Final Table
While pros generally do well in small buy-in WSOP events, it’s not common to see high-rollers making super deep runs in tournaments with three-figure buy-ins. This is in part because they rarely play them, and on the rare occasion they do, fields are so massive that variance usually outruns the skill at some point.
That’s why it was quite a shock to see that the final table of Event #28 – $600 Deepstack Mixed No Limit Hold’em / Pot Limit Omaha featured both Daniel Negreanu and Alex Foxen. Plus, Maurice Hawkins, an absolute WSOP Circuit crusher, joined the party.
This story would have had a perfect ending if the tournament had come down to an Alex vs. Daniel skirmish. It wasn’t meant to be, though, as Negreanu was eliminated fairly early, while Foxen couldn’t make it past the fifth spot.
Maurice, on the other hand, came as close as humanly possible to adding a first WSOP bracelet to his massive collection of rings, but was stopped at the last juncture by Brent Gregory, who took home the title and the $200k+ first place money.
Martin Will Be Martin
The Czech high roller has certainly been at the center of attention this summer, even though he is yet to win a bracelet in 2026.
Kabrhel has been very active, playing a bunch of tournaments, including all high rollers, and one thing you can count on when Martin is around is that there won’t be a dull moment at the table.
Whether he’s complaining about other players, calling for a tournament floor to clarify the ruling, or teasing others, quietly playing cards and shuffling some chips isn’t Martin’s MO.
On top of his tournament endeavors, he found the time to join the big HCL Million Dollar Game that played out in Las Vegas. It wasn’t a particularly good showing for him, as he ended up with a seven-figure deficit, but he did manage to play a massive pot against Alan Keating.
The 2026 World Series of Poker rolls on, as there are many more tournaments to play out and dozens of bracelets to be won. It’s been an exciting summer so far, and things are bound to heat up even more on The Strip.
