Image courtesy of the World Series of Poker
Arguably, the most exciting week of the 2026 World Series of Poker is in the books. There was a lot happening on and off the felt as the second half of poker’s Summer Camp got underway.
The biggest story of the week was certainly Benny Glaser winning the prestigious Poker Players Championship, demonstrating once more that he is one of the best mixed game players around.
The public voting for the Poker Hall of Fame is now done, and we have the eight names that the current HOF members will get to choose from this year.
Another attendance record was set, as the WSOP Ladies Championship attracted the largest field in history, showing that the interest in the game continues to grow.
We also saw a few more unfortunate deals featuring instruction cards and jokers, with one instance of both of these making an appearance in the very same hand.
2026 WSOP Week 5 Bracelet Winners
| Event | Winner | Prize Money | Total Entries |
| #50 – $1,500 Millionaire Maker | Joseph Liberta | $1,250,000 | 11,769 |
| #55 – $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha | Joao Simao | $1,368,700 | 110 |
| #57 – $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha | Harry Rubin | $390,300 | 3,763 |
| #58 – $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw | Michelle Chin | $161,313 | 657 |
| #59 – $500 Salute to Warriors | Prashanth Nataraj | $208,800 | 4,478 |
| #60 – $50,000 Poker Players Championship | Benny Glaser | $1,343,764 | 108 |
| #61 – $1,000 Super Seniors | Lionel Barracano | $355,263 | 3,323 |
| #62 – $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em | Josh Reichard | $555,198 | 1,736 |
| #64 – $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed | Eelis Parssinen | $1,172,296 | 214 |
| #65 – $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em | Ciro Gonzalez | $449,067 | 2,617 |
| #66 – $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold’em | Breno Drumond – Henrique Lessa | $184,769 | 1,375 |
| #67 – $10,000 Limit 2-7 Championship | Koji Fujimoto | $392,478 | 176 |
Benny Glaser Dominates in the Toughest of Fields
The $50,000 Poker Players Championship is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious WSOP events. It gathers some of the best players in the game and features a mix of poker variations, and brings a very solid structure so that the skill can really shine through.
This year, 108 players took it to the green felt to fight for this prestigious title, and Benny Glaser was the one to outlast the other 107, winning over $1.3 million in prize money and his ninth WSOP bracelet.
To complete his quest, Glaser had to face the final table consisting of legends like Phil Ivey, Jason Koon, and Paul Volpe. The last player he had to defeat before claiming the title was Josh Arieh. It was easily one of the toughest lineups one could come across on a WSOP final table.
Yet, Glaser did it. While poker gods were on his side in terms of card distribution, this doesn’t take away anything from his tremendous skill. Benny has shown time and time again that, when it comes to mixed games, he is one of the top players, and it looks like he’s only getting more dangerous with every tournament he plays.
With nine bracelets to his name, close to $13 million in live winnings, and many, many years of poker ahead of him, Glaser is the force to be reckoned with. His latest successes have also put him in serious contention for the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year title.
Who Gets into the Poker Hall of Fame This Year?
The public voted, and we now have eight winners who are official nominees for this year’s Poker Hall of Fame honors. Their names are:
- Jason Koon
- Shaun Deeb
- Justin Bonomo
- Chris Moorman
- Isaac Haxton
- Scott Seiver
- Mike Matusow
- Isai Scheinberg
Now, the current Poker Hall of Fame members will cast their votes for their preferred nominees. This year, the WSOP changed the rules, with each member allowed up to four votes, and any nominee getting a two-third vote majority inducted by default, allowing for up to six new members in 2026.
Not surprisingly, the list created some discussion in the poker community, questioning why certain players weren’t on there and arguing that some of the names didn’t belong.
We won’t get into all of that in that article (but you can find plenty of it on X). It will be interesting to see who gets the necessary support. So far, Negreanu is the only one who has made it clear who he’ll be voting for, listing Scott Seiver, Jason Koon, and Isai Scheinberg.
For some, like Deeb, Chris Moorman, and Bonomo, this is their very first time being nominated for the Hall of Fame. Some others have been waiting for their turn for a while. Mike Matusow has been nominated eleven times, so he’s hoping that the twelfth time will do the trick and he’ll finally receive the honors.
Ladies Championship Sets New Attendance Record
The 2026 Ladies Championship attracted a total of 1,475 entries, setting the attendance record, and this was great to see.
One of those 1,475 entries was Shiina Okamoto, the Japanese player who finished a runner-up in 2023 and then proceeded to win the event back-to-back in 2024 and 2025. The poker world observed with anticipation whether Shiina could do the impossible and win once more.
It would make for a great story, but, unfortunately, the poker gods had other plans, and Okamoto was eliminated, leaving the throne free for a different lady.
At the time of writing this, there are still 48 players left in contention for the bracelet and the $194k first prize, with Aubrey Williams returning as the chip leader.
The Main Event Around the Corner
We can’t wrap up this weekly overview without mentioning the obvious: the 2026 WSOP Main Event is starting in a few days!
The very first starting flight takes place on July 2, and the hunt for the most coveted of all gold bracelets will commence.
Of course, due to this year’s schedule and TV coverage, it will take a while before the champion is crowned. We won’t know the name of the winner until August 5, but that doesn’t take away anything from the excitement.
We may be well into the summer, but the best is yet to come!
