What's new at the felt

A Tough Exit, a Big Announcement

Esther Taylor's run in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship came to an end on Day 2, but the tournament exit was quickly overshadowed by news that could define the next chapter of her career: a new ambassadorship with BetMGM.

The PPC Run

The Poker Players Championship — a prestigious, high-stakes mixed-game event held annually at the WSOP — is one of the most gruelling tests a professional can face. Surviving even to Day 2 of a $50K field reflects a level of play that demands respect. Taylor's bust-out, while disappointing in the moment, clearly didn't dampen the bigger picture unfolding around her.

A Career-Defining Moment

The BetMGM deal reportedly represents a milestone Taylor herself described as life-changing. Brand ambassadorships of this kind are increasingly significant for professional players — they provide financial stability, visibility, and a platform to grow a personal brand well beyond any single tournament result.

For Taylor, the timing is notable. Landing a major corporate partnership at one of the game's biggest annual gatherings sends a clear signal about her rising profile within the poker world. It's a reminder that a player's value to the broader industry isn't measured solely in cashes and final tables.

Why This Matters

Female players securing high-profile brand partnerships remain less common than they should be relative to their presence at the felt. Taylor's deal with BetMGM is a meaningful data point in a slow but ongoing shift in how the industry allocates its spotlight and investment.

It will be worth watching how she leverages this platform — both at the tables and in terms of representation and visibility for the next generation of players.

Read on PokerOrg

Texas Mike Isn't Backing Down

Mike Moncek — better known in poker circles as Texas Mike — has pushed back against a wave of online criticism directed at his unconventional approach to multi-tabling events at the 2025 World Series of Poker. His tactic? Committing to blind all-ins as a deliberate strategy when juggling multiple simultaneous tournaments.

What's the Controversy?

Multi-tabling live poker events is itself an art in logistics, but Moncek's method of going all-in without looking at his cards — rather than folding or forfeiting his stack — rubbed a segment of the poker community the wrong way. Critics argued the approach is disrespectful to opponents at the table who are playing seriously for their tournament lives.

Moncek, however, returned to social media to make his case, showing no signs of regret.

Why It's Worth Watching

From a pure poker theory standpoint, blind all-ins in certain stack-size and blind-level scenarios aren't as wild as they might appear. When a stack dwindles relative to the big blind, the mathematical edge of any two cards shoved pre-flop can sometimes exceed the expected value of folding — though the ethics of doing so across multiple tables simultaneously is a separate debate entirely.

What makes this story compelling is the broader tension it surfaces:

• Player rights vs. table etiquette — Is it within the rules? Largely yes. Is it universally welcomed? Clearly not.
• The multi-tabling meta — more players attempt to run deep in several WSOP events simultaneously, novel and sometimes contentious strategies are bound to follow.

Plugging Leaks Before They Sink Your WSOP Run

With the World Series of Poker in full swing, poker coach and author Alex Fitzgerald has published a timely strategy piece cataloguing the five most common ways tournament players needlessly surrender their stacks — and, crucially, what to do instead.

Why This Matters

The WSOP is the most competitive live tournament series on the calendar. Fields regularly stretch into the thousands, meaning even technically sound players face an uphill battle. Compounding that with avoidable strategic errors — what the poker community calls punting — dramatically shortens the runway before elimination.

Fitzgerald, known for his work breaking down recreational-player tendencies, frames these leaks not as exotic advanced concepts but as recurring, fixable patterns that show up at every level of the WSOP, from opening-day flights to deep runs.

What to Expect in the Full Piece

While the excerpt keeps the five specific punt categories behind the article link, Fitzgerald's coaching methodology typically centres on:

• Emotional decision-making after a bad beat or cooler
• Stack-depth mismanagement during pivotal blind levels
• Over-adjusting to aggressive or passive table dynamics
• Misreading ICM pressure near pay jumps or the money bubble
• Pre-tournament preparation gaps that compound in-the-moment errors

His core argument — that most eliminations are self-inflicted rather than a product of bad luck — is a useful reframe for players doing a post-series review of their results.

The Grinder Keeps Grinding

Reigning World Series of Poker Main Event champion Michael Mizrachi is once again sitting near the top of the chip counts — this time in the prestigious $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship at the 2026 WSOP.

Why This Matters

Mizrachi, widely known in the poker community by his long-standing nickname, has never been a one-discipline player. His ability to accumulate chips deep into elite-field events is a testament to his all-around technical skill across both No-Limit Hold'em and PLO formats. Holding the Main Event title while simultaneously threatening in a high-roller specialty event underscores just how versatile he is as a competitor.

The $10K PLO Championship routinely attracts some of the most technically demanding fields the WSOP has to offer. Pot-Limit Omaha rewards precise hand-reading, disciplined pot management, and a strong grasp of equity — a very different skill set from the Main Event's No-Limit format. Leading in both arenas in the same series is a rare feat.

The Broader Picture

For poker fans tracking the 2026 WSOP, Mizrachi's continued chip-leading presence is one of the summer's standout storylines. Whether he can convert this deep run into another bracelet — adding to an already impressive collection — remains to be seen, but his position at the top of the counts at this stage of the tournament is a compelling data point.

Keep an eye on this event as the field narrows and the pressure mounts. The $10K PLO Championship figures to produce fireworks as it approaches its final table.

Read on PokerOrg

Final Table Set for the 2026 WSOP Ladies Championship

The 2026 World Series of Poker Ladies Championship is down to its final six players, who are scheduled to return to the Paris Ballroom on Sunday for what promises to be a compelling finish to one of the WSOP's most storied annual events.

Why This Final Table Matters

The Ladies Championship has long been a highlight of the WSOP calendar — a tournament that regularly draws a deep, competitive field and produces bracelet winners who go on to make significant marks on the broader poker scene. Reaching a final table of six in this event is a genuine achievement, reflecting days of consistent, high-pressure play.

What to Watch

• Short-stack dynamics: With six players remaining, stack sizes and blind pressure will play a massive role in shaping early final-table action.
• Experience vs. momentum: Final tables often pit seasoned veterans — who know how to navigate the pressure of a televised, high-stakes setting — against players riding the momentum of a deep run.
• Bracelet implications: For any player who has yet to win a WSOP bracelet, Sunday represents a life-changing opportunity to join the game's most exclusive club.

FeltIQ Angle

From a strategic standpoint, six-handed play at a WSOP final table is where tournament identity really gets tested. Ranges widen, aggression typically ramps up, and the ability to read short-handed dynamics separates contenders from bracelet winners. Every decision at this stage carries enormous weight in both chip equity and pay-jump implications.

Keep an eye on how chip leaders approach early confrontations — the temptation to coast versus the imperative to accumulate heading into three- and four-handed play is one of the most fascinating tensions at any final table.

Family Pride on the Line at the 2025 WSOP Main Event

Phil Hellmuth — never one to shy away from a prop bet — has put his money where his paternal pride is. According to PokerOrg, Hellmuth and perennial WSOP bracelet contender Shaun Deeb have agreed to a wager tied to the performance of Phillip Hellmuth III in this year's World Series of Poker Main Event.

What We Know

• The principals: Phil Hellmuth (backing his son) vs. Shaun Deeb (the other side of the bet).
• The subject: Phillip Hellmuth III's result in the 2025 WSOP Main Event.
• Specific terms — stake size, exact performance threshold — have not been publicly disclosed in the report.

Why It Matters

Side action between high-profile players around the Main Event is nothing new, but there's an added layer of narrative here that the poker world will enjoy watching unfold. Hellmuth Sr. is staking his reputation — and presumably some cash — on his own son's ability to navigate one of the most competitive fields in poker. Deeb, a fierce competitor who has long been one of the game's most active prop-bet participants, makes for a natural counterpart in this kind of arrangement.

For Phillip Hellmuth III, the spotlight is brighter than ever. Performing well at the Main Event is a tall order under any circumstances; doing so while your father has publicly wagered on you adds a uniquely personal dimension to every hand played.

The Bigger Picture

Whether or not the wager pays off, it keeps both Hellmuth and Deeb — two of poker's most compelling personalities — squarely in the conversation as the Main Event progresses. Expect updates as Phillip III's run develops and the bet's outcome becomes clear.

Top Set, No Good: Negreanu Exits $25K PLO High Roller

Daniel Negreanu's run in the WSOP $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller came to an abrupt end when he ran into Alex Foxen — currently the leader in the WSOP Player of the Year race — in what turned out to be a decisive confrontation.

The Painful Spot

Flopping top set is generally one of the most powerful positions a PLO player can find themselves in early in a hand. For Negreanu, however, it wasn't enough. Foxen, who has been arguably the standout performer of the 2025 WSOP series so far, held a hand strong enough to send Negreanu to the rail in what figures to be a frustrating exit for the GGPoker ambassador.

Context: A Familiar Rivalry

The matchup carries some extra narrative weight. Negreanu and Foxen have a well-documented history at the felt, making this bustout more than just another tournament exit — it's another chapter in an ongoing on-felt rivalry that poker fans have come to follow closely.

Foxen Continues to Dominate

For Foxen, the hand was just another data point in what has been a stellar series. Leading the POY standings heading into the back half of the WSOP is no small feat given the depth of competition at events like this one. His ability to accumulate chips and POY points at high-roller buy-in levels underlines just how consistent his results have been.

Takeaway

PLO High Rollers are notoriously swingy — even top set on the flop can be drawing thin against the right runout in Omaha. Negreanu's early exit is a reminder that in PLO, strong made hands and big draws can collide in spectacular fashion. Whether he re-enters or shifts focus to other events on the schedule remains to be seen.

When the Clock Kills the Hand

Rulings at the World Series of Poker don't always end cleanly — and a recent hand involving professional player Patrick Leonard is a perfect reminder of that. Tournament Director Justin Hammer stepped in to break down a controversial situation in which a called clock ultimately led to a dead hand declaration, sparking discussion across the poker community.

What Happened?

The excerpt is light on granular detail, but the core drama is familiar to anyone who has spent time in a live tournament setting: a player's clock is called, the countdown expires, and the ruling that follows — a dead hand — carries real, tangible consequences at the table. When the player in question is a recognizable tournament pro like Leonard, the spotlight on that ruling intensifies considerably.

Why This Matters

Clock-calling etiquette and TD authority sit at an interesting intersection of written rules and table culture. Players often view calling the clock as a social escalation; floor staff and TDs, on the other hand, must apply the rules uniformly regardless of who is in the hand or what the stakes of the moment feel like. Hammer's willingness to publicly explain the ruling is a commendable transparency move — one that helps the broader player pool understand why decisions are made, not just what was decided.

The Bigger Picture

A♠ live tournament poker grows in both prize pools and public visibility, the consistency and communication of rulings becomes increasingly important. Incidents like this one act as valuable case studies for players, floor staff, and fans alike. Whether you agree with the outcome or not, having a TD articulate the reasoning in public is good for the game.

Kid Poker Back in the Spotlight

Daniel Negreanu is once again deep in a World Series of Poker event, this time at the final table of the $25,000 High Roller NLH/PLO — a mixed-format event that demands versatility across both No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha.

The Hand Everyone's Talking About

The highlight so far? Negreanu flopped a straight flush, one of the rarest and most dramatic hands in poker. While straight flushes are statistically uncommon in any single game, the PLO component of a mixed NLH/PLO event actually increases the chances of big run-outs — players work with four hole cards rather than two, creating more complex board interactions and a wider range of possible holdings at showdown.

What's at Stake

Beyond the prize money, Negreanu — a six-time WSOP bracelet winner — has been publicly vocal about his desire to add to his hardware collection. A deep run in a $25K High Roller carries significant prestige: the field is typically small but stacked with elite regulars and high-stakes specialists who play this format year-round.

The Bigger Picture

Negreanu's longevity at the top level of tournament poker continues to be one of the sport's more compelling storylines. Making final tables across multiple decades, in formats that continue to evolve, is a testament to consistent study and adaptation. Whether or not he closes this one out, his presence at the final table of a $25K mixed event underscores that Kid Poker remains a genuine force in high-stakes tournament poker.

Watch this space — final table action at this buy-in level tends to move quickly and produce marquee moments.

Read on PokerOrg

Poker's Most Enduring Broadcast Partnership Returns to the Main Event

Few voices are as instantly recognisable to poker fans as those of Lon McEachern and Norman Chad. The duo has been calling the action at the World Series of Poker Main Event for more than two decades, and — as this summer's WSOP confirms — they're not done yet.

ESPN Is Back, and So Are They

The pair recently sat down to discuss their involvement in this summer's WSOP and the significance of the Main Event's return to ESPN as the tournament's broadcast partner. For long-time fans, the combination of that iconic ESPN coverage and the McEachern/Chad commentary team will feel like a genuine homecoming.

Why This Matters

It's easy to underestimate what consistent, familiar commentary does for a sport's identity. McEachern and Chad became the de facto voice of poker's biggest moment during the mid-2000s boom, and their longevity is a testament to how deeply embedded they are in the culture of the game. Many of today's competitive players grew up watching them break down hands, trade quips, and guide casual viewers through the complexities of tournament poker.

Their return alongside ESPN also signals a broader recommitment to mainstream visibility for the WSOP — a welcome development at a time when the tournament landscape is more competitive than ever.

A Few Things to Watch For

• Whether the broadcast format evolves alongside the commentary team's long-standing chemistry
• How ESPN's production resources shape the storytelling around this year's field
• Whether the McEachern/Chad dynamic introduces any fresh elements after their time away from the partnership

The Most Prestigious Mixed-Game Stage Is Set

The WSOP Poker Players Championship — widely regarded as the crown jewel of mixed-game poker — gets underway this Sunday, and one name looms larger than any other heading into the field: Michael Mizrachi.

Mizrachi's Historic Run

Mizrachi has already claimed this title four times, a record that stands alone in the tournament's history. A fifth bracelet in the PPC would be nothing short of legendary, cementing his status as the definitive mixed-game specialist of his generation. The sheer consistency required to win a multi-day, multi-format event — at this level, against this field — makes each title remarkable on its own.

What Makes the PPC Different

Unlike a standard No-Limit Hold'em event, the Poker Players Championship rotates through eight distinct game formats, including:

• No-Limit Hold'em
• Pot-Limit Omaha
• Seven-Card Stud (Hi and Hi/Lo)
• Razz
• 2-7 Triple Draw
• Limit Hold'em
• Omaha Hi/Lo

This breadth rewards well-rounded competitors who have invested deeply across the full spectrum of poker disciplines — making it a true test of complete poker knowledge rather than mastery of a single format.

A Field Worth Watching

The PPC consistently attracts some of the sharpest minds in the game. Expect a lineup stacked with veterans who thrive when the deck rotation begins — players for whom switching gears between games is second nature. For fans of poker's deeper strategic layers, this is the tournament to follow closely all week.

Calvin Anderson Pulls Off a Rare Back-to-Back at the 2026 WSOP

In one of the most striking individual runs in recent World Series of Poker memory, Calvin Anderson has captured two gold bracelets in the span of just three days — a feat that puts him in very rare company on the all-time WSOP leaderboard.

The Two Wins

Anderson's double came across a pair of high-stakes mixed-game events:

• $10K HORSE Championship — a gruelling six-game format that demands elite proficiency across Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, and Stud Eight-or-Better.
• Razz Championship — a lowball stud variant that rewards patience and a finely tuned sense of board reading.

Winning either event outright would be a career highlight for most players. Winning both, in consecutive days, signals something beyond a hot streak — it speaks to Anderson's depth across the full spectrum of poker disciplines.

Why This Matters

Back-to-back bracelet victories are extraordinarily rare. The mixed-game formats involved make it even more noteworthy: these aren't events where any single skill translates universally. HORSE, in particular, is widely considered one of the most complete tests of a player's all-around ability, and Razz demands its own specific strategic vocabulary. Anderson clearly arrived at the 2026 WSOP in top form across both.

For the mixed-game community — a corner of poker that often flies beneath the mainstream radar — Anderson's run is a timely reminder that mastery of the full game tree remains one of the sport's deepest challenges.

What's Next?

Whether Anderson continues his run through the remaining 2026 WSOP schedule remains to be seen, but with two bracelets already secured, he has already made this one of the standout individual stories of the series.

Nathan Gamble Takes Down the WSOP $10K PLO8 Crown

In one of the more satisfying storylines of the 2026 World Series of Poker, Nathan Gamble claimed the title in the prestigious $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8-or-Better Championship — a result that felt written in the stars given his surname.

Instinct Over Anxiety

According to reporting from Poker.org, Gamble leaned on a blend of process, instinct, knowledge, and trust throughout the tournament's gruelling final stages. It's a philosophy that resonates well beyond PLO8: in a split-pot format famous for punishing impatience and rewarding precision, knowing when to trust your read is arguably as important as knowing what hand you hold.

Why PLO8 Is a Different Beast

For the uninitiated, PLO Hi-Lo is widely regarded as one of the most technically demanding variants on the WSOP schedule:

• Split-pot dynamics mean players are routinely scooping, quartering, or getting counterfeited on the river.
• Starting-hand selection is far narrower than in straight PLO, placing a premium on low-draw connectivity.
• Championship buy-in attracts a deep, specialist field — making any outright win a meaningful résumé achievement.

Winning this event requires more than run-good; it demands a consistent read of both halves of the pot across hundreds of hands.

A Name to Remember

Gamble now joins a short list of players who have conquered this particular $10K event — a win that will carry real weight in any conversation about Hi-Lo specialists on the circuit. Whether he follows this result with further deep runs in split-pot events will be worth watching as the WSOP schedule rolls on.

Dzivielevski Reaches Six WSOP Bracelets with $2.8M Score

Brazilian poker standout Yuri Dzivielevski has added yet another chapter to his growing legacy, capturing his 6th World Series of Poker bracelet in the $100,000 High Roller event at the 2026 WSOP — taking home a career-defining $2.8 million in the process.

A Moment Worth Calling Home For

By most measures, a sixth bracelet at one of poker's most prestigious series would be a clinical milestone. For Dzivielevski, it was anything but. According to reports, his first instinct after the final hand was to call home — a telling detail that speaks to the personal weight the victory carried beyond the professional accomplishment.

That kind of emotional resonance is relatively rare at nosebleed buy-in events, where the culture often skews stoic. It's a reminder that even at the highest stakes, the human element of competition doesn't disappear.

Context: Why This Win Stands Out

• Six bracelets places Dzivielevski among a very short list of active players with that level of WSOP hardware.
• The $100K High Roller format draws a compact, elite field — meaning every opponent cleared on the way to victory represents some of the sharpest competition the circuit has to offer.
• A $2.8 million prize is one of the larger single-event scores of the 2026 series so far, underlining the scale of the achievement.

FeltIQ Take

Dzivielevski has been one of the most consistent performers on the international high-stakes circuit for several years, but consistency and iconic don't always overlap. A sixth bracelet — delivered with genuine emotion — pushes him firmly into the conversation about the defining tournament players of his generation. Whether he uses this momentum to chase a seventh is a storyline worth tracking through the remainder of the 2026 WSOP.

Poker's Most Expressive Dress Code Is on Top of Everyone's Head

The World Series of Poker is famous for its bracelets, its big fields, and its brutal summer hours inside the Rio or Horseshoe. But every year, one unofficial tradition reasserts itself across the felt: the hat game.

PokerOrg's latest gallery rounds up the most eye-catching headwear spotted on the tournament floor this summer — a colourful mix of cowboy brims, well-worn lucky caps, and whatever else players dragged in from the blazing Las Vegas heat.

Why Hats Matter at the WSOP

It's easy to dismiss tournament fashion as trivial, but headwear at the WSOP often tells a story:

• Superstition — many players won't swap a cap mid-run, treating it as an extension of their tournament life.
• Branding — sponsored pros use their lids as mobile billboards, turning every TV hand into an impression.
• Anonymity — a pulled-down brim is one of the few tools available to a player who'd rather not telegraph reads through facial expressions.
• Identity — for recreational players flying in once a year, the hat can be the one personal flourish they bring to an otherwise anonymous seat.

A Runway With Buy-Ins

What makes the WSOP's fashion ecosystem genuinely interesting is how democratic it is. A first-timer in a novelty foam hat sits two seats from a seasoned bracelet winner in a battered vintage cap — and neither looks out of place. The tournament floor doubles as an accidental runway where personality has always been welcome.

A fields continue to grow and the series attracts players from more corners of the world, expect the variety on top of those heads to grow right along with it.

Hustler Casino Live Takes Its Marquee Event to the World Series

For the first time in its history, Hustler Casino Live's Million Dollar Game — the streamed cash-game event that has consistently drawn some of the biggest names in high-stakes poker — is heading to the World Series of Poker. Ryan Feldman, the face and driving force behind HCL, spoke to PokerOrg about what makes this crossover significant, describing the potential scale of the event with notable confidence.

Why This Collaboration Matters

The WSOP is already the sport's most recognized stage for tournament poker, but the addition of a live, high-production cash-game broadcast is a meaningful format expansion. Rather than a standalone tournament bracket, the Million Dollar Game format puts raw, unscripted table dynamics front and center — something that has resonated strongly with streaming audiences in recent years.

Bringing that format into the WSOP ecosystem signals a few things worth watching:

• Audience crossover: WSOP's built-in global viewership meets HCL's loyal streaming community.
• Talent convergence: With the WSOP already concentrating elite players in one place, lineup depth for a high-stakes cash game becomes easier to achieve.
• Format experimentation: The WSOP has been gradually diversifying its programming, and a marquee streamed cash game fits that direction.

Feldman's Confidence Is Telling

Feldman's suggestion that this could be HCL's biggest ever production is a significant claim given the notable games the brand has already hosted. Whether or not it reaches that bar, the mere fact that two of poker's highest-profile brands are collaborating on a live event is a milestone worth tracking as the summer series approaches.

BetMGM Championship Set to Headline Aria Poker Classic

The Aria Poker Classic is gearing up for one of its most anticipated stretches of the year, with the BetMGM Championship taking center stage over the coming weeks. With a headline guarantee of $4 million, the series is drawing early buzz from the tournament poker community ahead of its kick-off.

Why This Series Matters

Aria's poker room has long been a marquee stop on the US live circuit, and the BetMGM Championship adds an extra layer of prestige to the Aria Poker Classic umbrella. A $4M guarantee at this stage of the year — before the summer WSOP grind fully ramps up — makes it a compelling destination for players looking for high-stakes, high-structure tournament action in Las Vegas.

What to Watch

• Multi-day flight structure: Large-field No-Limit Hold'em championships at Aria typically draw deep, diverse fields mixing recreational players with seasoned pros.
• Timing: Positioned ahead of the WSOP rush, the series gives players a meaningful warm-up window with real prize money on the line.
• Venue: Aria's poker room is consistently rated among the best in Las Vegas for its facilities and tournament organization, which tends to attract a strong player pool.

FeltIQ Angle

Events like this one are worth monitoring not just for the results, but for the storylines they generate — whether it's a breakout performance from a lesser-known player, a final table stacked with recognizable names, or deep runs from online-to-live crossover talents. With the $4M guarantee looming, expect the BetMGM Championship to generate significant final table coverage as the series unfolds.

Schulman Adds to His Legacy with Eighth WSOP Bracelet

Nick Schulman cemented his status as one of the premier mixed-game specialists in the world on Friday night, capturing his eighth World Series of Poker bracelet in the $1,500 HORSE event — once again standing between a first-time bracelet hopeful and poker immortality.

Why This Victory Stands Out

Eight bracelets is a rarefied milestone. To put it in context, the all-time bracelet leaderboard is populated by only a handful of names, and Schulman continues to inch his way into genuinely historic company. What makes his résumé particularly impressive is where these victories have come — mixed-game formats like HORSE demand mastery across Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Stud, and Stud Hi-Lo, requiring a depth of technical skill that no single-game specialist can fake at a final table.

The Recurring Theme

This isn't the first time Schulman has been the veteran spoiler at a WSOP final table, denying a first-time winner their breakthrough moment. It's a pattern that speaks to his consistency: he doesn't just reach final tables in mixed events — he tends to win them. For the player he defeated heads-up, the near-miss will sting, but losing to an eight-time bracelet winner is a résumé line in its own right.

What to Watch

• Schulman's bracelet count (8) continues to grow exclusively in high-skill, multi-discipline formats — a calling card few players can match.
• The $1,500 HORSE buy-in level typically draws a strong field of mixed-game regulars, making the win all the more competitive.
• With the 2025 WSOP still in full swing, attention now turns to whether any other multi-bracelet contenders can make noise in the remaining mixed-game schedule.

Naoya Kihara Becomes the Fantasy Player to Own

The 2025 WSOP is producing some genuine bracket-busting moments in the fantasy arena. Naoya Kihara has rocketed fantasy managers up the standings after claiming two WSOP bracelets — a remarkable double that is reshaping the Fantasy Freeroll leaderboard.

For managers lucky enough to have Kihara on their roster, the timing couldn't be better. Back-to-back bracelet wins are rare at any WSOP, and his performances are the clearest example yet of how a single breakout player can swing an entire fantasy season in a matter of days.

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ODB Fantasy: $100K at the Top, and Nobody Is Out Yet

Meanwhile, David ODB Baker is keeping the competitive tension alive in his own fantasy contest, where $100,000 sits at the top of the prize structure. Baker has made a point of signalling that the competition remains wide open — no team should consider itself eliminated at this stage of the WSOP schedule.

That's an important note for fantasy managers who may be feeling deflated by a slow start. With dozens of bracelet events still to play out and the Main Event on the horizon, there's still plenty of scoring runway for rosters to climb.

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Why This Matters

Fantasy poker formats are growing in visibility alongside the WSOP itself, giving rail-watchers a structured reason to follow players they might not otherwise track. Kihara's surge is a useful reminder that deep-field value picks — not just the biggest names — often determine who ultimately wins a fantasy season.

Whether you're in a public freeroll or a private contest, now is a good moment to revisit your roster and check which events remain on the schedule.

Read on PokerOrg

India's All-Time Leader Makes History at the WSOP

Santhosh Suvarna has cemented his place in Indian poker history, capturing his third World Series of Poker bracelet and the biggest WSOP cash of his career in dramatic fashion.

The Winning Hand

In what is arguably the most memorable moment of his tournament run, Suvarna managed to crack pocket kings — one of the strongest starting hands in No-Limit Hold'em — to seal the victory. It's the kind of cooler scenario that defines championship narratives: a favorite holding kings crumbles, and the eventual winner emerges through a combination of run-good and resilience.

A Record-Breaking Achievement

Suvarna is already recognized as India's all-time leading money winner, a distinction that reflects years of sustained high-level results on the global circuit. This third bracelet pushes him further ahead of his compatriots and signals that his success is no fluke — it is the product of consistent, elite-level tournament performance.

For Indian poker fans, this result is particularly significant. The country has seen a surge in competitive talent over the past decade, and Suvarna has been at the forefront of that movement, representing the possibilities that disciplined study and competitive dedication can unlock on the world stage.

Broader Context

The 2025–26 WSOP season has already produced several standout performances, but Suvarna's win stands out not just for the prize money — the largest of his WSOP career — but for the manner in which it was secured. Outdrawing a monster hand at the final table under maximum pressure underscores the variance-heavy, high-stakes environment that defines major tournament poker.

Expect Suvarna's name to feature prominently in conversations as the WSOP series continues.