2026 WSOP Opens With Five Early Bracelet Winners In Las Vegas

The 2026 World Series of Poker began at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas with five bracelet winners across no-limit hold’em, Omaha, pot-limit Omaha, and stud events.

Good to Know

• Jerome Neppl won the first bracelet of the 2026 WSOP in the industry employees event.
• Daniyal Gheba claimed the first open bracelet of the series in $5,000 no-limit hold’em eight max.
• Jason Daly added a third WSOP bracelet, while Yang Wang and James Cheung won first bracelets.

Event #3 $500 Industry Employees No Limit Hold’em

Jerome Neppl gave the 2026 WSOP an old-school start. The New Mexico poker dealer won the $500 Industry Employees No Limit Hold’em event, a tournament that dates back to 1983 and often opens the bracelet race in Las Vegas.

Neppl topped 906 entries, earned $64,083, and turned limited tournament experience into a career-defining win. He also entered the final day in front, then fought through a long night before beating Sean Hamrick heads-up.

“This money is life-changing, and will help me get debt-free,” Neppl told PokerNews’ Roxanne Johnson.

The final hand came around 2 a.m. in Las Vegas. Hamrick held K♦Q♦ against Neppl with J♥9♥. Hamrick flopped top pair, but Neppl rivered trip nines to finish the job.

Event #2 $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Eight Max

Daniyal Gheba followed with the first open bracelet of the 2026 WSOP. The Las Vegas player beat 570 entries in the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Eight Max event and collected $502,985, the largest score of his career.

The event also carried extra WSOP meaning because the final table played inside the new Mothership stage. Gheba began the final day second in chips, then beat Chenxiang Miao heads-up after a swingy battle.

“It’s obviously life-changing money,” Gheba told PokerNews live reporters after his win. “But coming into the final table, the pay jumps I wasn’t really concerned about. I don’t think anyone at this table really cared about the pay jumps, they were all wealthy.”

Miao had pocket tens on the final hand, while Gheba defended with 5♦4♦. A 6♦2♦2♣ flop gave Gheba a huge draw, and the 7♦ river completed his flush for the bracelet.

Event #4 $1,500 Omaha Hi Lo 8 Or Better

Jason Daly needed only a few days at the 2026 WSOP to add bracelet number three. The Texas player beat 828 entries in the $1,500 Omaha Hi Lo 8 Or Better event and won $191,362.

Daly already had WSOP wins in limit hold’em and mixed Omaha, so the latest result added more weight to his split-pot record. Vanessa Selbst, Perry Green, Amnon Filippi, and Dorian Rios all reached the final table, but Daly controlled the late stages.

“I love this game. People do make a lot of mistakes, like playing for half of the pot when you should be having half of the pot locked up. You can notice a lot of mistakes in others doing that,” Daly told PokerNews live reporters.

Rios made Daly work for it heads-up. After several hours, the chips went in on a K♥10♥8♦ flop. Rios had top two pair, but Daly turned aces up and faded the river.

Event #5 $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha

Yang Wang turned one of the toughest spots of opening weekend into a first WSOP bracelet. Jesse Lonis entered the final day with a huge lead, but Wang climbed from short-stack danger and won the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha event for $595,388.

The tournament drew 716 entries and built a $3,293,600 prize pool. Lonis, Dylan Weisman, Jarred Graham, Justin Scott, and Evan Krentzman all gave the final table a high-level feel, but Wang took control during three-handed play.

Krentzman fell third after Wang turned a straight flush. Lonis then started heads-up far behind, and Wang ended it soon after when runner-runner tens beat top pair and a nut flush draw.

Event #6 $1,500 Seven Card Stud

James Cheung gave Scotland a bracelet win in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event, beating 359 entries and taking home $103,185. Brian Yoon, a five-time bracelet winner, finished second after holding the lead for stretches of the tournament.

Cheung started the final day in the middle of the pack, then took charge after making a club flush to bust Bradley Jansen in fifth. Yoon removed Thomas Savitsky in fourth, but Cheung handled the biggest late pots against Gregory Josephson and Yoon.

Yoon got all in on sixth street during heads-up play and had no live draw against Cheung with trip kings. Cheung earned the first six-figure live tournament score of his career.