Photo Credits: WSOP
Naoya Kihara went from a 14 year WSOP title drought to two bracelets in a few days. The Japanese poker pro won Event #23: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $301,970, just after taking down the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship.
Good to Know
Kihara arrived at the 2026 WSOP close to stepping away from tournament poker. That changed fast. After waiting 5,103 days between his first and second bracelets, he needed only three more days to win his third.
The run also kept a long WSOP trend alive. Every summer since 2000 has produced at least one player with multiple bracelet wins. James Cheung could have continued that streak too after winning a $1,500 stud event earlier in the series, but Kihara beat him heads-up to take the title.
“Poker is a mix of luck and skill,” he told PokerNews live reporters after closing out this win. “I’m pretty sure I have enough skill, but I need luck also to win the tournament. For a few days, I’m really lucky.”
Kihara first made WSOP history in 2012, when he became the first Japanese player to win a bracelet. That came in the $5,000 Six-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha event. His second arrived earlier in the 2026 series in the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship. Event #23 then made him the first three time bracelet winner from Japan.
The final table had plenty of weight. Michael Mizrachi, Jeremy Ausmus, Chris Brewer, Brad Ruben and Kihara all brought multiple bracelets into the late stages, while Allen Kessler again chased a first WSOP bracelet after several near misses.
Kihara did not coast through the last day. Mizrachi started with the chip lead when 11 players returned, and James Cheung handled several early eliminations. Kihara later built momentum by taking big pots from Ausmus, then knocked out Kessler in third when his queens improved to a full house. Heads-up play began with Kihara ahead of Cheung, and the match ended after Kihara made two pair with jacks and tens to beat Cheung for the bracelet.
Cheung earned $201,308 for second place, the largest live tournament payday of his career. Kessler took $139,036 for third, while Ausmus, Brewer and Mizrachi also cashed at the final table.
Seven-card stud championship events usually attract experienced mixed game players rather than large casual fields, which made the 130-entry result a strong specialist win.
| Place | Player | Payout |
| 1 | Naoya 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 |