Joseph Liberta Tops 11,769 In WSOP Millionaire Maker

Joseph Liberta, a 37-year-old from Berlin, New Jersey, clinched his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet after 15 years on the live tournament circuit. His victory came in the 2026 $1,500 no-limit hold'em Millionaire Maker event, an event where he first cashed in 2013, placing 537th. This win netted him a career-high $1,250,000, approximately ten times his previous best score and increasing his total live earnings to $3.1 million.

The tournament, held at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, commenced on June 17 with four starting flights. The field of 11,769 entries generated a prize pool of $15,623,347. Notable players such as Matt Affleck, Will Givens, and Mark Newhouse made deep runs, with Michael Monroig holding the chip lead going into the final table. Ryan Eriquezzo, a three-time bracelet winner, was eliminated just shy of the official final table in 13th place after a key hand against Alex Kim.

The final day of play began on June 24. Yifu He (9th - $150,068) and Garry Gurevich (8th - $190,000) were early eliminations. Jacob Gagnon exited in 7th place ($245,000) after his A-5 was outdrawn by Bradley Gafford's A-Q. Alex Kim's run ended in 6th place ($315,000), followed by Joseph Baghdadlian in 5th ($410,000) and Halford Fairchild in 4th ($530,000).

Bradley Gafford, a 2023 WSOP $1,000 mini main event champion, finished 3rd, earning $750,000 and bringing his total career earnings to over $2 million. His elimination set up a heads-up match between Liberta and Michael Monroig. Liberta entered with a significant chip lead, which he later re-established after Monroig briefly doubled up.

In the final hand, Monroig went all-in with 10♦8♥, and Liberta called with 8♣5♦. The board ran out 5♠5♣2♠, giving Liberta trip fives, securing his victory. Michael Monroig received $1,000,000 as the runner-up, a substantial increase from his previous top cash of $32,854. Liberta also earned 1,440 Card Player Player of the Year points, placing him inside the top 175 in the 2026 standings.

| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Joseph Liberta | $1,250,000 | 1,440 | | 2 | Michael Monroig | $1,000,000 | 1200 | | 3 | Bradley Gafford | $750,000 | 960 | | 4 | Halford Fairchild | $530,000 | 720 | | 5 | Joseph Baghdadlian | $410,000 | 600 | | 6 | Alex Kim | $315,000 | 480 | | 7 | Jacob Gagnon | $245,000 | 360 | | 8 | Garry Gurevich | $190,000 | 240 | | 9 | Yifu He | $150,068 | 120 |