WSOP: Atchison, Dylan Smith Score Debut Bracelets

The 2026 World Series of Poker continues to deliver on its promise of diverse and high-stakes poker action, with two fresh faces recently joining the exclusive club of bracelet winners. Taylor Atchison and Dylan Smith, both formidable players in their own right, each clinched their first-ever WSOP gold, highlighting the festival's rich variety of games and formats that extend far beyond the ubiquitous No-Limit Hold'em.

Taylor Atchison, a Minneapolis, Minnesota resident, has been steadily building his tournament resume, and this summer has marked a significant breakthrough. His journey to a maiden bracelet began with a substantial five-figure score earlier in June, finishing 15th in the $10,000 Big O Championship for $39,786. Less than two weeks later, with only six recorded cashes to his name, Atchison navigated a field of 647 entries in Event No. 69, the $1,500 Stud Eight-Or-Better, to secure the coveted hardware and a career-best payout of $159,276.

Atchison's victory underscores a growing trend among poker's elite: a shift towards mixed games. "Nowadays, I play everything except no-limit hold’em," Atchison told *PokerNews*. "Like everybody, I grew up playing hold’em, but now I play a lot of Big O. Over the past couple of years, I have tried to expand to play all of the mixed games." This strategic pivot clearly paid dividends, earning him 840 *Card Player* Player of the Year points, his first-ever POY-qualified score.

The $1,500 Stud Eight-Or-Better event generated a robust prize pool of $858,892, a testament to its increasing popularity, with entries up over 5 percent from the previous year. The top 99 finishers made the money, with a host of notable players making deep runs, including Jason Daly (21st), Ben Yu (20th), Brian Rast (18th), Ryan Hoenig (15th), Kane Kalas (9th), David Bach (6th), and Adam Owen (5th). The final hand saw Atchison's full house triumph over Daniil Fedunov's flush, with neither player qualifying for a low, scooping the pot and the title for Atchison. Fedunov, hailing from Reno, earned $106,162 for his runner-up finish.

Final Table Results: Event No. 69 – $1,500 Stud Eight-Or-Better

| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Taylor Atchison | $159,276 | 840 | | 2 | Daniil Fedunov | $106,162 | 700 | | 3 | Daniel Geeng | $73,068 | 560 | | 4 | Dave Stann | $51,217 | 420 | | 5 | Adam Owen | $36,574 | 350 | | 6 | David Bach | $26,618 | 280 | | 7 | Jeff Myers | $19,749 | 210 | | 8 | Alan Ledford | $14,945 | 140 | | 9 | Kane Kalas | $11,538 | 70 |

Adding to the mixed-game chronicles, *World Poker Tour* champion Dylan Smith secured his inaugural WSOP bracelet in Event No. 71, the $2,500 Big Bet Mixed. While Smith is widely recognized for his prowess in No-Limit Hold'em, particularly his victory at the 2024 *WPT Rock’n’Roll Poker Open* main event for $662,200, his mixed-game credentials are equally impressive. He boasts a second-place finish in the 2025 WSOP $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship for $230,374 and a fourth-place finish in the 2024 WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $363,914.

Smith's versatile skill set makes him an ideal candidate for the Big Bet Mixed event, which rotates through a challenging array of formats: No-Limit Hold'em, No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Single Draw Lowball, Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-Or-Better, Pot-Limit Five-Card Double Draw High, Pot-Limit Omaha, Big O, and Pot-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw Lowball. It was no surprise, then, that Smith skillfully navigated a field of 388 entries to claim his first bracelet and the $182,591 top prize, pushing his career earnings to nearly $5.9 million.

This victory also earned Smith 900 POY points, marking his second title and fourth final-table finish of the year, placing him 161st in the overall standings presented by CoinPoker. The final table was a gathering of mixed-game specialists and well-rounded professionals, including Patrick Leonard (18th), Carol Fuchs (14th), Nick Marchington (9th), Brad Owen (8th), Steve Billirakis (7th), and Renan Bruschi (4th). Popular poker vlogger Brad Owen made his second WSOP final table appearance, having previously finished sixth in an online No-Limit Hold'em event in 2023.

The path to victory was not without its challenges, as three-time bracelet winner Naoya Kihara came agonizingly close to his fourth career bracelet, ultimately finishing in third place for $78,984. This left Smith with a commanding 4:1 chip lead over fellow bracelet winner Matt Vengrin heading into heads-up play. Smith quickly converted this advantage, sealing the win in a Pot-Limit Triple Draw Deuce-to-Seven Lowball hand with an 8-7-6-4-3 against Vengrin's 10-8-7-5-2. Vengrin earned $118,647 for his runner-up performance.

Final Table Results: Event No. 71 – $2,500 Mixed Big Bet

| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Dylan Smith | $182,591 | 900 | | 2 | Matthew Vengrin | $118,647 | 750 | | 3 | Naoya Kihara | $78,984 | 600 | | 4 | Renan Bruschi | $53,889 | 450 | | 5 | Hiroyuki Noda | $37,706 | 375 | | 6 | Danny Chang | $27,075 | 300 | | 7 | Steve Billirakis | $19,964 | 225 |

These two victories not only mark significant milestones for Atchison and Smith but also underscore the vibrant and diverse landscape of the World Series of Poker, where mastery across multiple disciplines is increasingly rewarded with poker's most coveted prize.