WSOP: Moshe Wins 5th Bracelet, Ogita Scores $1M

The 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event is well underway, commanding the lion's share of attention, but the sprawling festival continues to mint champions and write new chapters in poker history. Beyond the signature $10,000 buy-in, several high-stakes battles have concluded, seeing established pros extend their legacies and new stars emerge with career-defining victories.

Leading the charge, Asi Moshe navigated a formidable final table to claim his fifth career WSOP bracelet, solidifying his status among the game's elite. Meanwhile, Daisuke Ogita continued a remarkable year for Japanese poker, becoming a millionaire with his triumph in the Mini Main Event. And just after Canada Day, Patrick Stacey added to Canadian pride by securing his maiden bracelet in a challenging $2,500 mixed triple draw event. Each of these players has carved out their own moment in the spotlight, reminding the poker world that the WSOP is a tapestry woven with countless compelling narratives.

Asi Moshe's journey to his fifth bracelet was a decade in the making, marking a new career high. His first WSOP victory in 2014 saw him pocket a substantial $582,321, a benchmark he narrowly surpassed a year later. This year, however, Moshe truly outdid himself, seizing the $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout title. He outlasted a massive field of 1,792 entrants, claiming the largest share of a $4,784,640 prize pool with a career-best payout of $683,830. This monumental win not only earned him his fifth gold bracelet but also cemented his position as Israel's most decorated WSOP player. His performance also garnered him 1,620 Card Player Player of the Year points, propelling him into the top 200 of the annual leaderboard sponsored by CoinPoker.

Moshe’s dominance was evident from the outset, as he finished Day 1 as the chip leader. The tournament's competitive landscape was highlighted by the fact that poker luminaries David Miscikowski, Chris Moorman, and Andrew Moreno also bagged top-ten stacks heading into Day 2. All four of these formidable players ultimately made it to the final table, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown.

Entering the final day with 14 players remaining, Moshe sat in second place, trailing only Moreno. The field quickly thinned, with 2014 WSOP Main Event champion Martin Jacobson exiting in 13th place for $37,990. Moshe then built a commanding chip lead before the final table, which he further extended by eliminating Moreno in eighth place ($78,210) with pocket queens against pocket jacks. He continued his relentless charge, dispatching Moorman, a 2026 Poker Hall of Fame nominee, in seventh place ($101,900) with K♠Q♣ against A♥4♠. By the time Miscikowski fell in sixth place ($134,330), Moshe's momentum seemed unstoppable.

From the moment the final table was set until the very last hand, Moshe never relinquished his chip lead. Though Qiao Du of China fought valiantly and secured a double-up, the final hand saw Du's Q♥10♥ unable to improve against Moshe's A♥K♦, bringing the tournament to a definitive close. This latest victory adds to Moshe’s impressive collection, which includes bracelets from Las Vegas in 2014 and 2019, and WSOP Europe titles in 2018 and 2019.

Here are the final table results for the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout:

| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Asi Moshe | $683,830 | 1,620 | | 2 | Qiao Du | $454,800 | 1,350 | | 3 | Igor Popyk | $329,660 | 1,080 | | 4 | Dustin Murphy | $241,640 | 810 | | 5 | Methavee Taveekitvatee | $179,140 | 675 | | 6 | David Miscikowski | $134,330 | 540 | | 7 | Chris Moorman | $101,900 | 405 | | 8 | Andrew Moreno | $78,210 | 270 |

The poker scene in Japan has seen an explosion of talent over the past decade and a half, with 2026 proving to be its most impressive year yet. Naoya Kihara, the first Japanese player to ever win a WSOP bracelet in 2012, kicked off the 2026 series by securing his second and then quickly his third career bracelets. Kihara's deep runs continued, including a seventh-place finish in the $10,000 deuce-to-seven triple draw championship, an event ultimately won by his countryman, Koji Fujimoto.

However, the biggest Japanese victory of the summer was yet to come. Daisuke Ogita captured the fourth Japanese bracelet of 2026, along with the most substantial prize, by winning the $1,000 buy-in Mini Main Event. Ogita, an accomplished tournament player with victories on the Asian Poker Tour, the European Poker Tour, and at the Aria Poker Classic, more than doubled his previous career-best result, pocketing a staggering $1 million for his debut WSOP triumph. This impressive win also earned him 1,440 Card Player POY points, placing him just outside the top 200.

The miniaturized version of the WSOP Main Event proved immensely popular, drawing an astonishing 12,560 entries across three starting flights, generating a colossal $11,052,800 prize pool. Ogita was among the 205 players who successfully bagged chips on Day 1a, giving him crucial time to prepare for the subsequent stages of his run. The field consolidated on Day 2, with 934 players returning, and by the close of a grueling day, Ogita was one of only nine players remaining. With the elimination of Canada's Jason James in 16th place, it was guaranteed that a first-time bracelet winner would be crowned.

Ogita began the final table in fifth position, one of two Japanese players still in contention. He meticulously picked his spots, ascending to the chip lead by the time five players remained. Jaehwa Son then executed a double elimination, reducing the field from five to three and briefly surpassing Ogita for the lead. With blinds escalating and pressure mounting, Ogita secured his first final table elimination, knocking out Jeffrey Evans in third place for $475,000. This crucial pot gave Ogita a dominant 4:1 chip lead heading into heads-up play against Son.

The final hand saw Ogita's A♠10♠ battle Son's K♥J♦. An A♥ on the flop sealed the deal for Ogita, securing him the bracelet and the coveted $1 million prize.

Here are the final table results for the $1,000 Mini Main Event:

| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Daisuke Ogita | $1,000,000 | 1,440 | | 2 | Jaehwa Son | $625,000 | 1,200 | | 3 | Jeffrey Evans | $475,000 | 960 | | 4 | Amin Mostafavi | $360,000 | 720 | | 5 | Richard Harris | $275,000 | 600 | | 6 | Jaime Haletky | $210,000 | 480 | | 7 | Ohad Enzel | $165,000 | 360 | | 8 | Akira Ide | $130,000 | 240 | | 9 | Yunye Lu | $100,000 | 120 |

While Las Vegas celebrated the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence around July 4th, another significant holiday, Canada Day, had just passed on July 1st. Coincidentally, Canadian Patrick Stacey gave his nation another reason to cheer, securing his first career WSOP bracelet in the $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw event. This tournament, featuring a rotation of deuce-to-seven triple draw, ace-to-five triple draw, and badugi, attracted 508 entrants and generated a $1,130,300 prize pool. Stacey’s winner's share of $223,177 marked his first six-figure live tournament result.

Stacey's path to victory was anything but easy, requiring him to overcome a final table stacked with seasoned veterans. He ultimately defeated six-time Triton champion and fellow bracelet winner Danny Tang in a heads-up battle. The final table also featured mixed-game specialists Mark Gregorich, who finished third for $96,888, and Allen Kessler, who placed fourth for $66,103—both still in pursuit of their first WSOP bracelets. Andrew Kelsall, a 2020 bracelet winner making his second final table of the week, rounded out the top five, earning $46,191.

Stacey had a solid start, ending Day 1 in 25th place among 151 survivors. Day 2 proved more challenging, as he entered the final day 15th out of 18 players. He remained one of the shorter stacks as the final table approached, but a pivotal badugi hand allowed him to double up through Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra with 11 players remaining. Stacey was in the middle of the pack with seven players left, and although Tang initially built a considerable chip lead, the swings of six-handed play saw the lead change hands multiple times. Stacey eliminated Arthur Morris in sixth place and, in a remarkable display of focus and skill, proceeded to claim the final five eliminations of the tournament, culminating in him hoisting the coveted bracelet.

Despite Tang opening with an early lead in heads-up play, Stacey mounted a fierce comeback, swiftly securing the victory. The tournament concluded in ace-to-five triple draw, with Stacey’s 8-4-3-A low draw making a king-low, which was enough to defeat Tang’s 7-6-5-A low draw after Tang paired his ace. For his win, Stacey earned 1,260 Card Player POY points, bringing his yearly total to 1,520 and placing him just outside the top 200 on the overall leaderboard. Tang, who received 1,050 POY points for his runner-up finish, now sits fourth in the standings, trailing only Alex Foxen, Brandon Wilson, and Eelis Parssinen, with this being his 11th POY-qualified final table of the year and over $6.9 million in POY earnings.

Here are the final table results for the $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw:

| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Patrick Stacey | $223,177 | 1,260 | | 2 | Danny Tang | $145,365 | 1,050 | | 3 | Mark Gregorich | $96,888 | 840 | | 4 | Allen Kessler | $66,103 | 630 | | 5 | Andrew Kelsall | $46,191 | 525 | | 6 | Arthur Morris | $33,077 | 420 | | 7 | Karl Tretter | $24,289 | 315 |