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Five Early Bracelets at 2026 WSOP as Heads‑Up Championship Nears Final

Early first‑time bracelet winners are reshaping the tournament narrative under new broadcast and sponsorship rules.

Overview

  • The 2026 World Series of Poker is under way in Las Vegas with a 100‑event live schedule that awards a gold bracelet to each event champion and runs through August 5 at Paris and Horseshoe casinos.
  • POKER.org is maintaining a live winners list that has tracked the series’ opening champions and invited readers to bookmark the page for ongoing updates.
  • Notable early winners include Daniyal Gheba, who won Event #2 ($5,000 8‑Handed No‑Limit Hold’em) and $502,985 for his first bracelet, Yang Wang, who beat Jesse Lonis to take Event #5 ($5,000 Pot‑Limit Omaha) for $595,388, and Michael Casella, a first‑time bracelet winner in the $1,500 Badugi event.
  • The $25,000 Heads‑Up World Championship is moving toward its final table with four semifinalists guaranteed $300,000 and the winner set to collect $800,000; the event will be livestreamed on WSOP’s YouTube channel.
  • Series organizers have rolled out commercial and format changes — including expanded Player‑of‑the‑Year rules, new sponsorship patch limits, and a Main Event broadcast plan with a pause at nine players — and those moves are already shaping player reaction and media coverage.