WSOP 2026: Naoya Kihara Claims Second Title of the Week, Allen Kessler Falls Short Again (Event #23)

Event #23: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship is one of the series' more technically demanding tournaments, reflecting in a modest turnout of 130 players. They generated a total prizepool of $1,209,000, from which the largest share went to the Japanese champion.

Kihara's victory in the Seven Card Stud Championship capped a phenomenal week, during which he claimed two gold bracelets in just a few days. He snagged his first title of the year (his second career-wise) just days ago in the challenging $10K No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship and has now added another triumph from a $10K Championship event.

Naoya Kihara thus became the first player of the current series to win two titles, expanding his total collection of gold pieces to three.

“Chainsaw” Falls Just Short Again

The final table was nothing short of a poker star showcase. Competing for the title were names like six-time bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus, fan favorite Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, and high roller specialist Chris Brewer. Despite the star-studded competition, most fans in the audience were following a different narrative.

The biggest story of the final day was Allen Kessler, nicknamed “The Chainsaw.” Kessler, renowned in the poker community as a “min-cash specialist,” has been waiting for his first gold bracelet since 2001. In April this year, he even publicly predicted that this summer would finally end his bracelet drought.

Kessler entered the final day as one of the shorter stacks but survived eliminations of Mizrachi and Brewer. However, he didn't make it to the bracelet showdown. His run ended in a clash with eventual winner Kihara when they were down to the final three. Kessler finished in third place with a reward of $139,036—yet another impressive result, but his WSOP gold wait continues.

Results of the Final Table of Event #23: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship

Source: WSOP

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