Calvin Anderson Wins Second WSOP Razz Championship

Calvin Anderson adds another WSOP milestone in Razz

Calvin Anderson did more than win a poker tournament in 2026 — he carved out a place in WSOP history. By taking down the $10,000 Razz Championship for the second time, Anderson earned $357,026, captured his sixth career bracelet, and moved past Phil Hellmuth in the all-time WSOP Razz record book.

That combination matters. Winning a bracelet is one thing; winning the same event twice is another level entirely. It tells the poker world that the result was not a one-off heater, but a repeatable edge in a game that demands patience, card reading, and discipline street after street.

Anderson’s lifetime earnings now stand at $8,462,984, and his total Razz earnings have climbed to $759,280. In a year where several elite names have been stacking up milestone bracelets, Anderson’s victory puts him in the same conversation as the most decorated mixed-game players of the modern WSOP era.

Why this WSOP Razz win matters beyond one trophy

Razz is one of the purest tests of lowball stud fundamentals. There is no hiding behind raw aggression alone, and there is very little room for autopilot play. You need to track exposed cards, estimate live outs, and understand exactly when your opponent is representing a better low or simply applying pressure.

That’s why Anderson’s repeat success is meaningful for the broader poker ecosystem. It shows that mixed games still reward depth, study, and adaptability at the highest level. If you’re building your game through a poker school, this is the type of final table that offers more strategic value than a dozen basic training videos.

For players who split their time between live and online action, the lesson is even clearer. Mixed-game preparation can be a major edge because many fields remain far less developed than no-limit hold’em fields. The best way to gain experience is to combine study with volume in the right environments, whether that’s through poker rooms or selective action in poker clubs.

How the 2026 $10,000 Razz Championship unfolded

The event drew 155 entries, and after two days of play the field was trimmed to the final eight. From there, it took nearly 12 hours of real time to move from the eight-handed final table to the final hand. That alone tells you how grind-heavy and strategic a Razz finale can be.

Anderson entered the last day with the chip lead, though Eric Rodawig was nearly tied with him at the top. Todd Dakake also had enough chips to matter, which meant the finish was never going to be a simple march to the trophy.

The first elimination of the day came early when Shane Littlefield finished 8th for $36,395 after losing to Max Kruse. The table then settled into a long stretch of seven-handed play before Tobias Leknes eliminated Philip Sternheimer in 7th place for $46,385.

That knock-out mattered because Sternheimer was not a soft target. He is a strong regular and a 2025 WSOP bracelet winner, so his departure showed just how punishing the final table had become.

Tobias Leknes sparks the final table before Anderson takes control

Leknes continued his surge by taking out Max Kruse as well. On Kruse’s final hand, a 7-4-3 start failed to improve across all four streets, while Leknes made an 8-6 low to send Kruse out in 6th place for $60,868.

He then completed a three-elimination run by finishing off Yuval Bronshtein, who exited in 5th place for $82,171. Bronshtein is a two-time bracelet winner, so that sequence gave Leknes real momentum and briefly made him the player most likely to disrupt the rest of the field.

But Anderson eventually stopped the run. He made a six low and had Leknes drawing dead by sixth street, which ended Leknes’ tournament in 4th place for $114,032.

At that point the stacks were heavily skewed in Anderson’s favor:

• Anderson: 6.6 million
• Rodawig: 1.9 million
• Dakake: 900,000

On paper, that looks like a near-lock. In practice, the next phase still lasted more than four hours.

Expert analysis: what Anderson’s Razz title tells serious players

This win is a strong reminder that Razz is not a luck-only side game. The best players separate themselves by making cleaner decisions with incomplete information, especially when the board texture changes street by street.

A few strategic lessons stand out:

• Visible cards matter constantly. In Razz, your equity changes not only with your own hand but with every door card and board card that hits the table.
• Pressure must be timed. Limit structures reward patience. You cannot just blast people off hands the way you might in no-limit formats.
• Endurance is a weapon. A final table that lasts nearly 12 hours creates real fatigue, and fatigue leads to timing mistakes.
• Mixed-game specialists gain an edge through structure awareness. Knowing when the limits are about to rise is often as important as knowing the card removal implications.

For players looking to improve, the best path is not just grinding random events. It’s structured study, review, and exposure to the right games. Promotions can help bankroll the process, but promotions & bonuses are only a starting point; the real edge comes from understanding the format and applying it under pressure.

Anderson’s comment after the win also matters. He pointed out that many people dismiss Razz as a game without much skill. That attitude is precisely why specialists can build a profitable edge in lesser-appreciated formats. When the field underestimates a game, the edge often shifts toward players who have done the work.

Heads-up finish: Anderson closes it out against Rodawig

Anderson began heads-up play with the lead and never gave it back. The decisive pot went in on fifth street, with Anderson holding a made 8-7 low. Rodawig had started with 5-4-2, but his runout went the wrong way as a jack arrived on fifth street, followed by a ten and then a queen.

Rodawig finished 2nd for $237,851. For most players, that would be a career-highlight score. For Anderson, it was simply the final step in another elite WSOP performance.

The broader significance is clear: Anderson is now one of the defining mixed-game winners of his generation. With six bracelets, a second Razz title, and nearly $8.5 million in career earnings, he has built the kind of résumé that matters when the WSOP history books are updated.

For players trying to map their own path, the takeaway is simple. If you want a durable edge, don’t ignore formats like Razz. Study them, play them, and look for places where the field is still behind. That’s often where the biggest long-term opportunities live — especially for those who move beyond standard hold’em and explore the broader poker landscape through poker agent opportunities and mixed-game-friendly environments.

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