Fawcett, Price and Jacobs Capture WSOP Bracelets

WSOP 2026 is entering its final stretch as bracelet races get tighter

More than 80% of the bracelets at the 2026 World Series of Poker have already been awarded, and that means every remaining title carries extra weight. With the Main Event’s final opening flight underway and less than two weeks left in the series, the spotlight at Paris Las Vegas is only getting brighter.

In that setting, Justin Fawcett, Toby Price and Adriaan Jacobs all locked up WSOP bracelets in very different ways. One won in a rare mixed-format event, another conquered a massive no-limit hold’em field, and the third turned a deep live run into a breakthrough title.

For poker players, results like these matter because they show how wide the WSOP path to glory really is. You can specialize in unusual formats, survive a huge online-style field, or build a live career one deep run at a time. That variety is part of what keeps the WSOP at the center of the poker calendar.

Justin Fawcett wins rare double board bomb pot PLO title

The WSOP is at its best when it offers formats you simply do not see every week on the live circuit. The $1,500 double board bomb pot pot-limit Omaha event is a perfect example: high variance, heavy postflop pressure, and a structure that rewards players who can think clearly in unusual spots.

Fawcett had already won his first career bracelet just days before the end of the 2025 WSOP, taking down a $600 no-limit hold’em event. One year later, he doubled his career total by winning this unique event for $322,564 and his second bracelet.

• Jesse Lonis, the defending Card Player Player of the Year, who finished 8th for $34,806
• Antoine Labat, a 2018 WSOP Main Event final tablist, who took 5th for $81,720
• Hokyiu Lee, a PLO specialist and bracelet winner, who placed 3rd for $153,802

Fawcett earned 1,080 POY points and moved into the top 200 in the CoinPoker-presented year-long race. For players chasing year-end recognition as well as bracelets, that combination is a big deal: one major win can transform both a resume and a standings page.

Toby Price finally closes the deal after a near miss in 2021

Toby Price’s story is a reminder that poker careers are often built on persistence. In November 2021, he got heads-up for a bracelet in a $1,500 no-limit hold’em event, leading Paulo Joanello at several points before settling for second place.

At his second career WSOP final table, Price finished the job. He beat a field of 6,803 entries in the $800 buy-in summer celebration no-limit hold’em event, earning a career-best $500,000 and his first WSOP bracelet.

• Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek, who finished 3rd for $240,000
• Craig Varnell, a bracelet winner and World Poker Tour champion, who took 5th for $137,000

The tournament was a true grind. After two starting flights and a huge Day 2, Price entered the final table in a tightly packed race near the top of the counts. He moved from chip leader to short stack and back again before making a king-high straight to bust Moncek.

From there, Price and Deniz Oeney traded the lead several times. The decisive hand came when Price’s A♦9♠ held against Oeney’s K♥7♠ with nearly all the chips in play at risk. One final hand later, the bracelet was his.

Price earned 660 Card Player POY points for the victory, his second qualifying result of 2026. For tournament players, that is the kind of result that validates both patience and endurance in huge-field events.

Adriaan Jacobs turns limited live experience into a WSOP breakthrough

Before the $600 deepstack championship no-limit hold’em event at the 2026 WSOP, 21-year-old Adriaan Jacobs had very little major live tournament experience. Four days later, the South African was a WSOP bracelet winner.

Jacobs topped a field of 5,177 entries and took home $282,817 along with the bracelet. He became the fourth South African player to win a WSOP bracelet and the first to win a live bracelet event since the 1990 WSOP, which took place more than 15 years before he was born.

• Georgios Sotiropoulos, 57th
• Men “The Master” Nguyen, 56th
• Frank Marasco, 55th

By the start of Day 3, Jacobs was in a strong position, and he converted that stack into the title. In deepstack tournaments, that is usually the key: preserve flexibility, avoid unnecessary marginal spots, and use position and stack depth to pressure opponents when the structure allows it.

Expert analysis: why these wins matter for players and the industry

These three bracelet wins tell a bigger story about modern live poker.

1. Rare formats can be a major source of edge. Fawcett’s win in double board bomb pot PLO reinforces a simple truth: players who study niche games often face softer fields and less standardized decision trees. If you want to expand your skill set, structured study at a poker school and practice in selected poker clubs can pay off in formats that most players barely touch.

2. Huge no-limit hold’em fields still reward stamina and discipline. Price’s victory shows that in massive events, the ability to stay sharp for long stretches matters as much as aggression. Stack management, patience, and late-stage discipline are all crucial. Players grinding online through poker rooms often develop exactly the endurance these fields demand.

3. Young live players are arriving faster than ever. Jacobs’ breakthrough is another sign that the next generation is already comfortable with solver-informed strategy, ICM awareness and modern tournament preparation. For serious players, career development can also involve tools like a poker agent and smart use of promotions & bonuses to support the bankroll.

From an industry perspective, the WSOP continues to prove why it remains the flagship series: it can crown specialists, marathon grinders and young breakout talents all in the same stretch of the calendar.

What comes next in the WSOP and POY races

With less than two weeks left in the series, every remaining event can still reshape the bracelet race and the year-long POY standings. Fawcett and Price have already added serious momentum to their seasons, while Jacobs’ run adds another memorable chapter to WSOP 2026.

The practical lesson for players is clear: no event should be dismissed this late in the series. Bracelet chances are getting scarcer, but the stories get bigger as the summer winds down.

Final take: three champions, three different paths to the same prize

Justin Fawcett, Toby Price and Adriaan Jacobs each reached the same destination by a different road. One mastered a rare technical format, one finished a long-overdue run in a massive no-limit hold’em field, and one used a deepstack opportunity to announce himself on poker’s biggest stage.

That is what makes the WSOP unique. It still rewards specialists, proven live grinders and emerging talents alike, and it keeps delivering the kind of moments poker fans remember long after the summer ends.

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