Moss and Blumenthal Capture First WSOP Bracelets

WSOP 2026 nears the midway point with two first-time champions

The 57th annual World Series of Poker is moving quickly toward the halfway mark, and the numbers are already massive: 45 of the 100 live gold bracelet events have produced winners, more than $155 million has been awarded, and the completed tournaments have drawn over 95,000 total entries.

At a series this large, first-time champions are always worth a closer look. Matthew Moss and Eddie Blumenthal both broke through for their maiden WSOP bracelets, and they did it in very different formats. That contrast matters, because it highlights both the size of the fields in Las Vegas and the range of skills required to win on poker’s biggest summer stage. If you want more context on where players continue sharpening their game year-round, our poker rooms section is a good place to start.

Matthew Moss wins the $800 Deepstack Eight-Max

The $800 no-limit hold’em Deepstack eight-max event drew 3,903 entries and built a $2,732,100 prize pool. That kind of turnout is exactly why lower buy-in WSOP events are so compelling: they combine enormous fields, fast pacing, and a prize structure that can turn a modest entry fee into a life-changing score.

Matthew Moss of the United Kingdom outlasted the field over two brisk days of play. When the final hand was dealt, he had the title, his first gold bracelet, and $318,556 to show for it.

It was the second-largest result of his career. The only bigger payday on his record came in 2025, when he placed sixth in a $100,000 event at the Onyx Super High Roller Series and earned $520,000.

Moss is not new to major WSOP runs. Back in 2016, he finished 21st in the Main Event from a field of 6,737 entries and banked $269,430. With this latest victory, his recorded live earnings climb past $1.7 million.

For a player with that much experience, a first live title still carries special weight. He described the win as especially exciting because it came in a field of nearly 4,000 players, a very Las Vegas kind of test where volume and endurance matter as much as skill.

Deep runs and a familiar runner-up finish

The top 587 finishers got paid in the event. Among the players who made notable runs were Stanley Lee (59th), Cristian Gutierrez (50th), Allen Chang (29th), Pengfei Wang (9th), and Darryl Ronconi (2nd).

Ronconi’s runner-up finish was particularly notable. It marked the third time he has ended a bracelet event in second place, after similar finishes in the 2011 triple chance event and the 2021 Millionaire Maker. Both of those previous results came with payouts above $500,000.

Eddie Blumenthal finally gets over the line

Eddie Blumenthal has spent years knocking on the WSOP bracelet door. Before this victory, he had reached ten final tables at the series, finished in the top four five times, and come painfully close more than once, including a third-place run in the 2021 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship and a runner-up finish in the $1,500 no-limit hold’em six-max.

This year, he finally converted in the $2,500 Omaha eight-or-better / stud eight-or-better mixed event. Blumenthal topped a 587-entry field to win $248,545 and his first WSOP bracelet.

That kind of result is especially meaningful in mixed games, where players must be comfortable switching gears between formats and making adjustments that go well beyond standard no-limit hold’em strategy. For anyone looking to build that broader foundation, our poker school resources can help frame the study process.

Blumenthal’s lifetime tournament earnings now exceed $2.7 million. He also picked up 1,260 Card Player Player of the Year points, giving him his second POY-qualified score of the year. In January, he finished sixth in the World Poker Tour Lucky Hearts Poker Open Main Event for $127,000 and 480 points, and he now sits 121st in the overall standings presented by CoinPoker.

The event also featured a strong cast of bracelet winners and contenders, including Yueqi Zhu (20th), Cyndy Violette (13th), Andrew Yeh (11th), Justin Liberto (9th), and Nikolai Fai (2nd).

Expert take: what these wins say about modern WSOP poker

These two victories tell us a lot about how the WSOP rewards different skill sets. Moss’s win came in a huge, fast-moving no-limit hold’em field where patience, stack management, and the ability to survive variance are crucial. Blumenthal’s bracelet, by contrast, came in a mixed-game event that demands technical breadth and comfort across multiple variants.

• Massive-field events still reward solid fundamentals, not just flashy moves.
• Mixed games remain a major edge for specialists who invest real study time.
• Long summer series success often comes down to preparation, stamina, and emotional control rather than one or two key hands.

There is also a broader industry signal here. More than 95,000 entries by the midpoint suggests that live poker in Las Vegas continues to draw huge volume, especially when the schedule offers accessible buy-ins alongside prestige events. For grinders planning a summer trip, it can also make sense to compare promotions & bonuses before committing to a full schedule.

If you are thinking beyond a single trip, the WSOP results also show why many players keep a steady routine through poker clubs and online play between major live stops. Consistency is often the real edge.

What comes next at WSOP 2026

As the series pushes deeper into its schedule, every bracelet gets harder to win and more valuable in the Player of the Year race. Moss and Blumenthal have now joined the 2026 champions’ list, but the broader story is that WSOP still rewards both volume-field endurance and mixed-game versatility.

That balance is what keeps the series so relevant: one day a player can conquer a nearly 4,000-entry no-limit hold’em marathon, and the next a veteran can finally seal a long-awaited breakthrough in a complex mixed-game format.

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