WSOP 2026: Jeremy Izquierdo Takes 3rd in $5,000 6-Handed

Jeremy Izquierdo keeps France in the WSOP 2026 spotlight

France has been one of the most talked-about countries during the early and middle stretch of WSOP 2026, and Jeremy Izquierdo added another deep run to that storyline by finishing 3rd in the $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em event. In a field packed with experienced regulars and high-pressure decision-makers, reaching the podium is already a major achievement.

What makes this result even more impressive is the way Izquierdo entered the decisive stage. He was 5th in chips after Day 3, which meant he had work to do before the final table pressure really peaked. In six-handed poker, stacks move fast, ranges widen, and every orbit can change the shape of the tournament. That environment rewards players who can stay patient without becoming passive, and aggressive without becoming reckless.

Izquierdo turned that balance into a $460,256 payday. While a bracelet was still the goal, the run itself confirms that French players continue to be a real factor in the biggest tournaments of the summer. For readers who follow live poker structure and bankroll paths, our poker school is a useful place to revisit the strategic concepts that matter most in short-handed events.

The final hand: K5o versus K10o and a king kicker

The last hand for the French player was the kind of spot that sums up tournament poker at the highest level. From the small blind, Jeremy Izquierdo moved his last 6,200,000 chips in with K5o. It was not a casual shove; it was a forced stand in a spot where folding would have left him with very little room to maneuver.

Markus Gonsalves made the call with K10o, holding the better kicker. The board paired both players with kings, but that final card detail made all the difference. Gonsalves’ superior kicker sent Izquierdo out in 3rd place and ended the French player’s bracelet hopes for this event.

This is exactly why short-handed final tables are so brutal. In six-max formats, players are constantly forced to defend wider ranges, attack more often, and accept more marginal all-in decisions. One king-high showdown can be enough to separate a title run from a podium finish.

If you are studying where to practice these spots, it helps to compare structures across poker rooms and poker clubs, because the pace and stack dynamics can vary a lot depending on the environment.

Markus Gonsalves wins his first WSOP bracelet

The man who eliminated Izquierdo went all the way. Markus Gonsalves captured his first WSOP bracelet and banked $979,655 for the victory, a career-defining score that instantly changes the way the poker world views him.

Runner-up Xiaoyao Ma earned $653,037, while Daniel Rezaei finished 4th for $328,810. Dominykas Mikolaitis placed 5th for $238,152, Joshua Boulton took 6th for $174,909, and Oliver Weis exited in 7th place with $130,287.

That payout ladder tells a bigger story about modern WSOP fields. The days of a few players dominating every final table are long gone. Today, the best events are deep, balanced, and full of opponents who understand push-fold math, ICM pressure, and short-stack leverage. In that setting, the difference between first and third is often a single river or a single preflop decision.

For players looking to prepare for these swings, it is also worth tracking promotions & bonuses, especially when building a tournament schedule that can support volume and long-term learning.

Nicolas Milgrom’s deep run in Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo

Another French name made noise in a different discipline. In the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event, Nicolas Milgrom entered the final stretch with real momentum after sitting 4th in chips at the end of the previous day. Mixed games always reward specialists, and a top-of-the-count position in a Stud Hi-Lo event is never accidental.

Unfortunately, the final Day did not go his way. Milgrom finished in 10th place and collected $28,681. It was a disappointing finish from a strong starting point, but it still underlines the breadth of French poker talent. Competing deep in a high-buy-in mixed game is not something every No-Limit specialist can do.

The event itself was won by Matt Grapenthien, who defeated England’s Jack Germaine heads-up to claim $415,648 and the title. Maxx Coleman came close to a third bracelet, ending his run in 3rd place for $191,165. The final table was stacked with quality, which makes Milgrom’s presence near the top even more notable.

If your own goal is to move from casual play to a more serious path, working with a poker agent or joining a study-focused group can help you build the discipline needed for these formats.

Why these results matter for players and the summer WSOP narrative

These results are more than just a pair of cashes. They fit a broader WSOP pattern: strong international fields, smaller edges, and a premium on adaptability. Jeremy Izquierdo’s 3rd-place finish in six-handed No-Limit Hold’em shows how important it is to manage stack depth and pressure in short-handed spots. Nicolas Milgrom’s run in Stud Hi-Lo shows that mixed-game competence still has real value, especially at the highest buy-ins.

• Short-handed events demand wider ranges and sharper defense.
• Mixed games punish autopilot thinking and reward technical memory.
• Final-table pressure often magnifies small preflop mistakes into huge payout swings.

That is why many serious players study structure, table selection, and volume planning as much as they study hand histories. Resources like poker clubs can be useful for live practice, while online environments remain ideal for repetition and solver-based learning. The best results usually come from combining both.

Final takeaway: France stays in the mix, and the bracelet chase continues

WSOP 2026 keeps producing the kind of storylines that define a summer series. Jeremy Izquierdo was one card or one kicker away from an even bigger finish, Nicolas Milgrom showed another side of French versatility, and two American winners added major titles to their résumés.

The bottom line is simple: at the WSOP, every deep run matters, because every deep run proves you can survive pressure, solve spots quickly, and convert equity into real money. France remains highly visible in that battle, and more results like these would only strengthen its reputation on poker’s biggest stage.

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