WSOP 2026: Weber and Shepsky Win Latest Bracelets

WSOP 2026 enters the closing stretch with two fresh champions

The 2026 World Series of Poker is moving into its final week, and the pace of storylines has not slowed down. By this stage, 86 of the 100 live bracelet events were already complete, more than $327.9 million had been paid out in finished tournaments, and the Main Event still had another $85,634,400 to distribute. That kind of scale is exactly why WSOP remains the centerpiece of the poker calendar: even late in the series, there is still room for breakthrough runs and career-changing scores.

Two players made the most of that opportunity. Eric Weber captured the $600 Ultra Stack, while Matthew Shepsky came through a massive Pot-Limit Omaha Mystery Bounty field to win his first WSOP bracelet as well. For both men, the results were more than just a payday. They were a stamp of legitimacy on the biggest stage in live poker.

For players studying tournament edges, it is worth comparing how pressure and structure differ across poker rooms and poker clubs, because big-field adaptation often starts with understanding your environment.

Eric Weber wins the $600 Ultra Stack after 8,007 entries

The $600 No-Limit Hold'em Ultra Stack drew 8,007 entries across three starting flights and generated a prize pool of $4,035,528. In a field that large, survival, patience, and timely aggression matter as much as raw hand strength. Weber handled the late stages best and ultimately earned $400,000 along with his first WSOP gold bracelet.

This was easily the biggest cash of Weber’s career. His previous best score was only $4,403 for an 88th-place finish in an $800 event at the 2023 WSOP. That contrast tells the whole story: one deep run at the right time can transform a player’s resume overnight.

Weber’s post-win comments reflected what many players feel when they finally get over the line at the Series. A bracelet is not just another trophy. It is the achievement that defines a poker career, especially when tens of thousands of players return to Las Vegas every summer hoping for the same moment.

How Weber closed out the final table

After three starting days and one combined-field session, the final 16 players returned to play down to a champion. France’s Henry Benamram entered the day with the chip lead, while Weber started in the middle of the pack. By the time the unofficial final table was set, the stacks were still close enough that one big pot could completely flip the event.

Key eliminations shaped the run to heads-up play:

• Two-time bracelet winner Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek finished 9th for $40,071.
• His A♥10♥ ran into Sriharsha Doddapaneni’s Q♣4♦.
• Both players paired the flop, but Doddapaneni made trips on the turn and held.
• Doddapaneni later lost a major chunk of chips with A-8 against Weber’s pocket kings.
• He then ran into a flush for Finland’s Mikko Torkki.
• Benamram scored the next knockout, sending Torkki out in 3rd for $193,000.

The heads-up battle was close enough to feel like a coin flip in terms of stack depth, but the final hand still came down to premium starting strength. Benamram moved all in with J♦9♥ against Weber’s K♥K♦. The flop of 10♣8♥4♠ gave him an open-ended straight draw, but the 10♥ on the turn and J♠ on the river kept Weber ahead. Benamram took home $260,000 for his first recorded cash of the series.

Matthew Shepsky conquers the Omaha Mystery Bounty

The other headline performance of the week came from Matthew Shepsky, who won the $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Mystery Bounty event. Shepsky, who finished 29th in the 2022 Main Event, now adds a WSOP bracelet to a résumé that already included a 2015 Heartland Poker Tour Golden Gates Casino title. His latest victory earned him $305,000 and pushed his career earnings to nearly $1.9 million.

That is a meaningful milestone for any player, but especially for someone who has already proven he can navigate the deepest stages of the world’s biggest tournaments. Omaha adds another layer of complexity because equities run closer and stack preservation is often more volatile. Mystery bounty structure makes the decision tree even wider, since knockout value can change the value of a spot dramatically.

If you want to work on those skills, a structured poker school is often the best place to study bounty strategy, PLO fundamentals, and stack-to-pot ratio decisions in one place.

Shepsky’s POY boost and the extra day created by a huge field

Shepsky’s win also delivered 1,320 Card Player Player of the Year points. It was his second POY-qualifying score of 2026, following a third-place finish in the WSOP Circuit Grand Victoria Elgin Main Event. With 1,880 points total, he now sits inside the top 150 of the CoinPoker-sponsored POY standings.

That matters because POY races reward consistency, not just one-off explosions. Deep runs in large-field events are hard to come by, so every final-table appearance carries extra weight in the season-long standings.

The event was originally scheduled as a three-day tournament with two starting flights and one combined-field day, but the turnout was so strong that organizers added a bonus session to finish it. When play stopped at the end of Day 2, 34 players still had chips, Shawn Stroke was the chip leader, and Shepsky was sitting in seventh. The added day created more endurance pressure, but it also rewarded players who could stay composed while the field shrank around them.

Expert analysis: why these WSOP wins matter

These two victories are a useful snapshot of what wins at WSOP in 2026. The field sizes are massive, the variance is real, and the last stages often reward players who can make the fewest mistakes under pressure rather than the flashiest plays.

A few strategic takeaways stand out:

• Big-field events still offer life-changing upside. A single run can redefine a player’s career earnings and reputation.
• Premium hands still matter, but timing matters more. Weber’s kings finished the job, but the real edge came from surviving until the right spots arrived.
• Mystery bounty formats increase strategic complexity. Players must balance chip EV, payout jumps, and bounty value at the same time.
• PLO rewards precision. In Omaha, equity runs closer, so errors compound quickly in late-stage tournament play.

For recreational players and aspiring grinders alike, the lesson is clear: tournament success is built on preparation, discipline, and the ability to adjust to structure. Studying promotions & bonuses can help bankroll management, but long-term growth comes from improving decision-making in difficult spots.

Final takeaway from the latest WSOP results

Eric Weber and Matthew Shepsky gave the closing stretch of WSOP 2026 two more memorable champions. Weber turned a $600 Ultra Stack into $400,000 and a bracelet, while Shepsky navigated a huge Omaha bounty field to win $305,000 and his first WSOP title.

The broader message is simple: WSOP still rewards both patience and adaptability. Whether the format is No-Limit Hold'em or Pot-Limit Omaha, the players who can stay sharp through long structures, big swings, and final-table pressure are the ones who get to wear the gold.

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