WSOP 2026: Zipfel Wins PLO, Pauli Captures Razz

WSOP 2026 puts PLO and Razz in the spotlight

The World Series of Poker is at its best when it gives lesser-covered formats a real stage, and that is exactly what happened here. While No-Limit Hold’em usually dominates headlines, the 2026 WSOP reminded everyone that Pot-Limit Omaha and Razz can produce just as much drama, skill, and long-term significance for serious players.

This stretch of the series delivered two very different champions. Jason Zipfel, a cash-game regular with very limited tournament volume, turned a rare MTT run into a first WSOP bracelet. On the other side, Sebastian Pauli survived one of the summer’s most memorable heads-up battles to win his own first bracelet in Razz.

As the 2026 WSOP moves toward its halfway point, the action is still moving fast. For players planning their summer grind through [poker rooms]( /en/pokerrooms) or live stops at [poker clubs]( /en/pokerclubs), these results are a reminder that niche events can be just as career-changing as the marquee ones.

Jason Zipfel wins his first WSOP bracelet in Pot-Limit Omaha

Jason Zipfel entered this week with only six recorded tournament cashes, and just one of those came before the last year. He had built his reputation in private cash games, not on the tournament circuit. But the 2025 season hinted at a possible shift: he scored his first six-figure cash at Venetian Las Vegas and later cashed in the 2025 WSOP Main Event.

Now he has taken the biggest step yet. Zipfel won a $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event that drew 2,581 entries, banking $441,560 for first place. That was more than twice his previous best tournament score and, more importantly, his first WSOP bracelet.

That matters because PLO is one of the most technically demanding games in the modern mixed-game ecosystem. The extra combination possibilities, wider equities, and frequent postflop decisions create more room for edge — but only for players who truly understand the format. Zipfel’s win suggests that a strong cash-game background can translate beautifully when the player is comfortable navigating deep-stacked, high-variance poker. Many aspiring regulars study exactly these transitions in a [poker school]( /en/pokerschool) before expanding their schedule.

Zipfel said he usually plays private cash games and only a handful of tournaments each year. In his own words, he probably should play more tournaments and less cash, because the results have been trending in the right direction.

How Zipfel took control of a massive PLO field

The event started with two opening flights, and by the time Day 2 began, 191 players had already made the money and kept moving forward. Zipfel finished Day 2 with a major chip lead among the final 15 contenders, putting himself in the driver’s seat well before the final table was set.

From there, the field collapsed quickly:

• the tournament was down to 10 players within a few hours;
• Zipfel then won a four-way pot to lock up the official final table of nine;
• he carried the chip lead into nine-handed play and never really gave it back before heads-up.

His final-table start was as strong as any player could hope for. On the very first hand, Zipfel made a six-high straight to bust Ido Aboudi in ninth place. In one hand, he turned a comfortable lead into a massive one, holding more than three times the chips of anyone else remaining.

That kind of early pressure is a classic PLO weapon. Because equities run close and pots grow large quickly, a player who starts applying ICM pressure and value-heavy aggression can force the rest of the table into difficult spots. For players studying final-table dynamics, this is the sort of structure that gets dissected in [poker school]( /en/pokerschool) training sessions.

Key hands from the PLO final table

Zipfel did not coast to the title. He kept finding the right spots to maintain control, while several other bracelet winners tried to break his momentum.

Will Givens, a 2014 bracelet winner, made one of the biggest moves of the final table by scoring a double knockout. His full house, fives full of kings, sent Phillip Mighall out in 8th place for $51,620 and Thanhlong Nguyen out in 7th for $67,310.

Zipfel responded immediately. His pocket kings held against Michael Estes, who had a nut flush draw and an overcard, and Estes exited in 6th place for $88,660.

Hokyiu Lee then made his presence felt in a battle of bracelet winners. Lee’s pair of queens faded a lot of outs and eliminated Maxx Coleman in 5th place for $117,950.

Zipfel then flopped the nut club flush against Jochen Pfeifer’s set of eights and held to send the German out in 4th place for $158,460.

Three-handed play briefly changed the pace. Lee made a major dent in Zipfel’s stack by turning trips and rivering quad sevens in a big pot, but Zipfel answered by taking the rest of Givens’ chips with a flopped jack-high straight against two pair, ending Givens’ run in 3rd place for $214,960.

The final all-in and why Zipfel’s win matters

Zipfel and Lee entered the final duel nearly even in chips, which made the last confrontation especially tense. After a preflop 4-bet and call, the money went in on a J♦ 6♣ 3♦ flop.

Zipfel showed A♥ A♦ J♠ 5♥ and was ahead, but not safe. Lee held K♣ 9♦ 7♦ 4♣, a hand with plenty of ways to improve. Any five or any diamond would have locked the title up for Lee.

The Q♠ turn opened even more possibilities, but the 7♣ river left Zipfel’s aces best and sealed the bracelet.

He earned 1,200 Card Player Player of the Year points for his first qualifying result of 2026. Givens, who picked up 800 POY points for third place, moved into the top 100 of the CoinPoker year-long race and now sits 96th.

For tournament players, Zipfel’s run is a useful case study. It shows how a strong cash-game skill set, when paired with patience and discipline, can convert into a major live title in a field full of specialists and bracelet winners.

Sebastian Pauli wins the Razz bracelet after a marathon heads-up match

If Zipfel’s story was about PLO leverage and chip pressure, Sebastian Pauli’s victory was about endurance, patience, and technical precision in a game that many players barely study enough. Razz remains a format where discipline matters more than ego, and where every street can shift the texture of the hand in a major way.

Pauli and fellow German pro Dennis Weiss battled heads-up for hours in the $1,500 Razz event. The lead swung back and forth repeatedly, and the match became one of the most memorable heads-up duels of the summer so far.

In the end, Pauli held on and denied Weiss a 2026 double, claiming his first WSOP title. Results like this matter far beyond the bracelet itself, because they keep mixed games alive and relevant. They also remind players that if they want to compete in these fields, they need a broader foundation than pure hold’em. Good preparation often comes from structured study and even the right [promotions & bonuses]( /en/blog/promotions) when building a live or online schedule.

Expert analysis: what these wins tell us about modern poker

These two championships say a lot about where poker is right now. First, the WSOP still has the power to create stars outside of the main headline events. Second, players who are versatile — or at least deeply specialized in one format — can still win huge titles without being household names.

A few strategic takeaways stand out:

• Cash-game skills travel. Zipfel’s win is a strong example of how deep postflop instincts can translate into tournament success.
• PLO rewards edge realization. The format is volatile, but the best decision-makers can create real, repeatable advantage.
• Razz punishes mistakes. Long heads-up battles in lowball formats demand patience, card-reading, and emotional control.
• Field selection still matters. Players who know where their best EV lies — whether through [poker agent]( /en/pokeragent) support or careful event selection — can maximize their summer results.

From an industry perspective, results like these help keep the WSOP ecosystem diverse. They give mixed-game players a spotlight, create new bracelet winners, and remind everyone that poker’s biggest festival is not just a hold’em show.

Final take: the summer series is heating up

Jason Zipfel and Sebastian Pauli each earned a career-defining breakthrough, but in very different ways. One used a PLO field to convert cash-game strength into a bracelet. The other outlasted a grinding Razz heads-up marathon to claim his first title.

That combination is exactly why the WSOP remains so compelling. It is not only about famous names or giant buy-ins. It is also about timing, format knowledge, and the ability to stay sharp when the spotlight is on a game that most of the poker world usually ignores.

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