Adrian Mateos scored the second-largest win of his unimaginable profession on the 2026 World Series of Poker. The 31-year-old Spanish poker professional defeated an elite subject of 56 entries within the $250,000 tremendous excessive curler no-limit maintain’em occasion to earn $4,334,411 and his sixth profession WSOP bracelet. This marked his second time taking house the gold on this occasion, having received the identical event in 2021 for almost $3.3 million.
“When I come to this tournament, it’s my favorite of the series because it’s super expensive and also because the structure is better than the others. It’s three days, we play deeper, and I just love it,” Mateos instructed PokerInformation reside reporters after closing out the win. “I was super excited to come today and compete. Everything went my way, and I was able to win the race.”
The unofficial ultimate desk of 9 was extremely stacked on this occasion, with these contenders boasting over $379.1 million in prior earnings between them. All however two had eight figures in profession cashes already, with 4 being among the many prime 12 on poker’s all-time cash checklist, together with first-ranked Bryn Kenney and third-ranked Jason Koon. As far as success particularly on the sequence, two-thirds of the remaining subject already had not less than one bracelet to their title, with the overall depend of 23 WSOP titles buoyed considerably by Phil Ivey’s 11 wins.
‘I Love The Rankings’
This was the fourth multi-million-dollar rating of Mateos’ younger profession. His prime payday got here lower than a month earlier than this windfall, when he took down a $200,000 invitational occasion on the Triton Montenegro $6,370,000. He has now cashed for over $11.9 million for the reason that begin of May, with six final-table finishes and three titles in these six weeks alone.
Mateos now has $69,619,178 in lifetime cashes, which moved him into fifth on the profession earnings leaderboard.
“I love the rankings,” stated Mateos. “I love poker, and I would like to move up the list. It’s something that motivates me, and I will keep working and playing to get as high as possible. Bryn is number one right now, and he’s an amazing player. It will be tough to catch him, but I will try.”
In addition to the cash and the {hardware}, Mateos additionally earned 600 Card Player Player of the Year factors for this newest triumph. The 2017 and 2024 POY award winner now has two POY-qualified titles and 10 ultimate tables this yr. His 2,957 complete factors are good for twenty seventh on the 2026 POY leaderboard introduced by CoinPoker.
He additionally climbed to twelfth within the PokerGO Tour standings, having received a PGT Summer Series $15,000 occasion a number of days earlier than this bracelet victory, which got here with 700 factors in the direction of the high-stakes-centric race.
Fastest To Six
The Madrid native is simply the twenty ninth participant in poker historical past to have received six or extra bracelets, and he was the quickest of that elite group to succeed in the overall. Mateos, who will flip 32 subsequent month, is now forward of all-time bracelet chief Phil Hellmuth’s tempo. The 17-time WSOP winner notched his sixth win in 1997 on the age of 32.
All half dozen of Mateos’ bracelets have been received in no-limit maintain’em occasions. His debut got here within the 2013 WSOP Europe foremost occasion on the age of 19. Three years later, he took down a $1,500 occasion in Las Vegas for his second bracelet. The following summer time, he grew to become the youngest participant to succeed in three wins due to his victory within the $10,000 heads-up championship as a 21-year-old. After successful this identical occasion 4 years after that, he took down a hybrid on-line and reside $3,200 buy-in event for his fifth WSOP win.
Moncek, Ivey Bust After Half-Million-Dollar Bubble Bursts
The 56-entry turnout for this nosebleed-stakes occasion made for a $13,720,000 prize pool, with solely the highest 9 finishers incomes a share. The cash bubble burst on the finish of day 2 motion, with two-time bracelet winner Nick Petrangelo working an open-ended straight draw into David Einhorn’s set of tens.
That knockout ensured that the ultimate 9 who returned for day 3 motion would all stroll away with not less than $518,518. That actual sum was in the end awarded to a different two-time bracelet winner: Michael ‘Texas Mike’ Moncek. It was a basic preflop race, with Moncek’s 8♥8♦ dealing with A♠J♦ for Koon. The Okay♥10♦4♦Q♠9♦ runout gave Koon the ace-high straight and the pot, ending Moncek’s run in eighth place. This rating pushed his profession event earnings previous $8.1 million.
Ivey was the following to fall. The residing legend of the sport was despatched packing in eighth place ($533,270) due to a preflop cooler. His J♠J♥ collided with the Q♠Q♣ of Kenney, with neither participant connecting with a ultimate board of 10♦4♥2♣9♣9♠. The 49-year-old Poker Hall of Famer now has over $54.9 million in profession cashes to his title, with over $13 million of that coming from his 103 cashes on the WSOP. This was his first ultimate desk of the summer time, however the forty sixth of his profession. He stays in second place on the all-time bracelet leaderboard, with solely Hellmuth having received extra titles on the sequence.
Phil Ivey at Risk on $250,000 Final Table@philivey is all-in and in danger in opposition to @BrynKenney throughout the ultimate desk of the $250,000 Super High Roller.
An enormous spot for Ivey with $4,300,000 for first-place.
Can he survive? pic.twitter.com/SJvMG39iuQ
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 16, 2026
Wilson Slides, Survives, Falls
The subsequent huge conflict showdown was a three-way all-in that noticed Sean Winter’s A♠Q♠ take down the A♣10♣ of Mateos and the J♦J♣ of Brandon Wilson. Winter spiked a queen on the flip and light Mateos’ flush draw to see him triple up. Wilson was left on fumes, whereas Mateos slid to the center of the pack.
Wilson regarded like he is perhaps out the door quickly after that, however a bluff to steal the aspect pot by Koon gave Wilson new life. The hand was limped 4 methods preflop. Kenney led out for 650,00 into 2,000,000 on the 10♠5♣3♥ flop with A♠9♠. Koon known as with 10♥2♦ and Wilson known as all-in for his final 150,000. Samuel Muller received out of the best way and the flip introduced the A♦. Kenney guess 1,175,000 with prime pair, 9 kicker and Koon known as together with his pair of tens and gutshot to the wheel. The 8♥ meant that Kenney had the most effective hand. He fired 2,175,000 and would have eradicated Wilson had Koon folded or known as, however as an alternative the all-time Triton Poker titles chief raised to 7,000,000. Kenney folded the winner to ship the hefty aspect pot to Koon, whereas Wilson greater than quadrupled up.
Wilson nonetheless wound up being the following to hit the rail. He received all-in with 10♣8♣ on a 10♠5♥4♠ flop and located himself trailing the J♣10♦ of Koon. The 2♠ flip and 3♣ river noticed Koon’s kicker play to earn him the pot. The 32-year-old American professional was awarded $629,397 for his sixteenth final-table end of the yr. He stays the top-ranked participant within the POY standings with 6,517 factors.
Mullur And Koon Come Up Just Short Of The Seven-Figure Payouts
A battle of the blinds led to the following knockout. Mullur jammed for simply over 11 huge blinds from the small blind with 10♣9♦ and Mateos known as with A♣8♠ from the large blind. The Q♣9♣4♣ flop gave Mullur a pair and the lead, however Mateos picked up the nut flush draw. The 9♠ flip improved Mullur to journeys, however he nonetheless needed to fade a membership going into the river. The 5♣ on the top rolled off, ending Mullur’s run in sixth place ($760,417). The 28-year-old bracelet winner from Austria now has greater than $13.5 million in profession cashes.
Jason Koon
Koon was outraced by Mateos within the subsequent key confrontation. The two-time bracelet winner raised to 1,100,000 with A♦Okay♥ from beneath the gun and Mateos three-bet to 2,500,000 from the button holding 10♠10♣. Koon ripped for 10,150,000 complete and Mateos known as. The board got here down 9♥3♣2♠J♣4♣ and the pocket pair held to ship Koon to the rail with $972,375. He now has over $77.4 million in recorded scores to his title, holding him in third on the all-time cash checklist.
The 40-year-old poker professional now has 11 ultimate tables in 2026. The 3,126 POY factors from these deep runs place him twenty third within the present POY standings.
Winter and Einhorn Bow Out Ahead Of Heads-Up
Sean Winter was the following to get floor up the Mateos buzzsaw. The 35-year-old American poker professional picked up A♣9♣ within the huge blind dealing with a Mateos small blind open to 1,250,000. Winter three-bet to 2,700,000. Mateos got here again excessive to 4,300,000, solely to have Winter transfer all-in for 9,850,000 complete. The Spaniard snap-called the shove of roughly 20 huge blinds with A♠A♦. Winter was drawing lifeless by the J♥6♦4♥2♥ flip, rendering the 9♦ river a mere formality. This was the third-largest rating but for Winter, who now has greater than $40.5 million in recorded cashes beneath his belt.
That left three remaining, with Mateos out in entrance, David Einhorn in second, and Kenney not too far behind. The two shorter stacks quickly squared off in a decisive conflict. The showdown started with Kenney limping the small blind for 500,000 complete with 7♣6♠. Einhorn checked within the huge blind with J♣6♦ and the flop got here out 5♣4♥3♠. Kenney checked his flopped seven-high straight and Einhorn guess 1,000,000 together with his open-ended straight draw. Kenney check-raised to three,700,000. Einhorn mulled his choices earlier than asserting a three-bet to 9,000,000. Kenney moved all-in and Einhorn known as for 23,225,000. The flip 8♦ left Einhorn in want of one of many three remaining sevens so as to chop and stay within the occasion. Instead, the 6♣ on the top noticed him eradicated in third place ($1,862,941). The hedge fund supervisor and 2012 Big One For One Drop third-place finisher now has over $8 million in poker earnings throughout simply 11 in-the-money finishes.
Mateos Vs. Kenney For The Gold
The ultimate showdown for the title started with Kenney holding a 5:3 chip lead over Mateos. The American was already on prime of poker’s all-time cash checklist, and would stay so no matter how this heads-up conflict performed out. But if he had been capable of come out on prime, he would have change into the primary participant to surpass $90 million in profession earnings.
The two swapped positions after Mateos turned a seven-high straight in opposition to Kenney’s pocket eights, which had outs to a better straight. The river paired the board, and Kenney fired a river overbet of 14,500,000 together with his 8♦8♣ on 9♦6♥4♥7♣4♦. Mateos went into the tank earlier than making the decision with 5♣3♠ to maneuver into the lead.
The ultimate hand of the event started with a Kenney button increase to 1,500,000 with 10♥9♦. Mateos defended his huge blind with 10♣2♣ and the flop rolled off 10♠4♣2♥. Kenney guess 2,100,000 when checked to, solely to have Mateos check-raise to six,500,000. Kenney three-bet to 11,300,000. Mateos four-bet jammed and Kenney known as off for 28,300,000 complete. The 8♦ flip left Kenney in want of a 9, eight, or 4 on the top. The 3♦ river saved Mateos’ two pair finest, although, to carry the event to an in depth.
Kenney earned $2,776,634 because the runner-up, bringing his lifetime haul to $88.9 million. He additionally climbed to seventeenth within the POY race and twenty seventh within the PGT standings due to this huge rating, the seventh multi-million-dollar payday of his record-setting profession.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Adrian Mateos | $4,334,411 | 600 | 700 |
| 2 | Bryn Kenney | $2,776,634 | 500 | 550 |
| 3 | David Einhorn | $1,862,941 | 400 | 450 |
| 4 | Sean Winter | $1,312,037 | 300 | 400 |
| 5 | Jason Koon | $972,375 | 250 | 292 |
| 6 | Samuel Mullur | $760,417 | 200 | 228 |
| 7 | Brandon Wilson | $629,397 | 150 | 189 |
| 8 | Phil Ivey | $533,270 | 100 | 166 |
Photo credit: WSOP / Miguel Cortes, Dominic Iaquinto, Tyler Abrams
