Across practically six many years of World Series of Poker motion, solely seven gamers have managed to win not less than 9 bracelets throughout a complete profession. Improbably, it seemed for a lot of the $10,000 deuce-to-seven triple draw ultimate desk on the 2026 WSOP that two gamers would hit that milestone in back-to-back nights.
Nick Schulman, already the winner of the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. occasion and his eighth WSOP bracelet earlier this summer season, held the chip lead for many of day 3 within the $10,000 deuce-to-seven championship. He opened up an enormous lead heads up, and but, it was merely not Schulman’s evening for quantity 9.
Koji Fujimoto got here from behind to defeat Schulman to win his first profession bracelet, and the $392,478 first-place prize. The win represents the end result of years of onerous work for Fujimoto, a Japanese professional who has been on an accelerated trajectory in blended sport tournaments lately. In 2025, Fujimoto completed third in a $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. occasion on the WSOP, and in February of this yr, he took fourth in a $10,600 T.O.R.S.E. occasion on the 2026 PokerGO Tour Mixed Game Series.
On this evening, Fujimoto defeated a Poker Hall of Famer heads-up to safe his place within the WSOP historical past books. It’s the third bracelet win for Japan in 2026, becoming a member of the pair received by Naoya Kihara earlier this summer season. Kihara, a detailed buddy of Fujimoto’s, made a run on this event, too, going out in seventh place.
In addition to Schulman, Fujimoto additionally needed to tangle with a pair extra Poker Hall of Famers down the stretch, together with Todd Brunson and Billy Baxter. The latter, an 85-year-old seven-time WSOP champion with 5 profession deuce-to-seven bracelets, completed in eighth place.
Navigating A Murderer’s Row
What was as soon as a discipline of 176 entrants was diminished to only 11 bracelet hopefuls by day 3. In addition to the aforementioned poker legends, bracelet winners Brandon Shack-Harris, Robert Wells, Andrew Kelsall, and Tommy Hang had been contenders for the title. Online poker standout Justin ‘Boosted J’ Smith and World Poker Tour champion Nam Le additionally remained within the hunt.
Needless to say, Fujimoto’s path to victory was an extremely difficult one. Shack-Harris, Le, Wells, Baxter, and Kihara fell earlier than the official six-handed ultimate desk was reached. At that time, Schulman held 3.8 million, with Hang (2.2 million), Smith (1.8 million), and Fujimoto (1.55 million) within the chasing pack.
Schulman dispatched Brunson in sixth place ($62,404). Brunson, on a particularly quick stack, made a 10-9 low by the third draw. Schulman, who drew 4 on the primary draw, and one card every on the second and third attracts, made a wheel (7-5-4-3-2) to win the pot. Brunson, predominantly a money sport participant for many of his profession, received his lone WSOP bracelet in 2005.
Smith was the following participant to the rail. He battled with Hang, and the final of his chips went in following the ultimate draw. Smith confirmed an 8-7-6 low, however Hang pipped him with an 8-7-5 low. Smith, who has had a couple of shut calls in main stay tournaments all through his profession, settled for fifth place ($84,845).
Fujimoto’s Surge
Kelsall spent lengthy stretches of this deuce-to-seven triple draw ultimate desk because the quick stack. After selecting up key doubles along with his event on the road, he lastly missed a draw in opposition to Fujimoto that spelled his doom. Kelsall drew one card in all three drawing rounds, and located himself needing to enhance his 8-7-4-2 to beat Fujimoto’s 10-7 low. Kelsall peeled an eight, pairing up, and he was out in fourth place ($119,011).
Hang drew the quick straw three-handed, as Schulman and Fujimoto took turns selecting aside his stack. On Hang’s ultimate stand, he ran head-first into one other wheel for Schulman, going out in third place ($172,064).
Schulman held a 3:2 chip result in begin heads-up play. Three of Schulman’s eight bracelets got here within the no-limit $10,000 deuce-to-seven single draw championship. In the restrict $10,000 deuce-to-seven triple draw championship, Schulman had beforehand completed in third place twice, most lately in 2025, together with a fourth-place end.
Needless to say, the expertise and the chip benefit seemingly made Schulman the clear favourite. In early heads-up motion, Schulman rapidly prolonged his result in 3:1 and had all of the momentum when the ultimate two gamers took a 10-minute break.
But from the second he and Schulman returned from that break, Fujimoto went on a rampage.
Sweet Victory
A string of medium-sized pots that went to showdown all went Fujimoto’s manner, and in lower than 20 minutes, Fujimoto overtook Schulman for the lead. Schulman would briefly regain the benefit another time, however Fujimoto took management, reclaimed the chip lead, and by no means seemed again.
Thirty extra minutes of one-sided motion noticed Fujimoto declare a lead of greater than 4:1. Then, down to only 1 million chips, in opposition to Fujimoto’s 9.5 million, Schulman and Fujimoto performed a exceptional hand by which Schulman pulled out an unimaginable double. On the ultimate draw, Fujimoto took two playing cards, and Schulman drew one.
Improbably, on a two-card draw, Fujimoto made a 7-6-4-3-2, the second-best attainable hand in deuce-to-seven, and misplaced. Schulman accomplished his one-card draw to make one ultimate wheel, and even verbally apologized to Fujimoto for the extremely unlikely consequence.
Schulman doubled a couple of occasions on a precariously quick stack, however he’d get no nearer within the chip counts. On the ultimate hand, each gamers drew one card. Fujimoto, making an attempt to enhance upon a 7-6-5-3, paired his three. Schulman, drawing to a 9-7-6-4, merely wanted to keep away from pairing to outlive and double. But a 4 made Fujimoto’s pair the superior low, and Schulman’s shot at bracelet quantity 9 fell one spot quick.
It’s been an unimaginable summer season for Schulman. In addition to his $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. win, Schulman has two runner-up finishes and two fifth-place showings in 5 whole cashes.
An Impressive Win
Fujimoto, who teaches poker in Japan, is the eleventh Japanese poker participant to win a WSOP bracelet. Kihara received the first-ever Japanese bracelet on the 2012 WSOP.
His career-best money of $392,478 greater than doubled Fujimoto’s whole recorded earnings. Fujimoto additionally picked up 780 Card Player Player of the Year factors, placing him simply outdoors the highest 400 within the yearlong race introduced by CoinPoker.
At the $10,000 buy-in degree, Fujimoto additionally earned 392 PokerGO Tour factors. With his earlier PGT outcomes, Fujimoto sits at 500 PGT factors for the yr, in fifty fifth place on the season-long leaderboard. That places Fujimoto inside placing distance of an computerized berth within the season-ending PGT $1 million championship occasion.
Schulman moved to fourth place within the POY rankings with this, his eleventh total final-table end of 2026. He additionally climbed to 18th place on the PGT leaderboard.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Koji Fujimoto | $392,478 | 780 | 392 |
| 2 | Nick Schulman | $256,181 | 650 | 256 |
| 3 | Tommy Hang | $172,064 | 520 | 172 |
| 4 | Andrew Kelsall | $119,011 | 390 | 119 |
| 5 | Justin Smith | $84,845 | 325 | 85 |
| 6 | Todd Brunson | $62,404 | 260 | 62 |
Photo credit score: WSOP / Miguel Cortes, Tyler Abrams
