Marco Johnson Earns First World Series Of Poker NLH Bracelet

Almost twenty years in the past, Marco Johnson was an ascendant no-limit maintain’em participant. He was crushing tournaments and money video games, on-line and stay, and have become a principal character in one of the well-known on-line dishonest scandals in historical past after calling for the investigation that make clear the notorious ‘POTRIPPER’ account.

At the desk, Johnson obtained heads up for his first bracelet on the 2008 World Series of Poker. He battled Brazilian poker legend Alexandre Gomes heads up, and picked up one of the fortuitous preflop all-in conditions a participant might hope for. Gomes five-bet all in with A♣10♠, and bumped into Johnson’s pocket aces. The bracelet was simply 5 board playing cards away.

By the flip, Gomes made journey tens, and Johnson didn’t discover a one-outer. Gomes gained the bracelet shortly thereafter, and Johnson settled for second place.

“That was probably the worst day of my career,” Johnson recalled in a 2013 interview. “As I was driving home, I honestly thought about quitting. It was that painful… In my head, I had already won and I was already wearing the bracelet. Of course, the board had other ideas, and he ended up winning. I didn’t know at the time that I would have other opportunities.”

Johnson’s trajectory modified that day. He turned his focus in the direction of blended video games, gained non-no-limit WSOP bracelets in 2013 and 2016, and performed within the greatest blended video games on the earth, in Bellagio’s ‘Bobby’s Room’ and past. But 18 years later, Johnson lastly gained his first no-limit maintain’em bracelet.

The now 40-year-old from Northern California gained a $2,500 no-limit maintain’em freezeout on the 2026 WSOP, claiming a career-best $513,885 match money.

Rheem Falls Short Of The Triple Crown Again

Johnson defeated Chino Rheem heads-up to safe his third profession bracelet. In the method, Rheem as soon as once more fell simply wanting his personal long-awaited first WSOP win. The three-time World Poker Tour champion and European Poker Tour winner narrowly missed out on becoming a member of poker’s triple crown membership. It was Rheem’s fifth profession runner-up end on the WSOP, becoming a member of equivalent outcomes on the 2006, 2022, 2024, and 2025 collection.

As a comfort prize, Rheem’s $341,970 second-place payout pushed him over $20 million in lifetime match earnings.

Johnson earned 1,620 Card Player Player of the Year factors for this victory. He now sits in forty sixth place within the yearlong standings introduced by CoinPoker. Rheem, who added a wholesome 1,350 POY factors to his whole for 2026, rose to 14th place general.

This $2,500 buy-in no-limit maintain’em occasion hearkened again to a basic format that solely the WSOP principal occasion makes use of as of late: a freezeout, with just one probability to enter and run up a stack. By the shut of registration, 1,561 gamers obtained in, constructing a complete prize pool of $3,473,225. Before Johnson and Rheem performed heads-up for the bracelet, there have been three lengthy days of poker to be performed, together with a remaining day that went from 28 hopefuls all the way down to a winner simply earlier than the clock struck midnight.

A Long Fight

After whittling the sector down from 1,561 to twenty-eight over two days, six earlier bracelet winners remained within the combine. Faraz Jaka, a kind of six gamers, held the chip lead, whereas Johnson began day 3 of the match in fifth place. Phillip Hui (twenty third place), Shawn Buchanan (nineteenth place), Tom Hall (sixteenth place), and Joey Weissman (eleventh place) every fell wanting the ultimate desk.

With 9 gamers left, three large stacks stood out among the many relaxation. Japan’s Kenzo Ishida led, adopted carefully by Johnson, after which Rheem, who battled again from one of many shortest stacks to begin the day. Johnson surged method out forward following a large double-up via a beforehand ascendant Sebastian Schulze. Johnson’s pocket kings held in opposition to Schulze’s A♥Okay♠ to place Johnson head and shoulders in entrance of the remainder of the pack.

Johnson picked off Schulze in ninth place ($44,840) and Pyeongkang Kim in eighth place ($57,780), extending his result in greater than 3 times as many chips as any of his six remaining opponents. Ishida picked up a knockout, eliminating Elliot Smith in seventh place ($75,390) to raise his stack into second place simply earlier than a dinner break.

Johnson obtained fortunate in opposition to Vamerdino Magsakay, rivering an ace-high membership flush to clear 30 million chips and remove Magsakay in sixth place ($99,590). Ishida picked up just a few pots at Johnson’s expense after which took out a short-stacked Srivinay Irrinki in fifth place ($133,170) to as soon as once more shut the hole. Ishida inched previous Johnson into the chip lead when he knocked out Jaka in fourth place ($180,210).

A Championship Won

Rheem had a protracted, steep hill to climb to get again into rivalry three-handed, with solely 20% as many chips as both of his two remaining opponents. He obtained proper to work, doubling via Ishida with Okay♠Q♥ in opposition to Ishida’s pocket eights.

Johnson re-established his lead, and Rheem ultimately supplanted Ishida as he climbed into second place. Johnson did the soiled work once more to take out Ishida, profitable a race with A♠J♣ in opposition to Ishida’s pocket sevens, courtesy of a rivered J♦.

While Johnson had a 3:1 result in begin heads-up play, Rheem bounced again with a key double-up as pocket aces held off Johnson’s pocket jacks. That resurgence was short-lived, although, and Johnson had re-established his 3:1 lead by the point the ultimate hand rolled round. Johnson’s A♦5♦ had Rheem’s A♠4♣ in robust form, however in line with the Card Player Texas maintain’em odds calculator, they’d chop 41.45% of the time.

The 4♠3♥2♥ flop modified that in a rush, as Johnson hit the wheel proper off the bat. Rheem nonetheless had a 13% probability to cut, with a 5, or he might make an unlikely runner-runner full home. With face playing cards on the flip and river, although, Johnson’s straight held to carry the occasion to an in depth.

This was the second time Rheem featured in one in every of Johnson’s bracelet wins. At the 2016 WSOP, when Johnson gained the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. occasion, Rheem completed in eighth place.

Three of Johnson’s 4 profession stay wins have earned him WSOP bracelets. His lifetime earnings now sit at $6,338,631.

Final Table Results

Photo credit score: WSOP / Miguel Cortes