Naseem Salem Wins World Series of Poker GGMillion$ For Seven Figures

Naseem Salem has been across the poker scene for a number of many years now. While the San Diego resident primarily performs high-stakes combined video games, he has World Series of Poker outcomes relationship again to 2007. That yr he ran deep within the no-limit maintain’em principal occasion, ending 58th for his first six-figure match rating.

In 2024, Salem got here inside one spot of taking down a title on the WSOP, ending second within the $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame bounty occasion. Finally, on the 2026 WSOP, Salem broke via within the $10,000 GGMillion$ no-limit maintain’em occasion to grab his first bracelet and a career-best rating of $1,089,964.

This huge victory elevated Salem’s profession match earnings to just about $1.6 million. It additionally catapulted him into 62nd place within the 2026 Card Player Player of the Year race standings offered by CoinPoker. The 2,100 factors that got here with the title have been sufficient to catapult up the standings and inside the highest 100 regardless of this being his first POY-qualified rating of the yr.

Salem additionally scored 1,100 PokerGO Tour factors with this triumph, sufficient to push him into third in that high-stakes-centric race.

This occasion ran over the course of 4 days contained in the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. It drew 627 complete entries at $10,000 a chunk, making a prize pool of $5,831,100 that was paid out amongst the highest 95 finishers. Plenty of stars ran deep inside the cash, solely to fall simply brief of the ultimate desk. Among them have been Stephen Chidwick (twenty ninth), Andrew Lichtenberger (twenty seventh), Andrew Moreno (twenty fifth), Thomas Eychenne (twenty first), Barak Wisbrod (nineteenth), Michael ‘Texas Mike’ Moncek (18th), Terrance Reid (seventeenth), Zdenek Zizka (14th), Bobby James (twelfth), and Max Neugebauer (tenth).

Salem Leads Into Final Day

The fourth and ultimate day of play on this occasion started with eight gamers remaining and Salem within the lead. Two-time bracelet winner Cliff Josephy was left brief after his pocket sixes did not outrun the pocket jacks of a short-stacked John Racener. Soon after that, Josephy discovered himself on the undesirable finish of a pair-over-pair-over-pair state of affairs. All the chips went in preflop together with his 8♥8♣ trailing the Ok♠Ok♣ of Chad Lipton and 10♥10♣ of Alex Cruz. Both Lipton and Josephy flopped units, however a king on the flip gave Lipton quads and a lock on the pot. Josephy, who completed third within the WSOP principal occasion a decade in the past, earned $105,178 for his newest deep run on the collection.

Another three-way all-in quickly arose, and once more it was Lipton out in entrance preflop. He held Q♠Q♣ and was up towards 7♥7♣ for bracelet winner Joey Weissman and A♠Ok♠ for Roman Hrabec, who was additionally gunning for a second bracelet at this ultimate desk. The board got here down Q♦3♦2♠A♣2♦ and Lipton made queens full to attain the double knockout. As the shorter stack, Weissman completed seventh for $138,802. Hrabec earned $186,562 for his sixth-place exhibiting, surpassing $16 million in lifetime cashes within the course of.

As a outcome of these two huge pots, Lipton took a large chip lead into five-handed play, with a brief break for the remaining contenders earlier than returning on the WSOP’s stay broadcast from the brand new mothership stage. His 100 bib blinds was 1.5x as huge because the next-largest stack, belonging to Salem. Cruz was the one participant sitting with fewer than 20 huge blinds instantly after Weissman and Hrabec have been despatched packing.

Big Names Fall Under The Bright Lights

Cruz scored an early double via Chris Brewer, although, to climb out from the underside of the standings. Both gamers had flush attracts by the flip. Cruz’s spades got here in on the river and he checked to Brewer, who wager sufficient to place his opponent all in together with his missed golf equipment and unimproved open-ended straight draw. Cruz snap-called to double, leaving Brewer with 9 huge blinds.

Chris Brewer

Racener’s run got here to an finish in fifth place when the three-time bracelet winner and 2010 WSOP principal occasion runner-up’s 9♠9♣ clashed with the 6♥6♦ of Salem. Racener min-raised to 600,000 preflop from beneath the gun and Salem known as from the small blind. The flop got here down 8♣6♠5♥ and each gamers checked. The 6♣ flip noticed Salem enhance to quads. He checked and Racener fired 800,000 together with his overpair and gutshot straight draw. Salem check-raised to 2,000,000 and Racener known as. The 7♥ accomplished the board and Salem moved all-in. Racener went deep into the tank and finally known as off his remaining 4,630,000 and was proven the winner. Racener earned $255,306 because the fifth-place finisher, pushing his profession haul to just about $13.5 million.

Brewer quickly adopted Racener to the rail. The two-time bracelet winner dedicated the final of his stack with A♠Q♠ racing towards the 10♥10♣ of Cruz. The 9♣3♥2♥7♦ flop and switch left Brewer needing an ace or queen on the tip. The 6♠ rolled off as a substitute and Brewer settled for $355,610. This fourth-place exhibiting elevated his lifetime earnings to over $30.3 million.

Cruz Surges, Lipton Crashes

An enormous, leaderboard-altering hand befell about 45 minutes after Brewer’s elimination. It started with Cruz min-raising to 800,000 from the button with A♦5♣. Lipton three-bet to 2,400,000 from the large blind with Q♠3♥. Cruz known as and the flop got here down A♣7♣5♦. Lipton led out for 1,000,000 and Cruz known as. The 3♦ led to a examine from Lipton. Cruz fired 3,700,000 and Lipton known as with backside pair. The J♦ on the tip drew one other examine from Lipton. Cruz now sized all the way down to 2,500,000 together with his aces up. Lipton thought it over earlier than opting to check-raise all-in as a bluff. Cruz made the decision pretty rapidly to take down the large pot of 95 huge blinds and transfer into the lead.

Lipton picked up A♦J♣ on the very subsequent deal and three-bet t0 2,400,000 over the button min-raise of Salem, who had 7♥7♦. Salem moved all-in and Lipton known as for 8,150,000. The Ok♣8♦5♣7♣Ok♥ runout gave Salem sevens full and the knockout. Lipton headed to the payout desk to gather $503,997 for this podium end. This was the second-largest rating but for Lipton, trailing solely the $940,000 that the San Diego resident earned for his fourth-place end within the 2025 World Poker Tour World Championship.

Salem Starts Hot, Finishes Strong

With that, heads-up play started with roughly a 3:2 chip benefit for Cruz over Salem. It didn’t take lengthy for the 2 to become involved in a significant pot. On the primary deal, Salem defended his huge blind for 900,000 complete with 4♠3♠ and flopped a straight on 7♥6♦5♦. He checked and Cruz, who had opened from the button with A♦10♦, wager 900,000 once more with the nut flush draw. Salem check-raised to 2,500,000 and Cruz known as. The flip introduced a board pairing 6♠. Salem fired 5,000,000 and Cruz known as. The 3♥ river prompted Salem to maneuver all-in. Cruz made the fold and despatched the pot towards the brand new chip chief.

Cruz regained a small lead after a bit, just for Salem to tug manner forward due to a boat-over-boat state of affairs. Salem made the next full home with 10♥6♣ on a 10♣6♦3♦3♣10♠ board to greatest Cruz’s Q♥10♦. Cruz quickly doubled with pocket sixes towards A-10 suited, rivering a ship after Salem had spiked an ace on the flip.

Not lengthy after that, Cruz acquired all-in with J♥J♣ flipping towards A♦Q♠ for Salem. The 5♠3♥3♣A♣ flop and switch as soon as once more left Cruz needing to river a full home to outlive. The Ok♥ appeared as a substitute, sending the pot and title to Salem. Cruz earned a brand new career-best rating of $726,598 because the runner-up. The Texan’s earlier high payday was the $241,412 he earned for profitable the 2025 WSOP Circuit Choctaw principal occasion final July.

Final Table Results

Photo credit: WSOP / Jazmyn Li