There aren’t many individuals who can say they appropriately referred to as off their match life heads-up for a World Series of Poker bracelet with ace-high, and received. Skye Chen might be the one individual to take action in her first ever WSOP money.
Chen received the 2026 WSOP Ladies Championship, outlasting a subject of 1,475 entrants within the annual $1,000 buy-in occasion. She defeated Aubrey Williams in a wild, back-and-forth heads-up battle by which Chen referred to as off a river all-in guess with ace-ten excessive on an unpaired board with no potential flushes and just one potential straight.
Williams fought again from the brink a number of instances over the course of the heads-up match, and twice had an opportunity to win the match in an all-in pot with most of the chips in play at stake.
But Chen, a software program engineer from Northern California, received the three greatest pots that mattered. Chen’s first ever WSOP money netted her $194,630, and a particular version of the 2026 WSOP bracelet encrusted with pink jewels. Williams, a WSOP Circuit ring winner from Pennsylvania, earned a career-best $129,692 because the runner-up.
“It’s always been a dream of mine as a poker player to get a bracelet,” Chen instructed WSOP’s Natalie Bode. “But I absolutely did not expect this on the second try ever.”
Caitlin Comeskey, who rose to prominence as a artistic content material maker within the poker world, posted her personal career-best outcome with a fourth-place end value $67,735.
A Changing of the Guard
The 2026 WSOP Ladies Championship reached its last desk of 9 late within the night on day 3. What was as soon as 1,475 gamers was left to a single desk competing for nearly half of the $1,298,000 prize pool.
Three gamers went out previous to the top of day 3 motion. 2022 WSOP Ladies Championship winner and Onyx High Roller Series participant Jessica Teusl completed in ninth place ($16,668). Vlogger and match veteran Lexy Gavin-Mather misplaced a coin flip to Chen, whose pocket sevens flopped a set, to put eighth ($21,497).
Heading into the ultimate day of motion, six gamers’ hopes of a WSOP remained. Emily Spencer held a big chip lead, with Williams and Comeskey beginning day 4 because the brief stacks.
Chen claimed the chip lead from Spencer early on, and the day quickly went sideways for the previous prime stack. Before issues went fully off the rails, although, Victoria Ailloud’s match run ended. The French participant was the lone non-American among the many last six gamers, and she or he’d slipped to the shortest stack by the point she made her stand. Ailloud’s pocket sixes went up towards Williams’ A♦Okay♣, and an A♠ spelled Ailloud’s doom in sixth place ($37,192).
Shortly thereafter, Chen and Spencer went to struggle preflop. Chen opened beneath the gun, Spencer three-bet from the button, and Chen four-bet shoved. With fewer chips than Chen, Spencer referred to as all in with A♦J♠. Chen had her dominated with A♥Okay♦, and the board provided no assist. Spencer, whose day began with goals of a bracelet, settled for fifth place ($49,874) as an alternative.
The First Big Call-Down
Caitlin Comeskey
Comeskey, who had staged a comeback and laddered a pair of spots, was the subsequent participant in danger. After Williams opened on the button, Comeskey three-bet all in for 16 huge blinds, and Lisa Teebagy awakened with A♠A♣ within the huge blind, and referred to as. Williams bought out of the best way, and Comeskey wanted rather a lot of assist as she tabled pocket fours.
She seemingly bought the whole lot she might need dreamed of on a 8♥7♣4♣ flop. But working golf equipment on the flip and river gave Teebagy the membership flush, and Comeskey’s hopes of a primary bracelet on this occasion had been dashed in fourth place ($67,735).
Williams quickly closed the hole between her, Teebagy, and Chen three-handed. Then Teebagy overtook each of her remaining opponents to say the chip lead for herself. Williams surged into an enormous lead when she referred to as Chen all the best way down with ace-king excessive on a 10♣9♣7♥10♦2♠ board. Chen instantly had simply over 10 huge blinds, and Williams had the within monitor to the bracelet.
Chen fought again, although, doubling by Teebagy after which eliminating her in fast succession. After pocket kings held for Chen, her pocket fives battled Okay♦10♦ with Teebagy’s match life on the road. By the river, Teebagy made a Broadway straight, however it was second-best to Chen’s full home. Teebagy was out in third place ($93,149).
Chen’s Revenge
The heads-up match between Williams and Chen began with Williams holding a virtually 2:1 lead. Williams prolonged that lead early on, just for Chen to shut the hole, main as much as one of probably the most memorable arms of the 2026 WSOP up to now.
With the massive blind at 300,000, Williams limped the button, Chen raised to 1.1 million, and Williams referred to as. On a J♥8♥3♠ flop, each gamers checked. The flip was the 2♣, Chen checked, Williams guess 1.65 million, and Chen referred to as. The 7♣ fell on the river. Williams thought of her choices for a substantial stretch, after which opted to shove all in.
As a break loomed, Chen agonized over her choice for a number of minutes. Eventually, together with her match life on the road, Chen referred to as with A♣10♣. Williams confirmed Q♦9♦ for a busted straight draw, and Chen instantly had a chip lead of virtually 5:1.
Williams doubled again into competition, with a flopped pair of eights towards Chen’s flopped pair of fives. She grinded her approach again into the lead, and with the match in attain, she was 5 playing cards away from a win in a coin-flip scenario. Williams had pocket eights towards Chen’s A♣10♦, however Chen discovered an A♥ on the flop to take her greatest lead of the day.
With just some huge blinds left, Williams doubled up three separate instances after which reclaimed the lead as soon as extra. On the ultimate hand, with virtually all of the chips in play, there was yet another race to be run. Chen’s pocket fours, towards Williams’ A♣5♣. Williams picked up extra outs on every avenue, however a 9♦9♥8♦Q♠10♦ last board stored Chen’s pair of fours finest, and that was it.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout |
| 1 | Skye Chen | $194,630 |
| 2 | Aubrey Williams | $129,692 |
| 3 | Lisa Teebagy | $93,149 |
| 4 | Caitlin Comeskey | $67,735 |
| 5 | Emily Spencer | $49,874 |
| 6 | Victoria Ailloud | $37,192 |
| 7 | Lisa Tan | $28,092 |
| 8 | Lexy Gavin-Mather | $21,497 |
| 9 | Jessica Teusl | $16,668 |
Photo credit score: WSOP / Alicia Skillman, Monique Marestein
