Adrian Mateos Becomes Youngest Ever Winner of Six WSOP Bracelets

Winning the top prize of $4,334,411, Spain’s most successful tournament poker player ever, Adrian Mateos, won the sixth World Series of Poker bracelet of his career last night. Claiming bragging rights in the ultra-elite $250,000 Super High roller event, Mateos moved into seventh place on the All-Time Money List via The Hendon Mob.

Petrangelo Bursts the Bubble

There were 56 total entries in the $250,000 Event #41 of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Only the last nine players made any money, however, meaning a brutal bubble for one player on the penultimate day of the event. That player turned out to be Nick Petrangelo, who was taking out of the running by businessman David Einhorn. All-in with king-queen, Petrangelo was unable to hit a straight when up against Einhorn’s set of tens on the flop, as the at-risk player’s open-ender ran into a brick wall on the river.

The final day began with some of the best players in poker history at the felt. Phil Ivey, Brandon Wilson and Jason Koon all jostled for position, but it was West Virginian Koon who started best, doubling up through the imperious Bryn Kenney and then eliminating ‘Texas Mike’ a.k.a. Michael Moncek. He busted in ninth when his pocket eights fell to Koon’s ace-jack, and the Texan PokerGO favorite walked away with $518,518.

One of poker’s best players ever to look down at hole cards busted next, with Phil Ivey crashing out in eighth place for a score of $553,270. Just six bracelets behind his fellow Phil in the shape of The Poker Brat Phil Hellmuth, Ivey’s dream of bracelet #12 dies on the vine, his pocket jacks starting and ending behind the pocket queens belonging to Bryn Kenney (below) as a ten-high board sent Ivey to the rail.

High Roller King Koon Falls

With seven players still in the hunt, American poker pro Brandon Wilson was the next to go. All-in for just five big blinds with eight-ten on a flop of T-5-4, Wilson was called by Jason Koon whose jack-ten had the at-risk player outpipped. No help came on turn or river for Wilson and he departed for $629,397 in seventh place.

Austrian player Samuel Mullur lasted only a short time longer. Cashing for $760,417 in sixth, he was all-in with ten-nine on a flop of Q-9-4 of clubs only to be called by Adrian Mateos in the big blind with ace-eight with the ace of clubs. A nine of spades on turn kept Mullur ahead, even improving him to trip nines but the five of clubs on the river saw Mateos flush away another player’s dream of victory.

Jason Koon had bounced off the canvas from the start of the final table, recovering from being short stack to having a great chance of taking the title. Any hopes he had for that ambition were dashed to pieces by the eventual winner, however, as Mateos sent Koon to the rail in fifth for $972,375. Koon’s ace-king needed to hit against the pocket tens belonging to the Spaniard, but a nine high flop was no danger to Mateos, and after a jack on the turn, Koon missed his six outs on the river to depart.

Mateos Wins Epic Finale

“It’s three days, we play deeper, and I just love it. I was super excited to come today and compete.”

Down to four, the tournament was heads-up in no time at all. Sean Winter busted in fourth place for $1,312,037 after five-bet raising all-in with ace-nine. In some circumstances, such a play might have been optimal, but Adrian Mateos snap-called with pocket aces and the rockets propelled the Spanish player even further ahead.

David Einhorn’s game ran its course in third place for $1,862,941 when he lost out to the Long Island legend Bryn Kenney. The Hendon Mob’s All-Time Money List topper saw Einhorn move all-in on the flop of 5-4-3 and couldn’t call quick enough with seven-six for the flopped nut straight. Einhorn had shoved hoping to catch a straight himself with jack-six but an eight on the turn was a disaster, handing Kenney an even better straight and ending Einhorn’s chances.

Heads-up, Kenney had a lead of 50 million chips to Mateos’ 33 million but the roles soon reversed when the Spanish player made a straight on the turn of a board where Kenney’s pocket eights were higher than every card on the board except the nine. The board paired to spare Kenny losing more than the 14.5m he bet on the river but Mateos had the lead and would not relinquish it as he marched to glory.

Two-pair beat top pair on the flop soon after and while Kenney’s supporters cheered for him to survive, turn and river bricked to pronounce Adrian Mateos the champion for $4,334,411, with the American collecting $2,776,634 as runner-up.

“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,” said Mateos after the event. “It’s three days, we play deeper, and I just love it. I was super excited to come today and compete. Everything went my way, and I was able to win the race.”

While the 31-year-old Spanish pro was proud of the achievement and winning in the highest buy-in event so far at this year’s WSOP, he approached the game the same as any other.

“When I sit at the table, I just try to play every hand as well as I can,” he said. “I don’t feel the money or the pressure when I’m playing in these tournaments. Of course, I try to put all my focus into it and perform at my best. I had a few coolers go my way and won the big pots and I think I played great today. When those two things happen, it’s easier to win.”