Skye Chen Wins Record-Breaking WSOP Ladies Event for Debut Bracelet

This year’s $1,000-entry Ladies Championship at the 57^th annual WSOP was one of the books. With a record-breaking 1,475 entries, just six players took on the final day’s play as Aubrey Williams was pegged back by Skye Chen who claimed a maiden title in Las Vegas. Taking home a top prize of over $194,000 from a prize pool of $1,298,000, Chen’s victory came after two former Ladies Championship winners dramatically missed out.

Record Numbers in Ladies Event

While it would eventually take just seven hours of play to find a winner on the fourth and final day of Event #68, the $1,000 buy-in Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship, the event itself had already broken records. With 1,475 entries, the 2026 Ladies Event was huge, and Skye Chen’s eventual top prize of $194,630 one that will inspire women of all permissible ages to come to Las Vegas next year and beyond to fight for the title.

By the time the last nine players had arrived at the final table, Emily Spencer led the players into battle and for a time, she was tough to catch at the top of the chipcounts. Austrian poker professional Jessica Teusl (below) was one of her victims, crashing out in ninth place for $16,668 when her ace-queen ran into Spencer’s ace-king. The flop of 7-4-3 changed nothing, and after a ten landed on the turn, a deuce on the river confirmed Teusl’s exit.

Out next was the popular YouTube legend Lexy Gavin-Mather. Winning $21,497 in eighth at her second final table of this year’s WSOP, Gavin-Mather was all-in with king-queen needing to hit against the pocket sevens of Skye Chen. The eventual winner hit gin on the A-7-4 flop, meaning Gavin-Mather needed running straight or flush cards on turn and river and when they didn’t come, she was on her feet to wish her fellow ladies good luck for the rest of the tournament.

Comeskey Comes and Goes

Seven players remained in the hunt for gold, but one more would leave before the final day’s six players were set in their seats. That player turned out to be Lisa Tan, whose pocket fives found themselves in a race for their owner’s tournament life, with Lisa Teebagy holding ace-jack. A jack on the flop was a disaster for the at-risk Tan and a four and six on turn and river were each one pip away from the miraculous card she needed to survive, instead busting for $28,092 in seventh place.

When the six players returned for the final day, Spencer still led the field. It was Aubrey Williams who began best, however, taking out French player Victoria Ailloud for $37,192 in sixth place. Ailloud was all-in and at risk for just under nine big blinds with pocket sixes but Williams’ ace-king got there on the flop when an ace landed. Despite plaintive cries for a “deuce!” from the French rail, nothing came to help their player, and the field was down to five.

Next to leave was the overnight chip leader Emily Spencer. Having lost her lead, she found herself in a massive all-in confrontation pre-flop. Snap-calling Skye Chen’s four-bet shove, Spencer had ace-jack but Chen turned over ace-king and a board of T-6-2-Q-9 meant Spencer headed home with a score of $49,874.

Caitlin Comeskey was the next player to go as the Global Poker Award winner for Content Creation won her biggest ever score of $67,735. All-in with pocket fours, she looked doomed when her caller, Lisa Teebagy, turned over pocket aces. A four fell on the flop of 8-7-4 to put Comeskey ahead, with Teebagy only re-drawing to one of two aces in the deck or running clubs. A nine of that suit arrived on the turn and when the deuce of clubs fell on the river, Teebagy had the nut flush and Comeskey had a one-way ticket to the rail.

Chen’s WSOP Miracle

“Compared to the rest of the field, I’m sure there are plenty of better pros out there than I am.”

Three-handed play lasted some time before Teebagy was squeezed out for a score of $93,149. All-in with king-ten, she needed to improve against the pocket fives of Chen, but a board of Q-J-J-5-A gave Teebagy hope on the flop before dashing her hopes on the turn that gave the eventual winner a full house.

Heads-up, Aubrey Williams had a 2:1 chip lead against Chen, but the early levels evened up the stacks. Both players led on multiple occasions, but after a superb hero call from Chen, she put her marginal lead to immediate use. All-in with pocket fours, all she had to do was to survive one huge flip against Williams’ ace-five. A flop of 9-9-8 still made Chen a favorite, but the queen on the turn added in more counterfeit outs for the at-risk Williams.

With 90% of the tournament’s chips in the middle of the table, it all came down to the river and a ten was no good for Williams, who finished as runner-up for $129,692. For a shocked Chen, her second entry of the series had turned into an improbably victory worth $194,630 and her first WSOP bracelet.

“I was playing mostly just for fun and also because I really wanted a bracelet,” said Chen after the event. “It was kind of fun to chase that dream, right? Compared to the rest of the field, I’m sure there are plenty of better pros out there than I am. I’m not a professional player.”

Asked about her amateur roots and aspirations of winning WSOP gold, Chen opened up on her influences and how her dream became reality.

“It feels surreal. This was a dream of mine ever since I saw the WSOP on ESPN back when I was a kid, and I learned how to play poker. I don’t know how to feel right now because that that era of the amateur player coming and winning a bracelet was kind of over, and I would never have believed that I would come in and sort of do the same thing.”

Photography courtesy of Jess Beck and Eloy Cabacas at the 2026 WSOP.