WSOP: First WSOP Bracelet Won as Kid Poker Announces Major News During Day 3

Jerome Neppl became a quiz answer on Thursday as he won the first WSOP bracelet of the 2026 WSOP, conquering the $500-entry Casino Employees Event for over $64,000 after two days of excitement. There was plenty of that in six events at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris casino and beyond, as events in Omaha and No Limit Hold’em filled the schedule.

Neppl the Hero in Employees Event

Jerome Neppl won the $500-entry Industry Employees Event for a career-high score of $64,803 after beating Seam Hamrick heads-up for the bracelet. The poker dealer from New Mexico saw off challenges from Skyler Halama (3^rd for $29,678), Antony Diep (7^th for $8,235) and longest lasting female player Jessica Odom (9^th for $4,828) as an exciting final table played out in the Horseshoe.

“This money is life-changing and will help me get debt-free,” Neppl told reporters after the event. “You can spot tells, such as if they’re going to fold or play.”

The poker dealer, used to working long hours at casinos, said that he will be looking to move to Florida from New Mexico with his girlfriend and that the money he won will really help them do so.

Daly Leads the Field in $5,000 NLHE

In the $5,000 buy-in Event #2, the NLHE 8-Max event, just five players remain in with a chance of scooping the $502,985 top prize. Three of those players are from China, with the controversial player Ren Lin (3m) among them. Top of the tree at present is Lin’s countryman Chenxiang Miao, who sits well clear of most with a stack of 10.85 million chips. Daniyal Gheba is his closest rival with 8.6 million, while Xiaohu Liu (3.36m) and Peter Mugar (2.64m) both still in the hunt for gold.

In Event #4, the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better event, Jason Daly is leading the remaining 17 players to the finish line, with his stack of 2,100,000 chips marginally clear of Kelly Vandemheen’s 2,090,000. Renan Bruschi from Brazil is well-placed on 1,675,000 chips, with Amnon Filippi (1,640,000) and Tyler Phillips (1,615,000) two great picks.

There is a top prize of $191,362 up for grabs but six of the remaining players are former bracelet winners, with Vanessa Selbst among them. She will be aiming for her fourth WSOP bracelet and first since her retirement as a poker professional in 2018.

Other Events in Progress

Event #6 on the schedule kicked off on Thursday and the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event saw 359 players take to the felt, with just 62 surviving to the next day. Of them, Bradley Jansen is the chips leader on 363,500, but plenty of big names remain in with a chance of the $103,185 top prize and gold bracelet, with seven-time bracelet winner Scott Seiver (211,000), Chinese legend Yueqi Zhu (209,000), American crusher Martin Zamani (166,500), Chris ‘Big Huni’ Hunichen (155,500), and Poker Hall of Famer Todd Brunson (73,500) amongst them.

On Day 1 of the $5,000 PLO Event #5, Dylan Weisman topped the 120 players who survived from 716 entries in the tournament where four cards are dealt to every player instead of two. Weisman’s stack of 951,000 was impressive, but with Jesse Lonis (906,000), James Chen (856,000), Ari Engel (576,000), Renji Mao (495,000), Farid Jattin (468,000), Robert Mizrachi (414,000), Nick Schulman (336,000), Chad Eveslage (314,000), Ben Lamb (285,000), Adam Hendrix (225,000), and Patrick Leonard (176,000) all through to Day 2, no-one can be certain of reaching the final table, let alone the gold.

Finally, Day 1c of the $550 Mystery Millions saw the opening event of the series complete its third Day 1 flight from the six it offers. Matthew Todd’s stack of 2.3m led not only the day but the tournament after he edged out Shawn Daniels (1.8m) among others. With three more flights to come, Event #1 is yet to give out any bounties, with a cool $1,000,000 top bounty amongst those on offer come what may. For a $550 entry? That’s the stuff WSOP dreams are made of.

Finally, in other big news, Daniel Negreanu and his wife Amanda announced on DNegs’ daily video blog that the couple are expecting their first child…. and ‘It’s a Boy!’. Yes, Kid Poker will have a Baby Poker in November, and we’re delighted for both him and his wife Amanda after their epic parental journey is destined for a blessing in the Negreanu household. Could ‘Rocky’ be a good early name pick? We wouldn’t rule it out.