WSOP 2023 Day 26 Recap: Nick Pupillo Wins First Bracelet, Tag Team Tournament Title Won by Team Savakinas

Four bracelets were won by three players on a day of drama at the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP). There were victories in PLO, Triple Draw and the Tag Team Event which saw a stunning finale award bracelets to both winners at the Horseshoe in Las Vegas. With four other events in progress, Sin City saw every seat filled as players battled for gold on the Strip.

Nick Pupillo Wins Triple Draw for First Bracelet

Nick Pupillo won his first-ever WSOP bracelet after conquering the Mixed Triple Draw Event #52 for a top prize of $181,978. Beating Ryan Moriarty heads-up, Pupillo also outlasted players such as Aaron Mermelstein and Tomomitsu Ono at the final table felt.

Six players began the final table and by the time they did, Anatolii Zyrin had busted in 7^th place for $18,398 as Brant Hale scored an important elimination. Despite this, Hale was the next man out, before a misread hand where Hye Park mucked the winning hand in Badugi saw the American eventually pay for that error by sliding out in 5^th place.

After the Japanese player Ono had busted in 4^th, Mermelstein missed out on the heads up battle, and in doing so lost a pot to Pupillo which hand the final day favorite a big lead. He didn’t miss the opportunity to put it to good use and eliminated Moriarty in second place to claim gold for the first time in Las Vegas, celebrating with his rail.

Tag Team Event Won by Team Savakinas for $190k

A thrilling ending to the $1,000-entry Tag Team event saw Michael Savakinas and Satoshi Tanaka take the top prize of $190,662 as they conquered a fun event by beating Vincent Moscati and Tanner Bibat heads-up for the bracelets. In an event where players such as David Williams with his team partner Theo Tran finished in 7^th place for $26,000, Tanaka paid tribute to his partner Savakinas for a match-winning strategy no-one else adopted.

“When the final table started, we decided to switch on the levels,” he told reporters. “I think that gave us an edge because no one else was doing that.”

When all was said and done, the pair both won debut bracelets as they celebrated a victory that has further cemented an already rock-solid friendship.

“We get along outside of poker too, so naturally if things go wrong in poker we help each other out, but not just poker-wise, with everything.”

Lou Garza Wins First Bracelet... Then Produces a Ring!

Texan player Lou Garza won a pulsating final table in the $10,000 buy-in PLO Championship, beating fellow Texas-based player Arthur Morris to the crown. Upon victory, Garza, who had previously won a WSOP Circuit ring, produced a ring of a different sort as he got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend at the final table!

Hugs, kisses and pictures ensued, with jewelry on show at the felt as Garza also banked a career-high score of $1.3 million by taking down the latest $10,000-entry Championship event. With players such as Kosei Ichinose (8^th) and Sam Soverel (7^th) making the official eight-handed final table, Garza had seen off real quality for the crowning moment of his poker career - and life... so far.

Billy Baxter Chasing Old Glory in Seniors Championship

WSOP legend Billy Baxter ended the penultimate night of Event #48, the $1,000-entry Seniors Championship in 7^th place from 29 survivors as he pursues the $765,731 top prize in style. Gordon Eng (15.9m) leads the way, but Baxter, who piled up 6.4 million chips, is poised for a run at his 8^th WSOP bracelet tomorrow on a day of destiny.

Only two other former WSOP bracelet winners took stacks into the final day, with Jiaqi Xu (4.7m) and Dan Heimiller (3.6m) way down the list. It could be Baxter’s day on Sunday night as the Seniors Championship comes to a close.

Millionaire Maker Enjoys Bumper Day 1b

An incredible day of entries took place on Day 1b of the Millionaire Maker. The event, officially Event #53 of the 95 WSOP bracelet events scheduled to take place this summer in Las Vegas, saw 4,585 entries on the second Day 1 flight of the action, with those numbers confirming the event as the biggest $1,500 buy-in tournament in poker history.

Of the Day 1b entries, just 1,310 players survived to Day 2, with Zilong Zhang (407,000) the chip leader from Christian Vaca (405,000) at the top of the leaderboard. Plenty of big names made the cut, with WSOP Main Event world champions Espen Jorstad (149,500) and Jamie Gold (83,000) joined in the Day 2 seat draw by others such as Loni Hui (220,000), Faraz Jaka (57,000), and Vanessa Kade (51,000).

Hellmuth Still Chasing 17^th Bracelet in H.O.R.S.E.

Of the 17 players who remain in the hunt for the Event #54 bracelet, in the $10,000-entry H.O.R.S.E. Championship, Phil Hellmuth (900,000) sits in the exact middle position of the deck in 8^th place on the leaderboard. Chasing what would be a record-extending 17^th WSOP bracelet in the event, the ‘Poker Brat’ still needs to ride out two more days play but has every shot as the players convene for the third day of action.

Brian Yoon (1,465,000) currently leads the field and Yoon will be tough to stop having already won a WSOP title – his fifth – this summer in this year's $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship. Yoon is closely followed by Connor Drinan (1,200,000) and Christopher Claassen (1,070,000) in the counts, with Scott Seiver (965,000), and Carol Fuchs (865,000) completing a dangerous top five.

Rodawig Leads, Rast Chasing in Seven Card Stud

The opening day’s play in Event #55, the $1,500-entry Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better event saw 566 entries whittled down to 183 survivors, with just 95 due to be paid. Of the survivors, Eric Rodawig (234,500) leads the field, with the chip leader a sleeper challenge to anyone who has designs on the title; he beat Phil Hellmuth to the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship event 12 years ago this summer.

Hellmuth, as we’ve already told you, is busy elsewhere, but plenty of other luminaries of the game will be a major obstacle to be overcome on Day 2, with Kao Saechao (155,000), Brian Rast (118,000), Frankie O'Dell (100,000), Adam Friedman (98,500) and Norman Chad (70,000) all in there scrapping.

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