Daniel Aharoni Thought He Was Out, Then Won $861,287 in the WSOP Big O

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Last updated: Jun 17, 2026 Published: Jun 16, 2026 5 min read

Daniel Aharoni never imagined he would win a World Series of Poker bracelet.

The cash game player from New York seldom plays tournaments. He hadn’t even entered a WSOP event in two years. But when he decided to take his shot at the $10,000 Big O Championship, he made the most of a rare opportunity.

Aharoni dominated the final day on his way to defeating Aaron Kupin heads-up to win the $861,287 top prize for emerging on top of the 456-player field. The score was not only the biggest of his career, but it was more than all of his previous tournament earnings combined.

Event #42: $10,000 Big O Championship Final Table Results

Winner's Reaction

On the last hand of the tournament, Kupin had straight and flush draws with a draw to a low, but it was Aharoni who ended up holding on with a pair of tens and making a low on the river to scoop the pot and secure the title. “I had to fade a lot of cards, obviously. Just relief at the end of it,” he said.

“It’s definitely important. It’s very prestigious. I didn’t think it was in the cards for me, to be honest with you. I never play tournaments, so [I'm] very happy.”

Aharoni had experience battling against some of the game’s best in high-roller events before. His only previous WSOP final table came in 2024, when he finished seventh in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller. It was his only prior WSOP cash this decade before this event. He’s also a regular at high-stakes cash games, and during the final table he and Sam Soverel spent some time swapping stories and reminiscing about some of their prior battles over the years.

"I never play tournaments, so [I'm] very happy."

With that background, Aharoni decided one of the most talent-packed fields on the WSOP calendar would be the site of his triumphant return to tournament play. He then had a magical run over the last four days, as he ended Day 1 third in chips, remained inside the top five after Day 2, then took a big chip lead over the final four into the event’s final day.

“Very fun. This is the first tournament I’ve entered in two years, so, you know, nice to come to the WSOP. It’s fun. It’s fun when everything goes well,” he said.

Aharoni Makes the Most of a Second Life

Aharoni’s run nearly came to an end late yesterday. He was all in against Bruno Furth and thought he lost, even getting up to exchange a fist bump with his opponent. Furth, though, then noticed that Aharoni had made a running flush on the river to earn the miraculous and unexpected double, giving Aharoni new life. Aharoni admitted he felt rejuvenated after that hand and never looked back on his way to the title.

“That was very interesting, obviously. You know, you get one life in the tournament, so when you think you die, and then you resurrect, it’s a great feeling, obviously,” he said.

Aharoni Steamrolls Over the Final Four

With his big chip lead over the field entering Day 4, Aharoni never let up. His strategy was to apply constant pressure and whittle down his opponents. “I was decently confident. This is a very volatile game. Any Omaha game is very volatile. Add an extra card, plus Hi-Lo. Cards really matter, obviously. So I was lucky. I think I played well in most of my spots, and I’m happy with the way I played. Obviously, happy with the way it worked out,” he said.

“I would say I was keeping my foot on the pedal, to be honest. I think I won the first seven or eight hands dealt. It started off well. It was good for my mental.”

Aharoni came into Day 4 with 13,050,000, more than double the stack of Kupin in second place. He immediately came out firing, winning nearly all of the hands to begin the final table to increase his lead. He then made a set of tens with a low to scoop Furth and send the two-time bracelet winner to the rail in fourth place.

Aharoni moved up past 20,000,000, more than three times his two opponents combined, but he encountered his first piece of adversity when Kupin made a flush and a low to double up to 6,000,000. Kupin then picked up two aces and four-bet to 2,800,000 in the big blind. Aharoni shot out of his seat and tanked for a minute before giving up his hand on the button, while Doug Lorgeree called all in. Kupin showed down two aces, and Lorgeree pleaded for diamonds to keep his tournament hopes alive. His prayers went unanswered, and Lorgeree busted in third place.

Aharoni led Kupin 18,700,000 to 8,650,000 at the start of heads-up. Kupin then made a full house to double up to more than 12,000,000, but Aharoni kept up his aggression and slowly got those chips back.

After Kupin picked off a bluff on the river, Aharoni won a big pot with a wheel to reopen his two-to-one chip advantage. He then made quad eights against Kupin’s full house, dropping Kupin down to just 4,000,000 as the two players headed off on a short break.

On the first hand back, Kupin potted the flop for 1,750,000 and Aharoni moved all in. Kupin called for 3,010,000 with his draws, but Aharoni’s pair of tens and low earned him the scoop and the bracelet.

While waiting for the bracelet to be presented to him, Aharoni took a quick peek up at the tournament clock to recheck just how much he had won. He hadn’t been motivated to chase them before, and even with a new piece of gold jewelry, he admits the win won’t change too much in his poker career.

“Maybe slightly,” he said about his plans to pursue more bracelets.

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