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Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS
Day 4 Completed
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS
Day: 4
Event Info
2026 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 4
Buy-in
$500
Prize Pool
$6,751,635
Total Entries
16,269
Level
50
Blinds
10,000,000 / 20,000,000
Ante
200,000,000
Entries
9
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 16,269
Filter
Level 50
: Blinds 10,000,000/20,000,000, 200,000,000 ante
Justin Smith, from Yakima, Washington, stood alone after he navigated a massive field of 16,269 players in Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS to take down the title.
Smith, a quality engineer, was in a state of shock after scoring the $550,000 first place prize, which easily represents the highest score of his poker career as he entered the final day with just under $60,000 in career earnings.
Stunned by capturing his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, Smith explained he began to play poker when he was younger and has played ever since. It isn’t hard to imagine that nothing could match his experience at the 2026 WSOP, where he will forever now be known as a WSOP champion for the rest of his playing days.
“I can’t believe it yet,” Smith said to PokerNews. “I don’t know what to say.”
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Smith | United States | $550,000 |
| 2 | Myles German | United States | $367,000 |
| 3 | Victor Chong | Malaysia | $278,000 |
| 4 | Yuefan Wang | United States | $212,000 |
| 5 | Jose Orozco Gomez | Mexico | $163,000 |
| 6 | Karabet Keshishyan | United States | $125,000 |
| 7 | Andrew Sanchez | United States | $98,000 |
| 8 | Eric Baldwin | United States | $76,000 |
| 9 | Min Ji | United Kingdom | $60,171 |
Smith came into the final table fourth in chips, but he hit his stride as the day went on to rise up the chip counts. By the first break of the day, he was tied for the chip lead with Yuefan Wang.
However, Smith’s time in the sun was not a sustained experience, as he would hit a roadblock when he sank to as low as four big blinds with four players left.
Smith found a second wind after he won with an ace-jack versus Wang’s ace-six to get back in the match, a turning point for the eventual champion.
“I actually thought I was going to win it before that because I was chip leader for a while, and then I took some hits. Took some races that I didn’t win,” Smith said. “I doubled up on that one, and I took the other player out, so it was three of us. I figured I could probably get it done.”
His ascension to a title is the beauty of the COLOSSUS event. Smith only had one five-figure cash to his name, and it came back in 2014, according to the The HendonMob. Smith had cashed in his last two attempts at the COLOSSUS event, but it turned out third time was the charm and it was to the tune of his first six-figure score.
Smith circled the COLOSSUS on his calendar, as it is one of the more accessible tournaments on the WSOP schedule.
“It’s just a fun tournament to play. A lot of people, it’s an easy buy-in,” said Smith. “I saw a lot of people coming and going all day long the last four days.”
Smith stated that today turned out to be his last day at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, as he is scheduled to return home to Washington tomorrow. The newly minted champion was noncommittal on whether he would return to play any of the events this summer.
Smith could never play a tournament again, and it won’t matter, because he is now a WSOP bracelet holder, and that is not a title that can be taken away from him.
Final Table Action
Wang entered the final table with the most chips, but it was Smith who would score the first knockout when he eliminated Min Ji from contention when his ace-queen held. Ji was followed by two-time bracelet winner Eric Baldwin in eighth place before Andrew Sanchez hit the rail in seventh.
Myles German would prove to be tough to eliminate at this final table as he escaped from busting out time and time again. This trend began when he managed to spike a two outer on the river to double through Karabet Keshishyan.
Smith spoiled German’s momentum when he doubled through him to rise in the chip counts.
Wang took the chip lead off Smith, but it did not last long. German’s survivability was on display when he doubled again by overcoming Wang’s bigger ace to drop Wang back down to earth.
Jose Orozco Gomez scored a knockout when he extinguished Keshishyan in sixth place, but it was Gomez himself who would be next to fall in fifth place a half hour later.
German landed his third double up of the final table; this time, it was Victor Chong’s turn to pay the man as German won a flip.
Chong then dealt a major blow when he cracked Wang’s pocket kings. This was a harbinger of things to come for Wang as he was sent out in fourth place at the hand of Smith. Chong was next to fall in third, setting the stage for the heads-up match between German and Smith.
The heads-up match only lasted one hand, as Smith finished the pesky German once and for all to capture the title.
This concludes coverage of Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS. Check back here at PokerNews for continued coverage of the 2026 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
Level 50
: Blinds 10,000,000/20,000,000, 200,000,000 ante
Myles German shoved for 190,000,000 on the button and was called by Justin Smith from the big blind in the first hand of the heads-up match, with German at risk.
Myles German: 8♠8♦
Justin Smith: A♠K♥
German stayed ahead on the 4♣J♥2♥ flop, but the 10♥ turn was ominous as it gave Smith a flush draw.
German would see his tournament run end on the 4♥ river as it gave Smith the flush and the title. German earned $367,000 for his second-place finish.
Level 50
: Blinds 10,000,000/20,000,000, 200,000,000 ante
Justin Smith raised to 100,000,000 from the small button, and called when Victor Chong three-bet to 190,000,000, leaving 5,000,000 behind from the small blind.
The Q♥J♣7♥ flop checked through to the A♠ turn, where the final chips went in.
Victor Chong: K♥Q♠
Justin Smith: A♦6♦
Smith turned top pair, moving ahead of Chong's pair of queens. There was no help on the 9♥ river, and Chong exited in third place.
Level 50
: Blinds 10,000,000/20,000,000, 200,000,000 ante
Myles German J♦10♥ limped in from the button, and Justin Smith J♠5♥ followed suit in the small blind. Victor Chong 10♠4♣ checked his option.
It checked to German on the A♥K♥7♣ flop, and his bet of 30,000,000 won him the pot.
Level 50
: Blinds 10,000,000/20,000,000, 200,000,000 ante
Level 50
: Blinds 10,000,000/20,000,000, 200,000,000 ante
Yuefan Wang limped in from the small blind and called off his stack of 140,000,000 after Justin Smith jammed for the same amount from the big blind.
Yuefan Wang: A♠Q♣
Justin Smith: Q♦J♣
Wang had Smith dominated, and remained ahead after the 9♠8♣2♣ flop. Smith picked up four more outs with a straight draw, which failed to come on the 4♦ turn. However, the J♠ river gave Smith a pair for the checkmark, and Wang took his final bad beat of the tournament.
Level 50
: Blinds 10,000,000/20,000,000, 200,000,000 ante
Yuefan Wang raised to 75,000,000 from the cutoff. Justin Smith committed his final 60,000,000 and the blinds folded.
Justin Smith: A♦J♣
Yuefan Wang: A♠6♥
Smith's superior ace held up, as he made queens and jacks on the Q♥6♦Q♣K♥J♠ runout.
Level: 50
Blinds: 10,000,000/20,000,000
Ante: 200,000,000
Level 49
: Blinds 10,000,000/15,000,000, 15,000,000 ante
Yuefan Wang jammed for 115,000,000 from the cutoff and was called by Justin Smith from the button.
Yuefan Wang: A♣K♦
Justin Smith: A♥9♣
Wang's Big Slick was never in trouble, and he doubled up after the 10♣4♣4♠Q♦A♦ runout.
