Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship
Day 5 Completed
Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship
Day 5 Completed
For years, Benny Glaser had been considered one of the best mixed-game players on the planet. Now, he has the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy to prove it.
Glaser conquered the 2026 World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players Championship, turning a dominant five-day performance into poker's most prestigious mixed-game title, his ninth WSOP bracelet, and the $1,343,764 top prize.
The victory places Glaser alongside Johnny Moss as the only players in history to win exactly nine WSOP bracelets. Only Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Erik Seidel, and Johnny Chan now stand ahead of him on the all-time bracelet list.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benny Glaser | United Kingdom | $1,343,764 |
| 2 | Josh Arieh | United States | $895,837 |
| 3 | Phil Ivey | United States | $600,698 |
| 4 | Maxx Coleman | United States | $417,607 |
| 5 | Paul Volpe | United States | $301,405 |
| 6 | Kristopher Tong | United States | $226,172 |
| 7 | Jason Mercier | United States | $176,732 |
Glaser has built a reputation as one of poker's premier mixed-game specialists over the past decade.
Since winning his first bracelet in 2015, the British pro has collected titles across Limit 2-7 Triple Draw, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Dealer's Choice, Mixed Omaha, and H.O.R.S.E., establishing himself as one of the most versatile tournament players of his generation.
Two of those victories came in $10,000 championship events, but none carried the prestige of the Poker Players Championship.
"It does feel like a bit of a dream right now. I'm so happy." Glaser told PokerNews after letting the waterworks subside post victory. "It is just the dream, it's just like the pinnacle of mixed games achievement, and it's such a special tournament for me. I'm incredibly grateful."
The Chip Reese Memorial Trophy is widely regarded as the ultimate prize in mixed-game poker. Its list of champions includes Michael Mizrachi, Brian Rast, Daniel Negreanu, Dan Cates, John Hennigan, David Bach, Scotty Nguyen, and Chip Reese himself. And now, Glaser joins that company.
If there were any lingering doubts about Glaser's place among the game's all-time mixed-game greats, the past 12 months have erased them.
He won three bracelets in the space of three weeks during the 2025 World Series of Poker, added two more final-table appearances at WSOP Europe earlier this year, and returned to Las Vegas in 2026 with another exceptional series.
Even with those results, Glaser admitted he had mixed feelings about how his summer had unfolded.
"It was some of both," Glaser said on whether his series so far was pleasing or disappointing. "I'll be honest. With some of the exhaustion and some health issues this summer, it was kind of tough emotionally dealing with things. I was really trying to rally myself. I was getting burned out, so emotionally it was quite tough."
His runner-up finish in the Limit Hold'em Championship was particularly difficult to swallow.
"The second place did sting quite a bit with how it happened. Obviously it's a nice score and I had some other nice results this summer, so I was feeling kind of mixed and still trying to battle through the summer. But this erases any disappointment for the summer by a very long way."
Despite another historic victory, Glaser was hesitant to declare himself the game's best.
"I think I'm up there. I don't personally like saying I'm number one. I think there's a lot of other great players who are in contention."
Instead, Glaser points to the work that goes in long before the cards are in the air.
"I'm trying to study and be the best player that I can be, and through that hopefully just the results keep coming. I think I'm one of the favorites in the field, essentially with how much I play and how much work I've put in, so it's really nice to see the results come in from that."
Rather than proving to be the peak of his career, last summer has become the foundation for something even greater. Nine bracelets before the age of 40 is extraordinary. Winning the Poker Players Championship, however, is something different.
Just six players returned to the Paris Ballroom for the final day, all chasing the top prize from the $5,130,000 prize pool.
Glaser began the day as chip leader, while Maxx Coleman, Poker Hall of Fame snub Josh Arieh, Kristopher Tong, and Phil Ivey all returned with more than five million chips. Paul Volpe was the clear short stack.
Tong, who had spent much of the tournament near the top of the leaderboard, was the first to fall in sixth after Glaser won a race to send the action to the livestreamed feature table.
Short-handed mixed-game battles often become wars of attrition, with fortunes constantly shifting as players battle back from the brink. This one, however, moved at a much quicker pace.
Coleman quickly eliminated Volpe in fifth, and then Coleman followed him out in fourth when Arieh's boat in Pot-Limit Omaha bested three-of-a-kind.
Within the space of a few orbits, the six-handed finale had been cut in half.
Glaser, Arieh, and Ivey made up a star-studded final three, but none carried more pedigree in the event than Ivey. The 11-time bracelet winner was making his fifth PPC final table appearance, yet saw his 7.2 million-chip stack evaporate in just a handful of pots. He bowed out in third place, falling short in his latest bid to capture poker's most coveted mixed-game title.
Arieh & Glaser were essentially even going into heads-up play, but momentum was firmly on the Brit's side.
"I wasn't expecting it to be quite that one sided. I honestly did think I would have an edge, but I did just also run very well in heads up in a lot of spots. It was a quicker battle than I expected given how deep we were, but I'm pretty happy with how I played."
Glaser quickly had Arieh down to two big bets, which turned into four after Arieh doubled.
But there would be no Knicks style come-back for the New Yorker as Glaser received another crowning moment on poker's biggest stage.
Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Benny Glaser raised from the button and called the all-in of Josh Arieh for 950,000 total.
Josh Arieh: A♠7♠4♦3♠
Benny Glaser: A♥Q♦7♦4♣
The board ran out K♣4♠3♥Q♠J♦ and Glaser turned the superior two pair to deny Arieh a chance at the comeback, sending him to the rail in second place for $895,837. A very emotional Glaser sunk down first before walking to his rail and embracing everyone with tears in his eyes.
It was the ninth WSOP gold bracelet for the British mixed game specialist and he takes home the top prize of $1,343,764.
Stay tuned for a recap of today's action.
Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Josh Arieh 9♦8♥7♣6♦ limped in from the button before Benny Glaser A♥J♣10♦2♠ raised from the big blind. Arieh called.
Arieh called bets on the flop and turn for the board to read A♠10♠2♦6♥5♣.
Glaser, with aces and tens and no low, fired a third barrel, sending Arieh into the tank. Arieh was pushed off of his low, and fell under a million.
Seven Card Stud
Benny Glaser: 7♦7♣ / 2♥J♥Q♠5♠ / 10♦
Josh Arieh: J♦J♣ / 2♦9♠4♦8♦ / 6♠
After giving up the previous hand, Josh Arieh was all-in for 1,225,000 total on third street and his jacks in the hole were ahead against sevens in the hole. Neither player caught any further help and Arieh doubled to avoid the elimination for now.
Seven Card Stud
Benny Glaser: K♠4♥ / K♦9♦4♠9♥ / Q♠
Josh Arieh: 10♥8♥ / 2♥8♠J♦3♥ / A♣
Benny Glaser completed with split kings and Josh Arieh called with his three-to-a-flush. Arieh made split eights on fourth and called a bet. Glaser remained ahead on fifth street, and Arieh called another bet.
Arieh picked up a flush draw on sixth, with Glaser making kings and nine. Arieh called another bet to go to seventh.
Arieh bricked on seventh, and folded to a bet.
No-Limit Hold'em
Benny Glaser raised to 400,000 from the button and Josh Arieh defended his big blind.
The 7♣7♥6♦ flop checked through to the Q♥ turn. Arieh check-called for 675,000.
The 6♣ river double paired the board, and Arieh led out for 1,300,000.
Arieh showed down 2♠2♥, and played the board. However, Glaser had Q♣10♣ for queens and sevens to take in another pot.
No-Limit Hold'em
Josh Arieh] raised [kd3d to 400,000 from the button and Benny Glaser called from the big blind with Q♠4♠.
Glaser check-called for 250,000 on the 8♣5♦4♥ flop, bringing in the 9♣ turn. It checked through to the Q♦ river, giving Glaser two pair. He led out for 2,000,000. Arieh thought for a few moments, and then ditched his king-high.
Level: 26
Limit Flop/Draw: 150,000-300,000 Blinds, 300,000-600,000 Limits
Stud Games: 75,000 Ante, 100,000 Bring-In, 300,000 Completion, 300,000-600,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 200,000/300,000 Ante, 100,000-150,000 Blinds
The players have returned from break, and play has resumed.