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Event #63: $1,000 Mystery Millions No-Limit Hold'em
Day 3 Completed
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #63: $1,000 Mystery Millions No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 3
Event Info
2026 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
Buy-in
$1,000
Prize Pool
$20,073,680
Total Entries
22,811
Level
48
Blinds
6,000,000 / 12,000,000
Ante
12,000,000
Entries
24
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 22,811
Filter
Level 48
: Blinds 6,000,000/12,000,000, 12,000,000 ante
After an up-and-down ride at the final table, Matthew Higgins navigated his way through a fast and furious final day in Event #63: $1,000 Mystery Millions No-Limit Hold'em to take home a cool $1,000,000 first place prize and claim his first gold World Series of Poker bracelet and largest career cash to date, per The Hendon Mob.
Event #63 attracted a monstrous field of 22,811 runners, generating a huge total prize pool of $20,073,680 including the bounties. Of those players, 24 returned to battle it out in Day 3 for the title, with Higgins entering heads-up play against Dominik Panka with a near 3:2 chip lead, before closing out victory under the lights of the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
“I can't describe it, just overwhelmed, feeling very blessed,” Higgins said of his win. “I just historically run so bad in the summer like, run bad in this building, but hey, then everything changed.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Higgins | United States | $1,000,000 |
| 2 | Dominik Panka | Poland | $640,000 |
| 3 | Leo Lombardozzi | France | $490,000 |
| 4 | Thomas Hall | United Kingdom | $375,000 |
| 5 | Brian Smith | United States | $290,000 |
| 6 | Vinay Boob | India | $225,000 |
| 7 | David "ODB" Baker | United States | $176,000 |
| 8 | Imre Makranyi | United States | $140,000 |
| 9 | Edward Pak | United States | $110,003 |
Winner's Background
Higgins is no newcomer to the poker scene, as could be seen from the huge following on his rail. He has numerous WSOPC rings to his name and, prior to today’s win, close to $3,000,000 in live earnings, with his previous largest career cash being just over $222,000, per The Hendon Mob.
Winner’s Reaction
“This morning when I woke up, I just knew (I would win)” commented Higgins when asked if there was a specific point at the final table he thought he could win.
“This is a huge confidence builder. Like I said, I'm in probably a $300,000 downswing since I won the Choctaw Maine in November, so it's huge. Massive."
Higgins thanked his massive rail for the support during the final table and added, “My fiance, you know, she, she misses a lot of this stuff to take care of this stuff at home, so I can do this, obviously do this for my kids”, when asked about others who needed a shout out.
Day Three Action
24 players returned for Day 3 after a Day 2 starting field of 1,236 was gradually whittled down during 17 levels of play at the felt.
Some big names bit the dust before the unofficial final table of ten was formed. Ren Lin was sent to the rail in 23rd place, running into the quads of Imre Makranyi. Narcis Nedelcu was not too far behind Lin in 19th place.
Play slowed down with the unofficial final table approaching and all the major bounty scalps having been claimed. After about three hours of play, the final table was formed when Christopher Basile was eliminated as the unofficial final table bubble boy.
Higgins came into the unofficial final table as the chip leader, but Panka was a close second.
First to be sent home in tenth place was Joey Weissman. He jammed with King-Jack suited into Leo Lombardozzi’s Ace-Ten suited, and even though Wiseman hit two pair, Lombardozzi hit a better two pair.
Panka pulled close to Higgins for the chip lead when he sent Edward Pak home in ninth place, with his pocket Kings holding against Pak’s Ace-ten.
Panka and Higgins battled it out for the chip lead throughout the final table, and it looked like Higgins was going to pull away after he sent Makranyi to the rail in eighth place.
25K Fantasy Draft player and all-around poker legend David "ODB" Baker was unlucky to be sent home in seventh place when his jam with ace-seven was outdrawn by Panka’s Queen-Jack.
Quickly following Baker to the cage was the start of the day chip leader Vinay Boob when his jam with ace-King couldn’t improve against Thomas Hall’s pocket sixes, and Vinay was sent to the rail in sixth place.
Brian Smith was not too far behind Vinay in fifth place, calling off Panka’s small blind jam in the big blind with king-three and not improving against Panka’s ace-six suited.
Panka steamed into a massive chip lead when he cracked Hall's aces to send him home in fourth place in a brutal fashion. Panka’s jam with queen-six suited ran into Hall’s pocket aces but Panka rivered a flush to send Hall packing.
Higgins got a double from Panka to put things on more of an even keel when his king-queen suited held against Panka’s jack-nine suited.
Higgins then retook the chip lead from Panka when he sent Lombardozzi to the cage as the bronze place finisher. Higgins’ pocket tens held against Lombardozzi’s jam with ace-queen.
After taking the lead, Higgins steamrolled the heads-up match against Panka and never really gave him a chance.
The battle lasted less than ten hands, and it came to an end when Higgins limped with aces and allowed Panka to hit a pair before all the chips went in to get his hands on his first WSOP bracelet along with a payout slip for a cool $1,000,000, not forgetting the final $10,000 bounty that he collected.
This concludes coverage of Event #63: $1,000 Mystery Millions No-Limit Hold'em. Stay tuned to PokerNews for more from the 2026 World Series of Poker.
Level 48
: Blinds 6,000,000/12,000,000, 12,000,000 ante
The latest WSOP millionaire has been crowned, as Matthew Higgins has conquered the massive field of 22,811 entries to earn his first gold bracelet, along with the $1,000,000 first-place prize.
Stay tuned for a full recap, along with reaction from the champion.
Event #63: $1,000 Mystery Millions No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Higgins | United States | $1,000,000 |
| 2 | Dominik Panka | Poland | $640,000 |
| 3 | Leo Lombardozzi | France | $490,000 |
| 4 | Thomas Hall | United Kingdom | $375,000 |
| 5 | Brian Smith | United States | $290,000 |
| 6 | Vinay Boob | India | $225,000 |
| 7 | David "ODB" Baker | United States | $176,000 |
| 8 | Imre Makranyi | United States | $140,000 |
| 9 | Edward Pak | United States | $110,003 |
Level 48
: Blinds 6,000,000/12,000,000, 12,000,000 ante
Matthew Higgins limped in on the button, and Dominik Panka checked back in the big blind.
First to act, Panka checked on a 9♣5♥J♣ flop to Higgins, who bet 15,000,000. Panka then put in a check-raise to 38,000,000, and Higgins responded by moving all in. Panka snap-called, putting his stack of around 90,000,000 at risk.
Dominik Panka: J♠7♣ 
Matthew Higgins: A♠A♥
Higgins revealed that he had limped in with pocket aces, and Panka had flopped top pair.
The A♣ turn improved Higgins to top set, but Panka was still in it, having picked up a flush draw.
It was the 10♦ that completed the board, sending Higgins and his rail into jubilant celebrations.
Panka shared a handshake with the champion before heading out.
Level 48
: Blinds 6,000,000/12,000,000, 12,000,000 ante
Matthew Higgins limped on the button, and made the call when Dominik Panka raised to 43,000,000 in the big blind.
Both players checked the J♣7♣9♦ flop, and Panka tapped the table again on the K♦ turn. Higgins counted out a bet of 54,000,000, earning the call before the dealer flipped over the Q♠ river.
Another pair of checks led to showdown, where Higgins tabled Q♥5♥ to take down another pot with his pair of queens. Higgins raked in another big pot, while Panka was left with less than 10 big blinds.
Level: 48
Blinds: 6,000,000/12,000,000
Ante: 12,000,000
Level 47
: Blinds 5,000,000/10,000,000, 10,000,000 ante
Matthew Higgins raised to 20,000,000 on the button, and Dominik Panka three-bet to 70,000,000 in the big blind. Higgins called, taking the two to a flop.
Panka continued for 50,000,000 on a 4♦5♥J♣ flop, and once again, Higgins called.
The 6♣ turn saw Panka slow down, but Higgins speed up, as he took over the betting lead, announcing, "all in".
Panka took no time at all to fold, seeing Higgins' rail go wild with celebrations.
Level 47
: Blinds 5,000,000/10,000,000, 10,000,000 ante
Dominik Panka slid in a call on the button, and Matthew Higgins checked his big blind option. Higgins checked the 10♠J♦4♥ flop, and Panka slid out a bet of 10,000.
The call was made, and both players checked the 5♥ turn. Higgins then led out for 28,000 on the Q♠ river, good enough to take down the pot as Panka folded.
Level 47
: Blinds 5,000,000/10,000,000, 10,000,000 ante
The two remaining players have retaken their seats, and heads-up play has begun with Matthew Higgins holding a slight chip lead.
Level 47
: Blinds 5,000,000/10,000,000, 10,000,000 ante
Leo Lombardozzi raised to 20,000,000 on the button and snap-called when Matthew Higgins moved all in from the big blind.
Lombardozzi had the shorter of the two stacks with 200,000,000, and as such, was the player at risk.
Leo Lombardozzi: A♣Q♠
Matthew Higgins: 10♠10♣
It was a flip to decide Lombardozzi's fate, and, on this occasion, the poker gods favoured Higgins, as the board ran out J♦J♥8♦3♠3♦.
