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From Kitchen Table Games to WSOP Glory: Eric Weber Wins Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold'em
After seven hours of play, Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold'em came to a close at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, with one last player standing. Eric Weber of the United States outlasted a massive field of 8,007 entries to capture his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and the $400,000 top prize, the largest score of his poker career.
The event generated a prize pool of $4,035,528. Weber defeated France’s Henry Benamram after a heads-up battle that lasted nearly three levels. Benamram earned $260,000 for his runner-up finish, also the biggest cash of his career, while Finland's Mikko Torkki rounded out the podium in third place for $193,000.
Final Day Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Weber | United States | $400,000 |
| 2 | Henry Benamram | France | $260,000 |
| 3 | Mikko Torkki | Finland | $193,000 |
| 4 | Sriharsha Doddapaneni | India | $145,000 |
| 5 | Michael Helander | United States | $110,000 |
| 6 | Carlos Martinez | Spain | $83,000 |
| 7 | Glenn Thompson | United States | $64,000 |
| 8 | Renato Roizenblit | Brazil | $50,000 |
| 9 | Michael Moncek | United States | $40,071 |
Final Day Action
Sixteen players returned for the final day, but it didn't take long for the official final table to be reached.
Starting the day sixth in chips, Weber had plenty of work ahead of him. Climbing through the ranks, however, was something he had become accustomed to ever since being inspired by Chris Moneymaker's legendary victory, a story he first heard when he was 17 years old.
"I've been playing poker since I was a kid with my dad and uncles around the kitchen table. When Moneymaker won the Main Event, I fell in love with the game. I've been coming to Vegas twice a year and every World Series, mostly playing the daily tournaments and grinding it out, hoping one day I'd be able to play bigger events."
One of Weber's biggest obstacles throughout the day was Sriharsha Doddapaneni of India, who got off to a fast start and quickly built one of the largest stacks in the tournament.
Doddapaneni began his ascent by eliminating Japanese Kazuto Takeuchi in 16th place when his pocket eights flopped a set against Takeuchi's ace-king. Shortly afterward, he sent his countryman Amit Kaushik to the rail in 14th place when his king-jack dominated Kaushik's queen-jack.
Between those eliminations, Weber took a shot at Doddapaneni's growing stack, moving all in with pocket sevens and securing a crucial double-up. That early boost gave Weber the ammo he needed to navigate the increasingly difficult field.
Weber admitted afterward that Doddapaneni was the player he feared most among the remaining competitors. "I know he plays a lot of big games and has a lot of cashes." By the time the unofficial final table was reached, Doddapaneni controlled roughly a quarter of all chips in play and continued applying relentless pressure.
Weber picked the perfect moment to strike back when Doddapaneni shoved from the button and Weber called from the big blind with ace-king. His big slick held against Doddapaneni's queen-jack, scoring Weber another vital double-up.
The turning point between the two rivals came shortly after Doddapaneni lost a sizable pot to eventual runner-up Benamram.
"In a hand against the runner-up, he lost a big pot. The next hand, I picked up pocket kings and tried to make it look like a bluff. I knew he was a little tilted, so there was a chance he'd make a mistake."
After Weber three-bet, Doddapaneni responded by moving all in with ace-eight, unaware he was running into Weber's pocket kings. The cooler resulted in a massive double-up for Weber and vaulted him into the chip lead.
Following that blow, Doddapaneni's tournament life was on shaky ground, and he eventually exited in fourth place.
Meanwhile, Benamram had been building a stack of his own. The Frenchman eliminated Daniel Biddle in 12th place, Glenn Thompson in seventh, Michael Helander in fifth, and Mikko Torkki in third. By carefully picking his spots, Benamram recorded the most eliminations at the final table, which pushed his run deeper to make it to the final two, initially with the chip advantage, until Weber evened things up.
So, when heads-up play began, Weber and Benamram were virtually even in chips, making the championship anyone's to win.
The duel proved to be a grind. Unlike previous deep runs, Weber entered the day with a different mindset.
"In the past, I would get frustrated and feel like I needed to win. This time, if I lost a hand, I just moved on to the next one." That approach benefited him as the match wore on. "I could tell after a while that my opponent was getting a little fatigued and tired, so I was just waiting for him to make mistakes."
The battle lasted nearly three levels, with many pots ending before the turn card was even dealt. Weber's well-timed aggression gradually tilted the momentum in his favor, though Benamram continued to fight back and evened the chip counts several times, including during the penultimate level.
Eventually, the mistake Weber had been waiting for arrived.
After enduring relentless pressure throughout the match, Benamram moved all-in with jack-nine, only to run into Weber's pocket kings. The board offered no help, and Weber's kings held to secure the championship.
Reflecting on his victory, Weber laughed as he revealed how close he came to missing the moment altogether.
"I was actually supposed to go home this morning, but we made it to the final day. I had to change my flight and book another room.
Beyond the money, it’s every poker player’s dream to win the bracelet. So whether it’s the Main Event or this event, it doesn’t matter. A bracelet is a bracelet. Tens of thousands come here every year, so it means so much."
As for the celebration? "I'm definitely going out for dinner and drinks. After that, I don't know. I've got an early flight tomorrow."
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold'em. Stay tuned for continuing coverage of the 2026 World Series of Poker from Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.