The 2026 World Series of Poker has continued to provide outstanding moments in the last week of action.
This week, Naseem Salem was the standout star, finally winning his first WSOP bracelet after decades on the tournament circuit.
He emerged victorious in the $10,000 GGMillion$ event, earning over $1 million, following a heartbreaking second-place finish two years ago.
Other highlights this week included Dimitar Danchev winning one of the most sought-after titles of the summer at the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship.
Scott Clements also captured his fourth WSOP bracelet, while the WSOP announced a major global television partnership to reach millions of new audiences around the world.
Naseem Salem Captures First WSOP Bracelet and $1.08 Million Payday
Naseem Salem Wins First WSOP Bracelet (Image Courtesy of WSOP)
Naseem Salem experienced one of the biggest moments of his life when he won $1,089,964 during the USA Poker Tour at the 2026 World Series of Poker for the first time.
The tournament attracted 627 entries, generating a prize pool of $5,830,000.
Salem started the last day as the chip leader and managed to navigate through a very tough field that included many of the best-known players in the world of poker.
Some prominent players who finished in the top 10 but didn't make it to the final table included Stephen Chidwick, Andrew Lichtenberger, Andrew Moreno, and Michael Moncek.
The final table saw a lot of action, and the game eliminated many players.
Salem eliminated John Racener in the fifth spot when his pocket six improved to quads while Racener had pocket nines.
He eliminated Chad Lipton in third place when he flopped a full house with 
.
Cruz had a slight chip lead as heads-up play started.
Just a few hands earlier, Salem took the chip lead by winning with 
after he paired an ace on the turn against Cruz, who held 
.
At the end of the hand, Cruz was unable to hit his card on the river to win the final table and the title, and it was the first win in his life and for Salem.
As the second-place finisher, Cruz earned $726,598.
Dimitar Danchev Wins $25,000 Heads-Up Championship
Dimitar Danchev Wins $25,000 Heads-Up Championship Event (Image Courtesy of WSOP)
Dimitar Danchev won his second WSOP bracelet after taking down the prestigious $25,000 Heads-Up Championship event for $800,000.
Danchev is now a part of an elite group in history to win a WSOP bracelet after defeating the biggest field of players ever to participate in a championship event.
Winning this championship event brings Danchev's career earnings to nearly $13.1 million in tournament play.
This year's tournament was changed to use a new format (two starting flights) and expanded size to give players who were eliminated from their starting flight the ability to re-enter the tournament a second time.
By changing the field to be 128 players rather than the traditional 64-player bracket, the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship will now have the largest record-sized field of competitors in the history of the WSOP.
During his run for the championship, Danchev faced off against several world-renowned professionals, including Florian Pesce, Ding Biao and Ryuta Nakai.
In the final match of the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, Danchev battled Nikita Kuznetsov in a marathon fight that lasted several hours.
The final hand of Danchev determined the winner of the event: Danchev's 
which makes up a full house, versus Kuznetsov's three of a kind, on a 
board.
This victory also includes the added prestige of Danchev winning his second WSOP championship title.
Kuznetsov took home $528,000 as the runner-up, and both Alex Foxen and Ryuta Nakai received $300,000 for their efforts as semifinalists.
Scott Clements Claims Fourth WSOP Bracelet
Scott Clements Wins Fourth Bracelet (Image Courtesy of WSOP)
Scott Clements became a champion again at the World Series of Poker by winning the $10,000 Omaha Eight-or-Better Championship for $450,176.
He won his first bracelet almost 20 years ago in the same game and his fourth overall. His lifetime tournament winnings now total nearly $8.7 million.
The tournament had 204 entries, and many of those who entered were multiple bracelet holders, making it one of the toughest final tables of the summer.
Prominent names that finished close to the top late in the tournament included Phil Hellmuth, Josh Arieh, James Obst, Todd Brunson, and Dylan Weisman.
Phil Hellmuth was eliminated from the tournament in seventh place, and defending champion Ryan Bambrick finished in sixth.
Clements quickly closed out the championship after starting heads-up for the title with a large chip lead against Dylan Weisman.
The last hand, Clements scooped both the high and low pots, earning Clements the championship and yet another major title for one of the most well-known mixed game players in poker.
Weisman earned $299,228 for his runner-up finish.
WSOP Expands Global Reach With Major Broadcast Deal
WSOP Logo
The World Series of Poker has announced an important media deal that will greatly expand poker’s global reach.
The WSOP has partnered with Warner Bros.
Discovery for three years, allowing for Main Event broadcasts to be available across Europe, Asia, Latin America, the UK, and Ireland.
As part of this agreement, main event broadcasts will be available via Eurosport in parts of Europe and Asia, TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, and Space in Latin America.
In addition, HBO Max will offer on-demand highlights in select regions.
This deal will allow poker fans to watch all Main Event and included highlight events on Eurosport, TNT Sports, or Space in selected countries, starting with the July 2, 2026, opening of the Main Event 2026 WSOP.
While we move through the summer schedule, the WSOP has created some buzzworthy moments both on and off of the tables.
There are still many major championships that will award trophies, and therefore, there will be multiple other stories that will likely create headlines in next week's poker news cycle.
