button in SafariLucky WSOP Player Pulls $1 Million Bounty in Mini Mystery Millions
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It took some time, but the $1 million mystery bounty eventually surfaced.
Just under six hours after Day 2 of the inaugural Mini Mystery Millions got underway at the 2026 World Series of Poker, one fortunate player peeled back the tournament's most wanted prize.
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Patience Pays Off as Shelton Wins a Million
It took 43 players drawing from the Gold Chest, which contained any bounty prize worth $25,000 or more, before the $1,000,000 bounty was pulled.
Jeff Platt was joined on stage by Shelton, who selected his ticket and slowly pulled it from the packaging. The first digit was a one, and he instantly knew what it meant. He had pulled the biggest Mystery Bounty on offer and was suddenly a millionaire.
According to PokerNews live reporter Tim Baker, Shelton erupted in celebration, shouting and screaming uncontrollably, while the rest of the field let out a collective sigh, knowing the biggest bounty was off the table.
Shelton finished 102nd in the Mini Mystery Millions for $3,350, but the seven-figure prize will be of considerably more interest to him, his family and his friends.
Millionaire Shelton's Reaction
Shelton spoke exclusively to PokerNews and said that his bustout, in part, led him to draw the top bounty.
"When I drew [the Gold Chest], I was under the gun," he explained. "So I said I'd play my button and then go up after that. But on my button, I get AxKx in against 8x8x to bust.
"So if I'd have just gone up straight away, I'd still be in the tournament."
"It pretty much doubles my net worth!"
But Shelton says he's not too worried about that now that he's $1,000,000 richer.
"It pretty much doubles my net worth!" he said. "Part of me felt like this was my year. I'm not a super superstitious person, but I felt something big was going to happen."
By the time Shelton went to draw, there was a 1 in 8 chance for him to score the seven-figure score, something he says he wasn't worried about as he's "hit way worse than one in eight before."
"I'm the second-best poker player from Sacramento, behind Mike Postle"
Describing himself as a lucky recreational player, Shelton says outside of poker, he manages property, but he won't be looking to grind many more tournaments with his newfound wealth.
"One World Series of Poker tournament a year is too much grind. I'm a recreational player. I'm the second-best poker player from Sacramento, behind Mike Postle.
"I'm going to party and play around with the boys. Hopefully, I survive and don't go too hard. And then I just have to figure out where I go from there!"
Shelton Joins Glantz & Montoya in Million Dollar Bounty Club
While the Mini Mystery Millions is making its debut on the WSOP schedule this summer, the seven-figure bounty has already become one of the series' most sought-after prizes thanks to the success of its bigger brother, the $1,000 Mystery Millions.
The first-ever $1 million bounty was pulled by Matt Glantz when the tournament debuted in 2022, creating one of the most memorable moments of that year's WSOP.
Since then, tens of thousands of players have flocked to the event chasing the dream of turning a tournament knockout into a life-changing score.
Last summer, that dream became reality for 23-year-old Tyler Montoya. Remarkably, it took less than an hour for the top prize to be claimed, with Montoya finding the million-dollar envelope on just the seventh bounty draw of the day.
"If you're a stripper at the strip club, you should be working tonight," Montoya advised after revealing the prize.
