Smiljkovic Goes Back-to-Back as Million-Dollar Guarantees Shatter at Wynn Summer Classic

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Last updated: Jun 23, 2026 Published: Jun 10, 2026 3 min read

The 2026 Wynn Summer Classic is in full swing at Wynn Las Vegas, running alongside a packed summer poker schedule on the Strip.

This past week saw massive field sizes, crushed guarantees, and an incredible feat of back-to-back victories that stole the spotlight.

Here are the key stories from a thrilling week of tournament action.

Daniel Smiljkovic Captures Back-to-Back Titles in 48 Hour

The undisputed story of the week belongs to Daniel Smiljkovic, who pulled off an incredibly rare back-to-back title run. First, Smiljkovic navigated through a massive field of 1,911 entrants in the $1,100 No-Limit Hold'em $1.5 Million Guaranteed event.

The huge turnout pushed the final prize pool to a staggering $1,843,150. Smiljkovic defeated Noel Eicher heads-up to secure a massive $311,935 payday.

$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Final Table Results

Unsatisfied with just one trophy, Smiljkovic hopped right into the next $1,100 No-Limit Hold'em event the very next day. Outlasting another 209 entries, he found himself heads-up once again, this time defeating Antonio Galiana Ortega to bank an additional $47,719 and cement one of the most dominant 48-hour stretches of the summer.

$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Final Table Results

Joan Crespi Moragues Tops 1,439 Entries to Win $243K

The big fields weren't limited to the weekend. Spain’s Joan Crespi Moragues put on a clinic in the $1,100 No-Limit Hold'em $1 Million Guaranteed event. A total of 1,439 entries flocked to the tournament, easily pushing the final prize pool to $1,439,780.

Moragues ultimately outlasted them all, defeating John Lee heads-up to take home the title and a career-defining $243,739 first-place prize. Lee received a handsome $159,868 consolation prize for his runner-up finish, while Las Vegas local Yutaka Morishima took third place ($122,435).

$1,100 No-Limit Hold'em $1 Million Guaranteed Final Table Results

Mixed-Game Grinders Shine: Sampson and Rhodes Secure Trophies

While No-Limit Hold'em generated the largest prize pools, mixed-game variants brought out specialized fields testing their all-around skills. Devon Sampson triumphed in the $1,100 T.O.E. event, which rotates between 2-7 Triple Draw, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Stud Hi-Lo. Sampson outplayed a 127-entry field to clear his share of the $123,825 prize pool, pocketing $32,053 after defeating Kenneth Reisch heads-up.

Meanwhile, Joshua Rhodes claimed the title in the $1,600 TORSE event. Rhodes topped a field of 103 players to earn $41,823 after defeating Jeffrey Lo in a hard-fought heads-up battle.

High Rollers and Main Event Flights Loom Large

As the week wrapped up, all eyes shifted toward the aging poker elite and the marquee main event flights. The $5,000 Seniors High Roller drew 158 entries for an $846,000 prize pool, narrowing down to its final day with poker legend Michel Abecassis holding the chip lead over notables like Dan Shak, John Juanda, and Cliff Josephy.

Simultaneously, the flagship $1,600 No-Limit Hold'em $2 Million Guaranteed event got underway, with Cynthia Vencebi bagging the overall chip lead (782,000) from the early flights, signaling even bigger fields and payouts just around the corner.

Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He now works as Managing Editor. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.

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• Tags Antonio Galiana Cliff Josephy Cynthia Vencebi Dan Shak Daniel Smiljkovic Devon Sampson Jeffrey Lo Yutaka Morishima Kenneth Reisch Michel Abecassis Joshua Rhodes John Juanda Wynn Wynn Las Vegas Wynn Summer Classic
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