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Event #23: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship
Day 3 Completed
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #23: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship
Day: 3
Event Info
2026 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$1,209,000
Total Entries
130
Level
25
Limits
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
0
Entries
11
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 130
Filter
Level 25
: Limits 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Ante: 25,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
It took Naoya Kihara 5,103 days to win his second WSOP bracelet. His third took just three.
After winning the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship, Kihara jumped into the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship and went on to top the 130-entry field, defeating $1,500 Seven Card Stud champion James Cheung heads-up to capture $301,970 from the $1,209,000 prize pool.
The man who fired the starting pistol on Japanese bracelet winners at the WSOP now stands alone — a trio of titles to his name, pulling clear of Ryutaro Suzuki and Shiina Okamoto to the summit of his nation's all-time leaderboard.
But perhaps what's most remarkable is how he got there.
Winning back-to-back championship events is a feat so rare it has been achieved only five times in WSOP history. Before Kihara, only Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar, Greg Merson, George Danzer, and Jason Mercier had ever done it.
What makes it all the more extraordinary still is what Kihara told PokerNews after the first of his two victories, that he was 'almost retired... thinking about quitting tournament poker.'
Now, late on a Nevada night at Horseshoe & Paris, seated at the very same table, in the very same seat where he ended that 14-year bracelet drought just days ago, the man from Tokyo became the first double bracelet winner of the series and has rightfully earned his place among the greats.
$10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship Final Table
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naoya Kihara | Japan | $301,970 |
| 2 | James Cheung | United Kingdom | $201,308 |
| 3 | Allen Kessler | United States | $139,036 |
| 4 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | $98,782 |
| 5 | Chris Brewer | United States | $72,254 |
| 6 | Michael Mizrachi | United States | $54,458 |
| 7 | Ryan Miller | United States | $42,333 |
| 8 | Jason Kluska | United States | $33,974 |
Yet Kihara was quick to dismiss any notion that he had suddenly unlocked a secret formula.
"Poker is a mix of luck and skill," he said after securing bracelet number three. "I'm pretty sure I have enough skill, but I need luck also to win the tournament. For a few days, I'm really lucky."
Despite becoming Japan's most decorated WSOP player, he felt the milestone was overdue.
"For me, it's too late," he laughed. "I should have done it before."
Late or not, Kihara now stands alone atop Japan's bracelet leaderboard. And if his final answer of the night is anything to go by, he isn't planning on stopping at three.
"At least one more [bracelet] I need."
Final Day Action
Dan Sepiol, Maksim Pisarenko, and Brad Ruben fell within the first hour of play, setting the official final table. Jason Kluska, who began the day with just one big bet, was next out in eighth place, followed by two-time WSOP bracelet winner and stud specialist Ryan Miller in seventh.
WSOP Main Event champion Michael Mizrachi started the day atop the chip counts, but "The Grinder" gradually slid down the leaderboard as the field shortened. There were flashes of another trademark comeback, something he'd pulled off several times during the tournament, but Chris Brewer brought his run to an end after making trip threes to crack Mizrachi's buried aces.
Brewer, who snapped an almost year-long live tournament cash drought earlier in the series, was making his second final table of the summer. However, another deep run ended in heartbreak. Long plagued by brutal beats on poker's biggest stages, Brewer suffered another cruel exit when Jeremy Ausmus found a full house on seventh street to crack Brewer's flush.
After the dinner break, Cheung took control of the tournament, battering Ausmus in a series of pots as he repeatedly made strong holdings to reduce the field to three.
Then came the Allen Kessler resurgence. As Cheung and Kihara traded blows, Kessler quietly rebuilt his stack, stringing together a few timely pots to briefly move into the chip lead. The momentum, however, was short-lived.
Backed by the largest rail in the room, Kessler was outdrawn in a pair of crucial pots against Cheung and Kihara that left him on the ropes. With little ammunition remaining, he was eliminated by Kihara shortly afterward to a standing ovation.
That left Kihara and Cheung to battle for the bracelet. It was a fitting heads-up clash between two players already enjoying standout summers. Kihara was looking for consecutive championship titles, while Cheung was aiming to make WSOP history as the first player to win both the $1,500 and $10,000 Seven Card Stud events in the same series.
"Today, I was really lucky," he said. "The last one [2-7 Championship], I had to have a lot of patience and today I kept getting really good hands. So I didn't face many tough situations, just because I always got a good hand."
That good fortune showed no signs of slowing down once heads-up play began. Holding the chip lead, Kihara never allowed his opponent back into contention, controlling the duel from start to finish in a one-sided affair that brought the tournament to a swift conclusion.
That wraps up PokerNews' coverage of this event, but as always, be sure to stick around to keep up with all the action from the 2026 WSOP.
Level 25
: Limits 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Ante: 25,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
James Cheung: K♥5♥/7♣9♣4♣8♥/9♠
Naoya Kihara: J♣10♣/5♣10♥2♦K♠/J♠
James Cheung completed and Naoya Kihara raised. Cheung moved all in for his remaining chips and Kihara quickly called to set up a showdown.
Kihara immediately paired his ten on fourth street and Cheung was only able to pick up a gut shot draw by sixth.
Kihara turned over a jack on seventh for two pair, and Cheung slowly squeezed his final card, which turned out to be a 9x — leaving him second-best with a pair of nines to be eliminated in second place.
Level 25
: Limits 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Ante: 25,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Naoya Kihara: A♥10♠2♠ / 9♥A♣10♣2♦
James Cheung: XxXx / 9♣5♣A♦K♠ / Xx
Naoya Kihara called for both players to see fourth street. Kihara bet, and then called when Cheung raised. Fifth street checked through to sixth street, where Cheung bet. Kihara raised and Cheung called.
Cheung check-called on seventh street, and Kihara announced aces up. Cheung couldn't beat the aces and tens and was left on fumes.
Level 25
: Limits 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Ante: 25,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Naoya Kihara: 8♠6♠2♠/K♥J♠Q♠9♦
James Cheung: XxXx/6♣5♦2♣4♦/Xx
Naoya Kihara completed and called a raise from James Cheung.
Kihara check-called a bet from Cheung on fourth street and then led out for bets on fifth through seventh. Cheung called Kihara down and Kihara announced, "Flush," as he turned over three spades.
Cheung shook his head and sent his cards into the muck — awarding the large pot to Kihara to be knocked down to his last million in chips.
Level 25
: Limits 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Ante: 25,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Naoya Kihara: K♣7♠4♦/7♣10♠8♦3♣
James Cheung: XxXx/4♣Q♠A♥10♥/Xx
Naoya Kihara completed and James Cheung called.
Cheung check-raised a bet from Kihara on fourth street and Kihara called.
Both players checked on fifth street and then Kihara called bets from Cheung on sixth and seventh.
"Ace-high," Cheung announced, prompting Kihara to table his cards for a pair of sevens to claim the pot.
Level 25
: Limits 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Ante: 25,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Naoya Kihara: XxXx / 10♣9♦
James Cheung: XxXx / A♠6♠ - folded on fourth street
James Cheung completed and Naoya Kihara called. Cheung then check-folded to a bet on fourth street.
Naoya Kihara: XxXx / 7♦J♥9♣
James Cheung: XxXx / K♥8♣4♥ - folded on fifth street
Cheung completed the following hand and Kihara called once again. Kihara called a bet of fourth street, and folded out Cheung on fifth with a bet when checked to.
Level 25
: Limits 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Ante: 25,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Naoya Kihara: XxXx / 2♠K♥J♣7♦ - folded on sixth street
James Cheung: XxXx / 3♦Q♦A♠10♦
James Cheung completed and then called when Naoya Kihara raised. Kihara bet on fourth street, but faced a raise from Cheung. Kihara called.
Kihara called a bet on fifth street, but conceded the pot on sixth street.
Level 25
: Limits 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Ante: 25,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Naoya Kihara: XxXx/10♦A♥6♥10♣
James Cheung: XxXx/2♥6♠6♣3♠ - folded on sixth street
Naoya Kihara completed and James Cheung defended his bring-in.
Cheung called a bet from Kihara on fourth street and then led out for a bet after pairing his six on fifth. Kihara called.
On sixth street, Kihara paired his ten and led out for a bet. Cheung tanked a while, but eventually decided to lay his hand down — conceding the pot to Kihara.
Level 25
: Limits 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Ante: 25,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Low Card: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits: 100,000-200,000
Naoya Kihara: XxXx / 2♥8♥6♣
James Cheung: XxXx / 7♦4♣K♣ - folded on fifth street
James Cheung completed and Naoya Kihara called. Kihara made the best board on fourth street and bet. Cheung called. Kihara threw out a second bet on fifth street, which folded out Kihara.
Naoya Kihara: XxXx / 2♥8♥6♣
James Cheung: XxXx / 7♦4♣K♣ - folded on sixth street
Cheung completed again a few hands later, with Kihara calling. Kihara called bets on fourth and fifth street, before folding out Cheung with a bet on sixth street.
