2026 World Series of Poker

Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker
Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker Event #53: $1,500 Five Card Pot-Limit Omaha Event #54: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship Event #55: $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha Event #56: $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Event #57: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Event #58: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Show All Events
Day: 2c
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Event Info
2026 World Series of Poker
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$14,540,107
Total Entries
10,953
Players Left
2,593
Average Chip Stack
105,602
Total Chips
273,825,000
Players Info - Day 2c
Entries
779
Players Left
259
Players Left 2,593 / 10,953
New Updates

Who Are the Unluckiest Heads-Up Players in WSOP History?

Calum Grant
Calum Grant
Ren Lin x Chino Rheem
Ren Lin x Chino Rheem

Shaun Deeb came up one spot short yet again for a 2026 World Series of Poker bracelet, falling to Joey Couden in Event #52: $3,000 Nine Game Mix after a grueling three-and-a-half-hour heads-up battle. The defeat was Deeb's ninth in a bracelet match and dropped his all-time heads-up record to 8-9.

The latest near miss added to a frustrating run of runner-up finishes for the eight-time bracelet winner. Deeb had already finished second twice at WSOP Europe earlier this year to take an early lead in the Player of the Year race, but after arriving in Las Vegas with just one cash through the opening weeks of the series, another silver medal may prove crucial as he chases back-to-back POY titles.

As painful as Deeb's 8-9 record may be, it doesn't rank among the unluckiest in WSOP history. Several poker crushers have reached heads-up for a bracelet time and again, only to walk away empty-handed. Here are the players with the most WSOP runner-up finishes without ever sealing the deal.