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Event #54: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship
Day 3 Completed
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #54: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. 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
$1,422,900
Total Entries
189
Level
27
Limits
0 / 0
Ante
0
Entries
11
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 189
Filter
Level 27
Limit Flop/Draw: 75,000-150,000, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
“We’re back. It’s like we never left.”
With those words, World Series of Poker host Jeff Platt greeted Calvin Anderson after Anderson defeated Josh Arieh in a short heads-up match to win Event #54: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship. It was just earlier this week that Anderson stood on that same stage to accept his sixth WSOP bracelet for winning the $10,000 Razz Championship. He had to wait just a few days for No. 7.
Anderson took home the $413,580 top prize for beating out the 189-player field and capturing the title that elevates him to a higher pantheon among poker’s greatest players. He becomes only the 18th player in WSOP history to win seven bracelets, and joins Naoya Kihara on the short list of going back-to-back in $10,000 championship events. It’s a stunning accomplishment in a short time for a player who already had a stellar record at the WSOP, but for Anderson, the joy of playing and the focus it takes to beat out these star-studded fields is what really matters to him.
Event #54: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship Final Table results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calvin Anderson | United States | $413,580 |
| 2 | Josh Arieh | United States | $275,620 |
| 3 | John Veltri | United States | $190,150 |
| 4 | Yannick Jobin | Switzerland | $134,350 |
| 5 | Robert Mizrachi | United States | $97,270 |
| 6 | David Bach | United States | $72,200 |
| 7 | Nicolas Milgrom | France | $54,990 |
| 8 | David Lin | United States | $42,990 |
“My mind doesn’t work that way,” he admitted afterward.
“If he cared, he would have 20 bracelets, minimum,” friend Ray Fishman joined in from his sizeable rail.
“I don’t think about those type of things, really. I just want to feel forward, you know? I’m just thinking about the next thing,” Anderson added.
"I Feel Like This is Where I Belong": Anderson Keeps His Focus at Marathon Final Table
The past week has seen Anderson survive two grueling final tables to emerge as champion. He’s had little time for rest, but the thrill of victory far surpassed any feelings of exhaustion he might have had. “Not a lot of sleep, but it’s been a blast. I’m having a lot of fun, you know. I feel like this is where I belong, you know, when you win like this. It’s a good feeling for sure,” he said.
Anderson began the day as chip leader among the final 11 who returned to the Paris Las Vegas ballroom at 1 p.m. local time. The final table was set early with the eliminations of Brian Yoon and Ariel Mantel, while Chris Brewer, David Lin, Nicolas Milgrom, and David Bach were early final-table casualties. Anderson, Arieh, and John Veltri took turns swapping the chip lead, and Arieh spiked an ace on seventh street to bust Robert Mizrachi in fifth place to firmly plant himself atop the leaderboard. Arieh also eliminated Yannick Jobin in fourth place, and what followed turned out to be an exhaustive, combative, and, at times, testy three-handed matchup that went on for nearly five hours. Anderson and Veltri exchanged some heated words after Veltri was ruled not to have made a legal raise. The three players took turns holding the chip lead numerous times before Anderson finally seized control and moved past 8,000,000.
Veltri turned out to be the odd one out, falling in third place after Anderson made a straight in Stud Hi-Lo. Anderson led Arieh 8,700,000 to 2,640,000 at the start of heads-up, and won a big pot in Seven Card Stud when Arieh folded on seventh to leave himself with just two big bets. While Arieh managed to double up once, he then ran his straight into Anderson’s flush as the future Hall of Famer fell just short of his eighth bracelet.
Clean Living and Steady Focus Keys to Anderson's Success
Anderson spent the long hours of three-handed play focused not on the time or the swings in momentum, but on trying to concentrate mainly on things he could control. “We did play for a while. I don’t even know how long we played, but, like I was saying, I don’t really think about it. I just play, you know. I wasn’t even really counting my chips that much, either. I’m just like, okay, what’s the best move in that situation? And I’m going to try to do that,” he said.
Anderson credits his ability to endure these endurance tests to a habit of clean living and staying away from anything that could negatively affect his play. “I’ve done it forever, I guess. I take a good bit of supplements. I don’t drink. I eat pretty clean, so that stuff helps a lot too. Just not doing any of that stuff, that, you know, require a lot of enzymes to break down and just like, yeah, make you tired. So I don’t do a lot of that stuff. I think the guy that got third was drinking a little bit, and it kind of wears on you after a while,” he said.
Anderson’s seven bracelets have come in a wide variety of formats. His first was in Stud Hi-Lo. He’s won the Razz Championship twice. And he’s now won two in mixed games, following his victory in the $10,000 Eight-Game Mix two years ago. He admits he’s not an expert in every game, but knowing how to adapt and adjust his play based on his opponents’ perceived weaknesses and strengths is a big part of why Anderson has done so well in these events over the years.
“It really comes down to who you’re playing against because certain people have really strong games and then weak games. So I try to veer away from the people in their strong games. Preparing for the final table, I talked to a few friends that know some of these players and what their strong games are. And I’m just adaptable because I feel like a lot of people were pretty good at Limit Hold’em and Omaha 8, which is like a weird thing. They’re pretty, like, high-variance games. And then I feel like I was shining more in the stud games, so that’s kind of what I was trying to do given the lineup that was at the final table,” he said.
Another Big Test Coming Up For Anderson Tomorrow
Anderson’s sights are next set on the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship that begins tomorrow. His friends on the rail joked to the assembled media at the final table that they should prepare to see him there again in a few days. In fine form heading into the biggest mixed game tournament on the calendar, Anderson feels good about his game. He’s just not going to draw too much attention to himself. He’ll leave that to others if they want to consider him among the favorites.
“My confidence doesn’t really, like, necessarily work that way. I’ve always been confident in myself, I guess…but I feel uncomfortable, like, being, you know, doing what a lot of these people do that, you know, steal the attention and stuff. That’s not really my style. I’m more like a supporter of others, I’d say,” he said.
“Playing these games, watching a lot of people make a lot of mistakes, makes me feel a lot better because, you know, most people just think that people are pretty good at all these games and they’re relatively solved, but, yeah, I saw a lot of mistakes that I was quite surprised by. So I feel stronger about my game, for sure.”
Anderson’s victory and second bracelet of the summer will push him up to second place on the Player of the Year standings. It wasn’t necessarily a goal for Anderson coming into the series, and he hasn’t put in the volume that others do trying to chase it. Anderson’s philosophy has been to play what he wants, when he wants, and the results will speak for themselves.
“I think most good players play and then if they do well, then they consider it once they did well. I’m in that category,” he said.
“I didn’t come into the series thinking I was going to win Player of the Year or try to win Player of the Year, necessarily. I just play the stuff I think I’m good at. I skipped a lot of tournaments…I just kind of played the stuff that I felt I was stronger, the stuff that I wanted to do. I think that’s better when you just do what you really feel like doing. So I think just following what you really want to do, and you feel good about, is, like Bashar says, follow your highest excitement. Just doing that for anybody, it’s usually going to work out.”
It certainly has worked out for him. Anderson has found the perfect formula so far, and it took him less than a week to reach new heights in his career.
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the 2026 WSOP.
Level 27
Limit Flop/Draw: 75,000-150,000, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Calvin Anderson is the champion of Event #54: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship, defeating a field of 189 entries to claim his seventh WSOP bracelet, two consecutive Championship victories, and the first-place prize of $413,580!
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calvin Anderson | United States | $413,580 |
| 2 | Josh Arieh | United States | $275,620 |
| 3 | John Veltri | United States | $190,150 |
| 4 | Yannick Jobin | Switzerland | $134,350 |
| 5 | Robert Mizrachi | United States | $97,270 |
| 6 | David Bach | United States | $72,200 |
| 7 | Nicolas Milgrom | France | $54,990 |
| 8 | David Lin | United States | $42,990 |
Stay tuned for a recap of the tournament, along with winner's photos and some words from our champion!
Level 27
Limit Flop/Draw: 75,000-150,000, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Hi-Lo
Josh Arieh: XxXx / 10♦7♥K♦2♠ / Xx 
Calvin Anderson: XxXx / 9♦A♣3♦6♦ / Xx
Arieh completed and Anderson called from the bring-in.
Anderson then led fourth showing the ace and Arieh called. Fifth street checked through.
On sixth, Anderson led again and Arieh called. Then, on seventh, Anderson led, Arieh raised, Anderson raised again, and Arieh called all-in his final 200,000 or so.
Arieh showed Q♣J♦9♣ in the hole for a king-high straight, but it was no good as Anderson revealed K♥Q♦8♦, making a queen-high flush to eliminate Arieh in second.
Level 27
Limit Flop/Draw: 75,000-150,000, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Seven Card Stud
Josh Arieh: 7♠2♦ / 2♥Q♦9♥Xx / Xx
Calvin Anderson: Q♣5♣ / 7♣3♠K♦Xx / Xx
Anderson completed and Arieh called. On fourth, Anderson bet, Arieh check-raised, and Anderson called.
Anderson led fifth, and Arieh called all-in for his final 220,000.
On sixth, Anderson caught the 7♦ to make a higher pair, but Arieh then pulled the 2♣ to make trips. The A♦ on seventh could not improve Anderson, and Arieh doubled.
Level 27
Limit Flop/Draw: 75,000-150,000, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Seven Card Stud
Calvin Anderson: XxXx/Q♠8♦7♥A♣/Xx
Josh Arieh: XxXx/5♠K♦6♠7♦/Xx
Calvin Anderson completed and Josh Arieh called.
Anderson bet on fourth street and Arieh raised. Anderson called that bet, and another from Arieh on fifth.
Anderson then bet on sixth, Arieh raised, and Anderson reraised. Arieh called, leaving himself with 700,000 behind, as they went to seventh. Anderson then put out another bet.
"Can you beat my board?" he asked Arieh, who went deep into the tank for several minutes before giving up his hand.
Level 27
Limit Flop/Draw: 75,000-150,000, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Omaha Hi-Lo
Several of the small early pots in the heads-up match went in the direction of Josh Arieh, until this hand.
Calvin Anderson raised on the button and Arieh called in the big blind.
On the K♦K♣4♦ flop, Arieh check-raised a bet from Anderson, who called.
Arieh led on the 4♣ turn and Anderson stuck around once more.
On the 8♠ river, Arieh check-folded to a bet from Anderson, conceding the pot without showdown.
Level 27
Limit Flop/Draw: 75,000-150,000, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Hi-Lo
John Veltri: XxXx/K♦A♥K♥7♠/Xx
Calvin Anderson: XxXx/4♥2♠7♦6♣/Xx
Calvin Anderson completed, John Veltri raised, and Anderson called.
Both players checked on fourth street. Veltri then bet on fifth, Anderson raised, and Veltri called.
Anderson bet again on sixth and seventh. Veltri called on sixth, then committed his last chips on seventh. Anderson turned over 8♠5♦3♦ for a straight, and Veltri mucked 10♠10♦9♥ as he was sent to the rail in third place.
Level 27
Limit Flop/Draw: 75,000-150,000, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Hi-Lo
John Veltri: XxXx/7♦4♦10♣8♥/Xx
Calvin Anderson: XxXx/3♠3♥5♥5♦/Xx
John Veltri completed, Calvin Anderson raised, and Veltri called.
Anderson bet on fourth street and Veltri raised. Anderson then reraised, and Veltri called.
Anderson bet on fifth and sixth. Veltri called on fifth, then committed his last 150,000 on sixth.
Anderson showed J♠J♣9♣ for two pair, while Veltri had 6♦4♥3♣ to chop the pot.
"He had jacks and fives and I'm freerolling him. If I came out here every summer, I would have 12 bracelets by his standard," Veltri said.
"We would love to have you out. We'll pay for your room," Josh Arieh added.
Level 27
Limit Flop/Draw: 75,000-150,000, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Seven Card Stud
Calvin Anderson: XxXx / 4♦A♥A♣6♥ / Xx
John Veltri: XxXx / A♦9♠5♥ - folded on fifth street
Josh Arieh: XxXx / 9♥5♣9♣10♣ / Xx
Veltri completed, Arieh called, and Anderson called from the bring-in.
Veltri checked to Arieh on fourth who bet, and both opponents called.
Anderson led on fifth with open aces, Veltri folded, and Arieh called with his open nines.
Anderson would then check-call on sixth and check-call for a final time on seventh after a minute's tank, when Arieh's final bet left him with around 75,000 behind. Anderson got the bad news as Arieh tabled K♦9♦2♠ in the hole, and his trip nines were best to double his stack, leaving Veltri as the shortest.
