The World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP 2026) is running right now (September 6-30, 2026). Here’s all you need to know about online poker’s most prestigious series.

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WCOOP 2026 FINAL STATS

Total entries: 593,189
Total prize pools: $49,054,415
Total first-place prizes: $7,999,725

Biggest first-place prize: $551,632 (Felipe “lipe piv” Boianovsky, $10K Main Event/World Championship)

Smallest first-place prize: $234 (“Bunnytrickz7”, $5.50 Women’s Event)

Overall Player of the Series: “FAL1st”

High leader board winner: “FAL1st”
Medium leader board winner: “Unkn0wn123”
Low leader board winner: Mason “Pye_Face21” Pye

Check out the full leader boards here.

Most titles won: 4 (Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi, Johannes “Jepser8” Straver)

In a series where 36 players won more than one title, two players shone brightest: Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi and Johannes “Jepser8” Straver. The latter got the ball rolling, becoming the first player to win the series hat trick. The Bruschi — always a force — overtook him, becoming the first to reach four in 2026. Straver managed to equal his tally, and both players ended the series requiring brand new trophy cabinets.

Most runner-up finishes: 4 (Joao “Naza114” Vieira)

Portuguese crusher Joao “Naza114” Vieira fought valiantly to bolster his incredible COOP résumé further throughout the 2026 WCOOP series, and it went well–he won his 14th WCOOP title. But it could have been so much sweeter. Vieira finished runner-up four times, more than anyone else. Consider it more fuel to the fire for the next big PokerStars series.

That’s a wrap on WCOOP 2026! Find out what happened in the NLHE Main Events below, along with the full results.

BOIANOVSKY ADDS WCOOP MAIN GLORY TO SCOOP SUCCESS: It’s fitting that the largest single prize of the series went to the winner of the most prestigious event on the schedule. And the guy who won it? He knows a thing or two about winning prestigious online tournaments.

On Wednesday (Sep 30), Felipe Boianovsky, known as “lipe piv” on PokerStars, took down the 289-entry $10K NLHE Main Event/World Championship, seeing off the best in the business to bank $551,632. In doing so, he becomes the first player in COOP history to win both the SCOOP High Main Event and the WCOOP High Main Event, as he won the SCOOP Main in 2023 for just over $1 million. The Brazilian, a pro for more than 13 years, now has two WCOOP titles and two SCOOP titles.

“We deal with so much variance as poker players,” Boianovsky told us after his SCOOP win. “So every time you have a big result it helps confirm that you’re doing things the right way, and it helps with any doubts you might have during a poker career.”

Consider it confirmed — Boianovsky is among the game’s elite. You can learn more about his career path here.

To get the job done, he had to weave his way through a talented final table that included six-time WCOOP champ Rayan “Beriuzy” Chamas, Thomas “MarToMchat” Boivin, Pablo “pabritz” Brito, Teun “tinnoemulder” Mulder, Dante “dantegoyaF” Goya, and two-time champ in 2026, Dan “NukeTheFish!” Wilson (“He might be the greatest player Ireland has ever produced,” said David Lappin during the live stream).

Three-handed, Boianovsky had a huge chip lead and added max pressure to Wilson and Canada-based Santiago “13santoy13” Plante. He shoved J♥5♥ on the button and Wilson called with A♦Q♦, but trip fives on the flop eliminated Wilson in third place, and he collected a healthy $309,079. Boianovsky’s overwhelming chip lead proved too much to overcome, and Plante picked up $412,914 for second.

WCOOP 2026 $10K MAIN EVENT/WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Dates: Sep 27-30, 2026
Entries: 289
Prize pool: $2,890,000

1. Felipe “lipe piv” Boianovsky (Brazil) – $551,632
2. Santiago “13santoy13” Plante (Canada) – $412,914
3. Dan “NukeTheFish!” Wilson (UK) – $309,079
4. Dante “dantegoyaF” Goya (Brazil) – $231,355
5. Teun “tinnoemulder” Mulder (Austria) – $173,177
6. Pablo “pabritz” Brito (Brazil) – $129,628
7. Thomas “MarToMchat” Boivin (Costa Rica) – $97,031
8. Rayan “Beriuzy” Chamas (Canada) – $72,631

VICTORY FOR PAPO MC: Over in the $1K Main Event, it was former PokerStars Ambassador Alejandro “[Papo]AR” Lococo, better known as “Papo MC”, who emerged victorious for $343,242 and his maiden WCOOP title. The event received 2,310 entries and saw deep runs from the likes of Linus “LLinusLLove” Loeliger (11th – $16,906) and Jerry “Perrymejsen” Odeen (27th – $8,319).

WCOOP 2026 $1,050 MAIN EVENT
Dates: Sep 27-30, 2026
Entries: 2,310
Prize pool: $2,310,000

1. Alejandro “[Papo]AR” Lococo (Argentina) – $343,242
2. “Goodarla” (Ireland) – $244,673
3. “jorginho88” (Austria) – $174,412
4. “feedme12” (Canada) – $124,327
5. “calldeKhigh” (Brazil) – $88,624
6. “paco_cska20” (Bulgaria) – $63,174
7. “Timmy_Twitch” (Austria) – $45,033
8. “Carboneraa” (Brazil) – $32,101

HUGE WIN FOR IHOR888888: Another maiden title was awarded in the $109 Main as Ukraine’s “ihor888888” clinched victory over the 14,533-entry field for a massive $172,022 score.

WCOOP 2026 $109 MAIN EVENT
Dates: Sep 27-30, 2026
Entries: 14,533
Prize pool: $1,453,300

1. “ihor888888” (Ukraine) – $172,022
2. “shanyji” (Hungary) – $122,611
3. “Pitkulaine88” (Finland) – $87,401
4. “wes345” (Ukraine) – $62,303
5. “Jigen09” (Finland) – $44,412
6. “johnnysouza11” (Brazil) – $31,658
7. “dfranco13” (Brazil) – $22,567
8. “bettoBR” (Brazil) – $16,087

MULTIPLE CHAMPIONS

4 TITLES

Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi
Johannes “Jepser8” Straver

3 TITLES

“ameliaroy007”
“|gammi|€120”
“moggiii”
“DeanoSupremo”
Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser

2 TITLES

Niklas “Lena900” Astedt
“vdp2.0”
“Gigaloff”
“Nacho124441”
“texasilainen”
“Revolver1970”
Yulian “AchoBogdanov” Bogdanov
“guilherme12”
“masterdod0”
“Cornettinha”
“BlackDom097”
Patrick “pads1161” Leonard
Thiago “tgrigoletti” Grigoletti
“Durrimar”
Patrick “thebigdog09” Brooks
“MuUkR”
“D1sable”
Markku “markovitsus” Koplimaa
“Szolemdal_”
“grind4ever”
“2TooManyTimes”
“flerrehuve”
“Relthor1301”
Renan “Aziz.Mancha” Aziz
“CUPUrul0r”
Jamie “jamiedwan21” Dwan
Dan “NukeTheFish!” Wilson
“FAL1st”
Andras “probirs” Nemeth

COUNTRIES LEADER BOARD

86 titles – Brazil
42 – UK
27 – Austria
17 – Canada
16 – Argentina, Finland
14 – Sweden
13 – Ukraine
11 – Belarus, Bulgaria
8 – Estonia, Germany, Hungary
7 – Lithuania, Mexico
6 – Ireland
5 – Malta, Slovenia, Vietnam
4 – Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Switzerland, Thailand
3 – Belgium, Romania
2 – Denmark, Dominican Republic, Moldova
1 – Andorra, Armenia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Greece, Isle of Man, Indonesia, Mongolia, Uruguay, New Zealand.

WCOOP 2026 RESULTS

DAILY COVERAGE ARCHIVE

Wednesday, September 30

NINE FOR NEMETH: If you’re making a list of the top PLO tournament players on the planet, you’d be a fool to leave off Andras “probirs” Nemeth. The Hungarian crusher picked up his ninth career WCOOP title (seven of which have come in PLO variants) on Tuesday, topping the 314-entry $1K PLO Main Event for $58,923, where he beat Casimir “Ceis25” Seire heads up. Nemeth took down the $10K edition back in 2021 for $308,556.

ANDRAS ‘PROBIRS’ NEMETH’S 9 WCOOP TITLES:

2020 – 15-H: $530+R NLHE 8-Max – $79,655
2020 – 37-H: $5,200 PLO 6-Max, High Roller – $140,506
2021 – 92-H: $10,300 PLO 6-Max, PLO Main Event – $308,556
2022 – 15-H: $2,100 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO] – $79,728
2023 – 36-M: $215 5-Card PLO [6-Max] – $23,257
2025 – 21-H: $1,050 PLO – $28,547
2025 – 90-H: $530 5-Card PLO – $23,717
2026 – 66-H: $1,050 PLO – $22,196
2026 – 113-M: $1,050 PLO Main Event – $58,923

ZERJAV JOINS THE PARTY: Better late than never. Slovenian superstar Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav is usually an early addition to our multiple champions list, but this year it took until the penultimate day for him to bag his seventh career WCOOP title. He banked $20,413 for his victory in the $109 PLO Main Event, besting 1,312 entries.

13 FOR FAL1ST: Year after year, series after series, the enigma that is “FAL1st” crushes every single Championship of Online Poker. With 13 SCOOP titles already on the CV, the Thailand-based Russian added a second WCOOP title of the year–and 13th overall– in the $530m PL Badugi, topping a 49-entry field to collect $9,363. Zerjav narrowly missed out on a second title of the session heads up, while Patrick “pads1161” Leonard placed third. A player known as “Pepapig88” finished fourth, and also finished second in the $55 edition–quite a performance.

FAL1ST’S 13 WCOOP TITLES:

2021 – 15-M: $109 NL 2-7 Single Draw – $6,300
2021 – 98-M: $109 6+ Hold’em 6-Max – $8,039
2023 – 30-H: $1,050 FLO8 [6-Max] – $20,522
2024 – 33-H: $1,050 FLO8 [6-Max] – $17,365
2024 – 55-H: $1,050 NL 2-7 Single Draw [7-Max] – $19,490
2024 – 61-M: $1,050 8 Game [6-Max] – $22,061
2024 – 74-H: $2,100 NLO8 [6-Max, Progressive KO] – $19,122
2024 – 113-H: $530 NLHE [7-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Mystery Supersonic] – $21,212
2025 – 61-H: $1,050 8-Game – $18,354
2025 – 68-H: $1,050 NL 5-Card Draw – $16,715
2025 – 85-H: $2,100 FL 2-7 Triple Draw – $25,969
2026 – 52-M: $55 NLO8 Hyper Turbo Mystery Bounty – $2,047
2026 – 118-H: $530 PL Badugi [6-Max] – $9,363

HUBER DENIED HEADS UP: PokerStars Ambassador Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber has enjoyed a fantastic WCOOP series, winning his third title and making multiple final tables. He came ever so close to a second of the year in the $530 Heads-Up Turbo Total PKO, but ultimately fell in second out of 119 entries for $5,348. “dr0net” of the UK won it for $20,125.

FIRST TITLE FOR MONGOLIA: It took 26 World Championships of Online Poker, but Mongolia has finally clinched its first-ever WCOOP title. The player to thank is “Billionai8”, who took down the $109 PKO Series Saver for $32,520 total.

Tuesday, September 29

PLO WORLD CHAMP CROWNED: We have our PLO Main Event winner and it’s a very familiar screen name if you enjoy the four-card game. Finland’s Aku “Aku1206” Joentausta is the 2026 $10K World Championship of PLO winner, having battled through a 47-entry field to bank $179,610. Joentausta has previously won a $1K PLO8 World Championship back in 2024 for $33,578, and a $530 PLO rebuy event in 2018 for $83,529, but this latest victory highlights his climb up the ranks. This is Joentausta’s third title overall.

THEOLOGIS BANKS SERIES BIGGEST PRIZE: The $25K Super High Roller is the biggest buy-in of the 2026 series, so it’s no surprise it produced the largest first-place prize (outside of the Sunday Million Anniversary). After 17 entries from some absolute crushers, it was Alex “Pwndidi” Theologis who emerged victorious, defeating Linus “LLinusLLove” Loeliger heads-up to bank $216,504. Theologis, originally from Greece but now based in Austria, had only one WCOOP title prior to this (a $530 NLHE event in 2021) but has four SCOOP titles under his belt.

CAMOSCI CRUSHES: The $5K Turbo Main Event 2nd Chance attracted 40 entries and ended with a $76,430 victory for Enrico “WhaTisL0v3” Camosci. The Malta-based Italian denied “|gammi|€120” their fourth title of the year heads up, while the final table also included Andras “probirs” Nemeth, the aforementioned Alex “Pwndidi” Theologis, and Jamie “jamiedwan21” Dwan (more on him in a moment). Camosci now has four WCOOP titles with wins in 2018, 2024 and 2025.

BREAKOUT YEAR CONTINUES FOR DWAN: The year of Jamie Dwan continued on Monday with his second WCOOP title of the year. Dwan, who is enjoying breakout success following his first WSOP bracelet this summer (worth $2.3 million) and three six-figure scores at EPT Barcelona, picked up his second victory in the $1K Turbo for $21,268. Known as “jamiedwan21” on PokerStars, he defeated a final table that included Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, Joao “Naza114” Vieira, and Theologis, who apparently just final tables everything he plays.

DAN DOES THE DOUBLE: Dan “NukeTheFish!” Wilson picked up his second title of the year during Monday’s session, winning the two-day, 579-entry $530 NLHE PKO for $51,532, including $27,662 in bounties. This is the exact same event the UK-based Irishman won earlier this series for $30,042 (although that one came with a smaller guarantee). These two are the first COOP titles of Wilson’s career.

Monday, September 28

GLASER THE GOAT: He lured the mixed game crushers and title chasers into a false sense of security at the beginning of the series by revealing he wasn’t planning to play much of the WCOOP 2026 schedule. He wasn’t lying–but that hasn’t stopped Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser — the all-time leader in WCOOP titles — winning a hat trick in 2026, despite a volume reduction. Glaser won his first of the year earlier this series, and on Saturday (Sep 26) he picked up two more, first in the $530 Stud for $8,357 (36 entries) and then in the rescheduled $530 HORSE, topping 58 entries to bank $11,082, beating Christian “CMoosepower” Elgstrøm heads up. Glaser now has 19 WCOOPs and is tied with Patrick “pads1161” Leonard for the most COOP titles overall (31).

BENNY GLASER’S 19 WCOOP TITLES:

2018 – 27-L: PLO [6-Max] – $18,058
2019 – $109 Razz – $10,924
2020 – 55-H: $2,100 HORSE – $43,055
2021 – 50-M: $55 NLO8 6-Max – $9,293
2022 – 09-H: $2,100 HORSE – $33,300
2022 – 18-H: $1,050 PLO – $39,638
2022 – 04-L: $11 NLO8 (6-max) – $2,334
2022 – 14-H: $1,050 HORSE – $19,107
2023 – 16-M: $109 FL Badugi – $3,550
2023 – 50-H: $1,050 NL 2-7 SD – $19,490
2023 – 53-H: $2,100 PLO8 – $44,201
2023 – 61-H: $1,050 NL 5-Card Draw – $14,207
2023 – 68-M: $320 NLHE Freezeout – $55,706
2023 – 94-H: $1,050 NLHE Turbo – $38,894
2023 – $1,050 World Championship of 2-7 Triple Draw – $22,651
2025 – 91-M: $55 6-Max Turbo PKO – $14,516
2026 – 44-H: $1,050 8-Game – $21,400
2026 – 90-H: $530 Stud – $8,357
2026 – 102-H: $530 HORSE – $11,082

TRIO FOR DEANOSUPREMO: The latest addition to the list of 2026 hat trick winners is “DeanoSupremo” from the UK, who clinched an 800-entry $109 6-Max Turbo for $13,589. Their other victories came in a $215 NLHE and $215 Mystery Bounty.

BOUNTY BONANZA FOR PIEKAZEWICZ: Brazilian crusher Alisson “heyalisson” Piekazewicz put on a bounty builder clinic on Sunday, winning the $2K Sunday Warm-Up PKO for $77,207, with a whopping $52,219 coming from bounties (more than double the first-place prize). This is Piekazewicz’s second career title, his first coming last year in the $10K Thursday Thrill for $193,235.

MORE MULTIPLE CHAMPIONS: Sweden’s “flerrehuve” is a double champ in 2026, winning the $1K Mystery Bounty Sunday Cooldown for $19,995, around half of which came from bounties. “Relthor1301” of Brazil also claimed a second title of the series in the $2K Saturday KO, topping 96 entries to bank $36,419, including $16,859 in bounties (Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha finished second, and Patrick “pads1161” Leonard came fourth). Joining them are Brazil’s Renan “Aziz.Mancha” Aziz who won title #2 in the $109 Sunday Supersonic for $18,534, and Austria’s “CUPUrul0r” who beat Marko “markovitsus” Koplimaa heads up to win the $530 Supersonic for $17,246.

OTHER WEEKEND NOTABLES: Rayan “Beriuzy” Chamas is now a six-time WCOOP champion following his win in the 104-entry $1K 7-Max for $23,965. Chamas previously won three titles in 2022 and two more in 2025. Vlad “dariepoker” Darie of Romania took down the third title of his career, winning the $215 Sunday Warm-Up PKO for $37,078, including $16,923 in bounties. Finally, Ukraine’s “drew.derzh” won his third WCOOP in the $1K 6-Max Turbo, topping 104 entries for $23,380.

Friday, September 25

MAIN EVENT WEEKEND: Don’t miss the biggest weekend of WCOOP 2026 as the Main Events kick off this Sunday (September 27). Satellites with added seats are running daily!

NLHE Main Events commencing on Sunday @ 12:30 ET:

• $109 NLHE Main Event L, $1.25M Gtd
• $1,050 NLHE Main Event M, $2M Gtd

PLO Main Events on Monday @ 13:05 ET:

• $109 PLO Main Event L, $100K Gtd
• $1,050 PLO Main Event M, $250K Gtd

Key satellites on Saturday:

$109 Main Event Low

• $1.10 Mega Sat with 100 Seats GTD @ 15:15 ET

$1,050 Main Event Med

• $55 Mega Sat with 15 Seats GTD @ 14:30 ET (Qualify path starts at $0.55)

$10,300 Main Event High

• $530 Mega Sat with 6 Seats GTD @ 14:05 ET (Qualify path starts at $5.50)

Key satellites on Sunday:

$109 Main Event Low

• $11 Mega Sat with 50 Seats GTD @ 10:25 ET (Qualifiers start at $1.10)
• $11 Deadline Sat with 100 Seats GTD @ 12:40 ET (Qualifiers start at $1.10)
• $22 Last Chance Sat with 40 Seats GTD @ 14:05 ET (Qualifiers start at $1.10)

$1,050 Main Event Med

• $55 Mega Sat with 75 Seats GTD @ 11:15 ET (Qualifiers start at $5.50)
• $109 Deadline Sat with 50 Seats GTD @ 12:30 ET (Qualifiers start at $11)

$10,300 Main Event High

• $530 Mega Sat with 10 Seats GTD @ 11:15 ET (Qualify path starts at $5.50)
• $215 Mega Sat with 2 Seats GTD @ 13:05 ET (Qualify path starts at $2.20)

HIP HIP HOORAY FOR HUBER: After multiple final tables and deep runs this series, Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber has clinched his third WCOOP title and first of the year, becoming the first PokerStars Ambassador to win this series. Huber took down the 1,113-entry $75 6-Max Turbo PKO for $10,057, including $4614 in bounties, after beating “Old brock” heads-up. Congrats, Seb!

WCOOP CHAMPION! 🏆🏆🏆@PokerStars pic.twitter.com/zh7NoXVa2U

— Huber Sebastian (@peace_ndloove) September 25, 2026

SEBASTIAN “PEACE&LOOVE” HUBER’S THREE WCOOP TITLES:

2022 – 44-L: $5.50 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO] – $2,820
2024 – 88-L: $11 HORSE [6-Max] – $2,097
2026 – 100-M: $75 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO] – $10,057

STRAVER STRIVES FOR THE TOP: Two days after Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi won his fourth title of the year, Austria’s Johannes “Jepser8” Straver has matched him. Straver’s fourth win came in the massive $10K Thursday Thrill for $65,859, plus a whopping $101,875 in bounties ($167,734 total). That’s the biggest prize won this series (not including the Sunday Million Anniversary Phase 2).

HAT TRICK FOR MOGGIII: Replacing Straver on the triple champs list is another Austrian, “moggiii”, who won their third 2026 title in the $2,100 World Championship of 8-Game, topping 37 entries to bank $33,429. This is moggiii’s second World Championship event of the year, having already won the $1K FL 2-7 Triple Draw World Championship for $20,254.

TWO TITLES, ONE NIGHT FOR 2TOOMANYTIMES: We’ve had many multiple champions this series but no one had managed to win two titles in one night until Thursday, when Austria’s “2TooManyTimes” pulled it off. They navigated through 1,327 entries in the $109 6-Max Deep Stack for $20,552, then also won the $215 6-Max Turbo PKO for $11,708 total. These are the first WCOOP wins of 2TooManyTimes’ career–what a way to break through.

MORE DOUBLE CHAMPS: Estonia’s Markku “markovitsus” Koplimaa picked up his second title of the year and fifth overall on Thursday with a victory in the 368-entry $109 5-Card PLO for $6,759. “Szolemdal_” of Vietnam also became a double champ, besting 279 entries in the $530 NLHE Deep Stack for $26,627. Finally, Sweden’s “grind4ever” won a second title in the $530 5-Card PLO for $15,218. Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser made that FT, falling in fourth for $6,910.

Thursday, September 24

LEONARD DENIED TITLE #16: There’s nothing you could say to convince us that title no.16 isn’t on the way for Patrick “pads1161” Leonard, but on Wednesday, the UK’s finest just missed out. Leonard lost heads up to “Manolo Poppe” of Mexico in the $530 Wednesday Surprise Mystery Bounty, where the latter won their second career title and $18,947 total, the majority of which came from bounties. Leonard picked up around $9K for second after a final table that FT also included “Sintoras” and Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha.

TWO FTS FOR HUBER: PokerStars Ambassador Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber keeps coming close to victory, making two final tables in Wednesday’s session. He finished fifth in the 722-entry $55 PLO PKO for $560 plus $737 in bounties (“LGobbi” of Brazil won their first title for $5,626 total), then came third in the $215 NLHE Turbo PKO from 336 entries, cashing for $4,896 plus $2,484 in bounties. “NT4T_CrP” of Germany won that one for $13,475 total.

What a day! Sick and again close to a titel pic.twitter.com/i44uTjKiCF

— Huber Sebastian (@peace_ndloove) September 24, 2026

MORE DOUBLE CHAMPIONS: Two players picked up their second wins of the series on Wednesday, starting with Lithuania’s “D1sable”, who won the 874-entry $11 HORSE for $1,426. Their first title came in a $5.50 NLO8 event for $1,258. “MuUkR” of Ukraine also enjoyed a second win in the 81-entry $1K Turbo PKO, beating the mighty Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo heads up to bank $26,229, including $12,188 in bounties. It was a talented final table that included Niklas “Lena900” Astedt (3rd) and 2026’s breakout star, Jamie “jamiedwan21” Dwan (4th). MuUkR’s first win came in a $109 Turbo and was worth $18,111.

Wednesday, September 23

FIRST TO FOUR: Here’s the cool thing about covering the PokerStars COOP series so closely for so many years. You really get to see who the true grind-every-single-day, year-after-year, crush-everyone-regardless-of-game-or-stakes players are. Anyone can run hot over a single series, but it’s those who turn up every series and dominate that really make jaws drop. And Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi is one of those players. He won his maiden WCOOP in 2022, then won three in 2023, three in 2024, two in 2025, and now he’s the first player to win four titles in the 2026 series. (Bruschi also won four SCOOP titles in 2025, and an incredible six more earlier this year).

The Brazilian’s latest trophy came in the $530 Bounty Builder HR the night after he won his hat trick. The tournament had 206 entries and Bruschi banked $23,773 total, $14,930 coming from bounties. They say you are what you consistently do. By any measure, Bruschi is simply one of the best all-round tournament poker players on the planet.

RENAN ‘INTERNETT93O’ BRUSCHI’S 13 WCOOP TITLES:

2022 – 62-H: $5,200 NLHE [Progressive KO, Titans] – $173,293
2023 – 106-H: $530 Mixed NLHE/PLO [6-Max] – $17,194
2023 – 71-M: $109 6+ Hold’em [6-Max] – $4,511
2023 – $5200 World Championship of Progressive KO NLHE – $198,665
2024 – 65-H: $1,050 NLHE [Deep Stack] – $40,859
2024 – 66-M: $530 PLO [6-Max] – $23,324
2024 – 88-H: $1,050 HORSE [6-Max] – $22,498
2025 – 62-H: $2,100 NLHE [Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill] – $68,832
2025 – 74-H: $2,100 NLO8 [Progressive KO] – $42,250
2026 – 20-H: $530 NL Wednesday Surprise Mystery Bounty – $31,686
2026 – 55-H: $1,050 NL 2-7 Single Draw – $16,715
2026 – 81-H: $1,050 NLHE Turbo – $21,190
2026 – 83-H: $530 NLHE Bounty Builder HR – $23,773

STRAVER HITS HAT TRICK: Johannes “Jepser8” Straver came out of the gates running and hasn’t slowed down, taking down his third title of the year in the 5K Super Tuesday. The Austrian beat 67 entries to win $90,420, and got the best of Joao “Naza114” Vieira heads up ($67,695). Jans “Graftekkel” Arends finished third for $50,682, Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson placed sixth ($21,268), and Adrian “Amadi_017” Mateos busted in seventh ($15,923).

DOUBLE FOR THE DOG: The UK’s Patrick Brooks, better known as “thebigdog09”, took down his second title of the year in the $215 Super Tuesday $28,154, besting a final table that included Conor “ccOOnnOOrr” O’Driscoll (4th – $10,200). Brooks’ maiden title came in the $1K Saturday KO for $32,259 total.

OTHER NOTABLES: Long-time grinder Peter “Belabacsi” Traply of Hungary picked up his second career WCOOP title in the $530 Bounty Builder HR for $44,237, three years after winning a $1K Freezeout for $41,958. Dinesh “NastyMinder” Alt also returned to the winner’s sheet for the first time since doing the double back in 2021. The Austria-based Swiss won the $109 7-Max PKO, besting 782 entries to bank $11,231 total, half of which came from bounties. Finally, Swedish crusher “flerrehuve” won the sixth WCOOP title of his career in the $1K 7-Max PKO, picking up $9,078 plus $18,719 in bounties ($27,797 total). They won a hat trick of titles back in 2024, as well as titles in 2022 and 2023.

Tuesday, September 22

TWO $5K WINS IN TWO DAYS: There probably isn’t another PokerStars player running hotter at the top of their buy-in range right now than Belarus’ “|gammi|€120”. Not only did they win their third title of the series on Monday, but they did so by winning their second $5K title in consecutive nights. Yep, 24 hours after winning the $5K Titans for $98,517, |gammi|€120 took down the $5K Bounty Builder Super High Roller for $88,645, the lion’s share of which ($52,656) came from bounties. They had never won a WCOOP prior to this series, and they’re beating the toughest fields in the game, so this really is a breakout performance.

HAT TRICK FOR BRUSCHI: Joining |gammi|€120 in the triple champions club is Brazilian crusher Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi, who continues to build one of the most impressive resumes in online poker. Bruschi won the $1K Turbo late on Monday for $21,190, after a heads-up deal with Alisson “heyalisson” Piekazewicz ($21,190).

KOPLIMAA MAKES IT FOUR: Estonia’s Markku “markovitsus” Koplimaa won his fourth career WCOOP title in the $530 Titans, topping 971 entries to bank a healthy $81,727. Koplimaa also has two SCOOP titles.

MORE GOLD FOR GRIGOLETTI: The latest addition to the double champions list is Thiago “tgrigoletti” Grigoletti, who won his second of the year in the $109 5-Card PLO8 for $6,979. His maiden WCOOP title came earlier this series in the $109 Stud Hi/Lo, a win worth $4,723. He also has a SCOOP title won in 2016–a $700 NLHE PKO for $68,287.

Monday, September 21

LEONARD CLOSES IN ON ALL-TIME LEAD: Patrick Leonard has done the double for a fourth consecutive WCOOP series, taking down a $530 NLHE Turbo late on Saturday for $15,428. It’s the 15th career WCOOP title for “pads1161”, who now sits just one win behind the all-time leader, Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser. Leonard is also the all-time leader in SCOOP titles (16) and has more COOP titles overall than any player on the planet. The Brit picked up six SCOOP titles earlier this year, so don’t be surprised to see him bolster his tally further this series.

PATRICK ‘PADS1161’ LEONARD’S 15 WCOOP TITLES:

2015 – $700 NLHE 6-Max – $108,416
2016 – $700 NLHE Ultra-Deep – $162,055
2021 – 08-H: $5,200 NLHE PKO HR – $121,328
2021 – 15-H: $1,050 NL 2-7 SD – $20,475
2022 – 67-H: $1,050 6+ Hold’em – $17,445
2023 – 105-H: $1,050 NLHE Super Tuesday – $54,506
2023 – 46-M: $109 FLHE 6-Max – $4,011
2023 – 93-M: $109 NLO8 – $7,449
2023 – $5,200 WC Heads-Up NLHE – $80,500
2024 – $1,050 WC of Razz – $19,414
2024 – 107-H: $2,100 NLHE Warm-Up – $103,349
2025 – 36-M: $109 Sunday Kickoff – $28,023
2025 – 116-H: $5,200 Main Event Second Chance Turbo – $77,990
2026 – 29-H: $530 NLHE Deep Stack – $19,838
2026 – 69-H: $530 NLHE Turbo – $15,428

KADE MAKES ALL THREE WOMEN’S FINALS: What a dominating performance Vanessa “Niffller” Kade put on in the three Women’s Events on Sunday. Kade — who won the biggest ever Sunday Million back in 2021 — took down the $215 Women’s World Championship, topping 75 entries (and an FT that included PokerStars Ambassador Marle “MarlzTV” Spragg – 3rd, $2,269) to bank $4,049 and the first WCOOP title of her career. The Canadian also finished fourth out of 209 entries in the $22 edition, and third out of 249 entries in the $5.50 edition. Incredible stuff.

STAR-STUDDED FT IN $5K TITANS: 73 of the world’s best entered the $5K Titans event on Sunday, creating an unsurprisingly stacked final table. Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson, Jamie “jamiedwan21” Dwan, Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo, and Sam “€urop€an” Vousden all came close to glory, but the last player standing was Belarusian crusher “|gammi|€120”, who banked $98,517 and their second title of the year.

NEMETH’S ON THE BOARD: Andras “probirs” Nemeth picked up his 8th career title and first of the year on Saturday in the $1K PLO, overcoming 91 entries to bank $22,195. Brazil’s Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi finished fourth for $9,819 in this one (and also finished runner-up in the $215 5-Card draw on the same night).

ANDRAS ‘PROBIRS’ NEMETH’S 8 WCOOP TITLES:

2020 – 15-H: $530+R NLHE 8-Max – $79,655
2020 – 37-H: $5,200 PLO 6-Max, High Roller – $140,506
2021 – 92-H: $10,300 PLO 6-Max, PLO Main Event – $308,556
2022 – 15-H: $2,100 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO] – $79,728
2023 – 36-M: $215 5-Card PLO [6-Max] – $23,257
2025 – 21-H: $1,050 PLO – $28,547
2025 – 90-H: $530 5-Card PLO – $23,717
2026 – 66-H: $1,050 PLO – $22,196

FIRST TRIPLE CHAMP: Canada’s “ameliaroy007” is the first player to pick up a hat trick in the WCOOP 2026 series. They had already won a $109 Hyper for $15,665 and a $109 Sunday Kickoff for $27,133, then took down the $22 PLO for $3,569.

A WEEKEND OF DOUBLE CHAMPIONS: Eight players won their second titles of the series over the weekend. Let’s rattle through them:

• After a runner-up finish in Saturday’s $109 Hyper PKO, Yulian “AchoBogdanov” Bogdanov came back fighting and on Sunday took down his third career title and second of the series. The Bulgarian won the $215 Sunday Warm-Up PKO for $31,431, including $12,960 in bounties. He’d already won a $55 Hyper PKO for $10,771.
• Just a couple of days after grabbing their first of the year in a $215 NLHE event for $14,626, “DeanoSupremo” of the UK picked up a second piece of silverware in the $215 Saturday Mystery, besting 501 entries to bank $11,589 (including $4,001 in bounties).
• Brazil’s “guilherme12” won the $1K HORSE World Championship for $19,490 early in the series, then took down the $109 PLO for $6,897 on Saturday.
• Austria’s “moggiii” won a second title in the $215 NLO8 for $10,050 total, having already won the $1K 2-7 Triple Draw World Championship for $20,254. Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber finished third for $2,617 plus $1,805 in bounties.
• “masterdod0” of the UK is clearly an Omaha-8 master. They won the $22 NLO8 for $3,633 total over the weekend, and already had a $109 5-card PLO8 title for $6,538.
• Brazil’s “Cornettinha” won the very first event of the series ($530 WCOOP Kickoff – $31,036) and added a second title in the $1K NLHE Turbo, topping 145 entries for $31,485.
• Malta’s “BlackDom097” picked up two titles over the weekend. They won the $55 Saturday KO for $16,689 total, then won the $109 6-max hyper PKO on Sunday for $13,414 total.

LONG TIME COMING: UK grinder Tom “Jabracada” Hall picked up his maiden WCOOP title in the $11 Hyper PKO for $3,362 total.

Friday, September 18

VIEIRA VICTORY BRINGS 14TH TITLE: After a hat trick of wins in 2024, Joao “Naza114” Vieira — one of the most successful WCOOP players of all time — couldn’t quite clinch a title in 2025, despite several runner-up finishes. The UK-based Portuguese has put that right in 2026 by taking down the $1K World Championship of PLO8, topping 121 entries for $27,202 and his 14th career title. Estonia’s Markku “markovitsus” Koplimaa was denied his fourth title in this one, settling for second place.

DOUBLE FOR GIGALOFF: Vieira also finished runner-up in the 64-entry $530 Stud Hi Lo, won by Belarus-based Russian “Gigaloff” for $9,943 and their second title of the series. Their first win was in the $109 FLO8 for $3,854, but this latest win takes them to four overall.

COMBES CONTINUES TO CRUSH: Charlie “JIZOINT” Combes picked up his second WCOOP title on Thursday, just weeks after finishing runner up in the Sunday Million Anniversary for a massive score. Combes took down the $530 Mystery Bounty for $8,766 plus $10,367 in bounties ($19,133 total), beating Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi heads-up after battling through 209 entries.

MORE DOUBLE CHAMPS: “Nacho124441” of the Dominican Republic picked up their second of the year in the $1K NLHE, besting 166 entries to bank $33,467. Finland’s “texasilainen” also did the double with victory in the 283-entry $215 PLO8 for $10,771.

Thursday, September 17

BRUSCHI’S BACK: After multiple runner-up finishes in recent days, Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi (pictured above) has finally clinched his 11th career WCOOP title, and second of the series. The $1K NL 2-7 Single Draw was the arena where the Brazilian battled through 39 entries to bank $16,715, ultimately beating “ivanov1” heads-up. Only five players have won more than one title this series – keep scrolling for the list.

RENAN BRUSCHI’S 11 WCOOP TITLES:

2022 – 62-H: $5,200 NLHE [Progressive KO, Titans] – $173,293
2023 – 106-H: $530 Mixed NLHE/PLO [6-Max] – $17,194
2023 – 71-M: $109 6+ Hold’em [6-Max] – $4,511
2023 – $5200 World Championship of Progressive KO NLHE – $198,665
2024 – 65-H: $1,050 NLHE [Deep Stack] – $40,859
2024 – 66-M: $530 PLO [6-Max] – $23,324
2024 – 88-H: $1,050 HORSE [6-Max] – $22,498
2025 – 62-H: $2,100 NLHE [Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill] – $68,832
2025 – 74-H: $2,100 NLO8 [Progressive KO] – $42,250
2026 – 20-H: $530 NL Wednesday Surprise Mystery Bounty – $31,686
2026 – 55-H: $1,050 NL 2-7 Single Draw – $16,715

SECOND TITLE FOR PLESUV: It was back in 2021 when Pavel “silentm0de” Plesuv took down his maiden WCOOP title in a massive $530 edition of the Thursday Thrill, worth $144,296. He’s followed that up in 2026 with a more modest $3,055 score in the $109 NL 2-7 Single Draw, which received 151 entries, but will no doubt be thrilled to be back to winning ways. Moldova’s finest also has two SCOOP titles won in 2020 and 2023.

AZIZ MAKES IT THREE: Brazil’s Renan “Aziz.Mancha” Aziz is now a three-time WCOOP champion. His latest victory came in the $530 Wednesday Surprise Mystery Bounty, where he topped 191 entries to cash for $8,492 plus $6,324 in bounties ($14,816 total). Aziz has an impressive COOP CV that also boasts six SCOOP trophies.

Wednesday, September 16

DOUBLE DOUBLE: The list of double champions for this year’s WCOOP hit four on Tuesday night after Johannes “Jepser8” Straver added this week’s $5K Super Tuesday High Roller to the $10K Super Tuesday he won seven days ago, and Estonia’s “vdp2.0” also sealed a second win.

Straver’s virtual title defence earner him $90,420 and came after he denied another PokerStars powerhouse Guillaume “Nolet20” Nolet heads-up. Meanwhile vdp2.0 claimed an $8,423 win in the $55 7-Max Turbo PKO, having won another medium-level turbo only three days ago.

MORE BRILLIANCE FROM YOUNG STAR DWAN: Jamie Dwan‘s extraordinary year continued at the WCOOP tables on Tuesday night where the British star, known as “jamiedwan21” won the $2K PKO event for $57,170. This was Dwan’s second career WCOOP success having first won in 2024, but it’s his all round exploits that have really been gaining attention over the past 12 months or so.

Dwan won his first WSOP bracelet in Las Vegas this summer, worth nearly $2.3 million, and had three six-figure scores at EPT Barcelona last month. He added this to a previous SCOOP title, among numerous other online accolades. Dwan is without question the scorching hot poker talent in the world right now. Read our interview with Jamie Dwan, from May 2024.

STARS DEFEATED BY SLOVAK NEWCOMER: Dwan also made a deep run in the $1K PLO PKO event on Tuesday, falling in ninth, which left the stage open for Slovakia’s “Inhumanko” to make a name for themselves. The previously unheralded player beat an incredible line-up of stars to what became a $30,603 first prize, including bounties. Patrick “pads 1161” Leonard was second, Niklas “Lena900” Astedt was fourth and the ITM places also featured “FAL1st”, Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi and Ognjan “cocojamb0” Dimov, as well as Dwan. If you can beat that lot, Inhumanko will be one to watch.

FAL1ST BACK FOR NO 12: “FAl1st” didn’t let the earlier disappointment hurt them, however, bouncing back in style in the $55 NLO8 Hyper Turbo Mystery Bounty to win a 12th career WCOOP title. With 13 SCOOP wins also to their name, FAL1st continued their remarkable stranglehold on these high-profile tournament series. This was a small field of 324 and a relatively modest haul of $2,047. But hats off to FAL1st once again, who is sure to be there or thereabouts in Player of the Series standings too.

Tuesday, September 15

BENNY ON THE BOARD: With many of his familiar ‘COOP rivals having already picked up titles in this year’s series, it was never likely to be too long until the long-time, all-time leader Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser did something about it. And on Monday night, Glaser bounded to victory in the $1K 8-Game event for $21,400. This is Glaser’s 17th WCOOP title, putting further distance between him and the chasing pack. It’s worth remembering that Glaser also has 12 SCOOP wins to his name. One more this series and he’ll be the first to 30 ‘COOP titles. You wouldn’t bet against it.

NO 2 FOR NOVAK: Andrey “Anjeyyy” Novak picked up a second career WCOOP title on Monday night and, true to his regular form, it was a big one. Novak can now call himself World Champion of Progressive KO NLHE after victory in the latest $1K championship event. Novak is a five-time SCOOP winner, among numerous other high-profile PokerStars successes, and this win earned him another $87,689, including bounties. The last one of those came for knocking out the similarly-talented Pavel “silentm0de” Plesuv, who had to settle for second.

CLUSTER-WINNER BACK AMONG THE TITLES: Malta-based “Tapiscallé?” won four titles in SCOOP earlier this year, their first four in the Spring series, and the good form has rolled on into the autumn. “Tapiscallé?” is now also a two-time WCOOP winner after taking down the $530 NLHE on Monday, holding off the challenge of “kylix42” of Brazil. Tapiscallé? won a first WCOOP title in a similar event last year, and with their known penchant for cluster-wins, is one to watch for the remainder of the series. This title came with a $24K payout.

Monday, September 14

SCHEMION AT IT AGAIN: Austria-based sensation Ole “wizowizo” Schemion won a third WCOOP title of his career on Sunday night and, true to form, it was a big one: Schemion won the $10K PKO High Roller for $139,969. That’s the second-biggest score of anybody in this year’s WCOOP so far, and comprised $64K from the main prize pool and $76K in bounties. It was a small but elite field, with a smattering of star power from outside poker too, with Neymar Jr going deep. The Brazilian soccer player ended on the stone bubble, however, so it’ll be back to the training ground for him on Monday. Schemion also has 10 SCOOP titles, for the record.

PADS JOINS THE PARTY: It was never going to take Patrick Leonard too long to pick up a WCOOP title, and the reliable British crusher took his career WCOOP tally to 14 with victory in the $530 Deepstack on Saturday night. A mixed games titan, “pads1161” is still fairly nifty in the two-card game as well, and Leonard beat a field of 194 entries to the $19,838 first prize. Leonard is off and running for 2026, and continues a streak of at least one WCOOP titles every year since 2021.

ODEEN UP TO EIGHT: At almost the precise same time that Leonard was winning on Saturday night, another WCOOP all-timer, Jerry “Perrymejsen” Odeen got his WCOOP off and running with victory in the $530 8-Game for $10,891. The Swede defeated an all-star final table at which Leonard also featured, finishing third. Odeen now has eight WCOOP wins to his name.

FINN MAKES IT THREE: These two weren’t Leonard’s only final tables of the night. He also finished fourth in the $530 FLO8, with Finland’s “texasilainen” taking the win. That’s texasilainen’s third career WCOOP but first since 2020. Brazil’s Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi finished second behind texasilainen in this one, and Bruschi was also runner up on the same night to his countryman “paulinhoo00” in the $530 Turbo Copacabana.

NEWCOMER LANDS SECOND OF THE WEEK: Canada’s “ameliaroy007” won the first WCOOP title of their career in a hyper turbo that took place last Thursday. And they put the bankroll boost to exceptional use by then winning the $109 Sunday Kickoff event that played start to finish on Sunday, earning the player another $27,133. ameliaroy007 therefore became WCOOP 2026’s second double champion, following in the esteemed footsteps of Niklas “Lena900” Astedt.

MORE FAMILIAR NAMES AT THE TOP: Mexico-based MTT stalwart “hello_totti” got on the WCOOP board this year with victory in the $1K Sunday Kickoff for a handsome $33K pick-up. Remarkably for such a well-known player, this is only hello_totti’s second career WCOOP title, having won a first last year. Originally based in Russia, hello_totti has three SCOOP wins and dozens of other major results, so perhaps this is the series where that WCOOP tally gets some attention.

Friday, September 11

SIDE EVENT SUCCESS FROM POWER PATH: Today is the first day off of WCOOP 2026, but don’t sleep on the Side Events running all day and alongside Championship events.

On Monday (Sep 7), “Owaint016” from the UK took down a WCOOP Side Event (a $215 NLHE 7-Max PKO) for $6,079.06, plus $9,642.17 in bounties ($15,721 total). They entered the event using a $215 ticket they had received as part of a $2,500 Silver Pass bundle- but it gets better. They had won that Silver Pass thanks to a free $0.50 Power Path Step 1 ticket, so they essentially freerolled their way to a WCOOP Side Event title.

Get on the Power Path and Side Event grind yourself!

ASTEDT FIRST TO THE DOUBLE: That’s two titles in two consecutive nights for Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, making him the first player of this 2026 series to win a second title. His 14th career WCOOP victory came in the $5K Thursday Thrill PKO, where he battled through a 58-entry field to collect $34,219 plus a whopping $69,062 in bounties ($103,281 total). Astedt is now tied with Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov in second place on the WCOOP all-time titles list, behind only Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser (16). Joao “Naza114” Vieira had to settle for second for the second time this series, but picked up $53,594 as consolation.

NIKLAS ‘LENA900’ ASTEDT’S 14 WCOOP TITLES:

2018 – 27-M: PLO [6-Max] – $58,228
2020 – 39-H: $5,200 NLHE PKO HR – $201,055
2020 – 44-H: $2,100 NLHE – $80,642
2022 – 04-M: $109 NLO8 – $6,567
2022 – 20-H: $5,200 Closer – $94,468
2023 – 38-H: $5,200 NLHE PKO HR – $113,570
2023 – 93-H: $1,050 NLO8 – $22,224
2024 – 36-H: $1,050 NLHE Kickoff – $47,687
2024 – 39-H: $2,100 5-Card PLO – $51,257
2024 – 97-H: $10,300 NLHE PKO HR – $188,988
2024 – 110-H: $530 NLHE PKO – $83,541
2025 – 94-H: $530 5-Card PLO – $22,842
2026 – 21-H: $1,050 PLO – $20,976
2026 – 26-H: $5,200 Thursday Thrill HR PKO – $103,821

BERGSTROM ADDS RAZZ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TO EPT SUCCESS: Astedt wasn’t the only Swedish crusher to pick up a title in Thursday’s session. Two-time EPT Online champion Anton “WhatIfGod” Bergstrom clinched victory in the $1K Razz World Championship event, besting 45 entries to win $17,197. Bergstrom’s WCOOP success began back in 2014 when he picked up two titles. His third came in 2022, so he’s now on four overall.

Wednesday, September 10

LUCKY 13 FOR LENA900: For the fourth consecutive WCOOP, Niklas “Lena900” Astedt will not leave the series empty-handed. The super Swede (who final tabled the massive Sunday Million Anniversary on Monday) won his first of the year and 13th of his career in the $1K PLO, topping 86 entries to bank $20,976. It was no walk in the park either, as the final table included Patrick “pads1161” Leonard (5th – $7,070) and Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi (6th – $5,837). Astedt is now tied with Leonard, Joao “Naza114” Vieira, and Tobias “senkel92” Leknes on 13 titles–three behind the all-time leader, Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser (16).

BRILLIANT BRUSCHI BAGS 10TH: It might have been a disappointing 6th-place finish in the aforementioned $1K PLO for Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi, but the Brazilian crusher made up for it by taking down the 216-entry $530 Mystery Bounty Wednesday Surprise for $10,846 plus $21,200 in bounty prizes – that’s $31,686 total. Dimitry “yurasov1990” Yurasov was runner-up for $22,970 total, and Niklas “Lena900” Astedt also made this final table, finishing fifth for $4,161 total. This is the 10th WCOOP title of Bruschi’s career.

LONG TIME COMING: Patrick “pmahoney22” Mahoney has picked up a second career title, seven years after his first. The Mexico-based Minnesotan took down the $109 PLO for $7,98, besting 446 entries.

Wednesday, September 9

NIGHT OF CLOSE CALLS FOR HUBER: He’s already got two WCOOP titles under his belt, so it’s no surprise to see Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber running deep in plenty of events. But the PokerStars Ambassador had a particularly irksome session on Tuesday (Sep 8), even if it did turn out profitable. The Austrian first finished seventh in the $5.50 PLO8 Hyper Mystery ($247), having battled his way through a total field of 1,284 entries. Half an hour later, he busted in eighth out of 1,079 in the $75 Turbo PKO ($917), and 10 minutes after that, he fell in 13th from 356 entries in the $109 5-Card PLO8 ($511). Keep at it, Seb.

SUPER TUESDAY FOR STRAVER: There was a special $10K buy-in high roller on Tuesday which received 23 entries from some of the toughest players out there. When the dust settled, it was Austria-based Dutchman Johannes “Jepser8” Straver who emerged victorious, banking $106,622. The final table included Gabriel “gtavares10” Tavares, Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, and Joao “Naza114” Vieira.

GREAT FOR AN AMATEUR: “AmateurGOAT” had a breakout SCOOP series earlier this year–both in scores and the PokerStars/Poker.Org Pick 3 competition, which they won (by picking themselves!). Looks like WCOOP 2026 could be another breakout series as they took down the $22 HORSE for $2,836 and finished 4th in the $215 HORSE for an additional $2.609. AmateurGOAT won a $22 5-Card PLO event last year, so now has two titles overall.

ANOTHER CHAMP CROWNED: The second of 10 World Championship events took place on Tuesday. The $1K HORSE World Championship had 51 entries and was won by Brazil’s “guilherme12” for $19,490. This is their second WCOOP title.

Tuesday, September 8

SUNDAY’S SPECIAL WINNERS: The opening day’s two biggest events came to an end on Monday night, with both awarding healthy five-figure scores. Brazil’s “leoduarte134” picked up his second-career WCOOP title with victory in the $75 Sunday Special, topping a 5,005-entry field to bank $49,812. Meanwhile, “.COM??LOL” from the UK collected $81,727 for their win in the $530 Sunday Special, an event which attracted 982 entries from many of the game’s best. This is the maiden WCOOP title for “.COM??LOL”, who won a SCOOP title in 2024.

SCINTILLATING START FOR SINTORAS: Perhaps no player has enjoyed a better start to the series without winning a title as Germany’s “Sintoras”. The high-stakes regular has finished runner-up in two events ($5K 6-Max World Championship – $92,244, $530 6-Max – $17,526) and finished third in last night’s $1K Turbo for $12,965.

Monday, September 7

SUPERB START FOR MATTSSON: This year’s Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) was strange for one very Swedish reason: Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson — who had won five events in 2025, making it 14 overall — didn’t collect any fresh titles. He’s immediately made up for that now that WCOOP has landed, taking down the 121-entry $1K PLO for $27,202 on the series’ opening day. Mattsson defeated Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav ($20,863) heads-up to bink his fourth-career WCOOP title, with previous wins coming in 2022 and 2023.

SPECIAL SUNDAY FOR SPRAGGY: 5,005 entered, but just 190 remain in the $75 Sunday Special, and sitting pretty with the fourth-biggest stack in none other than Ben “Spraggy” Spragg. There’s just shy of $50K up top in this one, so make sure you tune in to Spraggy’s stream tonight to follow his progress.

LOVELY little start to WCOOP 2026! Nice late night hyper turbo win and bagged MASSIVE for Day 2 of the $75 Sunday Special.

5005 runner field down to 190 and I come back tomorrow 4th in chips!

Thanks for the rail. WCOOP is back and I shall be firing it all LIVE! Cya tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/Y1FnOvghwu

— Spraggy (@spraggy) September 7, 2026

FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT DONE: “Sxmon” of Austria has taken down the $5K NLHE 6-Max World Championship for $120,274, besting 107 entries and defeating “Sintoras” heads-up ($92,244). Joao “Naza114” Vieira rounded off the podium with a third-place finish for $70,746. This is the second career title for Sxmon, who won a $1K NLHE for $49,610 in 2024.

QUICKFIRE NEWS: Bulgaria’s “AchoBogdanov” won a second career title in the $55 6-Max Hyper PKO, banking $10,771 total.

PRO SQUASH PLAYER TURNS FREE POWER PATH TICKET INTO WCOOP GLORY

At the start of the series, Owain Taylor, a professional squash player from Nottingham in the UK, took down a WCOOP Side Event (a $215 NLHE 7-Max PKO) for $6,079.06, plus $9,642.17 in bounties ($15,721 total).

Playing under the screen name “Owaint016”, the 30-year-old entered the event using a $215 ticket he had received as part of a $2,500 Silver Pass bundle. But it gets better. He won that Silver Pass thanks to a free $0.50 Power Path Step 1 ticket, so he essentially freerolled his way to a WCOOP Side Event title!

We spoke to Taylor shortly after his victory.

PokerStars: How does it feel to win over $15,000 for free by using your free Power Path ticket?

Owain “Owaint016” Taylor: It feels incredible. It’s my biggest score by some way, and it’s a tournament I never would’ve played had it not been for the free tickets from the Silver Pass I won on the Power Path. It was nice to test myself against better players thanks to the free Power Path tickets.

What was going through your mind when you realised you had won? 

I was chip-leading for most of the way through the tournament. From about 90 players remaining, I managed to stay within the top three stacks the whole time, so I had my eyes on the win from then. I then held the best hand in a four-way all-in for 120bb and three bounties, which is when it started to feel real!

Have you ever played WCOOP before? 

I’ve played a few WCOOP series now, although none anywhere near as successful as this one. I enjoy the challenge of these larger series as they bring a different player pool to the site. Navigating your way through larger tournaments is a skill in itself and something I’m still learning.

When did you start playing poker and how did you get into it?

I started playing poker during COVID with some friends via the PokerStars Home Game feature as a way of keeping in touch with each other through the lockdowns.

What do you enjoy about poker?

I enjoy the problem-solving element of poker the most. I have an engineering master’s degree, so I think it appeals to my type of analytical thinking. I’m also an extremely competitive person, so it helps scratch that itch too!

How often do you play online poker?

I don’t get to play as often as I would like, usually a handful of times a month at most, as I work a lot of evenings and weekends, so I rarely get the time for a session.

How are you planning to celebrate your win, and what’s next for you?

I’ve celebrated by treating myself to some new golf clubs, as well as keeping some in my bankroll for the rest of WCOOP to see how I can do this month.

Do you have any poker goals, tournaments or ambitions you’re looking forward to?

I would love to have the time to take poker more seriously, but for now I play for enjoyment in the spare time I get. A dream would be to one day play a major series like WSOP or a PS Main event on the EPT.

Is there any other info you’d like to share?

I’d like to give a shoutout to my friend Jayden, who helped me a lot in my early poker days, teaching me the main concepts and strategy, and also to Spraggy for keeping me entertained and enthused about poker with his streaming and YouTube content.

ABOUT WCOOP 2026

All it takes is one life-changing run. 

That’s the magic of the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) on PokerStars. It’s online poker’s most prestigious series and its ultimate proving ground, yet it’s also where dreamers can become champions.

WCOOP 2026 will be no different.

Running from September 6-30, the series spans 121 events and 350 tournaments across almost every imaginable format, with buy-ins ranging from as little as $5.50 all the way up to the nosebleeds: $25,000.

As always, each event comes with three buy-in tiers: High, Medium, and Low. Players can also look forward to the usual fantastic spread of games and formats, including no limit hold’em, pot limit omaha, 8-Game, HORSE, progressive knockouts (PKOs) and mystery bounties.

There are leader board races, impressive trophies (yep, every winner will have a trophy shipped to their home), and the WCOOP 2026 Main Events, where you could etch your name into poker’s history books.

Here, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about WCOOP 2026: The events you can’t miss, how you can qualify, and more.

KEY SERIES INFO

September 6-30, 2026

Events: 121
Tournaments: 350

The centrepieces of WCOOP 2026 are the six WCOOP Main Events and 10 World Championship events in each discipline, including 6-Max, HORSE, Razz, and Progressive KO and a Women’s NLHE event.

The NLHE Main Events will take place on September 27, and the PLO Main Event will take place on September 28, with a total of $6.5 million guaranteed across the six Main Events.

• $109 NLHE Main Event L –  $1.25M Gtd – September 27
• $1,050 NLHE Main Event M – $2M Gtd – September 27
• $10,300 NLHE Main Event H/NLHE Championship – $2.5M Gtd – September 27
• $109 PLO Main Event L – $100,000 Gtd – September 28
• $1,050 PLO Main Event M – $250,000 Gtd – September 28
• $10,300 PLO Main Event H/PLO Championship – $400,000 Gtd – September 28

The High NLHE and PLO Main Events also serve as World Championship events. The remaining World Championship events are as follows:

• $5,200 NLHE 6-Max Championship – $400,000 Gtd – September 6​
• $1,050 HORSE Championship – $50,000 Gtd – September 7​
• $1,050 Razz Championship – $40,000 Gtd – September 10
• $1,050 NLHE PKO Championship – $500,00 Gtd – September 13
• $1,050 Triple Draw Championship – $40,000 Gtd – September 15
• $1,050 PLO8 Championship – $100,000 Gtd – September 17
• $215 Women’s NLHE Championship – $10K Gtd – September
• $2,100 8-Game Championship –  $80,000 Gtd – September 24​

As part of the 25th edition of WCOOP, the Finals (Phase 2) of the iconic Sunday Million 20th Anniversary with $5 million guaranteed will get underway on the first day of the series: September 6.

Daily $109 Heats (Phase 1) are currently underway for the phased tournament and are running until September 6, giving plenty of time for players to qualify for the Finals.

WCOOP 2026 SCHEDULE

WCOOP 2026 LEADER BOARDS

There are four WCOOP 2026 leader boards (low, medium, high, and overall), giving everyone from low-stakes grinders to high rollers a fair shot at recognition (and big cash prizes).

If you’re planning to pick out a handful of the best tournaments — the ones that best suit your skills and bankroll — then you needn’t worry about the boards. Just have fun out there.

But if you’re planning to put in a big grind and fancy testing yourself against the best in the biz, you’ll want to check the leader boards regularly.

There’s $100K in cash prizes up for grabs across all leader boards, plus a coveted trophy and eternal bragging rights for the winners of each, including the overall Player of the Series.

HOW TO QUALIFY

SATELLITES

Satellites to all events start at just $0.55, so if there’s an event you really want to play, you can find a way.

SPIN & GO

Special edition Spin & Go’s start at just $0.75. It’s the quickest way to win tickets.

LUCKY DIP

The WCOOP Lucky Dip will award $500,000 in WCOOP tickets from September 6-26.

But how can you get in on the action?

It couldn’t be simpler. All players need to do is play in a WCOOP tournament for the chance to win another WCOOP entry via the daily Lucky Dip.

Best of luck!

POWER PATH

There’s a $55 buy-in Power Path Express on September 6 awarding more than $175,000 in WCOOP Gold, Silver, and Bronze Pass ticket bundles and Main Event tickets.

The daily Stars Spinner is awarding tickets to the Power Path Express right now until September 5.

YOUR PATH TO GLORY

WCOOP has a path for you.

THE GRINDER

If you thrive on volume and leader boards, then WCOOP is your arena. It’s time to reward your consistency and stamina. 

THE DREAMER

For the dreamers, the road could begin with a $0.55 satellite. Every year, we see players qualify for pocket change and walk away with life-changing sums. Buy-ins start low, but the potential is massive.

THE FIRST-TIMER

New to WCOOP? Don’t worry, you belong here, too. Try freerolls or micro-stakes qualifiers to dip your toes in. Check out beginner-friendly events with great structures (there are plenty on offer this year). We say start small and experience the thrill of competing on online poker’s biggest stage.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?

The 2025 WCOOP series was certainly one for the ages, with just shy of $74 million awarded in prizes. Six players won three titles a piece, while the likes of Patrick “pads1161” Leonard, Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo, and Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm did the double.

Check out how it all played out in our WCOOP 2025 coverage hub.

WHO HAS THE MOST WCOOP TITLES?

When it comes to online poker, few series carry the same weight and prestige as the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP).

Since its launch on PokerStars in 2002, the WCOOP has become the ultimate proving ground for the best players in the game. With buy-ins ranging from small stakes to nosebleed high rollers, the series attracts thousands of grinders, recreational players, and the biggest names in poker, all chasing one of the most coveted prizes in online poker: a WCOOP title.

Over the years, a handful of elite players have separated themselves from the pack, amassing multiple championships across a variety of variants, from no limit hold’em and pot limit omaha, to mixed games like HORSE and badugi.

So, who are the players with the most WCOOP titles, and how did they build their legacies?

Let’s take a look.

COMPLETE WCOOP RESULTS 2002-2025

Want to find out if a player has ever won a WCOOP? Or how many titles they have?

Find out here in the complete WCOOP results table.

WCOOP 2026 FAQ

What’s the WCOOP Main Event prize pool this year?

There are three NLHE Main Events:

• 108-L: NLHE Main Event, $109 – $1.25M Gtd
• 108-M: NLHE Main Event, $1,050 – $2M Gtd
• 108-H: NLHE Main Event / World Championship, $10,300 – $2.5M Gtd

Can I qualify for just $0.55?

Yes. Satellites start from just $0.55. Spin & Go qualifiers start at $0.75. You can also win tickets through the WCOOP Lucky Dip and Power Path Express WCOOP edition.

How do WCOOP leader boards work?

Points are awarded based on event performance, with separate leaderboards for each buy-in level.

Can I play WCOOP on mobile?

Absolutely, the full schedule is available on desktop and mobile apps.

Are there trophies for winners?

Yes, winners of all 350 WCOOP events receive trophies in addition to prize money.

What’s the cheapest way to play WCOOP?

Freerolls and deposit promotions give players free entry paths.

Can I multi-table during WCOOP?

Yes, the more experienced players grind multiple events at once. That’s how they crush the leader boards.

Where can I follow WCOOP coverage?

Results and stories will be on the PokerStars Blog throughout the series.

WCOOP GAMES

The WCOOP Games are a fun contest running alongside the prestigious World Championship of Online Poker 2026.

It’s a fantastic opportunity for PokerStars players–particularly those with more modest bankrolls–to get win their way into some $109 WCOOP events, potentially win an additional $1K WCOOP Main Event ticket, provide big freerolls for their community, and have some fun, team-building frolics along the way.

And all you need to try and take part is one cent…

Click here to find out how you can take part in the WCOOP Games.

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