Honghao Zhang's Las Vegas Dream Comes True
The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) will crown another gold bracelet winner.
Chinese-American player Honghao Zhang fought his way through the Event #13:$1,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em to win the championship, taking home $346,553 in prize money and his first WSOP gold bracelet.
For Honghao Zhang, this is not only the greatest achievement of his career, but also a major breakthrough that completely changes his poker resume.
Before winning the WSOP bracelet, his best live tournament result was runner-up in a major event at the 2025 WPT World Championship Festival, earning $355,110. Now, with this WSOP gold bracelet, he has officially joined the ranks of world-class champions.
2,354 participants created fierce competition.
This $1,500 six-handed No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament attracted 2,354 entries.
The six-handed format is generally considered more aggressive than the traditional nine-handed format. Players need to participate in the pot with a wider range of starting hands, resulting in a very fast pace and high demands on both skill and mental fortitude.
Faced with such a large lineup of competitors, Honghao Zhang showed a stable performance from Day 1 onwards.
Entering Day 2, he successfully joined the leading group and further accumulated a large number of chips after eliminating Slovenian WSOP champion Tjan Tepeh, becoming one of the favorites to win the championship.
They advanced all the way to the final table.
After entering the final table, Honghao Zhang continued to play aggressively.
The most distinctive feature of the six-player table tournament is:
- Frequent front-of-flight confrontation
- The ratio of three-bet to four-bet has increased.
- Short codes face greater survival pressure
- The decision-making space becomes more complex after the overturn.
Despite the intense environment, Honghao Zhang remained calm throughout.
Facing several experienced professional players, he not only successfully avoided major mistakes, but also continuously accumulated an advantage in key pots.
As the number of players on the field dwindled, he gradually built a championship-caliber scoreboard lead.
Showing champion spirit at crucial moments
As the competition entered its final stages, the pressure increased significantly.
After all, for all the players, what they are looking forward to is not only the hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money, but also the coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
However, Honghao Zhang was not affected by the pressure.
Whether it was the pre-flop all-in confrontation or the post-flop pressure phase, he demonstrated extremely high decision-making quality.
In the end, he successfully defeated his final opponent and officially secured the championship title.
When the final river card fell, enthusiastic applause erupted, witnessing the Chinese-American player achieve the most important victory of his career.
The first gold bracelet is of great significance.
The WSOP gold bracelet is considered the highest honor in the world of poker.
Many professional athletes, even those with millions of dollars in prize money, may not be able to win a gold bracelet.
Therefore, for Honghao Zhang, the value of this championship trophy far exceeds the prize money itself.
From the steady accumulation of the past few years to now officially standing on the world's highest poker stage, he has finally fulfilled the dream pursued by all professional poker players.
Chinese team adds another championship glory
In recent years, Chinese players have been performing increasingly well on the international poker stage.
From the Triton Super High Stakes Series to the WSOP world stage, more and more Chinese professional poker players are achieving breakthrough results.
Honghao Zhang's victory once again proves that Chinese players are fully capable of competing head-on with the world's top players.
His victory in the highly competitive six-player tournament, in particular, demonstrates his comprehensive technical prowess.
The 2026 WSOP continues to produce new legends.
With Honghao Zhang's successful crowning, several more gold bracelet champions have emerged at the 2026 WSOP.
include:
- Michael Casella
- Scott Clements
- Dimitar Danchev
- Philip Chun
- Stephen Hubbard
- Honghao Zhang
All the contestants achieved their dreams this summer.
And what follows is:
- Millionaire Maker
- Monster Stack
- Poker Players Championship
- Main Event World Championship
High-profile events are about to take place.
For poker fans worldwide, the most exciting stories of the 2026 WSOP continue to unfold.
Honghao Zhang's name has been officially written into the annals of WSOP champions.
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