International news

International news

Raphael Caixeta wins the first gold bracelet at the 2026 WSOP Online.

WSOP Online | Raphael Caixeta wins his first gold bracelet; 3,607 players take home $207,000 in the opening event.

International news

  On August 17, 2026, GGPoker officially crowned the first WSOP Online gold bracelet winner of the year. Brazilian online tournament player Raphael Caixeta emerged victorious from a field of 3,607 entries in the $700 7th Annual WSOP Kick-Off Bounty Event, defeating Khaw “Apacgg” Chin Wah to win his first WSOP gold bracelet. In addition to earning $126,912 in ranking prize money, Caixeta also accumulated $80,255 in bounties, for a total earnings of $207,167. He also received a 2026 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event package worth $30,000, giving him the opportunity to extend his online success to the live stage in the Bahamas. With 3,607 entries and a prize pool approaching $2.4 million, the 7th Annual WSOP Kick-Off saw 3,607 entries ($700) and a total prize pool of $2,398,655 ($2,398,655). The tournament employed a bounty structure, with 356 players successfully advancing to the Bounty Stage, all of whom were guaranteed at least one minimum prize upon reaching that stage. Event Data: Event $700 7th Annual WSOP Kick-Off Series 2026 WSOP Online Platform GGPoker Entries: 3,607 Total Prize Pool: $2,398,655 Bounty Stage Advancement: 356 Champion: Raphael Caixeta Champion Ranking Prize: $126,912 Champion Bounty: $80,255 Total Champion Prize: $207,167 Bonus: $30,000 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event Package. PokerNews describes Caixeta as a player who primarily focuses on online tournaments, and now his WSOP resume officially includes the significant achievement of a "Wallet Champion". WSOP Kick-Off Final Table Rankings: Players | Country/Region | Bounty Ranking | Total Prize Money 1. Raphael Caixeta | Brazil | $ | 80,255 | $ | 126,912 | $ | 207,167 2. Khaw “Apacgg” Chin Wah | New Zealand | $ | 33,409 | $ | 126,901 | $ | 160,310 3. Lichu89 | Argentina | $ | 6,000 | $ | 98,258 | $ | 104,258 4. Oleksii “ITakeIt” Trofymenko | Poland* | $ | 11,677 | $ | 76,084 | $ | 8

Mikalai Vaskaboinikau wins the Onyx $50,500 High Roller Championship.

Onyx High Stakes Championship | Mikalai Vaskaboinikau narrowly entered but defied expectations to win the title and take home $450,000.

International news

    On August 17, 2026, the $50,500 High Roller Championship, one of the highest buy-in levels in the Onyx High Roller Series, concluded at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in Northern Cyprus. Belarusian star Mikalai Vaskaboinikau defeated Russian cash game expert Alexey Borovkov to claim the championship and the $450,000 prize. The most dramatic aspect of this victory was that Vaskaboinikau almost didn't even participate. With late registration closing soon, he realized he only had about two minutes left to register and rushed to the venue to take his seat. The 18-player tournament created an $864,000 prize pool, and this player who almost missed the tournament became the only one to lift the trophy. The 18-player high roller event only awards prizes to the top three, with a bubble value of $164,000. Although the $50,500 High Roller Championship only had 18 players, the prize structure was extremely steep, with only the bottom three making it into the money. The third-place winner will receive $164,000, which is equivalent to more than three times the purchase amount; the fourth-place winner will receive nothing. Tournament Data: Onyx High Roller Championship Buy-in $ 50,500 Entries 18 Total Prize Pool $ 864,000 3 Players in the Money: Champion Mikalai Vaskaboinikau ($ 450,000), Runner-up Alexey Borovkov ($ 250,000), Third Place Rob Yong ($ 164,000) Onyx $ 50,500 High Roller Championship Final Results Ranking Player Country/Region Prize 1 Mikalai Vaskaboinikau Belarus $ 450,000 2 Alexey Borovkov Russia $ 250,000 3 Rob Yong United Kingdom $ 164,000 Vaskaboinikau's championship journey didn't start well after a narrow entry and early setbacks, seemingly on the verge of elimination. Early on, he held pocket pairs below board strength and fired three consecutive shots at Aleksejs Ponakovs. However, Ponakovs eventually completed a straight down-the-door Broadway, taking a large number of chips from Vaskaboinikau and quickly pushing him into the short stack. The situation became so dire that Vaskaboinikau began discussing with friends what to do if he were eliminated soon. But the final result was completely the opposite; he not only didn't leave early, but...