From Cash King to Tournament Giant: Markus Gonsalves Wins First Gold Bracelet in $5k Six-Handed Event

Markus Gonsalves won the WSOP $5,000 Six-Max No-Limit Hold'em event, earning his first gold bracelet and a prize of $979,655.

Event #73: $5,000 Six-Max No-Limit Texas Hold'em has concluded at the 2026 World Series of Poker. A total of 1,402 hopeful players tried their luck at Horseshoe and Paris in Las Vegas, but now only one remains – Markus Gonsalves defeated all his opponents to be crowned the Six-Max Champion.

This was no easy feat; four days of fast-paced poker battles culminated in the crowning of the champion. In a tournament filled with top professionals, late entrants, and brutal circumstances, Gonsalves overcame all obstacles to become the last player with a chip stack.

The total prize pool is a whopping $6,449,200, with the champion receiving a near seven-figure prize of $979,655. Furthermore, Gonsalves will take home the highest honor in poker—a coveted WSOP gold bracelet. Even more remarkably, this is his first WSOP gold bracelet, granting him entry into the game's most exclusive club.

According to The Hendon Mob, this prize money boosts Gonsalves' live winnings to over $3,000,000, nearly double his previous highest prize of $554,495.

Heads-up loser Xiaoyao Ma experienced some brutal board hands on final day and was undoubtedly disappointed to lose in the final stage. Nevertheless, the runner-up prize of $653,037 essentially doubled his live winnings, and there's no doubt he'll be back at the tables soon.

Event #73: $5,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Texas Hold'em Final Table Results

Post-championship remarks

"This is something every player dreams of," Gonsalves told PokerNews, describing the feeling of finally winning the gold bracelet. "I've been playing poker for 21 years," he noted, adding that nothing feels better than winning the ultimate trophy in the game.

Although it may not be obvious, Gonsalves actually prefers cash game players to tournament players. This preference is also reflected in the tournament nature of his track selections when switching tracks.

Gonsalves' poker career began with online six-handed cash games, and his expertise in that area has translated perfectly into tournament play. "More fun," he says. "More creative, and more aggressive," he jokes, adding that there's "more space" at the table.

Despite his preference for cash games, Gonsalves "really enjoys participating in tournaments," and for this event, he was "really excited: I'm full of motivation." Although he's used to cash games that "end in eight hours," the four days of training weren't difficult for him.

The final day was tumultuous for the San Diego native – he held a massive chip lead for most of the time until he lost a huge pot of pocket threes to fellow tablemate Jeremy Izquierdo, bringing the final three chip stacks to a near balance.

Nevertheless, Gonsalves was grateful for his long experience in the game and his strong support from his friends and family, which prevented him from becoming discouraged. Pocket 3s both gave and took away – when all hope seemed lost, he hit three of a kind on the river against the same opponent.

Looking ahead, despite his evident talent in tournament poker, Gonsalves has no intention of leaving his beloved cash games. "I'll play in the Main Event," he admits, but beyond that, his only plan is to take his family and friends out for a meal and relax.

Nevertheless, it is certain that now that Gonsalves has truly embarked on his WSOP journey, we will definitely see him in more six-max events in the future.

Final Day Results

Gonsalves entered the final day with an overwhelming chip lead, and he immediately put his chip advantage into practice, further extending his dominance at the table in the early rounds.

However, the beneficiary of the first key pot was Izquierdo—who, with an overpair against Oliver Weis' all-in, saw a very clean board and won a huge double.

Weis then went through a nightmarish losing streak—losing two huge pots in a row, which eliminated him from the competition.

In the first pot, he called Gonsalves' three-gun bet with top pair, only to have his opponent show an Ace, leaving him with very few chips. Shortly after, he got an Ace and went all-in, but was overwhelmed by Xiaoyao Ma's kicker, unexpectedly ending his tournament journey early.

Joshua Boulton was the next player to be eliminated – he was leading all-in against Gonsalves in blinds-to-blinds. The flop was safe enough for him, but Gonsalves hit the turn, extending their lead and eliminating the British player.

Gonsalves remained aggressive, and Lithuanian player Dominykas Mikolaitis was his next victim. Both went all-in, with Gonsalves dominating and hitting trips on the flop to secure the win. Mikolaitis left the game amidst the consolation of his friends and family. The four quickly became three – Daniel Rezaei lost to Ma in the pre-flop showdown, confirming the top three.

The three-way battle was like a rollercoaster – Izquierdo went from zero to hero and back to zero in 25 minutes. The Frenchman doubled up with Ma, hit two outs against Gonsalves, and then took the chip lead with a double-gun bet. Almost immediately after, Gonsalves hit the exact same two outs, and then Izquierdo's kicking mistake led to his elimination by Gonsalves.

Ma started heads-up with a 3-1 deficit, but he never gave up – he fought back and gained the chip lead. He then went all-in with an overwhelming advantage for the bracelet, but his opponent cruelly hit three outs, leaving him almost penniless.

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