Matt Grapenthien wins the $10,000 Stud Lob Championship, once again claiming the WSOP title.

Matt Grapenthien won the WSOP $10,000 Seven-card Stud Lob Championship, earning his second gold bracelet and $415,648 in prize money, 12 years after his first victory.

Many in the poker world believe that Stud Poker is a dying game, with its supporter base shrinking over the years. However, there is still a group of people who find beauty in the game, and Matt Grapenthien is one of them. He has specialized in Stud Poker for over two decades, and today he has proven his choice correct.

The #75:$10,000 Seven-Card Stud High-Lo 8 or Better tournament at the 2026 World Series of Poker attracted a record 190 entries, creating a total prize pool of $1,767,000. After three days of pot-limit play, a champion was crowned, with the top prize of $425,648 awarded.

Chicago native Grapenthien held up his gold bracelet after the dust settled, his second WSOP gold bracelet after winning the $10,000 seven-card stud tournament in 2014.

This champion has already demonstrated his strength in single-champion stud format, having made several deep runs in stud high and Razz events, but he has never been able to make a deep run in stud high and low until today.

Grapenthien defeated a formidable lineup of top poker minds to win the biggest prize of his career. He swiftly defeated Jack Germaine heads-up, with several close friends by his side as he won the title.

Final table results for event #75

Post-championship remarks

Grapenthien first tasted success in the World Series of Poker in 2014, but it took him 12 years to reclaim the title. He attributed his victory to his confidence, experience, and a bit of good luck.

“I was super confident after leading in chips on Day 1, but today was just so unfair,” Grapenthien described. “When I made a straight flush against Caitlin (Comeskey) on Fifth Street and she made a full house on the river, I knew today was my day.”

That was just the first of many big hands – Grapenthien made four of a kind twice and rolled up three times, winning a substantial pot each time.

Besides having good luck, Grapenthien is no stranger to playing stud poker at off-limits tables, which is crucial in the final table.

“I’ve spent a lot of time playing short tables and heads-up stud online. For many years after I started playing poker, I would sit and wait for someone to play one-on-one against me,” the champion explained. “I’m more experienced than almost anyone in heads-up play in these games.”

Having short-table experience is a huge advantage in any tournament, especially when prize jumps become more important.

"You rarely get a chance to play short tables in tournaments, almost never. You have to play until the very end."

"I was thrilled to get to heads-up and to have so many bets at the table," Grapenthien continued. "I told people it would take hours, but I was really lucky."

The most crucial hand in the tournament occurred during heads-up play—Grapenthien made four of a kind on fifth street. However, he was check-raised on both fifth and sixth streets and managed to put his third bet into the pot on both streets.

"I showed 7-2-2, and my hole cards were a pair of 2s," he elaborated, pointing to Benny Glaser. "That guy raised me on fifth street, and I smiled at you (watching from the sidelines). That's the best feeling in the world."

The newly crowned two-time gold bracelet winner, looking forward to the $25,000 buy-in HORSE event at the end of summer, gave an important instruction to his friends sitting next to him with a smile.

"I haven't been able to complain about bad luck for a while, so when I do complain next week, please have someone slap me."

Day 3 Battle Report

There were still 13 players in the competition when the final day began, but the remaining lineup quickly dwindled as the unofficial nine-player final table was formed in the first level.

Bradley Jansen was eliminated in the first hand of the day, followed closely by Jose Paz-Gutierrez, who was also eliminated just a few hands later. Tenth place went to regular stud poker player Paul Volpe, while Nicolas Milgrom was eliminated at the final table bubble after losing two consecutive large pots.

The remaining nine players were then grouped into a final table, and the three players who ultimately stood on the podium were among the top chip leaders, with Germaine holding a slight lead.

Matt Vengrin's short-yard survival ended after climbing to ninth place, while Koji Fujimoto failed to replicate his success in the 2-7 Three Draws Championship, finishing in eighth place.

In the seven-player stage, it was a battle of short stacks – Mark Rubbathan, Chris Brewer, and Caitlin Comeskey all spent time on the button, fighting for a prize jump.

Ultimately, Rubbathan became the next victim—he made three of a kind on Sixth Street and had a low-card draw, but failed to beat Germaine's straight and low cards, leaving Germaine as the only British player remaining.

While Chris Brewer is traditionally known for his high-stakes tournament prowess, he made his third final table appearance this summer in the $10,000 Championship event, but his pursuit of a third gold bracelet ended in sixth place.

Popular player Caitlin Comeskey, supported by her boisterous family and friends, survived multiple all-in bets before ultimately finishing in fifth place. Her first winnings in a five-figure buy-in event proved to be substantial – she took home nearly $100,000 in prize money.

Walter Chambers, a regular in high buy-in mixed events, fell behind in the four-handed battle and became the next to be eliminated. Despite briefly taking a chip lead at the final table, Chambers never found any momentum, and his luck ran out after two pairs failed to beat Maxx Coleman's straight.

A long three-way battle ensued between Grapenthien, Germaine, and Coleman, with each player taking turns holding the chip lead. They played for nearly two hours before the next elimination occurred.

Coleman ultimately finished in third place. He lost several cold hands before going all-in on third street with his King against Grapenthien's AQ-6—Grapenthien made three Queens on sixth street, eliminating the fourth-place poker player.

Grapenthien and Germaine started heads-up with almost equal chips, both holding nearly 30 large bets. Normally, this would last for hours, but Grapenthien was able to finish the match within an hour.

He won several small pots, followed by the crucial moment mentioned above—Grapenthien made four of a kind on Fifth Street. Both players placed three bets on both Fifth and Sixth Streets, giving him an overwhelming lead.

Just a few hands later, it was all over—Germaine, with 5 pair against Grapenthien's Ace-high on fifth street, put his remaining chips into the pot. Germaine made trips on sixth street, while Grapenthien paired with his 8s. However, a third 8 appeared on the final card, securing the championship for Grapenthien, who was finally able to celebrate his WSOP success with his family and friends once again—12 years after his first victory.

This concludes our report on the #75:$10,000 Seven-Card Stud High-Low 8 or Better tournament. Please continue to follow PokerNews for the latest updates on all events in the 2026 World Series of Poker.

Want to change Texas Holdem from "can understand" to "can win"?

If you want to learn more about Texas Hold'em, you can continue reading：

The Origins of Texas Hold'em: Why is it the World's Most Popular Poker Variant?
Texas Hold'em Hand Rankings and Showdown Rules (Beginner’s Essentials)
Texas Hold'em Betting teaching: Check / Bet / Call /Raise and Betting Strategy Analysis
The importance of Texas Hold'em position? Why is the back position more advantageous?
How to play Texas Hold'em? Novices learn Texas Hold'em rules, processes and betting teaching in 10 minutes
Texas Hold'em Starting Hands Strategy Guide: Which Hands to Play?
Texas Holdem Starting Hands Chart Tutorial: Complete Starting Hand Chart and Position Strategy
How to play Texas Hold'em? Complete rules and a hand's flow (Preflop / Flop / Turn / River)

Hunter Poker offers comprehensive tutorials, hand analysis, and strategy sharing to help players upgrade from simply "reading the cards" to understanding the range . This allows you to make better decisions in every hand.

In Facebook Follow Hunter Poker.
In Youtube Follow Hunter Poker.

Want to learn more about Texas Hold'em gameplay and strategies?

Online Texas Hold'em free tournaments typically have no entry fee, making them ideal for beginners to familiarize themselves with the rules and for advanced players to test strategies and gain experience. View full brand profiles to learn about each platform's free tournament schedule, features, and target audience.

Headed to