Aiming for a three-peat at the WSOP Women's Championship! Okamoto Shina: I won't predict the outcome, I'll just focus on playing each hand well.

The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ladies Championship is about to begin, and the most discussed topic in the entire poker world is only one:

Can Shiina Okamoto achieve an unprecedented three-peat?

The achievements of this Japanese star over the past three years can only be described as legendary:

• 2023 runner-up

• 2024 Champion

• Successfully defended the championship in 2025

Now, she has returned to Las Vegas to challenge for her third consecutive WSOP Women's Championship bracelet. If she succeeds, she will set an unprecedented three-peat record in the history of the modern WSOP Women's Championship. 

Let's not talk about the championship, just focus on the process.

Despite the overwhelming expectations from the outside world, Okamoto Shina remained unusually calm.

When discussing her current competitive state, she frankly stated:

“My results this season weren’t particularly outstanding, but I’ve put a lot of effort into mental preparation over the past year, so I think I played pretty well overall.” 

To date, Okamoto Shina's career live tournament winnings have exceeded $1.2 million.

Her best result in the 2026 season was finishing 37th in the WSOP European Main Event, earning over $46,000 in prize money. 

However, she made no bold statements regarding the upcoming women's championship.

She stated frankly:

“"As for how much of a chance I have of winning? To be honest, I really don't know."” 

Pressure is also a part of growth.

After winning the title for two consecutive years, Okamoto Shina has long been the most watched figure in the Women's Championship.

With a historic record looming, she acknowledges that expectations do exist, but she has learned how to face them.

She believes that instead of focusing on records and results, it is better to concentrate on each decision.

Over the past year, her biggest progress has not been technical, but rather her psychological growth.

She constantly learns how to control her emotions, accept fluctuations, and maintain a stable state of mind during competitions.

That's why she was able to remain calm even in the face of tremendous public attention.

Making history is never easy.

Reaching the final of the same major tournament for three consecutive years is already extremely difficult, let alone winning it three times in a row.

PokerNews points out that if Okamoto Shina can win again, this achievement would be comparable to a classic record in poker history.

For example：

• Johnny Chan reached the WSOP Main Event finals for three consecutive years (winning in 1987 and 1988, and finishing as runner-up in 1989).

• Adam Friedman wins Dealer's Choice Championship for the third consecutive year.

Okamoto Shina is now facing an even larger scale of competition.

The number of participants in the past three Women's Championships reached:

• 2023: 1,295 people

• 2024: 1,245 people

• 2025: 1,368 people

Every year, they need to stand out in large competitions with more than a thousand people, and such consistency is extremely rare.

A new flag for Japanese women's poker

Shina Okamoto has become one of the most representative players in Japanese poker in recent years.

She is not only the first Japanese woman to win a WSOP Women's Event gold bracelet, but also made her name a part of WSOP history by winning two consecutive championships.

In recent years, Japan's overall poker strength has continued to improve.

From Naoya Kihara to Shina Okamoto, Japanese players have continued to make breakthroughs on the world's highest stage, bringing increasing attention to Asian poker prowess. 

She doesn't want to predict the future.

At the end of the interview, PokerNews asked Okamoto Shina again whether she believed she could make history.

She still did not give a clear answer.

In her view, poker is never a sport where the outcome can be predicted in advance.

All we can do is prepare diligently, focus on the process, and try our best to play each hand well.

Just like the attitude she has shown:

Don't try to predict the future, just focus on the present. 

The legendary three-peat is about to be revealed.

With the 2026 WSOP Women's Championship officially underway, all eyes will be on Okamoto Shina.

Winning two consecutive championships is already great enough, but winning three consecutive championships means making history.

She didn't shout out a slogan to win the championship, nor did she set any results for herself.

She simply sat back down at the poker table with the same calm mindset she had maintained for the past two years.

As for the final answer, time and the card table will reveal it together.

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