{"id":19207,"date":"2026-06-20T15:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T07:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/?p=19207"},"modified":"2026-06-20T15:22:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T07:22:08","slug":"marco-johnson-wins-wsop-2500-freezeout-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hunter.poker\/en\/marco-johnson-wins-wsop-2500-freezeout-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"After a ten-year wait, Marco Johnson has finally won his third WSOP gold bracelet, marking his first ever No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament victory."},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Marco
Marco Johnson defeated 1,561 competitors to win the 2026 WSOP $2,500 Freezeout championship.<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Returning to championship glory after ten years<\/h2>

The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) will welcome another heavyweight champion.<\/span><\/p>

In Event #49:$2,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em<\/strong>In the WSOP, American professional poker player Marco Johnson defeated a massive field of 1,561 players to win the championship, taking home $513,885 in prize money and his third WSOP gold bracelet.<\/span><\/p>

More significantly, this is also Johnson's first WSOP gold bracelet in a No-Limit Hold'em event.<\/span><\/p>

His previous two gold bracelets were both from hybrid games, so this victory proves that he is not just a hybrid game expert.<\/span><\/p>

1,561 participants create an intense battlefield<\/h2>

This Freezeout event attracted 1,561 participants, with a total prize pool of $3,473,225.<\/span><\/p>

By Day 3, only 28 players remained to compete for the championship.<\/span><\/p>

Johnson entered the final table with a leading chip count and displayed exceptional consistency throughout the final day, ultimately making it to the heads-up final.<\/span><\/p>

The key move, KK, crushed the formidable opponent.<\/h2>

A major turning point occurred early in the final table.<\/span><\/p>

Johnson faced off against German player Sebastian Schulze in a super-large pot match.<\/span><\/p>

Johnson had pocket kings, while his opponent had AK, and both players had high chip counts.<\/span><\/p>

Ultimately, Pocket K successfully withstood the pressure, allowing Johnson to win a massive pot of about a third of the chips on the table, thus establishing a significant lead.<\/span><\/p>

After the match, Johnson admitted that he was actually very nervous at the time.<\/span><\/p>

Because he had failed at similar crucial moments many times in the past few years, his biggest feeling when he saw the last community card fall was actually "a sense of relief".<\/span><\/p>

Chino Rheem defeated his old friend in a one-on-one fight.<\/h2>

The heads-up match for the championship was between Marco Johnson and renowned professional poker player Chino Rheem.<\/span><\/p>

The two have known each other for over 20 years and have a very good relationship in private.<\/span><\/p>

Johnson stated:<\/span><\/p>

"I've known Chino for twenty years, and he played a fantastic game."<\/p><\/blockquote>

In the crucial final showdown, Johnson's A\u26665\u2666 went up against Rheem's A4, and the flop gave him a straight (Wheel), securing the victory.<\/span><\/p>

Rheem won second place and a prize of $341,970.<\/span><\/p>

First NLH title<\/h2>

Marco Johnson has long been considered a top expert in the field of hybrid games.<\/span><\/p>

His first two WSOP gold bracelets came from:<\/span><\/p>