WSOP Intermediate Championship | Yanting Jiang wins her first gold medal on her birthday, a single mother taking home $1.15 million.

On July 14, 2026, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #89:$3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold'em concluded its final showdown in Horseshoe against Paris Las Vegas. American player Yanting Jiang emerged victorious from a field of 3,668 entries, defeating Chahn Jung heads-up to claim his first WSOP gold bracelet and a $1,159,182 first-place prize.

The total prize pool for this event reached $9,793,560, with 16 players returning on Day 4. Jiang entered the final day as the chip leader, and although she was overtaken by Chahn Jung midway through the day, she regained the lead and dominated the final table, personally completing the final four eliminations to secure the biggest tournament prize of her career.

Yanting Jiang won her first gold bracelet the day after her birthday.

The day before the final was Yanting Jiang's birthday. On July 13, she finished Day 3 as the chip leader with 16 players through multiple 3-bets and key calls; a day later, she turned her lead into a gold bracelet and won her first live tournament title.

After the competition, Jiang was still incredulous about winning the championship. As a single mother raising two children, she considers her family more important than the prize money and the gold bracelet, and said that her first wish after winning was to take her children on vacation.

Jung overtook them first, but they regained the chip lead with two pairs.

At the start of the final day, Jiang eliminated Petre Ionescu first, continuing his lead from Day 3. However, Chahn Jung quickly accumulated chips in the two levels before the official final table, briefly pulling Jiang off the chip leader position. The two then clashed frequently, gradually forming the main competitive thread of the final day.

In a crucial hand, Jiang raised to 2,500,000 from early position, and Jung called from the small blind. The flop came 2♥A♥J♥, Jiang bet 1,500,000 and was called; after the turn 9♣, she bet again for 3,500,000, and Jung called again.

On the river, the 7♣, both players checked. Jung revealed a pair of Aces, A♠3♠, but Jiang hit two pair on the turn with J♦9♦, taking the pot and regaining the chip lead. This comeback became a crucial turning point in the final table.

No one was eliminated in six hours, and the pace of the final match reversed twice.

Day 4 started with a rapid elimination process, with Peter Yang, Darius Samual, and Mark Newhouse all being eliminated within the first hour. In the second level, Petre Ionescu, Barry Shulman, and Jose Aguilera also failed to advance, quickly bringing the tournament to the final 10 players.

However, over the next six hours, there were 13 instances of doubling down, yet no player was eliminated. The stalemate only ended when Luis Yepez lost to Michael Rocco with an AK, marking the first time someone had left the arena in nearly six hours.

After Yepez's elimination, the pace of elimination accelerated again. Vasileios Panagiotidis, Roberto Romanello, and Michael Rocco finished in ninth through seventh place respectively; while Thai star Punnat Punsri lost to Jung's Ace-high card in the six-player stage, missing out on his first WSOP gold bracelet.

Jiang handled the final four elimination rounds.

Once the five-player stage began, Yanting Jiang completely controlled the pace of the game. Dylan Lew, holding top pair, entered a crucial pot but ran into Jiang's pocket fives on the flop, hitting trips and ultimately finishing in fifth place.

In the four-player phase, 25-time WSOP Circuit winner Maurice Hawkins went all-in from the under-the-gun position with his last 9,700,000 chips. Jiang called from the big blind with 10♦7♦. Hawkins led pre-flop with A♣Q♦, but the flop of 6♣6♠6♦ and the turn of 5♠ did not change the situation. However, the river 7♥ gave Jiang a pair, eliminating Hawkins, who had been down to half a small blind but had since bounced back.

In the three-handed stage, Yoon Choi went all-in from the small blind with his last 5,500,000 chips, and Jiang called with A♠7♥. Choi held Q♠J♠, and the flop of 6♠4♥A♥ gave Jiang a pair of aces. After the turn 5♥, Choi had no chance to recover, and the river 2♥ gave Jiang a flush. Choi finished in third place, taking home $576,099.

Jiang completed a flush on the river in heads-up play, staging a comeback to secure the championship.

After heads-up play began, Chahn Jung doubled up with A♠3♦ against Jiang's K♥2♥, regaining competitive position. Jiang then continued to apply pressure using his chip advantage, gradually eroding Jung's stack.

In the final hand, Jiang limped in the button position, and Jung went all-in with his last 20,500,000 chips. After thinking it over, Jiang chose to call.

Jung：A♠9♠
Jiang: J♥6♥

The flop of K♥5♣A♦ gave Jung top pair and a significant lead, while the turn 10♥ gave Jiang a flush draw. The river 5♥ completed Jiang's flush, eliminating Jung and officially claiming the championship and his first WSOP gold bracelet. Jung finished as runner-up and won $772,580.

Event #89 Final Table Results

Final table rankings and prize money are based on official PokerNews tournament results.

Match data compilation

From finishing Day 3 as the chip leader on his birthday, to losing the lead at the final table, and then personally eliminating the last four players, Yanting Jiang demonstrated his ability to apply sustained pressure and control key hands in this intermediate tournament with over 3,600 participants.

Jiang's first gold bracelet and over $1.15 million in prize money set a new personal career record. For her, this victory was not just a poker achievement, but also an important family milestone for her and her two children.

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