WSOP Event #98 | Nishant Sharma's short code makes a comeback, becoming India's eighth gold bracelet winner.

On July 16, 2026, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #98:$800 Deepstack No-Limit Hold'em concluded. Indian player Nishant Sharma emerged victorious from a field of 2,036 entries, defeating Taiwanese player Chung-Tang Lin heads-up to claim his first WSOP gold bracelet and a first-place prize of $196,659.

The total prize pool for this event reached $1,425,200. Chung-Tang Lin finished as runner-up with $131,002, while Jason Wheeler, who won the same event in 2021, took third place with $95,018.

Nishant Sharma wins his first championship in the United States

While Nishant Sharma may not be as well-known in the European and American poker scene as some high-stakes champions, he is already a prominent figure in Asian live tournaments. Sharma has won titles in Macau, India, Vietnam, and Malaysia, and his total live tournament winnings surpassed $3.3 million after this event.

His career highlight came less than a year ago at the APT Championship in Taipei, where Sharma defeated a field of 671 players to take home the $1,189,559 prize. In contrast, this WSOP prize of nearly $200,000 is only the fourth largest single win of his career, but the gold bracelet carries a completely different meaning.

This was Sharma's fifth time competing in the Summer WSOP in Las Vegas, and his first time winning a live championship in the United States. This victory also made him the eighth player to win a WSOP gold bracelet under the banner of the Indian flag.

Six blind men staged a desperate comeback, with the help of family and friends to complete their victory.

Sharma didn't lead throughout the final table. At one point, he was down to only six big blinds and could have ended the tournament at any moment, but with the constant support of his family and friends, he remained focused and seized every opportunity to double up and return to contention for the title.

Sharma said after the game that even when he only received a big blind walk, his Indian family and friends on the sidelines would cheer loudly. This support helped him maintain his focus during the short score phase and prevent him from losing patience while waiting for opportunities.

The fourth pair completed the hero call, giving them the initiative in the three-player game.

The most crucial hand in the three-hand stage occurred between Sharma and Jason Wheeler. Wheeler limped from the small blind, while Sharma checked from the big blind, setting up a post-flop showdown.

The flop came K♦5♠3♣, Wheeler bet 1,500,000, and Sharma called; the turn was 8♥, Wheeler bet 3,000,000 again, and Sharma called again.

After the river card A♠ appeared, Wheeler went all-in with his remaining 13,200,000 chips. Sharma, who had only 9,400,000 chips left, called after thinking for about two minutes.

Wheeler showed 7♦5♥, revealing a pair of 5s; Sharma held 9♦5♣, also a pair of 5s, but won the pot with a higher 9 kicker. This hero call with fourth pair gave Sharma a decisive advantage in the three-handed battle.

Sharma analyzed after the game that while Wheeler's all-in range on the river included hands of equal value like Kings and Two Pair, it also contained missed draws and pure bluffs. His own 9-kick blocked some possible bluff combinations, making decision-making quite difficult, but he ultimately trusted his live judgment and successfully caught a bluff.

Pocket A eliminates Jason Wheeler

Wheeler tripled his bet after being called by a hero and extended his life in the tournament by taking the blinds, but soon ran into Sharma's pocket aces in the blinds.

Wheeler bet 16,000,000 chips from the small blind, Sharma immediately went all-in, and Wheeler quickly called.

• Jason Wheeler: K♦Q♦

• Nishant Sharma：A♣A♥

The community cards were 8♥4♥J♥4♣3♣, and Sharma's pocket aces held onto the lead. Wheeler failed to win the event again, finishing in third place.

Chung-Tang Lin won the runner-up title.

Heads-up play began, and Sharma and Chung-Tang Lin's chips were very close. Lin, known as "Sharpedo Poker" on YouTube and in the Asian poker scene, and the two players familiar with the Asian circuit, ultimately competed for the WSOP gold bracelet in Las Vegas.

Sharma gradually built a lead in the early stages of heads-up play by going all-in multiple times without being called. In the final hand, Sharma went all-in again, and Lin quickly called after checking his two cards.

• Chung-Tang Lin：A♥T♦

• Nishant Sharma：K♣9♠

Lin held the lead pre-flop, but the flop of Q♣8♦9♥ gave Sharma nine pair, allowing him to take the lead. The turn 7♥ gave Lin a two-ended straight draw, but the river K♦ gave Sharma two pair, officially securing the championship.

Chung-Tang Lin ultimately took home the runner-up prize of $131,002. Although he failed to convert his deep run into a gold bracelet, reaching heads-up play from a field of over 2,000 players is still an important WSOP achievement.

The early stages of the final table saw rapid elimination.

Day 2 saw the return of 129 players, with more than half eliminated before the first break. Jonathan Little finished in 87th place, Ryuta Nakai in 71st, and Ivan Govorov in 66th, with none of the three players who finished in the top ten on Day 1 maintaining their lead.

After reaching the final table, Chung-Tang Lin eliminated Alexander Voros and Alexandru Vasilescu. Jason Wheeler, on the other hand, eliminated Javier Fernandez in the seven-player stage, and then Atanas Pavlov and Steven Daly, building a significant chip lead at one point.

Ian Schechter lost a big run with Lin in the four-player stage, leaving him with less than a big blind, and was then forced to go all-in from the big blind. Although Schechter hit top pair on the flop, Lin hit an Ace on the river to take the lead and bring the game to three players.

Event #98 Final Table Results

Final table rankings and prize money are compiled based on results published by PokerNews.

Match data compilation

According to official tournament information, the blinds in the final stage are 1,000,000/1,500,000, with a 1,500,000 big blind ante.

Asian champions achieve breakthrough in Las Vegas

Nishant Sharma already had a championship record in various parts of Asia, but the WSOP gold bracelet had always been his main goal when he went to Las Vegas. In his fifth appearance in the Summer Series, he finally broke through the 2,036-player Deepstack event to win his first U.S. title.

After five consecutive months of competition, Sharma plans to celebrate with family and friends before taking a month-long break. From a short stack of six big blinds to making a difficult river call in the three-way stage, he seized one of the opportunities for a gold bracelet in the final stages of the series, adding another WSOP title to Indian and Asian poker records.

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.

Go to learn more