Gheba Wins WSOP $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Bracelet

Daniyal Gheba came into the 2026 World Series of Poker looking for his first gold bracelet. The Las Vegas resident didn't have to wait long, as just a few days into the festival he struck gold in the $5,000 no-limit hold'em eight max event. This was the series' first bracelet awarded in an open event, and second overall after New Mexico poker dealer Jerome Neppl triumphed in the industry employees event. Gheba now has nearly $1.9 million in career tournament scores to his name after adding the $502,985 top prize in this event. This is his largest score yet, topping the $185,000 he took home as the runner-up in a $10,000 buy-in Poker Masters event last fall. "It's obviously life-changing money," Gheba told PokerNews live reporters after his win. "But coming into the final table, the pay jumps I wasn't really concerned about. I don't think anyone at this table really cared about the pay jumps, they were all wealthy." In addition to the money and the hardware, Gheba also secured 1,680 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. This was his second POY-qualified score of the year, having finished third in a $3,300 PokerGO Cup event this spring for $61,000 and 360 points. With 2,040 total points, Gheba now sits in 66th place in the 2026 standings presented by CoinPoker.