Japan’s Naoya Kihara won the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship Sunday night, making him the first player at the 2026 World Series of Poker to win two bracelets. What’s more is that he did it in back-to-back championship events, previously winning the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship just a few days earlier.
Kihara’s accomplishment puts him in elite company. The only other players to win back-to-back championship events at the WSOP are Greg Merson, George Danzer, Jason Mercier, and two ultra-mega legends: Doyle Brunson and Stu Ungar.
The victory was also Kihara’s third overall bracelet win, his first coming way back in 2012 ( $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha – Six Handed), one of his first recorded live tournament cashes. He is now Japan’s all-time bracelet leader, breaking a short-lived tie with Ryutaro Suzuki. Kihara has one-quarter of Japan’s WSOP bracelets.
Interestingly, had runner-up James Cheung outlasted Kihara for the title, it also would have been a back-to-back double bracelet feat. Cheung had already won Event #6: $1,500 Seven Card Stud, the only Seven Card Stud event prior to the $10,000 championship. Thus, instead of Naoya Kihara winning back-to-back championship events, it would have been Cheung going back-to-back in Stud tournaments and becoming the first double bracelet winner of the 2026 WSOP.
Kihara’s victory was well-earned, as he had to beat a stacked final table. Among his opponents were Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler, Jeremy Ausmus, Chris Brewer, and last year’s WSOP star and Main Event winner, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi.
Speaking with the poker media afterward, Kihara was humble, as many bracelet winners are.
“Poker is a mix of luck and skill,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I have enough skill, but I need luck also to win the tournament. For a few days, I’m really lucky.”
Not too humble, though. Kihara added that he is hungry for more. He could make it a championship event threepeat if he is so motivated. The $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship began on Sunday while he was winning his second bracelet, but late registration is open until the end of Day 2’s first level on Monday. Is he going to go for it? We shall see in a little while.