Naseem Salem Wins World Series of Poker GGMillion$ For Seven Figures - Poker News

Naseem Salem has been across the poker scene for a number of a long time now. Whereas the San Diego resident primarily performs high-stakes combined video games, he has World Sequence of Poker outcomes courting again to 2007. That yr he ran deep within the no-limit maintain’em essential occasion, ending 58th for his first six-figure event rating.

In 2024, Salem got here inside one spot of taking down a title on the WSOP, ending second within the $1,979 Poker Corridor of Fame bounty occasion. Lastly, on the 2026 WSOP, Salem broke via within the $10,000 GGMillion$ no-limit maintain’em occasion to grab his first bracelet and a career-best rating of $1,089,964.

This large victory elevated Salem’s profession event earnings to almost $1.6 million. It additionally catapulted him into 62nd place within the 2026 Card Participant Participant of the Yr race standings introduced by CoinPoker. The two,100 factors that got here with the title have been sufficient to catapult up the standings and inside the highest 100 regardless of this being his first POY-qualified rating of the yr.

Salem additionally scored 1,100 PokerGO Tour factors with this triumph, sufficient to push him into third in that high-stakes-centric race.

This occasion ran over the course of 4 days contained in the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. It drew 627 complete entries at $10,000 a bit, making a prize pool of $5,831,100 that was paid out amongst the highest 95 finishers. Loads of stars ran deep inside the cash, solely to fall simply wanting the ultimate desk. Amongst them have been Stephen Chidwick (twenty ninth), Andrew Lichtenberger (twenty seventh), Andrew Moreno (twenty fifth), Thomas Eychenne (twenty first), Barak Wisbrod (nineteenth), Michael ‘Texas Mike’ Moncek (18th), Terrance Reid (seventeenth), Zdenek Zizka (14th), Bobby James (twelfth), and Max Neugebauer (tenth).

Salem Leads Into Closing Day

The fourth and closing day of play on this occasion started with eight gamers remaining and Salem within the lead. Two-time bracelet winner Cliff Josephy was left quick after his pocket sixes didn’t outrun the pocket jacks of a short-stacked John Racener. Quickly after that, Josephy discovered himself on the undesirable finish of a pair-over-pair-over-pair scenario. All of the chips went in preflop together with his 8♥8♣ trailing the Ok♠Ok♣ of Chad Lipton and 10♥10♣ of Alex Cruz. Each Lipton and Josephy flopped units, however a king on the flip gave Lipton quads and a lock on the pot. Josephy, who completed third within the WSOP essential occasion a decade in the past, earned $105,178 for his newest deep run on the sequence.

One other three-way all-in quickly arose, and once more it was Lipton out in entrance preflop. He held Q♠Q♣ and was up towards 7♥7♣ for bracelet winner Joey Weissman and A♠Ok♠ for Roman Hrabec, who was additionally gunning for a second bracelet at this closing desk. The board got here down Q♦3♦2♠A♣2♦ and Lipton made queens full to attain the double knockout. Because the shorter stack, Weissman completed seventh for $138,802. Hrabec earned $186,562 for his sixth-place displaying, surpassing $16 million in lifetime cashes within the course of.

On account of these two large pots, Lipton took a large chip lead into five-handed play, with a brief break for the remaining contenders earlier than returning on the WSOP’s stay broadcast from the brand new mothership stage. His 100 bib blinds was 1.5x as massive because the next-largest stack, belonging to Salem. Cruz was the one participant sitting with fewer than 20 massive blinds instantly after Weissman and Hrabec have been despatched packing.

Huge Names Fall Underneath The Shiny Lights

Cruz scored an early double via Chris Brewer, although, to climb out from the underside of the standings. Each gamers had flush attracts by the flip. Cruz’s spades got here in on the river and he checked to Brewer, who wager sufficient to place his opponent all in together with his missed golf equipment and unimproved open-ended straight draw. Cruz snap-called to double, leaving Brewer with 9 massive blinds.

Chris Brewer

Racener’s run got here to an finish in fifth place when the three-time bracelet winner and 2010 WSOP essential occasion runner-up’s 9♠9♣ clashed with the 6♥6♦ of Salem. Racener min-raised to 600,000 preflop from below the gun and Salem referred to as from the small blind. The flop got here down 8♣6♠5♥ and each gamers checked. The 6♣ flip noticed Salem enhance to quads. He checked and Racener fired 800,000 together with his overpair and gutshot straight draw. Salem check-raised to 2,000,000 and Racener referred to as. The 7♥ accomplished the board and Salem moved all-in. Racener went deep into the tank and finally referred to as off his remaining 4,630,000 and was proven the winner. Racener earned $255,306 because the fifth-place finisher, pushing his profession haul to almost $13.5 million.

Brewer quickly adopted Racener to the rail. The 2-time bracelet winner dedicated the final of his stack with A♠Q♠ racing towards the 10♥10♣ of Cruz. The 9♣3♥2♥7♦ flop and switch left Brewer needing an ace or queen on the top. The 6♠ rolled off as a substitute and Brewer settled for $355,610. This fourth-place displaying elevated his lifetime earnings to over $30.3 million.

Cruz Surges, Lipton Crashes

An enormous, leaderboard-altering hand happened about 45 minutes after Brewer’s elimination. It started with Cruz min-raising to 800,000 from the button with A♦5♣. Lipton three-bet to 2,400,000 from the massive blind with Q♠3♥. Cruz referred to as and the flop got here down A♣7♣5♦. Lipton led out for 1,000,000 and Cruz referred to as. The 3♦ led to a test from Lipton. Cruz fired 3,700,000 and Lipton referred to as with backside pair. The J♦ on the top drew one other test from Lipton. Cruz now sized all the way down to 2,500,000 together with his aces up. Lipton thought it over earlier than opting to check-raise all-in as a bluff. Cruz made the decision pretty shortly to take down the large pot of 95 massive blinds and transfer into the lead.

Lipton picked up A♦J♣ on the very subsequent deal and three-bet t0 2,400,000 over the button min-raise of Salem, who had 7♥7♦. Salem moved all-in and Lipton referred to as for 8,150,000. The Ok♣8♦5♣7♣Ok♥ runout gave Salem sevens full and the knockout. Lipton headed to the payout desk to gather $503,997 for this podium end. This was the second-largest rating but for Lipton, trailing solely the $940,000 that the San Diego resident earned for his fourth-place end within the 2025 World Poker Tour World Championship.

Salem Begins Scorching, Finishes Sturdy

With that, heads-up play started with roughly a 3:2 chip benefit for Cruz over Salem. It didn’t take lengthy for the 2 to become involved in a serious pot. On the primary deal, Salem defended his massive blind for 900,000 complete with 4♠3♠ and flopped a straight on 7♥6♦5♦. He checked and Cruz, who had opened from the button with A♦10♦, wager 900,000 once more with the nut flush draw. Salem check-raised to 2,500,000 and Cruz referred to as. The flip introduced a board pairing 6♠. Salem fired 5,000,000 and Cruz referred to as. The 3♥ river prompted Salem to maneuver all-in. Cruz made the fold and despatched the pot towards the brand new chip chief.

Cruz regained a small lead after a bit, just for Salem to drag means forward because of a boat-over-boat scenario. Salem made a better full home with 10♥6♣ on a 10♣6♦3♦3♣10♠ board to finest Cruz’s Q♥10♦. Cruz quickly doubled with pocket sixes towards A-10 suited, rivering a ship after Salem had spiked an ace on the flip.

Not lengthy after that, Cruz bought all-in with J♥J♣ flipping towards A♦Q♠ for Salem. The 5♠3♥3♣A♣ flop and switch as soon as once more left Cruz needing to river a full home to outlive. The Ok♥ appeared as a substitute, sending the pot and title to Salem. Cruz earned a brand new career-best rating of $726,598 because the runner-up. The Texan’s earlier high payday was the $241,412 he earned for successful the 2025 WSOP Circuit Choctaw essential occasion final July.