Jeff Madsen Wins WSOP Dealers Choice For Fifth Bracelet - Poker News

Jeff Madsen exploded on the poker match scene in 2006, successful that 12 months’s World Sequence of Poker Participant of the Yr race after taking down two bracelets and making 4 last tables. Whereas the then College of Santa Barbara scholar’s first two wins each got here in no-limit maintain’em, he managed deep runs in a number of mixed-game occasions that first 12 months, inserting third within the $2,000 Omaha eight-or-better and third within the $1,000 stud eight-or-better.

Twenty years later, Madsen continues to be a power to be reckoned with on the collection. The poker participant, now based mostly out of Las Vegas, kicked off the 2026 pageant with one other win, taking down the 2026 WSOP $1,500 vendor’s alternative occasion for his fifth profession gold bracelet and $161,057. Madsen, who will flip 41 on June 7, defeated a subject of 656 entries within the mixed-game throwdown, turning into simply the forty seventh participant in WSOP historical past to have earned 5 or extra bracelets.

Madsen’s third bracelet got here within the 2013 WSOP $3,000 pot-limit Omaha occasion. Then, two years later, he received the eight-or-better model of the identical match for his fourth.

“Clearly, the primary ones had been simply type of just like the dream, I used to be a child with a dream. I had somewhat hole of seven years, however that is the longest hole. I felt like that is the most effective I’ve performed within the final ten years,” Madsen instructed PokerNews stay reporters after popping out on prime. “It’s type of an enormous weight off my shoulders once more, as a result of I’ve been placing lots of work in. I’m simply very excited and completely satisfied… on my twentieth anniversary. It’s wild that it’s been 20 years already.”

This win got here with 840 Card Participant Participant of the Yr factors for Madsen. This was his first title and third final-table end of 2026. With 1,221 complete factors, he now sits inside the highest 250 within the general standings introduced by CoinPoker.

A Climb Earlier than Dinner

The third and last day of this occasion started with simply ten gamers remaining contained in the Paris Resort and On line casino in Las Vegas. Madsen started the day in eighth chip place, whereas Philip Wess topped the counts. John Bunch (tenth), two-time bracelet winner Nathan Gamble (ninth), and Daniel Geyser (eighth) all hit the rail within the early going, with Madsen touchdown the ultimate blow on Geyser in a spherical of Omaha eight-or-better.

Even with that knockout, Madsen was nonetheless close to the underside of the leaderboard. Clayton Mozdzen made the wheel in pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better to scoop Robert Klein to the rail in seventh ($18,137). Madsen was capable of climb within the standings a bit throughout six-handed play, after which laddered one other spot with Mozdzen’s elimination of Kelvin Zhao (sixth – $24,766) throughout a spherical of badugi. Zhao made 9♥5♦2♠A♣, solely to run right into a monster 5♣4♦2♥A♠for his opponent.

Madsen then received a few sizable pots earlier than the ultimate 5 went to dinner, seizing the lead forward of the one-hour break in motion.

From 5 To One

Dario Sammartino

Mozdzen’s run on this occasion got here to an finish in stud eight-or-better. Madsen scooped with the one low and a pair of eights. Mozdzen earned $34,588 because the fifth-place finisher.

Bracelet winner and 2019 WSOP foremost occasion runner-up Dario Sammartino was the subsequent to fall. The Italian was scooped by Madsen in a badeucy hand, with the eventual champion making 9♠7♦6♥3♥2♣ for a 9-7 low and a 9-7-3-2 badugi. Sammartino earned $49,383 for his fourth-place end. The rating pushed his profession haul previous the $18.2 million mark.

Philip Wess scored the penultimate elimination of the occasion, scooping with a pair of aces and an 8-4-3-2-A low on a 10♣5♦4♥2♦3♣ runout with A♥A♦Q♠9♠8♦ in Large O. Luteng Li, who was on fumes, had known as all-in preflop with Q♣J♠10♦9♥8♥. Li earned $72,042 because the third-place finisher.

Madsen took roughly a 3.5:1 chip lead into heads-up play with Wess. He expanded that benefit early in a few Large O pots earlier than the ultimate hand of the match arrived throughout a spherical of pot-limit double draw excessive. The chips bought in earlier than the attracts with Wess preserving J♥8♥6♥2♥ for a flush draw and Madsen holding Q♦Q♣ and drawing three. Madsen completed with A♣Q♥Q♦Q♣2♣ for journeys, whereas Wess by no means discovered his wanted coronary heart. He ended up with simply jack excessive after hitting a brick 9♣ on the ultimate draw.