Matthew Higgins Wins WSOP Mystery Millions for $1,000,000

Matthew Higgins won Event #63, the $1,000 Mystery Millions, at the 2026 World Series of Poker on June 29, 2026. He collected $1,000,000 from a record field of 22,811 entries and a $16,919,343 prize pool at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.

The 22,811-entry field made the Mystery Millions the fourth-largest live event in WSOP history, trailing only the 2019 Big 50 (28,371), the 2025 Gladiators of Poker (24,629), and the 2023 Gladiators (23,088). Six starting flights across five days produced 1,236 Day 2 survivors who were whittled to just 24 for the final day.

Higgins is no stranger to big tournament runs. He holds multiple WSOPC rings and had close to $3 million in live earnings before this victory, but the WSOP bracelet had eluded him until now.

He entered heads-up play against former bracelet winner Dominik Panka of Poland with a roughly 3:2 chip lead and closed the match in fewer than ten hands. Panka collected $640,000 as runner-up.

Flight Breakdown

Day 1e was the largest single flight with 6,985 entries. Vinay Boob of India bagged 97,300,000 to lead the 24 survivors into the final day, while four-time bracelet winner David “ODB” Baker sat second on 75,800,000.

Day 2: Bounties and Chaos

Bounties dominated the Day 2 headlines. Jonathan Schiller pulled the lone $1,000,000 mystery bounty after 39 earlier draws had missed the top prize. Emmanouil Chalkiotis and Steven McCartney each pulled $500,150 envelopes, and Brian Smith became emotional after opening a $100,000 bounty, pledging part of it to Purple Pansies, a pancreatic cancer charity.

The inaugural Mini Mystery Millions earlier in the series had already proven the format’s pulling power with 20,488 entries. The $1,000 edition topped that by a wide margin.

Notable Day 2 casualties included four-time bracelet winner Georgios Sotiropoulos, who lost a flip against Ren Lin, and 2024 WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Tamayo.

Day 3: 24 to a Champion

The final 24 returned on June 29 with blinds at 1,000,000/2,000,000 and a 2,000,000 big blind ante. Ren Lin was among the early exits, running into Imre Makranyi’s quad jacks in 23rd place. Narcis Nedelcu fell in 19th.

Christopher Basile was eliminated as the unofficial final table bubble boy. The remaining ten redrew seats with Higgins holding a narrow chip lead over Panka.

10th: Joey Weissman ($87,200)

Weissman raised to 24,000,000 in the hijack, leaving just a single 500,000 chip behind. Leo Lombardozzi called in the big blind and put him all in on the 7♠ 10♥ A♠ flop.

Weissman called with K♥ J♥ but Lombardozzi tabled A♣ 10♣ for a dominating two pair. The K♦ J♣ runout gave Weissman two pair of his own, but aces and tens held. The bracelet winner and 25K Fantasy pick collected $87,200.

9th: Edward Pak ($110,003)

Panka raised to 10,000,000 from the hijack and Pak three-bet all in for just under 60,000,000 from the big blind. Panka snap-called.

Pak held A♠ 10♦ but was up against Panka’s K♥ K♠. The 6♦ 9♠ 2♦ 9♣ 7♠ board kept the kings in front. The Day 1c chip leader took home $110,003.

8th: Imre Makranyi ($140,000)

Higgins raised from the hijack to 12,500,000 and Makranyi three-bet all in from the cutoff for 65,000,000. Higgins called.

It was a classic race with Makranyi holding 8♥ 8♣ against Higgins’ 9♣ 9♥. The 4♣ Q♣ 5♠ Q♠ 6♦ board was clean for the nines. Higgins also collected an additional $10,000 bounty with the knockout and pushed to $140,000 for Makranyi.

7th: David “ODB” Baker ($176,000)

Baker moved all in on the button for 42,500,000. Panka checked his cards in the big blind, reconsidered, and made the call.

Baker showed A♥ 7♦ against Panka’s Q♣ J♦. The 7♣ 4♣ J♥ flop paired both players, but Panka’s jack was best and the 2♣ 3♥ runout changed nothing.

The four-time bracelet winner and 25K Fantasy draft pick collected $176,000.

6th: Vinay Boob ($225,000)

Boob moved all in for 72,000,000 from the cutoff and Thomas Hall called from the big blind after careful consideration.

Boob tabled A♠ K♣ but Hall held 6♠ 6♣. The 7♣ 2♦ 3♣ 2♥ 4♦ board bricked out for Boob’s overcards. The Day 2 chip leader from India, who had also pocketed a $250,000 bounty earlier in the event, collected $225,000.

5th: Brian Smith ($290,000)

Panka jammed from the small blind and Smith called from the big blind with K♠ 3♣ against Panka’s A♠ 6♠.

Smith flopped a pair on the 2♥ Q♥ 3♠ board, but the J♥ turn and A♣ river gave Panka top pair. Smith walked away with $290,000 on top of the $100,000 bounty he pulled earlier for Purple Pansies.

4th: Thomas Hall ($375,000)

The most brutal exit of the final table. Panka open-jammed on the button for roughly 360,000,000 and Hall committed his stack of around 220,000,000.

Hall tabled A♠ A♦ against Panka’s Q♣ 6♣. The K♣ 9♦ J♣ flop was sweaty, giving Panka a flush draw. The 7♦ turn was safe, but the 9♣ river completed the flush and cracked Hall’s aces.

The one-time bracelet winner from the United Kingdom collected $375,000 after one of the sickest beats of the 2026 series.

3rd: Leo Lombardozzi ($490,000)

Lombardozzi raised to 20,000,000 on the button and snap-called when Higgins moved all in from the big blind. Lombardozzi had the shorter stack at 200,000,000.

Lombardozzi showed A♣ Q♠ against Higgins’ 10♠ 10♣. The J♦ J♥ 8♦ 3♠ 3♦ board kept the tens in front. Higgins retook the chip lead heading into the heads-up.

Heads-Up: Higgins vs Panka

Higgins entered heads-up with 547,000,000 to Panka’s 366,000,000. Panka had built his stack through aggressive play, cracking Hall’s aces and knocking out four opponents at the final table. Higgins, however, had been the Day 3 chip leader from the start.

The match lasted fewer than ten hands. Higgins chipped away with a series of well-timed bets and turn shoves that forced Panka off hands. A key pot saw Higgins table Q♥ 5♥ for a pair of queens on a J♣ 7♣ 9♦ K♦ Q♠ board, grinding Panka below ten big blinds.

With Panka down to roughly 90,000,000, Higgins limped on the button. Panka checked back in the big blind.

• Matthew Higgins: A♠ A♥
• Dominik Panka: J♠ 7♣

On the 9♣ 5♥ J♣ flop, Panka checked and Higgins bet 15,000,000. Panka check-raised to 38,000,000 with top pair, and Higgins responded by moving all in. Panka snap-called.

The A♣ turn improved Higgins to top set. Panka picked up a flush draw but needed to hit on the river. The 10♦ was a brick, and Higgins erupted in celebration with his rail.

“I can’t describe it, just overwhelmed, feeling very blessed. I just historically run so bad in the summer like, run bad in this building, but hey, then everything changed.”
Matthew Higgins

“This is a huge confidence builder. Like I said, I’m in probably a $300,000 downswing since I won the Choctaw Main in November, so it’s huge. Massive.”
Matthew Higgins

The $1,000 Mystery Millions has grown every year since its introduction, with the 2026 edition setting a new entry record. The format combines a standard bracelet event with a mystery bounty structure that guarantees at least one $1,000,000 bounty prize.

Every edition has awarded $1,000,000 to the winner and at least one $1,000,000 mystery bounty. The field has grown every year since the event’s introduction, and the 2026 edition now ranks as the fourth-largest live WSOP event in history.

A total of 22,811 entries generated a $16,919,343 prize pool, with $10,076,043 going to the regular payout structure and $6,843,300 allocated to mystery bounties. The minimum cash was $2,110.

The Mystery Millions result added another chapter to the 2026 WSOP’s growing list of massive fields. Philip Chun’s Mini Mystery Millions drew 20,488 entries to open the series, and the $300 Gladiators of Poker and $1,000 Monster Stack also produced five-figure fields.

The Player of the Year race remained tight at the time of the final table, with Alex Foxen leading the standings. Defending two-time POY winner Shaun Deeb, who entered the summer with a head start from WSOP Europe, had dropped off the pace with only two cashes through the first five weeks.

The WSOP 2026 series continues through mid-July. The $10,000 Main Event begins on July 2, with its final table playing out live on ESPN from August 3 to 5.

Every bracelet winner and daily update from the series is tracked on the running WSOP 2026 results page. For the full schedule and qualifying information, see the complete WSOP 2026 coverage guide.