The World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2026 is already in its final stages, but not before the Indian Nishant Sharma let out the champion’s cry. He won the Event #98 (US$ 800 Deepstack NLH) and took home US$ 196,659, in addition to winning the first bracelet of his career. With this, he surpassed a field of 2,036 entries and closed the series with one of the last titles in dispute.
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Thus, Sharma also increased his live tournament earnings to more than US$ 3.3 million and became only the eighth player from India to win a WSOP bracelet. This prize is the fourth largest payout of his career. Meanwhile, the tournament distributed US$ 1,425,200 in prizes among the top finishers.
In this way, the runner-up was Chung-Tang Lin, known in online poker as “Sharpedo Poker”. The player from Taiwan received US$ 131,002 after a consistent campaign up to the heads-up. In addition, names like Jason Wheeler, Ian Schechter, and Steven Daly also made an appearance at the final table.
However, among the Brazilians, four of them made it into the payout zone. Matheus Lima was the best placed, leaving the competition in 32nd for US$ 5,883. A little earlier, Carlos “Rox” said goodbye in 45th, taking US$ 4,148. Also noteworthy are Ricardo Nakamura (171st – US$ 1,731) and Lucas Fauth (306th – US$ 1,648).
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Check out the final table payouts:
| Position | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nishant Sharma | India | US$ 196,659 |
| 2 | Chung-Tang Lin | Taiwan | US$ 131,002 |
| 3 | Jason Wheeler | United States | US$ 95,018 |
| 4 | Ian Schechter | United States | US$ 69,677 |
| 5 | Steven Daly | United States | US$ 51,663 |
| 6 | Atanas Pavlov | Bulgaria | US$ 38,737 |
| 7 | Javier Fernandez | Spain | US$ 29,376 |
| 8 | Alexandru Vasilescu | United States | US$ 22,534 |
| 9 | Alexander Voros | Sweden | US$ 17,487 |
The fulfillment of a dream
However, after the victory, Nishant Sharma celebrated the achievement and highlighted the special meaning of winning at the world’s premier poker series. “I think every player’s dream is to win a World Series bracelet. You can win in Asia, but coming to the WSOP and winning a bracelet is the best feeling. It’s hard to even imagine,” he said in an interview with PokerNews.
Additionally, the champion revealed that he participates in the WSOP always with the same goal. “It is a pleasure to represent India. The only bad part is that we cannot hear the national anthem because there won’t be time for a bracelet ceremony. Still, I am happy to win for my country,” he stated. According to Sharma, this was his fifth participation in the Las Vegas summer.
Finally, Sharma said he was left with only six big blinds at the final table but fought back. He also recalled the support he received from his compatriots. “Even when I was just getting a walk, they cheered very loudly. Especially when I was short-stacked, that helped me stay focused and keep fighting,” he concluded.
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