Back-to-Back Champion: Naoya Kihara Becomes First Double Bracelet Winner of 2026 WSOP

Japanese player Naoya Kihara won the $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Championship on Sunday, becoming the first player to earn two gold bracelets at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Even more impressively, his victories came in back-to-back championship events — just days earlier, he had won the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship.

Kihara's achievement places him among an elite group. In WSOP history, only Greg Merson, George Danzer, Jason Mercier, and the two legendary figures Doyle Brunson and Stu Ungar have won consecutive championship events.

This is also the third bracelet of Kihara's career. His first bracelet dates back to the 2012 $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Six-Max event, which was one of his earliest recorded live tournament cashes. He now leads all Japanese players in total WSOP bracelets, breaking a brief tie with Ryutaro Suzuki. Kihara alone accounts for one-quarter of all WSOP bracelets won by Japanese players.

Interestingly, if runner-up James Cheung had defeated Kihara, he too would have achieved the back-to-back double bracelet feat. Cheung had previously won Event #6: $1,500 Seven-Card Stud, which was the only other Seven-Card Stud event before the $10,000 championship. So, had it not been for Naoya Kihara's consecutive championship victories, Cheung would have won back-to-back Stud events and become the first double bracelet winner of the 2026 WSOP.

Kihara's victory was hard-fought, as he faced a stacked final table. His opponents included Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler, Jeremy Ausmus, Chris Brewer, and last year's WSOP star and Main Event champion Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi.

In a post-victory interview with poker media, Kihara was humble, much like many bracelet winners.

"Poker is a combination of luck and skill," he said. "I'm pretty sure I have enough skill, but I also need luck to win a tournament. These past few days, I've been very lucky."

However, he wasn't entirely modest. Kihara added that he is hungry for more wins. If motivated, he could even attempt a three-peat in championship events. The $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship started on Sunday while he was winning his second bracelet, but late registration remains open until the end of the first level on Monday. Will he enter? We'll find out soon.