Day 5 of the 2026 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas was a landmark moment for Asian poker. China’s Yang Wang took down Event #5, the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, for $595,388, while James Cheung captured Event #6, the $1,500 Seven Card Stud, for $103,185. Two first-time bracelet winners on the same day — and both from the Asian community.
Yang Wang Stages a Heads-Up Comeback Worth $595K
Wang entered the final stages as the underdog. Jesse Lonis — a two-time bracelet winner — arrived at the heads-up match carrying nearly half the chips in play. But Wang absorbed the pressure and turned the tide, eventually claiming his first WSOP gold bracelet and the $595,388 top prize. Lonis, still without a third bracelet, earned $396,892 for second place.
Wang’s win is a reminder of just how competitive Chinese players have become on the global stage. With satellite pipelines through GGPoker and Natural8 making Las Vegas more accessible than ever for Asian grinders, the days of few Asian faces at final tables are firmly behind us.
James Cheung Grinds Through to Stud Gold
In the $1,500 Seven Card Stud, James Cheung entered the final table in second place chip position and never let go. He battled through a field that demands a different kind of discipline than No-Limit Hold’em — reading upcards, tracking discards, knowing when to fold on fifth street — and came out on top for $103,185 and his first career WSOP bracelet.
Elsewhere in the series, China’s Biao Ding is alive in the prestigious $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, advancing to the Round of 16 from a bracket that carries a $750,000 top prize. The round of 16 gets underway today at noon Las Vegas time.
Mini Mystery Millions Hits 20,000 Entries — and the $1M Bounty Goes Live Today
The tournament everyone is talking about is the $550 Mini Mystery Millions. After Days 1e and 1f combined for 10,262 more entries over the weekend, the total field has exploded to 20,488 entries and a prize pool of $9,352,772. Day 2 begins today at 1:00 p.m. Las Vegas time — and for the first time this series, the mystery bounties go live. One sealed envelope contains a $1,000,000 bounty. Whoever holds it will have a massive target on their back from the moment play begins.
For Asian players, this event captures everything that makes modern poker exciting: a low $550 buy-in, a massive prize pool, and a format that adds a layer of unpredictability that even the best players cannot fully prepare for. GGPoker and Natural8 have run satellite qualifiers for exactly this kind of event throughout the year — if you missed your shot at 2026, keep an eye on the qualifier schedule ahead of WSOP 2027.
Also launching today is the $10,000 GGMillion$ No-Limit Hold’em High Roller — GGPoker’s marquee branded event at the 2026 WSOP — with the first flight starting at noon. This one draws a different crowd: high rollers chasing a six-figure payday in a single-flight format. It’s the high-stakes counterpart to the Mini Mystery Millions and a reliable showcase of top-tier talent from across Asia and beyond.
Day 5 proved that WSOP 2026 is shaping up to be a genuinely historic series for Asian poker. With more bracelets likely on the way and the Main Event still weeks out, there is plenty more story left to tell.
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