Dong Chen Defeats Benny Glaser to Win $10K Limit Hold’em Championship

Dong Chen has won Event #38: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship at the 2026 World Series of Poker , defeating Benny Glaser heads-up to claim his second WSOP bracelet and the $285,200 top prize.

The championship event drew 121 entries at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas , creating a $1,125,300 prize pool and one of the toughest final tables of the summer.

Chen’s win came in only his second-ever Limit Hold’em tournament, making the result stand out even more. Earlier in the summer, he had recorded his first cash in the format, finishing 52nd in the $1,500 Limit Hold’em event. This time, he went all the way in one of the toughest versions of the game on the WSOP schedule.

Standing between Chen and the title was a final table loaded with bracelets, experience, and mixed-game pedigree. Glaser was chasing bracelet number nine, Jeremy Ausmus was looking for number seven, Jesse Lonis was after his third, and Gus Hansen was making his first WSOP final table since 2011. Chen beat them all.

Final Table Results

Chen Unlocks Limit Hold’em

“Poker-wise, this wasn’t my first rodeo. I’ve battled with legends in No-Limit Hold’em. But Limit Hold’em is something new that I just recently unlocked, so it feels really good.”

Chen’s first Limit Hold’em tournament came just a few days before this result, when he cashed in 52nd place in the $1,500 event. Event #38 was only his second tournament in the format.

“That was my first Limit Hold’em tournament, and this was my second Limit Hold’em tournament.”

With Glaser and Ausmus still in the hunt three-handed, Chen said his plan was to stay aggressive rather than allow two of the game’s most decorated players to dictate the pace.

“Both Ausmus and Glaser are really incredible players. My strategy was to be more aggressive, so I three-bet, four-bet a lot. That’s my default, go-to strategy.”

That approach carried into heads-up play, where Chen put Glaser under pressure and quickly pulled away.

“In terms of heads-up, it matters who hits the board. That’s the first. And second, I carried my aggressive style into heads-up, where I three-bet a lot. So that won me quite a lot of pots. But eventually, it was just a matter of hitting the board more than my opponent.”

“At the end of yesterday, when I bagged for Day 2, everyone in the Chinese poker community was rooting for me, wishing me good luck. So pursuing more bracelets is one of my poker goals.”

Glaser Starts Ahead as Final Seven Return

The final day began with seven players remaining from the 121-entry field, each guaranteed at least $38,191. Glaser returned as chip leader with 2,255,000, while Chen was close behind on 2,185,000. Hansen sat third with 1,305,000, with Ausmus, Lonis, Dylan Smith, and Jerry Wong completing the final lineup.

Smith became the first player to fall. After being left with less than one bet, he committed his last 65,000 on the next hand with king-ten. Lonis bet Chen out of the pot by the river and showed ace-nine for two pair, sending Smith out in seventh place for $38,191.

Hansen’s return to a WSOP final table then ended in sixth place. He got the last of his chips in after flopping the nut flush draw with ace-king against the pocket tens of Ausmus, but the turn and river missed Hansen completely. The Danish poker icon collected $49,665 for his first WSOP final table finish since 2011.

Wong followed in fifth place for $66,560. He was all in on the turn against Chen and Glaser, and Chen bet the river to push Glaser out of the pot. Chen tabled ace-king for top pair, while Wong could only show king-queen for a missed straight draw.

Chen Battles Back Into Contention

Chen had started near the top of the counts, but the middle stages of the final table were not smooth. He lost back-to-back pots to Lonis and Wong, sliding down to the short stack, while Glaser began to separate from the field.

Lonis was next to go, despite getting his last chips in with ace-king against the king-eight of Glaser. The flop kept Lonis in front, but Glaser spiked an eight on the turn and held to send Lonis out in fourth place for $91,844.

Chen then found himself three-handed against two players with a combined 14 WSOP bracelets. Ausmus and Glaser both had moments where the title looked within reach, but Chen gradually worked his way back into contention.

Ausmus was left short after folding to a river reraise from Glaser, then exited in third place in the final hand before dinner break. In a three-way pot, Ausmus moved all in on the turn with a pair of kings, only to find himself drawing dead against Chen’s turned flush. Ausmus earned $130,380 for third place, leaving Chen heads-up against Glaser.

Chen Pulls Away Heads-Up

Chen began heads-up play with 4,085,000 to Glaser’s 2,965,000 and quickly widened the gap. He won one pot with a pair of fives, then showed top pair of aces to take another from the eight-time bracelet winner.

The biggest heads-up pot came when Glaser four-bet before the flop and Chen called with seven-five. Chen check-called all three streets on a queen-jack-five-two-six board and was good with fourth pair, while Glaser showed a missed straight-flush draw with nine-high.

Moments later, Chen raised the river on a queen-four-jack-ten-four board and was snap-called by Glaser. Chen revealed queen-four for a full house, while Glaser said he had rivered a flush. The cooler left Glaser with just 300,000.

The final hand arrived soon after. Glaser raised the last of his stack with ten-eight and Chen called with ace-four. Glaser flopped a pair and improved to two pair on the turn, but Chen completed a flush on the river to end the tournament.

Glaser, who started the day as chip leader, finished runner-up for $190,260. Chen claimed the bracelet, the $285,200 first prize, and a victory that was as unexpected as it was impressive.

One of the first players to congratulate Chen was Daniel Negreanu, who had drafted him in the $25K Fantasy league for $4. After the win, Chen joked that his price may have gone up.

“$5. Between $5 and $7.”

With a bracelet in only his second Limit Hold’em tournament, Chen also made it clear that this may not be the last time he is seen in the format.

“As long as there are events. I really like Limit Hold’em.”

Chen came into the final table surrounded by bigger Limit Hold’em storylines, but by the end, he had written the best one himself. Against Glaser, Ausmus, Lonis, Hansen, Wong, and Smith, he found enough aggression, enough runouts, and enough nerve to leave the World Series of Poker stage with a second gold bracelet.

All quotes courtesy of PokerNews, images courtesy of WSOP.