The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas continued to deliver massive fields , this time at Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors No-Limit Hold’em. A staggering 4,478 entries packed the tournament floor, creating a total prize pool of $1,835,980. In the end, Prashanth Nataraj emerged victorious, capturing his first WSOP gold bracelet and the $208,800 top prize.

Beyond the competitive action, the tournament served a great cause, with $40 from every buy-in explicitly designated for veteran-focused charities, the field successfully raised $179,120 for the cause.

Prashanth Nataraj Wins $500 Salute to Warriors NLH

When the dust settled, it was Prashanth Nataraj who outlasted the massive field to secure his very first career gold bracelet alongside the $208,800 top prize. The victory proved to be a life-changing score for Nataraj, effectively doubling his lifetime live tournament earnings in a single run.

Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors Final Table Payouts

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Prashanth Nataraj	United States	$208,800
2	Laurance Essak	United States	$137,370
3	Jeevan Lobo	India	$101,600
4	Sebastian Crema	Canada	$75,800
5	Holly Foley	United States	$57,020
6	Robert Brobyn	United States	$43,260
7	Lexy Gavin Mather	United States	$33,120
8	Daniel Wirgau	United States	$25,570
9	Julien Duveau	France	$19,930

Jamie Gold’s Deep Run Falls Short of Final Table

Day 3 began with 35 players returning to the felt, all chasing the coveted hardware. The big story entering the final day centered around 2006 WSOP Main Event champion Jamie Gold , who held the overall chip lead. Celebrating the exact 20th anniversary of his legendary world championship victory, Gold was hunting for his long-awaited second career bracelet.

Unfortunately for the former champion, the fairytale ending vanished in 17th place. Gold got his chips into the middle holding pocket fives, only to run directly into the pocket tens of Julien Duveau. The board brought no help, ending Gold’s deep anniversary run short of the final table spotlight.

Fast-Paced Action at the Final Table

The official final table kicked off with ten players remaining, featuring Jeevan Lobo holding a massive chip lead, closely pursued by Laurance Essak.

Samuel Rannou was the first to hit the rail in tenth place. He moved all-in with pocket kings but was dealt a brutal beat when Robert Brobyn’s ace-queen of hearts found the nut flush on the flop. Duveau fell next in ninth place, risking his final chips with ace-six. He was eliminated by Essak, whose nine-eight connected perfectly with the community cards to score the knockout.

With eight players left, Essak controlled a massive one-third of all the chips in play, and he capitalized on his momentum immediately by eliminating Daniel Wirgau in eighth place.

The knockouts kept coming quickly as Lexy Gavin Mather suffered an unfortunate exit in seventh place. She ran her king-queen directly into the pocket kings of Sebastian Crema, leaving her without a path to victory. Robert Brobyn then moved all-in from the small blind holding jack-nine and was snap-called by Lobo in the big blind with a dominating ace-nine, which held up to end Brobyn’s run in sixth place.

Lobo continued his elimination streak by knocking out Holly Foley, who finished an impressive run as the last woman standing in fifth place. Crema was Lobo’s next victim, bowing out in fourth place after Lobo paired his top card on the flop to secure another quick elimination.

Heads-Up Battle Ends to Crown a Champion

Three-handed play saw a shift in momentum as Nataraj won a string of consecutive pots against Essak to seize the overall chip lead. Lobo, facing mounting pressure, moved all-in from the button with jack-nine. Nataraj woke up with pocket queens in the big blind and snap-called, sending Lobo to the rail in third place and setting up the final duel.

Prashanth Nataraj (L) - Laurance Essak (R) — Prashanth Nataraj (L) – Laurance Essak (R)

Nataraj entered the heads-up match against Essak holding a commanding 2-to-1 chip advantage, and the final battle did not last long. Nataraj casually limped from the button, and Essak moved all-in. After a moment of thought, Nataraj made the call with ace-jack, completely dominating Essak’s ace-six. The board brought no help or chop possibilities for Essak, sealing his second-place finish and crowning Nataraj as the newest WSOP champion.