Jeff Madsen Wins WSOP Dealers Choice For Fifth Bracelet

Jeff Madsen exploded on the poker tournament scene in 2006, winning that year’s World Series of Poker Player of the Year race after taking down two bracelets and making four final tables. While the then University of Santa Barbara student’s first two wins both came in no-limit hold’em, he managed deep runs in several mixed-game events that first year, placing third in the $2,000 Omaha eight-or-better and third in the $1,000 stud eight-or-better.

Two decades later, Madsen is still a force to be reckoned with at the series. The poker player, now based out of Las Vegas, kicked off the 2026 festival with another win, taking down the 2026 WSOP $1,500 dealer’s choice event for his fifth career gold bracelet and $161,057. Madsen, who will turn 41 on June 7, defeated a field of 656 entries in the mixed-game throwdown, becoming just the 47th player in WSOP history to have earned five or more bracelets.

Madsen’s third bracelet came in the 2013 WSOP $3,000 pot-limit Omaha event. Then, two years later, he won the eight-or-better version of the same tournament for his fourth.

“Obviously, the first ones were just sort of like the dream, I was a kid with a dream. I had a little gap of seven years, but this is the longest gap. I felt like this is the best I have played in the last ten years,” Madsen told PokerNews live reporters after coming out on top. “It’s sort of a big weight off my shoulders again, because I have been putting a lot of work in. I’m just very excited and happy… on my 20th anniversary. It’s wild that it’s been 20 years already.”

This win came with 840 Card Player Player of the Year points for Madsen. This was his first title and third final-table finish of 2026. With 1,221 total points, he now sits inside the top 250 in the overall standings presented by CoinPoker.

A Climb Before Dinner

The third and final day of this event began with just ten players remaining inside the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Madsen began the day in eighth chip position, while Philip Wess topped the counts. John Bunch (10th), two-time bracelet winner Nathan Gamble (9th), and Daniel Geyser (8th) all hit the rail in the early going, with Madsen landing the final blow on Geyser in a round of Omaha eight-or-better.

Even with that knockout, Madsen was still near the bottom of the leaderboard. Clayton Mozdzen made the wheel in pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better to scoop Robert Klein to the rail in seventh ($18,137).  Madsen was able to climb in the standings a bit during six-handed play, and then laddered another spot with Mozdzen’s elimination of Kelvin Zhao (6th – $24,766) during a round of badugi. Zhao made 9♥5♦2♠A♣, only to run into a monster 5♣4♦2♥A♠for his opponent.

Madsen then won a couple of sizable pots before the final five went to dinner, seizing the lead ahead of the one-hour break in action.

From Five To One

Dario Sammartino

Mozdzen’s run in this event came to an end in stud eight-or-better. Madsen scooped with the only low and a pair of eights. Mozdzen earned $34,588 as the fifth-place finisher.

Bracelet winner and 2019 WSOP main event runner-up Dario Sammartino was the next to fall. The Italian was scooped by Madsen in a badeucy hand, with the eventual champion making 9♠7♦6♥3♥2♣ for a 9-7 low and a 9-7-3-2 badugi. Sammartino earned $49,383 for his fourth-place finish. The score pushed his career haul past the $18.2 million mark.

Philip Wess scored the penultimate elimination of the event, scooping with a pair of aces and an 8-4-3-2-A low on a 10♣5♦4♥2♦3♣ runout with A♥A♦Q♠9♠8♦ in Big O. Luteng Li, who was on fumes, had called all-in preflop with Q♣J♠10♦9♥8♥. Li earned $72,042 as the third-place finisher.

Madsen took roughly a 3.5:1 chip lead into heads-up play with Wess. He expanded that advantage early in a couple of Big O pots before the final hand of the tournament arrived during a round of pot-limit double draw high. The chips got in before the draws with Wess keeping J♥8♥6♥2♥ for a flush draw and Madsen holding Q♦Q♣ and drawing three. Madsen finished with A♣Q♥Q♦Q♣2♣ for trips, while Wess never found his needed heart. He ended up with just jack high after hitting a brick 9♣ on the final draw.

Wess earned $107,341 as the runner-up, the largest tournament score of his career.

Final Table Results

Photo credits: WSOP / Travis Ball, Jazmyn Le