Matthew Higgins Wins 2026 World Series of Poker Mystery Millions

The World Series of Poker’s $1,000 buy-in Mystery Millions event represents so much of what’s made the series so popular. For $1,000, or less if you qualify via satellite, there are multiple pathways to winning a $1 million prize.

You could be like Jonathan Schiller, who with a single qualifying elimination on day 2 of the tournament earned a $1 million bounty.

Alternatively, you could navigate through a field of 22,811 entrants, like Matthew Higgins, and come out the other side with seven figures in prize money and a first career WSOP bracelet. Higgins, a nine-time WSOP Circuit ring winner, took down the fourth edition of this signature $1,000 no-limit hold’em mystery bounty tournament.

On his way to victory, Higgins had to navigate an unusually tough final table for this format and field size. It included his heads-up opponent Dominik Panka, and Thomas Hall, both WSOP bracelet winners. It also featured four-time WSOP bracelet winner David ‘ODB’ Baker, who finished in seventh place.

Higgins’ victory also entitled him to 1,440 Card Player Player of the Year points, elevating him to 130th place in the yearlong race presented by CoinPoker.

Navigating An Impossibly Large Field

After six starting flights, 1,236 players moved on to day 2, making them eligible for bounty prizes. Beyond the $1 million bounty, there were two $500,150 bounties, three $250,000 bounties, and ten $100,000 bounty prizes up for grabs.

Schiller, who hails from Michigan, won a WSOP Online bracelet for $31,490 in 2022 in his home state before it joined the multi-state player pool. It was one of two career five-figure cashes, and before this tournament, he hadn’t come close to a six-figure result. Then he got called up to the stage, and his life changed in an instant.

Jonathan Schiller Pulls the $1,000,000 Bounty!

The biggest bounty in the WSOP $1,000 Mystery Millions has officially been claimed. Jonathan Schiller opened the million dollar envelope in a life changing moment at the 2026 WSOP. pic.twitter.com/Fv8ALhuFtr

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 29, 2026

Schiller wasn’t the only one to turn a $1,000 buy-in into an instant and massive prize. Improbably, at least considering previous history, two players who pulled six-figure bounties went on to make the final table in Vinay Boob and Brian Smith. Kiat Lee, a Triton Super High Roller regular with over $26.5 million in lifetime earnings, turned his $1,000 buy-in into a $250,000 bounty prize.

Where The Bounties Landed

Down To The Wire

After a long day 2 session, Higgins sat in 10th place among 24 day 2 survivors. Higgins made his move towards the top of the chip counts just before the final table was set. Higgins eliminated the 14th, 12th, and 11th place finishers to grab the chip lead over Panka.

2012 WSOP bracelet winner Joey Weissman went out on the final table bubble, finishing in 10th place ($87,200). 2024 World Poker Tour World Championship third-place finisher Edward Pak then hit the rail in ninth place ($110,003). Higgins soon picked up another elimination and bounty prize when his pocket nines beat Imre Makranyi’s pocket eights. Makranyi was out in eighth place ($140,000), and Higgins pulled a $10,000 bounty on top of it.

Panka, who won the 2014 European Poker Tour PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, continued his own push. The Polish standout eliminated Baker in seventh place ($176,000), taking the last of a short-stacked Baker’s chips with Q♣J♦ against A♥7♦, courtesy of a jack on the flop.

Hall picked off Boob, who lost a coin flip with A♠K♣ to Hall’s pocket sixes. For finishing sixth, Boob earned $225,000, slightly less than the $250,000 bounty he pulled one day prior. Another big bounty winner, Brian Smith, fell to Panka via an ace on the river. He won $290,000 for fifth place, upgrading his payout well beyond his $100,000 bounty pull.

Hall led four-handed, but the blinds were big, and the action was persistent. Panka delivered an absolutely brutal bad beat to Hall to eliminate him in fourth place ($375,000). Having both blinds covered, Panka shoved the button with Q♣6♣, and Hall woke up with aces. Panka flopped a club flush draw, and spiked the 9♣ on the river to win a massive pot.

Higgins’ Big Win

Higgins found a key double with K♦Q♦ against Panka’s J♦9♦, pulling into a close second place. He then surged into the lead, courtesy of his elimination of Leo Lombardozzi in third place ($490,000). Higgins’ pocket tens held against A♣Q♠ to set up a heads-up showdown against Panka.

The final match was all Higgins, though Panka threatened to crack aces for the second time before the tournament ended. The chips got in on a J♣9♣5♥ flop, with Panka’s J♠7♣ against Higgins’ pocket aces. Higgins spiked a set on the turn, but the A♣ actually took Panka from five outs to eight heading into the river.

The 10♦ river ended the tournament, though, and Higgins celebrated his $1 million win. Panka secured $640,000 as the runner-up.

Final Table Payouts

Photo credit: WSOP / Alicia Skillman