Phil Hellmuth Heads-Up for 18th Bracelet on Final Day of 2026 WSOP

Update: Phil Hellmuth is now heads-up against Darren Rabinowitz.

The Horseshoe Las Vegas ballroom is close to empty with the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) all but over, but it’s turned out to be one of the most exciting days of the summer as all-time bracelet leader Phil Hellmuth plays for his 18th bracelet.

The 17-time bracelet winner is currently six-handed with the chip lead in Event #99: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, an event that drew 884 runners for a prize pool of $4,066,400. The winner will receive $695,256, but Hellmuth is lasered in on the bracelet that would extend his lead on the all-time bracelet list.

Will Hellmuth Extend His Bracelet Lead?

All eyes were on Hellmuth as he was one of 77 players to return in the $5,000 buy-in tournament. He outlasted a number of notables, including Adam Hendrix, Cliff Josephy, Joseph Cheong, and Brian Rast.

According to PokerNews live reporters Frank Visser, Stewart Morrison and Tim Baker, Hellmuth entered the final table with 10,000,000 in chips, giving him the chip lead over big stacks Nick Pupillo and Max Kingstone.

Hellmuth’s lead only grew with the eliminations of Josh Norvock, Connor Belcher and Max Kingstone, and he employed some of his signature “White Magic” along the way.

Just five players now stand between Hellmuth and his record-extending 18th bracelet. Two of his opponents — Victor Li and Joshua Stewart — are looking for their first bracelets, while Darren Rabinowitz, Nick Pupillo and Nicholas Palma are all looking for bracelet two. Hellmuth and “Nicky P” had a spat earlier in the series, but it’s been cordial so far at this final table.

And despite the Horseshoe ballroom being close to empty, with hundreds of tables being broken down, there is a crowded rail here to see the 17-time bracelet winner make poker history.

The rail includes Hellmuth’s sons Phillip III and Nicholas, both of whom are following in their father’s footsteps and played full WSOP schedules this summer.

Despite his over-the-top Main Event entrances, Hellmuth seems to thrive out of the spotlight. In 2023, he won his 17th bracelet late in the night with almost no spectators around as he shipped Event #72: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty for $803,818.

The remaining six players are currently on a 20-minute break. While the event isn’t being live-streamed, poker fans can follow the action with live updates from the PokerNews live reporting team.

Connor Richards is a Senior Editor U.S. for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for three Global Poker Awards for his writing.