2026 World Series of Poker

Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker
Event #78: $600 Deepstack Championship No-Limit Hold'em Event #79: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em Event #80: $10,000 8-Game Mixed Championship Event #81: $800 Summer Celebration Event #82: $10,000 WSOP Main Event NLH World Championship Event #83: $1,500 Double Board Bomb Pot Pot-Limit Omaha Event #84: $5,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em Show All Events
Day: 2c
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Event Info
2026 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
8♣5♦
Prize
$1,250,000
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$15,623,347
Total Entries
11,769
Level Info
Level
43
Blinds
2,000,000 / 4,000,000
Ante
4,000,000
Players Info - Day 2c
Entries
779
Players Left
105
Players Left 1 / 11,769

Who Are the Unluckiest Heads-Up Players in WSOP History?

Calum Grant
Calum Grant
Ren Lin x Chino Rheem
Ren Lin x Chino Rheem

Shaun Deeb came up one spot short yet again for a 2026 World Series of Poker bracelet, falling to Joey Couden in Event #52: $3,000 Nine Game Mix after a grueling three-and-a-half-hour heads-up battle. The defeat was Deeb's ninth in a bracelet match and dropped his all-time heads-up record to 8-9.

The latest near miss added to a frustrating run of runner-up finishes for the eight-time bracelet winner. Deeb had already finished second twice at WSOP Europe earlier this year to take an early lead in the Player of the Year race, but after arriving in Las Vegas with just one cash through the opening weeks of the series, another silver medal may prove crucial as he chases back-to-back POY titles.

As painful as Deeb's 8-9 record may be, it doesn't rank among the unluckiest in WSOP history. Several poker crushers have reached heads-up for a bracelet time and again, only to walk away empty-handed. Here are the players with the most WSOP runner-up finishes without ever sealing the deal.