Santhosh Suvarna Wins WSOP $50K High Roller for Third Bracelet
India's Santhosh Suvarna captured his third gold bracelet and $1,922,870 (approx. 2.6 billion KRW) by winning Event #29, the $50,000 8-Max High Roller, at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Held at Horseshoe & Paris Las Vegas, the event drew 167 players, creating a prize pool of $7,932,500 (approx. 10.9 billion KRW), the largest first-place prize of the summer WSOP to date. Suvarna broke the bubble by directly eliminating Phil Hellmuth and entered the final day as the overwhelming chip leader among 12 players, maintaining his dominance throughout.
Third Bracelet, All in High Rollers
Suvarna's three bracelets have all come in high roller events. His first was the €50,000 Diamond High Roller at WSOP Europe in 2023 (€650,000), followed by the 2024 WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller ($5,415,152). He now adds a third bracelet with this $50,000 High Roller victory. The fact that all three events were top-tier high roller tournaments highlights the identity of this Indian player. With this win, he now shares the record for most WSOP bracelets by an Indian player with Nipun Java (three each) and further solidified his sole lead on the Indian all-time money list with a total of $22,657,853 (approx. 31 billion KRW), nearly triple the $8,080,012 of second-place Vivek Rajkumar.
Breaking the Bubble by Knocking Out Hellmuth, Suvarna Dominated Final Day
The day before the final table, Suvarna faced a brief chip deficit but quickly recovered. He officially broke the bubble by eliminating Bernhard Binder and then solidified his chip lead by directly taking out Phil Hellmuth. The final 12 included players like Anatoly Zlotnikov, Brandon Wilson, Biao Ding, Brian Breck, Colin Robinson, Chris Brewer, Jans Arends, and Chang Lee. Suvarna consistently maintained a high position amidst the rapid pace of the final day, which saw three eliminations within the first 30 minutes.
Zlotnikov's Drama, But Still Suvarna
Russia's Anatoly Zlotnikov also made a notable impact on the final day. He seized the lead after winning a large pot in a 7-handed situation but ultimately couldn't overcome Suvarna's consistent pressure. In the final hand, Suvarna cracked pocket kings to secure the win, met with cheers from his fellow Indians on the rail. Immediately after his victory, Suvarna commented, "It feels like a dream, magical. Many players are coming from India, and this bracelet means more Indian players will come here." He also stated that his ultimate goal in poker is to win the WSOP Main Event, adding, "If I achieve that, I will retire.""
Symbol of Indian Poker, Three-Time High Roller Champion
Suvarna's third bracelet proves that the Indian poker scene has now fully arrived on the global high roller stage. Following Japan's Naoya Kihara making history with back-to-back Mixed Game Championship wins and China's Yang Wang taking down a PLO bracelet this series, Suvarna brought the largest first-place prize of the summer to India. Suvarna is also competing in the $100K High Roller, surviving Day 1 with the shortest stack, and his journey towards his final dream of winning the Main Event in July is far from over.
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