Dong Chen Secures Second WSOP Bracelet in Limit Hold’em Championship

Dong Chen has claimed his second World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet, emerging victorious in the Event #38: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship. The Chinese poker professional secured the title and a top prize of $285,200, defeating a final table populated by some of poker’s most established names.

The victory marks a significant achievement for Chen, especially given his relative inexperience in the Limit Hold’em format. He entered the tournament with substantial career earnings exceeding $4.1 million and a previous WSOP bracelet from the 2023 WSOP Paradise $10,000 6-Handed High Roller. However, this was only his second-ever Limit Hold’em event.

Winner’s Reaction

Chen expressed his satisfaction with the win, noting that while he has extensive experience battling top players in No-Limit Hold’em, Limit Hold’em presented a new challenge. “Poker-wise, this wasn’t my first rodeo. I’ve battled with legends in No-Limit Hold’em. But Limit Hold’em is something new that I just recently unlocked, so it feels really good,” Chen stated through a translator. He revealed that his prior Limit Hold’em experience consisted of a single cash in a $1,500 event just days before this championship.

Strategy and Competition

Despite facing formidable opponents such as Benny Glaser, Jeremy Ausmus, Gus Hansen, Jesse Lonis, Jerry Wong, and Dylan Smith, Chen felt confident in his abilities. He adopted an aggressive strategy, frequently employing three-betting and four-betting, which he described as his default approach. This aggressive style proved effective, even in heads-up play against Glaser.

“In terms of heads-up, it matters who hits the board. That’s the first. And, second, I carried my aggressive style into heads-up, where I three-bet a lot. So that won me quite a lot of pots. But eventually, it was just a matter of hitting the board more than my opponent,” Chen explained.

Key facts

Historical Significance

Dong Chen is now one of only three players from China to have won multiple WSOP bracelets, joining Xixiang Luo and Renji Mao. He acknowledged the strong support from the Chinese poker community throughout his pursuit of this historic achievement. “At the end of yesterday, when I bagged for Day 2, everyone in the Chinese poker community was rooting for me, wishing me good luck. So pursuing more bracelets is one of my poker goals,” he said.

Day 3 Action

The final day saw seven players return to the Paris Las Vegas ballroom, with a prize pool of $1,125,300. Benny Glaser entered as the chip leader with 2,255,000 chips, closely followed by Dong Chen with 2,185,000. Early action saw Jerry Wong double up against Jesse Lonis, while Dylan Smith was the first to be eliminated in seventh place after losing to Lonis.

Jeremy Ausmus demonstrated his prowess by flopping quads to significantly reduce Gus Hansen’s stack. Hansen was eventually eliminated in sixth place. Wong continued to climb, but was later busted in fifth place by Chen. Ausmus briefly held the chip lead, but Glaser regained control by winning a significant pot against Chen.

Chen, who had fallen to a short stack, rallied by winning a substantial pot against Lonis with a set of sevens and later a straight. Lonis was eliminated in fourth place after his ace-king was outdrawn by Glaser’s king-eight. Ausmus was eliminated in third place when his kings were outmatched by Chen’s turned flush.

The heads-up match saw Chen quickly extend his lead over Glaser, ultimately securing the victory and his second WSOP title. The development is significant for video poker enthusiasts and the broader poker community as it highlights a player’s ability to achieve top-tier success even with limited experience in a specific discipline, showcasing adaptability and strategic prowess.

Source: PokerNews – https://www.pokernews.com/news/2026/06/dong-chen-beats-poker-legends-for-second-wsop-gold-bracelet-51541.htm