Naoya Kihara won his second WSOP bracelet after spinning up from a single small blind

Naoya Kihara wins his second WSOP bracelet after coming back from a single small blind

Naoya Kihara created one of the most incredible comeback stories of the 2026 World Series of Poker. The Japanese pro became champion of the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship, even though at the end of Day 1 he was left with just a single small blind after an unsuccessful bluff.

"Everyone in the poker world knows the saying about a chip and a chair, right? I'd never actually seen it happen in real life myself. It happened to me, and it's just incredible," Kihara told PokerNews.

On the final day, Kihara came in with the fourth-largest stack, and over the course of the tournament he kept Phil Hellmuth from reaching the final table, eliminating the 17-time champion in ninth place. Later, Dan Shak also busted in his clash with the Japanese player, finishing sixth. Shaun Deeb took fifth, losing a hand to 2018 WSOP Main Event champion John Cynn.

In heads-up, Naoya Kihara faced David Lin with a slight chip lead. By that point both players had already spent 13 hours at the table, but that didn't stop the Japanese pro from claiming victory.

Kihara won his second bracelet 14 years after his first — in 2012 he won the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Six-Handed event. Back then, he became the first Japanese player to win at the WSOP. Since then, Kihara has come close to triumph several times — for example, finishing third in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship — but he just couldn't capture a title. The Japanese player took home the top prize of $428,923, while David Lin, unable to win his first bracelet, received $288,711.

"I'm already 44, I'd almost ended my poker career, but I came back, and now I hope to fight for another bracelet. I was thinking about quitting tournament poker. But after this win, I decided to give myself another two or three years.

I wasn't sure whether to play the Poker Players Championship, the $25K H.O.R.S.E., or some other $25,000 event. Now I'll definitely play both the PPC and the $25K H.O.R.S.E.," Kihara told PokerNews after his win.