Naoya Kihara won his second consecutive bracelet, matching the feat of Brunson and Unger

Naoya Kihara won his second consecutive bracelet, matching the feat of Brunson and Ungar

Three days ago we reported on Naoya Kihara's victory in the lowball championship. In that event the Japanese player claimed his second bracelet, which he had waited 14 years for. And today Kihara won his third World Series of Poker title.

The $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship drew 130 entries, with a prize pool of $1,209,000. Leading the chip count at the start of the final day was Michael Mizrachi. However, the 2025 WSOP Main Event champion gradually lost chips and then busted to Chris Brewer in sixth place. Brewer himself finished fifth, running a flush into Jeremy Ausmus's full house on seventh street.

Ausmus busted in fourth, losing a series of pots to James Chong. Another contender, Allen Kessler, who even briefly surged into the lead, was eliminated by Naoya Kihara. In the heads-up, two players met who were each chasing remarkable achievements. Chong could become the first player to win both stud events in a single series, while Kihara was going for a win in his second consecutive championship. The Japanese player led in chips and didn't let his opponent get back into the game, quickly closing out the match in his favor.

Naoya Kihara earned $301,970 and became the most decorated poker player from Japan, surpassing Ryutaro Suzuki and Shiina Okamoto in bracelets. In addition, he became only the sixth player in history to win two consecutive championships at the WSOP. Previously, this feat had been accomplished by Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar, Greg Merson, George Danzer, and Jason Mercier.
"I was very lucky today. The lowball championship required tremendous patience, but today I kept getting very good cards time after time. I almost never ran into tough spots, simply because I always had a good hand," Kihara told PokerNews after the win.