Phil Hellmuth came agonizingly close to his 18th bracelet on the final day of the 2026 WSOP, but lost heads-up to Darren Rabinowitz in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event – one of the last remaining tournaments to be decided this summer.
All play had been moved from Paris to Horseshoe following the Main Event, and Wednesday had an end-of-the-WSOP feel, with the crowds dispersed.
There was still unfinished business, though, and one last big moment to see the series off in style.
This was Event #99 of 100. 884 entries created a total prize pool of $4,066,400, with 72 players returning for the final day with one eye on the bracelet and the other on the $695,256 top prize.
Big names drop on final day
Some big names dropped early on the final day, including Sean Winter, Klemens Roiter, Brad Owen, Leo Margets, Artur Martirosian, and Sam Soverel.
Nick Palma was chasing his first live WSOP bracelet after an outstanding summer that included a runner-up finish in multiple events and a chop in the $3,500 BetMGM Championship at Aria worth $431,180.
Hellmuth, meanwhile, was looking to further extend his record as the most decorated player in WSOP history, and put more space between him and the chasing players like Shaun Deeb and Benny Glaser.
The pair had already clashed earlier this summer, with Palma openly saying he doesn't respect the Poker Brat.
A Hellmuth-Palma heads-up match looked like the perfect way to close out the series.
Rabinowitz denies crowd blockbuster showdown
There was still plenty of poker left, with accomplished pros Nick Pupillo and Rabinowitz also in contention.
Hellmuth and Palma briefly took the top two spots in the chip counts before Pupillo was eliminated in fifth. Rabinowitz had taken over the chip lead now, with shallow stacks leading to a lot of shoves. Hellmuth was second and Palma was now the short stack with a little over 10 big blinds.
After Joshua Stewart was eliminated in fourth, only Rabinowitz stood between the Hellmuth-Palma heads-up match everyone wanted to see.
And it was Rabinowitz who spoiled the script, taking out Palma with 
, which stayed ahead of Palma's 
.
Hellmuth heads-up for #18
Hellmuth began heads-up behind and soon faced a 4:1 chip deficit. But the momentum swung when Rabinowitz flopped two pair only for Hellmuth to turn a straight, giving the Poker Brat the chip lead.
It might have been the final day of the WSOP but word got around, and the rail was suitably packed for the occasion. And it was loud – Martin Kabrhel turned up to try and coax Hellmuth over the line.
The WSOP even fashioned a static live stream on X so the public could watch. It quickly had over 7,000 viewers, who got to watch Hellmuth destroy a sandwich.
Momentum shifted and Rabinowitz took the lead again shortly after the last break of the night.
This time, the lead change proved decisive.
On the final hand, Rabinowitz moved all-in on the turn and sent Hellmuth into the tank. Eventually, he pushed all his chips in with 
only to find himself behind to 
on the 
board.
The river brought the 
and Hellmuth looked stunned, eventually taking Rabinowitz's hand while still staring at the board as though hoping it might somehow change.
Instead of a record-extending 18th bracelet, Hellmuth was left to settle for second place and $464,286 after one of the most dramatic finishes of the 2026 WSOP.
$5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'em results
- Darren Rabinowitz: $695,256
- Phil Hellmuth: $464,286
- Nick Palma: $326,136
- Joshua Stewart: $232,570
- Nick Pupillo: $168,402
- Victor Li: $123,846
- Max Kingstone: $92,527
- Connor Belcher: $70,245
