"It's always tough to go into a heads-up with such a huge lead and just immediately give it up."
It was almost one of the most shocking wins in recent WSOP history. Alex Foxen had obliterated the final table of the $10K Super Turbo Bounty, and he entered heads-up play with 24 of the 27 million chips in play.
The tournament was all but over, and China's Yixi Tang was the last step.
But Tang fought back, first with a few small pots, and then a big one. Foxen had trip deuces — good enough to pay off Tang's full house on the river in a pot that brought the match back near even. David was creeping up on Goliath.
"Your expectations get really high, you go in with a big chip lead, and all of sudden you don't have it anymore," Foxen shared after the win. "It's definitely not a pleasant experience."
But Foxen stopped Tang's charge and turned it all the way around, driving him away for good to claim bracelet #4.
One of the tournament greats
It was probably the most surprising of Foxen's four titles, as the $10K Super Turbo Bounty is the fastest, most unpredictable tournament of the summer. You need a lot of luck, and an aggressive attitude. Adaptability is everything. Foxen, who is as adaptable as they come, made his own luck with lots of aggression.
Foxen is proving himself to be one of the greats at tournament poker of any variety. His first win was a $355 Six Max at WSOPC New Orleans in 2012, and since then he's tasted success just about everywhere.
Foxen's wins happen all over the world and on every tour. He's won on the WPT, APPT, MSPT, WSOPC, and several times in the PokerGO Studio and at Seminole in Florida. He has multiple Triton titles, high roller wins, and now four WSOP bracelets.
He's also picking up the speed on live mixed games, and it's a matter of time before Foxen has one of those bracelets, too. He already has an online PLO win.
"It feels like he could almost play any poker game because he just gets the dynamics of the table," Nick Schulman told us last summer.
Alex Foxen's WSOP bracelets
- 2022 - $250K Super High Roller - $4,563,700
- 2024 - $500 PLO Mystery Bounty - $20,064 (Online)
- 2024 - $100K Triton Main Event - $3,850,000
- 2026 - $10K Super Turbo Bounty - $594,246
It's like that
The $10K Super Turbo Bounty had plenty of sideshow, and a lot of the attention went to Martin Kabrhel. Kabrhel achieved the final three tables and busted out, but not before goofing off a lot.
The goofing off was fairly standard, but it was killing. What stood out about Kabrhel's deep run was the late night rail. Dozens of poker fans gathered along the side of his table, and they were hanging on every word. Poker pros may have their feelings, and they are valid, but the man is a certified superstar.
Kabrhel's demise would come in 21st place, when he stepped aside for The Martin Zamani and Alex Foxen Show.
Zamani, who found himself in the unique situation of multi-tabling two different events, had built a big stack in the Super Turbo Bounty. He was also in the $10K Big O tournament across the room.
Zamani multi-tables
At one point, Zamani had a player at risk in the Super Turbo with 
. His opponent had 
.
"Tell me if I won," Zamani said as he abandoned the table and bolted across the room for Big O.
In his absence, the board ran out 
, spiking a queen on the river to chunk Zamani's stack with a double.
He would return and stay alive through the later parts of the final table, but the wheels came off in fourth when he ran Big Slick into Foxen's pocket aces.
All Zamani could do was laugh. He moved to the other side of the rail and continued to laugh until Foxen won the tournament.
Foxen's fury
It was also a day of swings for Foxen. He busted out of the $250K earlier on Sunday and jumped right in to the Super Turbo before building up one of the top stacks in a matter of moments.
Foxen would dutifully add to his stack as players busted at a breakneck pace, ultimately setting up a final table chip lead with a double knockout.
From there, Foxen destroyed the final table.
"I was fortunate enough to come in as the chip lead," he told us afterward. "It definitely changes the dynamics quite a bit."
Foxen was aggressive, and his ability to adapt to any tournament condition paid off.
"There were a lot of even stacks and quite a few short stacks," Foxen explained. "I had a really good spot to apply a lot of leverage at these shallow depths.
Knowing when to turn it on and off in different spots is important, he says.
"I like I have a pretty good feel for that especially in these types of fields where styles vary a lot and certain spots are better than others."
Foxen's late eliminations
- 11th - Daniel Swartz/10th - Jovan Kenjic (Double KO)
- 9th - Adrien Delmas
- 6th - Sergio Martinez Gonzalez
- 5th - Nazar Buhaiov (Pocket aces)
- 4th - Martin Zamani (Pocket aces)
- 3rd - Cedric Schwaederle
- 2nd - Yixi Tang
Foxen's win carried the added bonus of joining his wife, Kristen, on the list of 2026 WSOP winners. Kristen won the $25K High Roller earlier this summer for her sixth bracelet, bringing the household total to 10. This was the second time the couple has won bracelets in the same summer — both won online events in 2024.
2026 $10K Super Turbo Bounty final table results
- Alex Foxen - USA - $594,246
- Yixi Tang - China - $396,145
- Cedric Schwaederle - France - $272,824
- Martin Zamani - USA - $191,357
- Nazar Buhaiov - Ukraine - $136,737
- Sergio Martinez Gonzalez - Spain - $99,578
- Harvey Castro - USA - $73,933
- Jamie Dwan - UK - $55,985
