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Event #78: $600 Deepstack Championship No-Limit Hold'em
Day 4 Completed
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #78: $600 Deepstack Championship No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 4
Event Info
2026 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 4
Buy-in
$600
Prize Pool
$2,609,208
Total Entries
5,177
Level
38
Blinds
600,000 / 120,000
Ante
120,000
Entries
5
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 5,177
Filter
Level 38
: Blinds 600,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Just weeks after celebrating his 21st birthday, Adriaan Jacobs outlasted a massive field of 5,177 entries in Event #78: $600 Deepstack No-Limit Hold'em to capture his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet and the $282,817 top prize. The four-day event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas saw Jacobs steadily climb the leaderboard. By the start of the final day, he held a commanding chip lead and never looked back on his way to poker's biggest victory.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adriaan Jacobs | South Africa | $282,817 |
| 2 | Paul Merlette | United States | $188,231 |
| 3 | Seong Han | South Korea | $139,723 |
| 4 | Junichi Murakami | Japan | $104,555 |
| 5 | Xingwei Chen | China | $78,876 |
| 6 | Lisa Tan | Singapore | $59,994 |
| 7 | Toros Dimitian | Canada | $46,010 |
| 8 | Christopher Summers-James | United Kingdom | $35,580 |
| 9 | Yoann Saubot | Canada | $27,747 |
The victory capped a remarkable four-day run. Jacobs steadily climbed the leaderboard, finishing Day 1 among the top 20 in chips before ending Day 2 near the top of the counts. By the start of the final day, he held the chip lead and never relinquished his position for long.
Despite entering heads-up play with a sizable advantage over Paul Merlette, the match was far from straightforward. Merlette mounted a comeback and briefly gained momentum before Jacobs found the hand that would end the tournament. Holding a flush draw, Jacobs improved on the turn to secure the biggest victory of his young career.
"I really can't believe it," Jacobs said moments after the win. "I play a lot of online poker, so I understand the variance, and it just felt like I kept getting chips dumped to me. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity."
A Birthday Trip That Changed Everything
The trip itself almost sounds too perfect to be true. Only two weeks after Jacobs turned 21, his father, Barend, had planned a celebration trip to Las Vegas.
"My dad just said, 'Let's go fly around the world and play in the World Series of Poker,'" Jacobs recalled.
The family, along with friends, made the nearly 30-hour journey from South Africa after Jacobs had just finished his accounting exams. It turned out to be one of the best expected-value decisions of his life.
Watching from the rail, his family erupted into song, repeatedly chanting, "All I do is win, win, win," as the final hands played out.
Barend couldn't have been prouder, saying, "He's a hard worker, but he's never had results like this."
Family First
Before thinking about celebrations or the money, Jacobs knew exactly who he wanted to call. "My mom and my siblings," he said. "They're on vacation right now."
He became emotional when talking about the support he's received throughout his poker journey. "My family have been so supportive. Even though I'm a 21-year-old guy playing online and not having the best results, they've supported me all the way."
Staying Present
For Jacobs, the victory wasn't built on flashy hero calls or fearless aggression as much as it was on discipline. Although he admitted there was "a feeling in the back of my mind" that this tournament could be special, he never allowed himself to think too far ahead. "I was really just taking it one hand at a time."
Ironically, one of his toughest moments came long before the final table. After bagging a big stack on Day 1, he was so excited that he barely slept before returning for Day 2. "I just kept telling myself, 'Just make it to the next break."
Away from the table, Jacobs has invested heavily in improving his mental game. Alongside studying poker theory, meditation and breathing exercises have become essential parts of his routine.
"On the breaks, I would do five minutes of meditation. I used to struggle in tournaments figuring out pot sizes and bet sizes, but since adding that, everything is much clearer. Staying calm and present is the key."
His focus was briefly shaken during a pivotal three-way pot at the final table when Seong Han's pocket kings won a massive pot, temporarily shifting momentum.
"It threw me off a little," he said, but rather than letting the setback snowball, Jacobs relied on one of his mental techniques. "I constantly count the pot and count my opponent's stack. It keeps me in the moment and slows me down so I don't rush my decisions. I took it slow and trusted my preparation and knowledge."
Winning more than a quarter of a million dollars is life-changing for most people. For Jacobs, it's almost impossible to comprehend. "It feels so strange. It doesn't feel real." "I've never even had a serious job before, so I don't even have a concept of what this money means."
His plans, however, are surprisingly modest. "I'll play more poker, invest in myself, and put a lot into savings."
Despite the huge score, Jacobs has no intention of moving into bigger buy-ins immediately. "I don't want to jump stakes. I want to stay humble with my buy-ins. I don't think I'm quite ready to move up."
His father, however, was already floating another idea: "He wants us to stay and play the Main Event," Jacobs laughed.
A Win for South African Poker
Jacobs hopes his victory resonates beyond his own career. "The South African poker scene is very small. It's a really tight-knit community." He credited the country's poker groups, including Sunbet Poker and Shuffle Up Poker, for helping grow the game despite limited opportunities.
Family friend Stephen Courtney believes the bracelet represents far more than one player's breakthrough. "South Africa hasn't had many results over the past two decades, so this is a huge victory for all of us."
Jacobs became just the fourth South African to win a WSOP bracelet, joining Norman Keyser (1989), Hugh Todd (1990), and Michael Clacher, who won an online bracelet in 2020.
For someone whose life currently revolves around studying, working out, and playing poker, Jacobs' future suddenly looks much bigger. "I study, I play poker, I work out," he said with a smile. "Whatever I do, I try to do it to the best of my ability."
Judging by his performance this week in Las Vegas, that approach has already taken him farther than he ever imagined.
That concludes our coverage of Event #78, but be sure to catch PokerNews live reporting from the remainder of the 2026 World Series of Poker and other exciting events around the poker world.
Level 38
: Blinds 600,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Adriaan Jacobs has just won his first WSOP bracelet and the fourth for South Africa by defeating Paul Merlette heads-up for $282,817. According to The Hendon Mob, this is his biggest tournament cash ever, and he achieved this amazing result by overcoming a 5,177-entry-strong field that created a total prize pool of $2,609,208.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adriaan Jacobs | South Africa | $282,817 |
| 2 | Paul Merlette | United States | $188,231 |
| 3 | Seong Han | South Korea | $139,723 |
| 4 | Junichi Murakami | Japan | $104,555 |
| 5 | Xingwei Chen | China | $78,876 |
| 6 | Lisa Tan | Singapore | $59,994 |
| 7 | Toros Dimitian | Canada | $46,010 |
| 8 | Christopher Summers-James | United Kingdom | $35,580 |
| 9 | Yoann Saubot | Canada | $27,747 |
A full recap is to follow.
Level 38
: Blinds 600,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Paul Merlette limped in on the button. Adriaan Jacobs raised to 4,000,000. Merlette called.
The flop came 9♠8♥3♥ and Jacobs checked. Merlette bet 4,800,000, and Jacobs responded with a raise to 12,500,000.
"Whatever, right?" Merlette mumbled before grabbing a stack of chips and then announcing that he was all-in. Jacobs snap-called with the bigger stack.
Paul Merlette: K♦8♣ 
Adriaan Jacobs: J♥10♥
Merlette had flopped a pair of eights, but Jacobs was sitting on a flush draw.
The turn was the K♥ for Jacobs to hit his flush, and he started celebrating but then realized that Merlette had hit two pair and still had outs.
The Q♥ on the river completed the board, and Jacobs was able to celebrate for real and then rushed to his dad on the rail and then for the realization of the bracelet win to settle in.
Level 38
: Blinds 600,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Adriaan Jacobs raised to 2,400,000 from the button, and Paul Merlette opted to check. They both checked through the 8♣7♦9♥ flop and the 7♥ on the turn to the 3♥ on the river. Merlette bet 5,000,000. Jacobs called but mucked when Merlette tabled the 7♣4♥ for trip sevens.
Two hands later, Jacobs raised again for Merlette to come along. The flop came A♣8♠Q♠, and Merlette check-called the 1,500,000 bet of Jacobs. They both checked through the 10♥ on the turn and the A♠ on the river. Merlette claimed the pot with the K♣3♣ for king-high.
On the next hand, Merlette limped in from the button, and Jacobs checked. They both checked through the A♥J♣9♠ flop to the 2♣ on the turn. Merlette bet 2,500,000, and Jacobs check-called. The river completed the board with the 3♥, and both players checked again.
"Eight-high," Merlette said. Jacobs showed 5♣2♦ for a pair of deuces and the pot.
Level: 38
Blinds: 600,000/120,000
Ante: 120,000
Level 37
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Adriaan Jacobs raised from the button to 2,000,000, and Paul Merlette called from the big blind. Both players checked to the turn with the board of 9♦10♠8♠8♣.
On the river J♥, Merlette bet 10,000,000, and Jacobs called and mucked when Merlette showed J♠5♦ for two pair and the win.
Level 37
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Paul Merlette raised from the button to 2,000,000, and Adriaan Jacobs called from the big blind. The flop arrived with 5♦2♠Q♠, Jacobs checked, and Merlette bet 2,000,000.
Both players checked the turn 6♠, and Merlette stated, "Check, one time."
On the river 3♠, Jacobs checked a third time, and Merlette bet 6,000,000. Jacobs called.
Merlette mucked and said, "Nice call, bro." Jacobs showed Q♦4♠ for a pair of queens.
Level 37
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Adriaan Jacobs raised from the button to 2,000,000, and Paul Merlette called from the big blind. The flop was 2♣8♣2♥ and both players checked.
On the turn 6♣, Merlette bet 2,500,000, and Jacobs called.
The river 6♦ brought a bet of 5,000,000 from Merlette and Jacobs called.
Merlette stated, "We are chopping, right?"
Jacobs mucked, and Merlette showed A♥7♠ for two pair with an ace kicker.
Level 37
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Seong Han raised to 2,100,000 from the button, and Paul Merlette folded his small blind. Adriaan Jacobs three-bet to 8,000,000 from the big blind.
Han took some time. "Six? Seven?" he asked the dealer to confirm the raise, then four-bet to 18,500,000. Jacobs took some time and made the call.
The flop came 10♠9♥A♣, and Jacobs check-called the 9,000,000 continuation-bet of Han.
The turn was the 7♣, and Jacobs checked again. Han fired a bet of 13,000,000 over the line, and Jacobs responded with a shove with the bigger stack. Han called the 22,000,000 or so he had in front of him.
Seong Han: A♥K♦
Adriaan Jacobs: A♠A♦
"I just bet you had aces!" someone on Jacobs' rail shouted while cheering. Han looked defeated and got up from his seat and shook his head.
The dealer revealed the 8♠ on the river to seal the deal for the tournament to get to the heads-up stage.
