The 2026 World Series of Poker $500 Colossus event attracted 16,269 total entries across a plethora of starting days, making for a $6,751,635 prize pool in the low-stakes affair. After six total days of tournament action, that sea of players was narrowed to a single champion: Justin Smith. The aviation quality engineer earned $550,000 and his first WSOP gold bracelet for the win.
This was just the 10th recorded in-the-money finish for the Yakima, Washington native, blowing away his previous top score of $31,741 earned for a runner-up showing in the 2014 Fall Poker Round Up main event at Wildhorse Resort & Casino.
The proverbial hometown hero not only had to navigate a massive field but also had to contend with plenty of highly accomplished players down the stretch. Bracelet winners like Jonas Lauck (64th), Sean Jazayeri (63rd), Stephen Song (38th), David Jackson (13th), and Eric Baldwin (8th) joined Smith at the business end of this tournament.
Smith was ultimately able to convert his third straight cash in this particular event into his first major title and more than half of a million dollars. When asked why he has targeted this event, he told PokerNews live reporters on the scene, “It’s just a fun tournament to play. A lot of people, it’s an easy buy-in.”
Smith scored the final three knockouts down the stretch to lock up the win after sliding down to just a handful of big blinds at one point during four-handed action.
In addition to the money and the hardware, Smith also earned 720 Card Player Player of the Year points for this win. It was his first qualified score towards the 2026 POY race, which is presented by CoinPoker.
Smith Surges Early On The Final Day
While thousands of players cashed in this event, only nine advanced to the final day of play. Yuefan Wang held the overnight chip lead, with Smith in fourth chip position when cards got in the air once again inside the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
Eric Baldwin
Smith scored the first knockout of the day, with A♣Q♦ besting the A♠J♣ of Min Ji (9th – $60,171). He then found a big double-up with A♣K♥ holding against A♦Q♥ for Myles German after an ace-high flop.
German bounced back when his pocket aces held against the A♠3♦ of Baldwin. The two-time bracelet winner flopped two pair, but German’s top set of aces held through the river to narrow the field to seven. Baldin earned $76,000 for his latest strong showing at the series, crossing the $10-million mark for his career in the process.
Wang then busted Andrew Sanchez (7th – $98,000) thanks to a superior kicker with his aces and nines. Karabet Keshishyan (6th – $125,000) soon lost a preflop race with 5♥5♦ against the K♣Q♣ of Jose Orozco to further trim the field.
Closing The Colossus
Despite scoring that knockout, Orozco was the next to fall. He ran A♦3♥ into the A♣9♣ of Victor Chong for his last eight big blinds to finish fifth ($163,000).
Several shorter stacks doubled through Smith during four-handed play. He was left with just four big blinds when his A♥9♣ lost against A♦K♦ for Wang, but he soon doubled right back through Wang to find some breathing room. Smith then came from behind with Q♦J♣ besting Wang’s A♠Q♣. The 9♠8♣2♣4♦J♠ runout gave Smith a pair of jacks and the pot. Wang settled for $212,000 as the fourth-place finisher.
Chong’s final stand saw him get all in on a Q♥J♣7♥A♠ board with K♥Q♠ trailing Smith’s A♦6♦. Chong had committed almost all of his stack preflop and hit top pair on the flop, only to fall behind to Smith’s aces on the turn. The 9♥ completed the board and Chong was sent packing in third place ($278,000).
The final battle for the bracelet didn’t take long. German was soon all-in with 8♠8♦ racing against A♠K♥ for Smith. The first four cards came down J♥4♣2♥10♥ to give Smith a massive array of flush, straight, and overcard outs going to the river. The 4♥ on the end completed his flush and his victory in this event. German earned $367,000 as the runner-up, a career-best score for the Florida resident.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Justin Smith | $550,000 | 720 |
| 2 | Myles German | $367,000 | 600 |
| 3 | Victor Chong | $278,000 | 480 |
| 4 | Yuefan Wang | $212,000 | 360 |
| 5 | Jose Orozco | $163,000 | 300 |
| 6 | Karabet Keshishyan | $125,000 | 240 |
| 7 | Andrew Sanchez | $98,000 | 180 |
| 8 | Eric Baldwin | $76,000 | 120 |
| 9 | Min Ji | $60,171 | 60 |
Photo credit: WSOP / Dominic Iaquinto, Alicia Skillman
