Ian Cohen Wins WPT® Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship 2026: Results, Payouts, and Best Moments

The numbers: field size, prize pool, and payouts

This year’s Championship drew 1,417 entries and built a $4,534,000 prize pool, clearing the advertised $3 million guarantee. WPT®’s Day 1B update confirmed those figures after Flight B closed, with 178 places paid.

The latest official winner update lists the top payouts as:

This report uses the latest official winner figure to reflect the total prize value.

Richard Seymour

Seymour was a major reason why this final table felt bigger than a typical results page.

He entered the official final six with 5.6 million, the shortest stack at 28 big blinds, while Cohen led with 17.925 million. Seymour then doubled early, kept finding spots, and turned a short-stack into a real heads-up shot at the title. PokerNews summed it up well: he was one bad beat away from becoming a WPT® champion.

That arc was not random. Seymour had already shown he could build a stack in this event. He led Day 1A with 518,000, and by the time 24 players remained, he was still sitting on one of the stronger stacks. So while the comeback was dramatic, it was not a total out-of-nowhere story either.

The best moments from the final table

Cohen did not lead at the final-nine redraw. At that point, Frank Funaro was on top with 15.225 million, while Cohen had 11.125 million and Seymour had 8.825 million. Cohen took over later, and by the time the official final six were set, he was the clear chip leader.

From there, the big swings came in stages.

Seymour’s first job was survival, and he did just that. WPT® live coverage tracked him picking up key pots and doubles as the short stack, then closing the gap. That changed the tone of the stream because the final table stopped looking like Cohen’s to lose and turned into a tight contest.

Three-handed play brought one of the biggest inflection points of the tournament. WPT® live updates called one sequence a “brutal setup.” This type of clash often decides if a final table remains balanced or tips in favour of one player. That was part of what helped shape the path to heads-up.

Then came the biggest heads-up swing. WPT®’s live coverage showed when Cohen doubled through Seymour. Seymour had gained momentum and even taken the lead in the duel. That hand flipped the match back into Cohen’s favor.

The final table came down to Ian Cohen and former NFL player Richard Seymour

The final hand that decided the title

The ending delivered a classic poker finish.

On the final hand, Seymour was all-in preflop with 10♦10♣, well ahead of Cohen’s 7♠7♥. 

But the board came 7♦ 6♥ 2♦ J♥ Q♣, giving Cohen a set on the flop and ending Seymour’s run in second place. It was a brutal way for Seymour to lose because he got it in good. It was a perfect final hand for Cohen because it turned a tense heads-up battle into a clean title moment.

What the win means for Ian Cohen

This was more than a big score. It was the kind of win that changes how a résumé reads.

Card Player’s recap framed it as Cohen’s first WPT® title and quoted him afterward saying, “I’m so grateful. It’s been an amazing ride,” before adding, “I’m sure it will settle in a few days. It hasn’t yet.” That sounds like a player who knows this was a career-defining result, not another tournament cash.

The victory also came through a serious field. Among the notable deep runs were Eugene Katchalov (9th), Dylan Smith (10th), Will Failla (13th), Farid Jattin (15th), and Ryan Hoenig (20th). Thus, Cohen’s win was not facilitated by a weak late-stage lineup.

Another huge Seminole result

This event was another reminder that Seminole remains one of the strongest tournament stops on the live calendar.

A 1,417-entry WPT® Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship field and a prize pool above $4.5 million is a strong result anywhere. At Seminole, it also fits a broader pattern. The stop keeps drawing impressive figures, producing final tables with crossover appeal, and adding another title to the season.

That is what made this final table work so well as a story. Cohen got his breakthrough win. Seymour gave the event drama and reach. And the stop itself once again provided the scale to make the result matter.