Justin Smith Wins WSOP COLOSSUS After Beating Field of Over 16K Players

Summary:

• Justin Smith won Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS at the 2026 WSOP for $550,000.
• He defeated a field of 16,269 players to capture his first World Series of Poker bracelet.
• Smith recovered from a short stack at the final table before sealing the win heads-up.

Justin Smith of Yakima, Washington, has become the latest World Series of Poker champion after taking down Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS, a massive tournament that drew 16,269 entries.

“I Can’t Believe It Yet”

Smith, who works as a quality engineer, secured a career-defining victory and a $550,000 first place prize after navigating one of the largest fields of the 2026 WSOP. 

The win represents by far the biggest cash of his poker career, with his total prior earnings sitting just under $60,000 entering the final day.

I can’t believe it yet. I don’t know what to say.

The emotional reaction reflected a long journey in the game for Smith, who said he has been playing poker since he was younger. The victory now cements his place in WSOP history as a bracelet winner, a milestone many players chase for years without success.

Fourth in Chips

The COLOSSUS event is known for its huge fields and relatively low buy-in, attracting thousands of amateur and professional players alike. Smith entered the final table in a strong position, sitting fourth in chips, and managed to climb to the top after early momentum swings.

At one point, he was pushed all the way down to just four big blinds with four players remaining, a spot from which many players fail to recover. 

However, Smith doubled up with ace-jack against ace six held by Myles German, a key hand that shifted the momentum of the tournament.

From there, he regained confidence and began building his stack again, eventually taking out multiple opponents as the field narrowed. He eliminated several players at the final table, including Min Ji and later Yuefan Wang, who had entered the final stages as the chip leader.

The heads-up battle against German lasted only one hand, with Smith closing out the tournament quickly to secure the title and the bracelet.

The victory is particularly notable given Smith’s relatively modest poker résumé before the event. According to The Hendon Mob database, he had only one five-figure cash prior to this win, dating back to 2014. He had previously cashed in COLOSSUS events, but had never come close to a result of this magnitude.

Smith said the appeal of the tournament lies in its accessibility and massive field size, noting that it attracts a wide range of players and creates long, unpredictable days at the tables.

He is now set to return home to Washington after what he described as his final day at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas this summer, leaving with a bracelet that guarantees his name a permanent place in WSOP history.