Nishant Sharma Wins His First WSOP Bracelet in the $800 Deepstack

Key Takeaway

Nishant Sharma is a WSOP champion. India’s newest gold-winner took down Event #98, the $800 Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em, beating a massive 2,036-entry field for $196,659 and his first bracelet. He’s already a known crusher in Asia — now he’s the eighth player representing India to win WSOP gold, and by his own words, it’s a feeling that’s “hard to even imagine.”

Some winners come out of nowhere. Nishant Sharma is the opposite — he’s a proven killer on the Asian circuit who finally got his moment on the sport’s biggest stage. At the 2026 World Series of Poker, Sharma won Event #98, the $800 Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em, outlasting 2,036 entries for $196,659 and the first WSOP bracelet of his career. And the quote he gave afterward is the kind of thing that reminds you why this game means so much to people.

“I think everybody’s dream is to win a bracelet at the World Series,” Sharma told PokerNews. “You can win in Asia, but to get to the WSOP and win a bracelet is the best feeling, it’s hard to even imagine.” (PokerNews) If you’ve ever driven three hours to play a $200 local tournament, you understand exactly what he means, just scaled up to a global level.

What Exactly Did Sharma Win?

Here’s the full breakdown. Event #98 was an $800 buy-in Deepstack — a format that gives players big starting stacks and slower blind levels, so there’s real poker to be played rather than a shove-fest. It drew a huge 2,036 entries. Heads-up, Sharma got the better of Chung-Tang Lin — known to YouTube viewers as “Sharpedo Poker” — who banked $131,002 for second.

An $800 buy-in turning into a near-$200K score is exactly the appeal of these big-field deepstacks — accessible price, deep structure, and a top prize that changes your year. Beating 2,036 people to get there is no small thing.

Why the “Deepstack” Part Matters

The word “deepstack” isn’t just marketing. In a normal fast-structure event, once the blinds climb you’re stuck making shove-or-fold decisions with 10-15 big blinds, and a lot of the outcome is math and variance. A deepstack gives you a big starting stack and slower levels, which means you spend far more time playing actual post-flop poker — value betting, bluffing, pot control, reading opponents across multiple streets.

That’s why a deepstack win says something specific about a player. You can’t just nut-peddle and shove your way to a bracelet here — you have to out-play people over long, deep pots for hours. For a grinder like Sharma who’s built his reputation in Asia’s tougher deep-stacked fields, this format plays right into his strengths. If you want to understand how differently you should approach a tournament when stacks are deep and there’s no shot clock forcing the action, our early-stage tournament strategy guide breaks down why patience and position matter so much more when you’re 100+ big blinds deep.

My Take: The Globalization of Poker Is the Real Story

Here’s what I find genuinely exciting about Sharma’s win, beyond the money. He’s the eighth Indian player to win a WSOP bracelet — a number that would’ve sounded absurd fifteen years ago, when the WSOP felt like an American-and-European affair with a handful of international outliers. India, and Asia broadly, has quietly become one of the fastest-growing poker regions on the planet, and results like this are the proof showing up on the biggest stage.

And I love that Sharma didn’t downplay it. A lot of established pros get a bit blasé about bracelets — “just another tournament.” Sharma called it a feeling that’s “hard to even imagine.” That’s a guy who grew up dreaming about exactly this, and got it. You can win all the APT and Asian circuit titles you want, but there’s still something about WSOP gold that hits different, and he said so out loud. Refreshing.

Do I think this is the last we hear of him in Vegas? Not a chance. Players who can win deep-stacked in India’s toughest fields travel extremely well, and I’d bet Sharma is back next summer with a target on more gold. This win reads less like a one-off and more like an announcement.

There’s also a practical lesson here for anyone grinding smaller buy-ins and dreaming bigger. Sharma didn’t win a $25K high roller against 100 pros — he won an $800 event against 2,036 people, which is a field size most recreational players will actually recognize from their own local circuit. The path from “solid regional grinder” to “WSOP champion” isn’t some mystical leap; it’s the same deep-stacked poker you already play, executed under more pressure against a bigger crowd. That’s what makes these accessible big-field bracelets so important to the game: they’re the events where the dream stays realistic for the people watching from home.

The Summer’s Over — One Prize Left

Sharma’s bracelet came on the final day of a 100-event 2026 WSOP, the same closing stretch that saw She Wong win the very last bracelet of the summer. With all the gold handed out in Vegas, only the big one remains: the Main Event final table, which reconvenes in August with a 22-year-old chip leader in command. A strong closing chapter to a massive series.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Nishant Sharma win at the 2026 WSOP?
He won Event #98, the $800 Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em, for $196,659 and his first career WSOP bracelet.

How big was the field?
The event drew 2,036 entries. Sharma beat Chung-Tang Lin heads-up, who took second for $131,002.

Why is this win historically notable?
Sharma became the eighth player representing India to win a WSOP bracelet, a marker of how fast poker has grown across Asia.

What is a Deepstack event?
A format with larger starting stacks and slower blind levels, giving players more room for post-flop, skill-based play rather than early shove-or-fold decisions.

A proven Asian-circuit crusher, a 2,036-entry field, and a lifelong dream checked off in the deep-stacked format that rewards real poker. Congrats to Nishant Sharma — the eighth of India’s WSOP champions, and almost certainly not the last we’ll see make the trip pay off.