Patrick “pads1161” Leonard added another chapter to one of online poker’s most decorated resumes this week, winning WCOOP 69-H: $530 No-Limit Hold’em 7-Max Turbo for his 15th career WCOOP title. The victory came on the same weekend that Vanessa “Niffler” Kade claimed her first WCOOP trophy in the Women’s World Championship, giving PokerStars two feel-good storylines in the middle of its flagship online series.
Leonard Grinds Through a 147-Player Field
Event 69-H drew 147 entries into its $530 buy-in turbo format, a modest field by WCOOP standards but a tough one to navigate given the accelerated blind structure that rewards aggression and punishes hesitation. Leonard, one of the most recognizable grinders in online mixed games and turbo formats, worked his way through the late stages and eventually reached heads-up against an opponent playing under the screen name “Caldini00.”
The turbo structure meant stacks moved quickly once the money bubble burst, and Leonard leaned on the reads and timing that have defined his approach to fast-paced formats for more than a decade. He closed out the heads-up match to bank $15,428 and the title, a modest score compared to some of his career results but significant for what it represents: another data point in a WCOOP career that few players in history can match.
A 15th WCOOP Title, and Still Chasing the Record
Leonard’s win moves him to 15 career WCOOP titles, but it does not make him poker’s all-time leader in the category. That distinction still belongs to Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser, who has amassed 17 WCOOP titles over the years and remains the benchmark every online specialist measures themselves against. Leonard now sits two titles behind Glaser, and this was his second WCOOP title of the 2026 series alone, a sign that he is not simply padding an old resume but actively adding to it in real time.
What makes Leonard’s body of work notable is its range. He has picked up titles across hold’em, mixed games, and short-handed turbo formats, showing an adaptability that separates the true multi-format specialists from players who thrive in only one niche. For a series that runs across dozens of buy-in levels and game types every September, that versatility is exactly what it takes to keep stacking bracelets, er, trophies, year after year.
Vanessa Kade Breaks Through in the Women’s World Championship
While Leonard was closing out Event 69-H, Vanessa Kade was doing something she had never done before: winning a WCOOP title of her own. Kade took down WCOOP 73-H, the $215 buy-in Women’s World Championship, topping a 75-player field to secure $4,049 and her first series trophy. PokerStars Ambassador Marle “MarlzTV” Spragg finished third for $2,269 in the same event, giving the tournament a recognizable name on the final table alongside the eventual champion.
Kade is far from a newcomer to big scores. She previously won the Sunday Million 15th Anniversary edition back in 2021 for a career-best $1,514,920, and she finished runner-up in the 2022 WSOP Online Ladies Championship. Her résumé already included a signature online score and a near-miss on a major title, so closing the gap with an actual WCOOP trophy this year rounds out a career that has quietly built substance over several years of consistent play in high-profile events.
A Series Built for Improbable Runs
The 2026 WCOOP schedule, which PokerStars confirmed would run from September 6 through September 30, has already produced its share of long-odds stories this month, and Event 61-L added another one. A Vietnam-based player competing under the name “Value858Vn” satellited into the $11 buy-in Stud Hi-Lo event for a reported $1.10 and went on to win it outright among 714 entries, banking $1,276 for a return on investment north of 1,150 percent. Stories like that are part of why WCOOP remains a magnet for recreational players every year: the door-buster satellites make a life-changing multiplier mathematically possible even in a field stacked with specialists like Leonard.
For newer players trying to understand how these late-stage, high-pressure situations actually play out, especially heads-up battles like the one Leonard won, it helps to have the fundamentals locked in first. Poker Pro Academy’s poker hand rankings guide is a useful primer for anyone still building that foundation before jumping into short-handed turbo formats where mistakes get punished fast.
What It Means Going Forward
With more than a week left in the 2026 WCOOP calendar, both Leonard and Kade have time to add to their totals before the series wraps up. Leonard has shown no signs of slowing down after a decade-plus of high-volume online play, and with two titles already banked this September he will remain a threat in every mixed-game and turbo event he enters through the end of the month. Glaser’s record of 17 is still within reach if Leonard can string together a strong final week, though the gap is real and not something that closes without another big run.
For Kade, the win is less about chasing a record and more about validation. Online poker’s biggest series have historically been dominated by a small group of repeat winners, and every new name that breaks through, especially in a landmark event like the Women’s World Championship, adds to the pool of players the poker community will be watching closely in future series. Between Leonard’s continued pursuit of history and Kade’s breakthrough, WCOOP 2026 has already delivered two storylines worth following as the series heads into its final stretch.
