Naoya Kihara: Three-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner and Japanese Poker Pioneer
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Naoya Kihara is a Japanese professional poker player and three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner whose career has become closely associated with mixed-game competition. He made poker history in 2012 by becoming the first player from Japan to win a WSOP bracelet, then ended a 14-year wait for his second bracelet with two championship victories in the opening weeks of the 2026 WSOP.
Kihara's versatility has been a defining part of his tournament record. His three bracelet victories have come in pot-limit Omaha, no-limit 2-7 lowball draw and seven-card stud, while other major results have come in events featuring H.O.R.S.E., Dealer's Choice and the Poker Players Championship.
As of September 8, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Kihara with more than $4.08 million in live tournament earnings and a career-best live cash of $639,257. His 2026 WSOP included two bracelet victories, multiple championship final tables and a late-series run that kept him near the top of the WSOP Player of the Year race.
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Who Is Naoya Kihara?
Naoya Kihara is a professional poker player from Japan. The WSOP lists his birthplace as Nayoro, Japan, while current tournament databases list his residence as Tokyo.
Before poker became his profession, Kihara studied physics at the University of Tokyo and worked as a private-school teacher. PokerNews has also documented his background in other strategy games, including backgammon, mahjong and shogi.
Kihara became an online poker player before establishing himself on the international live tournament circuit. He played online under the screen name "Nkeyno" and developed experience across numerous poker variants rather than concentrating exclusively on no-limit hold'em.
His first recorded Hendon Mob live tournament result came at the 2010 L.A. Poker Classic, where he finished 64th in the $10,000 championship event for $19,310. The following year, he recorded his first WSOP cash by finishing 653rd in the 2011 Main Event for $19,359.
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Kihara Makes Japanese Poker History at the 2012 WSOP
Kihara's breakthrough arrived at the 2012 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
He entered the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Six-Handed event and defeated a field of 419 entries to win $512,029 and his first WSOP bracelet. According to the official WSOP results, Kihara defeated Christopher De Maci heads-up after navigating a final table that also included Davidi Kitai.
The victory carried significance beyond the payout. Kihara became the first Japanese player in WSOP history to win a bracelet.
At the time, Kihara was primarily known as an online player. The WSOP reported that he hoped his victory would allow him to travel more frequently for live tournaments and help increase poker's visibility in Japan.
That 2012 bracelet remained Kihara's only WSOP title for nearly 14 years, but his results during the intervening period showed that his success extended well beyond one tournament.
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Development Into a Mixed-Game Specialist
Kihara increasingly became associated with mixed games and non-hold'em formats as his career developed.
That versatility was particularly visible at the 2022 World Series of Poker. He finished third in the $1,500 Dealer's Choice event for $52,282 and fifth in the $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship for $73,453.
His biggest result of that series came in one of poker's most demanding tournaments, the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. Kihara reached the final three and collected $639,257 for third place, which remains his largest recorded live tournament cash as of September 2026.
The Poker Players Championship tests competitors across multiple forms of poker rather than a single discipline. Kihara's deep run, combined with repeated results in Dealer's Choice and other mixed-game tournaments, reinforced his reputation as a player capable of competing at a high level across a wide range of variants.
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Two WSOP Bracelets in Four Days in 2026
Kihara entered the 2026 World Series of Poker still searching for the second bracelet that had eluded him since 2012.
That drought ended in Event #17, the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship.
His path to the title included an extraordinary recovery. Kihara was reduced to a single tournament chip during the event before rebuilding his stack and eventually reaching heads-up play against David Lin. He completed the comeback by winning the 198-entry championship for $428,923 and his second bracelet.
Only three days after that victory, Kihara won another $10,000 championship.
This time the game was seven-card stud. Kihara defeated a 130-entry field in Event #23 and beat James Cheung heads-up to collect $301,970. The victory gave him his third career bracelet and his second of the 2026 WSOP.
The back-to-back championships were especially notable because they came in completely different poker disciplines. Kihara went from winning a draw-poker championship to winning a stud championship within days, adding another example of the versatility that has defined his career.
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Kihara's Strong 2026 WSOP Continues
The two bracelet wins were only part of Kihara's 2026 WSOP.
He continued recording deep finishes across several formats, including seventh place in the $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller for $189,720, seventh in the $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship for $47,401 and third in the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet event for $78,984.
Near the end of the series, Kihara reached another major mixed-game final table in the $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. event. He finished third for $394,433.
That result briefly moved him into the lead in the WSOP Player of the Year standings. As of September 8, 2026, the official WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard lists Kihara second with 3,388 points, narrowly behind Shaun Deeb.
The 2026 series represented one of the strongest stretches of Kihara's live tournament career, combining two bracelet victories with repeated deep runs in high-buy-in and mixed-game events.
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Naoya Kihara's WSOP Bracelets
Kihara has won three WSOP bracelets as of September 2026.
2012 WSOP — $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Six-Handed — $512,029
2026 WSOP — $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship — $428,923
2026 WSOP — $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship — $301,970
The three victories span three different forms of poker, an unusual distinction that reflects the breadth of Kihara's tournament game.
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Playing Style and Poker Specialties
Kihara is best described as a mixed-game specialist based on his tournament record rather than as a player tied to one particular variant.
His bracelet victories include Omaha, draw poker and stud, while his deepest high-buy-in results also include the Poker Players Championship and H.O.R.S.E. His WSOP record contains significant results in Dealer's Choice, mixed big-bet formats, Omaha hi-lo and other non-hold'em events.
That range is particularly valuable in championship mixed games, where players must repeatedly switch between formats and adjust to different betting structures, hand values and strategic requirements.
Kihara also has experience in no-limit hold'em and has recorded results in major hold'em tournaments, but his strongest career accomplishments have generally come in Omaha and mixed-game competition.
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Why Naoya Kihara Matters in Poker
Kihara holds a distinctive place in Japanese poker history because of his 2012 WSOP victory.
Before that tournament, no player representing Japan had won a WSOP bracelet. His victory established a milestone for a country whose presence in international tournament poker was still developing.
More Japanese players have since won bracelets and competed successfully at major international events, but Kihara remains the player who recorded the country's first WSOP victory. His own career has continued alongside that growth rather than ending with the original milestone.
The 2026 WSOP added another dimension to his legacy. Fourteen years after his first bracelet, Kihara returned to the winner's circle twice in four days and demonstrated that his game remained competitive against elite championship fields across multiple disciplines.
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Naoya Kihara's Live Tournament Earnings
As of September 8, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Kihara with $4,086,517 in live tournament earnings.
His largest recorded cash is the $639,257 he earned for finishing third in the 2022 $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
Live earnings totals change whenever a player records another qualifying tournament result, so Kihara's career figure should be viewed as a snapshot rather than a permanent total.
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Where Is Naoya Kihara Now?
Kihara remains active in major live tournament poker.
His 2026 WSOP results provide clear evidence of his current competitive level. In addition to winning his second and third bracelets, he reached several other final tables and recorded six-figure scores in both pot-limit Omaha and H.O.R.S.E. events.
His performance also placed him among the leading contenders in the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year standings. With three bracelets, more than $4 million in recorded live earnings and championship-level results across multiple poker formats, Kihara remains one of Japan's most accomplished tournament players.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Naoya Kihara have?
Naoya Kihara has three WSOP bracelets as of September 2026. He won his first in pot-limit Omaha in 2012 before adding championships in no-limit 2-7 lowball draw and seven-card stud during the 2026 WSOP.
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Was Naoya Kihara the first Japanese WSOP bracelet winner?
Yes. Kihara became the first player from Japan to win a World Series of Poker bracelet when he captured the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Six-Handed event in 2012.
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How much has Naoya Kihara won playing live poker?
As of September 8, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Kihara with $4,086,517 in live tournament earnings. That figure will change as additional results are recorded.
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What is Naoya Kihara's biggest live tournament cash?
Kihara's largest recorded live tournament cash is $639,257 for finishing third in the 2022 WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
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What poker games does Naoya Kihara play?
Kihara competes across numerous poker variants and is particularly associated with mixed games. His WSOP bracelets have come in pot-limit Omaha, no-limit 2-7 lowball draw and seven-card stud, while he has also reached major final tables in H.O.R.S.E., Dealer's Choice and the Poker Players Championship.
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Where is Naoya Kihara from?
Kihara is from Japan. The WSOP lists his birthplace as Nayoro, Japan, while The Hendon Mob currently lists his residence as Tokyo.