Allen Kessler has another piece of Chainsaw hardware for the collection. The veteran mixed-game specialist won the $400 O/E event at the Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker at Caesars Palace on Thursday, August 27, securing his second trophy from the series that carries his famous nickname.
Kessler announced the victory shortly after posing with the distinctive gold Chainsaw trophy at the table.
“I just won my second Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker trophy!” Kessler wrote.
The result continues an excellent 2026 for Kessler and comes just a few months after he captured his first Chainsaw Mixed Series trophy in May.
Kessler Wins O/E Title at Caesars Palace
The latest Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker is taking place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from August 24 through August 31, with the schedule built around the mixed games that have defined much of Kessler’s poker career.
Kessler’s victory came in Thursday’s $400 O/E event, a rotation of Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better.
Players started with 40,000 chips and played 30-minute levels.
While complete results from the tournament had not been published at the time of writing, Kessler confirmed his victory after play concluded and posed alongside the trophy and his winning hand.
It is the second time in 2026 that Kessler has won an event at his namesake festival.
Allen Kessler Facts
Kessler has been a familiar face on the live poker circuit for more than two decades, with mixed games accounting for many of his deepest tournament runs.
- Full name: Allen Kessler
- Nickname: Chainsaw
- Country: United States
- Live tournament earnings: More than $4.9 million
- WSOP bracelets: 0
- WSOP Circuit rings: 5
- Specialities: Stud, Omaha Hi-Lo, H.O.R.S.E. and other mixed-game formats
- Best 2026 WSOP result: 3rd in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $139,036
- Another major 2026 WSOP result: 4th in the $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball for $66,103
- 2026 WSOP Circuit victory: $600 T.O.R.S.E. at Horseshoe Las Vegas
- First 2026 Chainsaw trophy: $1,100 H.O.R.S.E. Championship in May
- Second 2026 Chainsaw trophy: $400 O/E at Caesars Palace on August 27
Second Chainsaw Trophy After May H.O.R.S.E. Win
Kessler’s first Chainsaw Mixed Series trophy of 2026 came on May 17 when he won the $1,100 H.O.R.S.E. Championship for $11,906.
That victory followed an impressive run through the festival.
Kessler had already finished runner-up in the $600 O/E event for $4,212 and second in the $600 Chainsaw’s 8-Game Mix for another $5,000.
The August victory therefore adds another title to a growing collection of results from the series associated so closely with him.
There is also something fitting about the game in which trophy number two arrived.
O/E combines Omaha 8 and Stud 8, two traditional split-pot formats that sit firmly within Kessler’s area of expertise. Mixed games remain an important part of the wider tournament landscape too, with the recently announced WSOP Paradise 2026 schedule expanding its mixed-game offering with Dealer’s Choice, 8-Game and 9-Game events.
Allen Kessler’s Strong 2026 Continues
The Caesars Palace win is the latest result in what has become a particularly productive year for Kessler.
In March, he won the $600 T.O.R.S.E. event on the WSOP Circuit at Horseshoe Las Vegas, earning $15,933 and adding a fifth Circuit ring to his collection.
His results during that festival demonstrated just how consistently dangerous Kessler remains when a tournament moves away from conventional No-Limit Hold’em.
Two days after his T.O.R.S.E. victory, Kessler finished second in the $600 Omaha 8/Stud 8 event for $9,574. The following day he took third in the $600 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball for $5,538.
Kessler remains one of a generation of players comfortable moving between numerous poker variants, something that was also central to the career of two-time WSOP bracelet winner Brent Carter, who competed across Omaha, Stud and mixed games during a career spanning several decades.
Then came another serious run at the prize that continues to elude Kessler.
Another WSOP Bracelet Near Miss for Kessler
Despite his enormous number of WSOP cashes and repeated final-table appearances, Kessler has never won a World Series of Poker bracelet.
He came painfully close again at the 2026 WSOP.
Kessler reached the final table of the prestigious $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship and eventually finished third from a 130-entry field. The run earned him $139,036.
Less than a month later, Kessler was back at a bracelet final table.
This time it was the $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball event. Kessler survived a 508-entry field to reach the final four before eventually exiting in fourth for $66,103.
It was another reminder of the unusual place Kessler occupies in poker. Few players have accumulated his volume of WSOP results without eventually winning a bracelet.
The wait continues, but so do the deep runs.
Chainsaw Mixed Series Keeps Mixed Games Affordable
Kessler’s latest victory also brings attention back to the reason the Chainsaw Mixed Series has found its place on the Las Vegas poker calendar.
Mixed-game tournaments are regularly available at the WSOP and other major festivals, but championship events can come with buy-ins running into thousands of dollars.
The Chainsaw Mixed Series takes a different approach.
The August Caesars Palace schedule features $400 H.O.R.S.E., Omaha 8, Stud 8, O/E, five-way Limit Triple Draw, Big O and 2-7 Triple Draw events.
The biggest tournament of the festival is the $800 six-max T.O.R.S.E. Championship beginning on August 30.
That gives mixed-game players a complete festival without requiring the bankroll needed for the $10,000 championship events found at the WSOP.
The WSOP Circuit is also continuing to expand its reach internationally. The inaugural WSOP Super Circuit Canada began this week, with Daniel Negreanu among the major names heading to Playground for the new festival.
For Kessler, however, this week is about a series much closer to home.
He has spent years playing, promoting and arguing the case for mixed-game poker. Now he has another trophy bearing the Chainsaw name to show for it.
The WSOP bracelet may still be missing from Allen Kessler’s résumé, but in 2026, Chainsaw is doing plenty of winning.
