The WSOP Main Event has reached Day 2abc, with all four starting flights in the can. With a grand total of 8,077 entries so far, the record of 10,112 is still a potential 2,035 entries away from being tied but with registration open on both Day 2abc today and Day 2d tomorrow, last year’s total of 9,735 entries may yet be surpassed. We’ve got the Main Event news from a busy weekend, while we also shine a light on two players who are crushing the WSOP in general.

The Main Event Takes the Heat

The 57^th annual World Series of Poker has already been one for the books and the opening numbers for the Main Event World Championship are very encouraging. The latest and last Day 1 of the 2026 WSOP Main Event, Day 1d, saw a total of 4,694 players take on the $10,000-entry No Limit Hold’em freezeout event.

With Paris and Horseshoe casinos on the Las Vegas strip packed, only 3,638 players survived to the Day 2d seat draw, with a total of 6,016 survivors across all four Day 1 flights from 8,077 entries in all.

Day 1a’s Japanese pro Ryuta Nakai (323,000) remains the chip leader three days after he put his end of day chips into a sealed bag. Totalling more than Day 1b’s Brazilian player Osmar Rockenbach (286,900), Day 1c’s Bulgarian professional Yulian Bogdanov (315,000) and Day 1d’s Taylor von Kriegenbergh (312,800), all eyes will be on the latest Japanese player to crush the 2026 WSOP when Day 2abc begins later on today in Las Vegas.

Plenty of other big names survived the cull this weekend, with 2004 world champion Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer (122,300), Nick ‘Dirty Diaper’ Rigby (75,700), mid-stakes legend Justin Arnwine (280,600), former PPC winner Freddy Deeb (267,800), American pros Dylan Smith (205,500), Brian Hastings (178,100), (177,400), Chino Rheem (171,300), and Jerry Wong (158,000), Canadian crusher Alex Livingston (150,200), Poker Hall of Famer Brian Rast (119,100), Austria tournament specialist Jessica Teusl (116,300), and PokerStake legends Chris Brewer (106,700), David Coleman (102,000) and Josh Arieh (158,200) all making the grade.

Former World Champions Come and Go

Big names were everywhere in the Main Event this weekend, sometimes seemingly in every seat. Women in Poker Hall of Famer and bracelet winner Kathy Liebert (245,000), former world champions Ryan Riess (113,100) and Scott Blumstein (105,600), online legend Viktor Blom (217,100),six-time winner Kristen Foxen (99,800), EPT winner Stephen Song (201,600), Chris ‘Big Huni’ Hunichen (194,900), Alex Foxen (156,300), Darren Elias (145,400), Chance Kornuth (103,400), Shaun Deeb (86,900), and Eelis Parssinen (82,200) all ended with more chips than they sat down with, as a starting stack of 60,000 was grown.

Some former Main Event winners weren’t so fortunate. The 2014 world champion Martin Jacobson ended Day 1 with nothing but memories of what might have been, with 2016 champion Qui Nguyen experiencing the same fate. Recent GGMillion$ guest commentator Kelly Lucas and legendary cash game baller Jean-Robert Bellande both lost their tournament lives, while Australia’s first and to date only Main Event winner Joe Hachem didn’t survive to Day 2 either.

Doug Polk was eliminated late in the day when his pocket kings looked good pre-flop but not after he got his chips in post flop when his opponent had flopped jacks full. Polk lost with pocket aces against pocket kings to bust on Day 3 last year, so is a quick Day 1 exit better or worse? You’d have to ask him.

Making an Entrance

There’s only one thing better than a grand entrance at the WSOP Main Event… two grand entrances! Hot on the heels of Phil Hellmuth’s arrival as Superman on Day 1a, the reigning champion, Michael Mizrachi, came into his Day 1 in fine fettle. ‘Grinder’ was accompanied by models carrying letters of his name and symbolizing his success in the game, and the GGPoker Global Poker Ambassador bagged up 73,200 by the end of Day 1b.

Mizrachi’s fellow Main Event finalist from 2025 Kenny Hallaert struggled to a total of 22,400 chips on Day 1b and might have wished he’d regged another day. Perhaps so too does the Norwegian WSOP Europe Main Event winner Annette Obrestad, who zipped 44,200 chips as she bids for her first cash in 13 years in the Main Event having not played it since 2013 when she came 89^th.

Antonio ‘The Magician’ Esfandiari dropped to 34,300 chips, and the eight-time bracelet winner and new PLO High Roller champion Daniel Negreanu (54,100) will hope for an improvement in his chances on Day 2d. He has, however, already made profit for anyone who backed his WSOP package on PokerStake, a superb effort with over a dozen events yet to kick off.

Former world champions Joe McKeehen (46,500), Chris Moneymaker (39,500), and Robert Varkonyi (33,100) all survived but failed to thrive, and the UFC fighter ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley announced “Shuffle Up and Deal” on Day 1d before bagging 43,700 chips.

Phillips and Vengrin on Fire

We can’t leave this WSOP bulleting without mentioning a couple of PokerStake players who are absolutely flying this series. Tyler Phillips (above) has cashed for over $108,000 this reasonable nature of his buy-ins. The biggest of those results, a fifth-place finish in the $1,000-entry WSOP Event #85, the $1,000 NLHE event, came just the other day and Tyler bagged big on his Day 1 flight in the WSOP Main Event – watch this space for big profit?

Matt Vengrin (below) is another PokerStake seller who has excelled this WSOP. Cashing an astonishing 11 times since May 29^th in Event #8, Matt has totalled $302,000 in his 2026 schedule so far, an amazing return on his backers’ investments. Unlucky to miss out on his second bracelet, Matt has reached three final tables in Events #75 (9^th for $34,725), #80 (6^th for $69,460) and Event #71, the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet event, where he came runner-up to Dylan Smith for a score of $118,647.

With several WSOP events still to come, the biggest value might be just around the corner. Want to stake a champion and share in the bracelet glory? Head to our official WSOP staking page and invest in your champion today.

Photography courtesy of Poker.Org or Eloy Cabacas/WSOP