Monday, June 15, 2026
HomePoker NewsBryn Kenney Leads the $250K SHR Event with 9 Players Left

Bryn Kenney Leads the $250K SHR Event with 9 Players Left

Bryn Kenney

For many, Sunday is a day of rest, but not if you are a poker player competing at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP). June 14 was the 20th day of the series, and the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas were as busy as they have been all summer.

The day and night had a little bit of everything from eight in-play events, two bracelets being won, and a whole host of superstars battling it out in high-stakes tournaments, including the $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em, where someone will capture a $4,334,411 prize. Keep reading to discover what went down on Day 20 of the 2026 WSOP.

The first bracelet of the day went to Germany’s Sebastian Pauli, who took down Event #40: $1,500 Razz for $135,564 and his first piece of WSOP hardware. Pauli finished fourth in this event 13 years ago and was determined to eventually win a bracelet in his favorite format. All that hard work and determination paid off when he defeated fellow German Dennis Weiss heads-up for the title.

Alex Foxen captured his fourth bracelet and a $594,246 prize by coming out on top in Event #44: $10,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold’em, a fast-paced one-day event. The 466-strong field was reduced to only Foxen over the course of 34 action-packed levels.

Final Day 2 of the $500 COLOSSUS Sees Ryan Leng Bag a Big Stack

Ryan Leng
Ryan Leng

Day 2d, the final Day 2 of Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold’em saw 1,168 players sit down, each sharing the common goal of surviving another 12 levels. Only 109 of those starters completed that task, and only three bagged up more chips than Ryan Leng (7,085,000).

Leng, a three-time WSOP bracelet winner, was among the Day 1d leaders and continued that momentum throughout Day 2. Only Emiliano Guido (7,700,000), Justin Datloff (7,545,000), and Brian Lehman (7,160,000) finished higher than Leng in the Day 2d chip counts.

All the surviving players from each of the Day 2s, of which there are 303 of them, return to the action from 11:00 a.m. local time on June 15. Fifteen levels are planned, which should substantially reduce the player count. Day 3 is also when PokerNews‘ traditional coverage of this event begins, so we hope to see you there.

Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold’em Day 2d Top 10 Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds
1 Emiliano Guido United States 7,700,000 64
2 Justin Datloff United States 7,545,000 63
3 Brian Lehman United States 7,160,000 60
4 Ryan Leng United States 7,085,000 59
5 Daniel Chaparro United States 6,875,000 57
6 Nagaraju Bandiananthaiah United States 6,465,000 54
7 Yurii Zabrodotskyi Ukraine 6,260,000 52
8 Viorel Georgescu United States 6,100,000 51
9 Brent Crouch United States 5,715,000 48
10 Eric Baldwin United States 5,570,000 46

Qing Lu Leads Seniors High Roller Going Into the Final Day

Qing Lu
Qing Lu

Only seven players remain in Event #39: $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold’em, and it is Qing Lu (9,455,000) who goes into the final day with the chip lead in tow.

Lu’s deepest WSOP run was a sixth-place finish in the 2021 edition of the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Ladies championship. She now has a shot at not only besting that performance but also becoming a WSOP bracelet winner.

Second-placed Arie Kliper was the runner-up in this event in 2024. That result earned the Israeli senior a career-best $382,581. Chad Lipton (7,520,0000, who finished third in the $10,000 GGMillion$ High Roller earlier this series, rounds off the podium places when play resumes.

The other finalists in this event are Juan Rodriguez (5,200,000), Marc Rivera (4,810,000), Kenneth Kim (3,940,000), and Nariman Yaghmai (3,600,000). Kim is the only bracelet winner still in this tournament. He won the $600 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack for $318,842 in 2025.

Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 15, continuing until one player has all of the chips in play in their stack.

Event #39: $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold’em Day 3 Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds
1 Qing Lu United States 9,455,000 39
2 Arie Kliper Israel 7,875,000 33
3 Chad Lipton United States 7,520,000 31
4 Juan Rodriguez Peru 5,200,000 22
5 Marc Rivera Philippines 4,810,000 20
6 Kenneth Kim United States 3,940,000 16
7 Nariman Yaghmai Iran (Islamic Republic of) 3,600,000 15

Only Nine Remain in the $250,000 Super High Roller

Adrian Mateos
Adrian Mateos

Poker all-time money leader Bryn Kenney (19,350,000) is the man in pole position to capture the $4,334,411 top prize in Event #41: $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em, where only nine players remain.

It should not be surprising to learn that the final nine of this high-stakes affair reads like a who’s who of the poker world. Joining Kenney on the final day are Adrian Mateos (16,900,000) and David Einhorn (13,400,000), who currently occupy second and third-place, respectively.

While the top three are the only players with eight-figure worth of chips, the chasers are more than capable of reeling them in.

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Brandon Wilson (9,625,000), Samuel Mullur (7,825,000), and Sean Winter (6,450,000) return in the middle of the pack, doing so with between 27 and 40 big blinds. Then you have Jason Koon (4,450,000), Michael Moncek (3,250,000), and a certain 11-time bracelet winner, Phil Ivey (2,750,000), returning with sub-20 big blinds stacks. However, those shorter stacked players are only one double away from being able to make a real nuisance of themselves.

Kenney may go into the final table in the enviable position of chip leader, but he’ll have to be at his brilliant best to come out on top and bank his third WSOP bracelet.

Find out if it is Kenney or one of the chasing pack that emerges victoriously from this event when play resumes at 2:00 p.m. local time on June 15.

Event #41: $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds
1 Bryn Kenney United States 19,350,000 81
2 Adrian Mateos Spain 16,900,000 70
3 David Einhorn United States 13,400,000 56
4 Brandon Wilson United States 9,625,000 40
5 Samuel Mullur Austria 7,825,000 33
6 Sean Winter United States 6,450,000 27
7 Jason Koon United States 4,450,000 19
8 Michael Moncek United States 3,250,000 14
9 Phil Ivey United States 2,750,000 11

Scott Clements Second in Chips After Day 2 of the $10,000 Big O Championship

Scott Clements
Scott Clements

There are only 30 players remaining in Event #42: $10,000 Big O Championship after the second day’s play. Some 226 players returned for Day 2, but they were reduced to a star-studded 30 by the end of the play.

Doug Lorgeree (3,335,000), a runner-up in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship in 2016, leads the way, with Scott Clements (2,000,000) occupying second place at the restart.

Clements won his fourth bracelet earlier this summer in the $10,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, and now has a realistic shot at winning two championship events at the same series. Although Clements has a big stack going into the penultimate day, there’s an all-star cast chasing him and Lorgeree down.

Dan Shak (1,590,000), Sean Troha (1,525,000), Lawrence Brandt (1,445,000), and Qinghai Pan (1,200,000) all return with a top 10 stack. Christian Harder (875,000), James Obst (800,000, Gus Hansen (735,000), and Luis Velador (725,000) are just below them, with Aaron Kupin (725,000), Viktor Blom (680,000), Frank Brannan (570,000), Bruno Furth (540,000), Mike Matusow (500,000), Sam Soverel (255,000), and Nick Schulman (210,000) still fighting.

Day 3 begins at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 15, with the plan to reduce the field to five players.

Event #42: $10,000 Big O Championship Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds
1 Doug Lorgeree United States 3,355,000 134
2 Scott Clements United States 2,000,000 80
3 Joshua Ray United States 1,700,000 68
4 Daniel Aharoni United States 1,670,000 67
5 Dan Shak United States 1,590,000 64
6 Sean Troha United States 1,525,000 61
7 David Benyamine France 1,460,000 58
8 Lawrence Brandt United States 1,445,000 58
9 Taylor Atchison United States 1,260,000 50
10 Qinghai Pan United States 1,200,000 48

Huge Field Turns Out for Day 1 of the $800 8-Handed Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em

Allen Chang
Allen Chang

Event #43: $800 8-Handed Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em attracted 3,903 players to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. However, after 22 levels, fewer than 10% of those starters had chips requiring bagging and tagging.

Allen Chang (2,300,000) bagged up the most chips of any of the 203 survivors on Day 1. Cristian Gutierrez (1,950,000), last year’s $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack champion, returns in second, while Mehrdad Vahabi (1,755,000) is the man in third place when play resumes.

Others safely through to Day 2 include David Erquiaga (1,745,000), Lok Chan (1,350,000), Darren Rabinowitz (1,130,000), Chongxian Yang (705,000), Alessio Isaia (570,000), Jessica Dawley (515,000), and Pei Li (300,000).

Day 2, which will crown a champion, starts at 11:00 a.m. local time on June 15.

Event #43: $800 8-Handed Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds
1 Allen Chang United States 2,300,000 77
2 Cristian Gutierrez United States 1,950,000 65
3 Mehrdad Vahabi United States 1,755,000 59
4 David Erquiaga Philippines 1,745,000 58
5 Amit Kaushik India 1,705,000 57
6 Navil Desai United States 1,670,000 56
7 Jacob Gruny United States 1,670,000 56
8 Gustavo Mendez Laporta Mexico 1,640,000 55
9 Jill Bryant United States 1,640,000 55
10 Shalom Elharar United States 1,595,000 53

Kevin Choi Leads After Day 1 of the $2,500 Mixed Omaha/Stud Hi-Lo

Kevin Choi
Kevin Choi

At the 2025 WSOP, Kevin Choi was the runner-up in the $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event. Fast forward 12 months, and Choi leads from the front in Event #45: $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better after Day 1.

Choi (280,000) bagged the most chips of any of the 204 survivors from a field of 587. This highly specialized event drew out some of the biggest names in poker, yet it is Choi who sits proudly at the top of the overnight chip counts.

Jared Hyman (276,500) returns second in chips, while Justin Liberto (263,000) is third. Liberto won his second bracelet ain the $1,500 Mixed Omaha event and is now looking to join Naoya Kihara in winning two bracelets at the 2026 WSOP.

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There’s a lot of poker to be played in this tournament before Liberto can start dreaming of winning his third bracelet. Also, the likes of Ryan Bambrick (229,500), Yueqi Zhu (205,000), Allan Le (185,000), Phillip Hui (160,000), Daniel Negreanu (146,000), Jesse Lonis (142,000), Chad Eveslage (78,500), Barbara Enright (66,000), Dylan Linde (51,000), Nick Guagenti (50,000), Allen Kessler (49,500), and Benny Glaser (47,500) are still in the mix.

Day 2 shuffles up and deals at 1:00 p.m. local time, continuing until another 10 levels are in the bag.

Event #45: $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Bets
1 Kevin Choi Hong Kong 280,000 35
2 Jared Hyman United States 276,500 35
3 Justin Liberto United States 263,000 33
4 Walter Chambers United States 252,500 32
5 Dekel Balas Israel 239,500 30
6 Ryan Bambrick United States 229,500 29
7 Brian Breck United States 226,000 28
8 Masafumi Iijima Japan 207,000 26
9 Yueqi Zhu China 205,000 26
10 Neal Liptak United States 199,500 25

What to Expect on Day 21 of the 2026 WSOP

Chips WSOP

Nine bracelet-awarding events are in play on Day 21 of the 2026 WSOP on June 15, including three new tournaments shuffling up and dealing for the first time. Let’s take a look at the tournaments that have already had their opening days.

We shall see a bracelet awarded in Event #43: 8-Handed Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em. The final day starts at 11:00 a.m. local time and sees 230 players return to the tables. Whoever comes out on top will receive $318,556.

Also at 11:00 a.m. local time is Day 3 of Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold’em. Day 3 is the first time all of the entrants combine, and is when PokerNews‘ traditional live coverage begins. The plan for Day 3 is to complete another 15 levels.

Two events resume at 12:00 p.m. local time, with both playing until a champion emerges. We will discover who gets to call themselves Event #39: $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold’em champion for the next 12 months, and find out who comes out on top of Event #41: $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em and receive $4,334,411.

At 1:00 p.m. local time, another two events resume. It is Day 3 of Event #42: $10,000 Big O Championship, where Doug Lorgeree leads the 30 players into battle. Event #45: $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better starts its Day 2 today, too.

Now for the three new tournaments that get underway on June 15.

Brett Lim
Brett Lim

Those entering Event #46: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em Championship have an early start, with the first cards being pitched at 10:00 a.m. local time. Last year’s event saw 7,575 entrants create a $6,666,000 prize pool. Brett Lim was the 50+ grinder who emerged victorious and collected a $356,494 prize.

Dennis Weiss
Dennis Weiss

At 12:00 p.m. local time, a star-studded field is expected on Day 1 of Event #47: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller. Dennis Weiss is this event’s reigning champion. He left 488 opponents in his wake in 2025 as he collected $2,292,155. Weiss has been in excellent form at the 2026 WSOP with seven cashes, three final table appearances, and a bracelet win.

Brian Rast
Brian Rast

Last, but not least, is Day 1 of Event #48: $10,000 Razz Championship, which starts at 2:00 p.m. local time. The field will be compact but also laden with poker superstars, likely including Brian Rast, who triumphed over 133 opponents in 2025, securing a $306,644 payday and his seventh WSOP bracelet.

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Matthew Pitt

Matthew Pitt

Senior Editor

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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