2026 WSOP Day 38: The Main Event Begins as Negreanu and Kabrhel Strike Gold

Wow! What a day July 2 was at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP); it had everything you could wish for and more.

Martin Kabrhel somehow managed to capture his sixth bracelet despite multi-tabling three events simultaneously. Say what you like about the Czech grinder’s antics and table talk, but the man has some serious poker skills.

There was a huge cheer at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas when Daniel Negreanu flopped against Artur Martirosian to win Event #76: $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha.

The victory earned Negreanu his eighth WSOP bracelet and an impressive $2,257,718, which is more than enough to get the GGPoker ambassador out of the red for the series.

Patrick Stacey became a WSOP bracelet winner for the first time after he defeated Danny Tang heads-up in Event #77: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball. The man from the Cayman Islands reeled in a career-best $223,177 in addition to his sought-after piece of jewelry.

We also saw a player become a millionaire after taking down Event #72: $1,000 Mini Main Event. Daisuke Ogita became the latest Japanese star to capture a bracelet and a seven-figure score, accompanied by his new WSOP hardware.

Ryuta Nakai Bags the Biggest Stack on Day 1a of the WSOP Main Event

The tournament everyone had been waiting for, Event #82: $10,000 WSOP Main Event NLH World Championship, shuffled up and dealt on June 2, with Day 1a attracting 772 players. Five levels later, only 543 players had chips requiring bagging, and nobody had more chips than Japan’s Ryuta Nakai (323,000).

A player busted from the Main Event almost as soon as the action began. A player opened from early position, Anthony Marini three-bet with ace-king of diamonds, before Ryan Sands four-bet. The initial raiser ducked out of the way, but Marini five-bet. Sands then ripped in his stack, and Marini called. Sands flipped over a pair of black aces, which held for a very early double-up, and to give Marini the unwanted title of the first player out of the 2026 WSOP Main Event.

Ryuta Nakai continually chipped up throughout the day and finished the night with the Day 1a chip lead. The Japanese star has already racked up seven cashes this summer, including a third-place finish in the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Championship for $300,000.

According to the WSOP LIVE app, only Igor Pansovoi (300,300) joined Nakai in the 300,000-chip club, with Australia’s Gregory Sly (254,500) rounding off the podium places.

Several past WSOP Main Event champions chose Day 1a to start their quest for glory, with Joe Cada (133,600), Greg Merson (81,200), Daniel Weinman (79,300), Phil Hellmuth (66,000), and Damian Salas (54,900) all navigating to Day 2abc.

Other notables who also advanced to the next stage included Scott Seiver (177,300), Dimitar Danchev (175,200), Qiang Xu (152,300), Sam Soverel (112,600), and Jeremy Ausmus (109,300).

Lower down the pecking order but still with ample chips were such luminaries as Andrew Lichtenberger (94,700), Erik Seidel (86,400), Zdenek Zizka (83,900), Stephen Chidwick (83,400), and Brian Yoon (79,200), while Olivier Busquet (46,300), Adam Hendrix (44,000), Maria Konnikova (39,200), Vivian Saliba (36,000), Billy Baxter (19,800), and Jason Koon (18,700) finished with less than the starting stack.

The 543 survivors are back in action on Day 2abc on July 6. Before then, Day 1b explodes into action from 11:00 a.m. local time on July 3. Stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the 2026 WSOP Main Event action you can handle.

Event #82: $10,000 WSOP Main Event Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts

Lisa Tan Second in Chips After Day 2 of the $600 Deepstack Championship

Day 2 of Event #78: $600 Deepstack Championship No-Limit Hold’em saw its field decimated. Some 556 players sat down at the start of play, with only 50 punching their Day 3 tickets.

South Korea’s Seong Han (6,285,000) is the overnight chip leader. He returns narrowly in front of Lisa Tan (6,320,000). Tan has already cashed in the $1,500 Millionaire Maker and the $1,000 Ladies Championship; she finished seventh in the latter. She is now within touching distance of another final table appearance and, perhaps, her first WSOP bracelet.

None of the remaining 50 players has captured a bracelet before, meaning there will be a freshly minted champion in the next couple of days.

Day 3 starts at 11:00 p.m. local time on July 3, and play will continue until only five players remain.

Event #78: $600 Deepstack Championship No-Limit Hold’em Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts

$3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em Reaches Day 3; Andrew Moreno is Out in Front

Andrew Moreno (11,955,000) is the man to catch going into the final day of Event #79: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em, where only 13 opponents stand between him and his first bracelet.

Moreno has come close to winning a bracelet on several occasions. A sixth-place finish in the 2016 edition of the Millionaire Maker is the closest he has come in the live arena. Could this be the event where Moreno strikes gold? He would certainly be a popular champion.

While Moreno has his nose in front, there are some incredibly talented players hunting him down. Asi Moshe (9,950,000) already has four bracelets, while David Miscikowski (5,815,000), Chris Moorman (3,140,000), Martin Jacobson (2,145,000), and Greg Ostrander (1,400,000) have at least one bracelet to their names.

It is going to be a thrilling final day in this event, and PokerNews will be on hand from 12:00 p.m. local time on July 3 to bring you all of the action.

Event #79: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em Final Day’s Chip Counts

Only 12 Players Remain in the $10,000 8-Game Championship

Event #80: $10,000 8-Game Mixed Championship has reached its final day, and only 12 remain in contention for its bracelet and $431,260 top prize. As you would imagine, the chip count list reads like a who’s who of the poker world.

Brian Rast (2,465,000) goes into the final day with the chip lead as he looks to win his eighth bracelet. Alex Foxen (1,955,000) returns in second place as he hunts down bracelet number five, while Richard Bai (1,120,000) rounds off the podium places.

Day 3 will also see the likes of Matt Vengrin (835,000), Taylor Atchison (810,000), Bryn Kenney (745,000), Maksim Pisarenko (610,000), Ryan Miller (550,000), and David Baker attempt to add to their respective bracelet collections.

Cards are in the air from 1:00 p.m. local time on July 3. Play continues until a champion emerges from the all-star field.

Event #80: $10,000 8-Game Mixed Championship Chip Counts

Day 1a of the $800 Summer Celebration Attracts 2,584

We are more used to seeing Josh Arieh (1,295,000) battle it out in high-stakes tournaments, but the seven-time WSOP bracelet winner bought into Day 1a of Event #81: $800 Summer Celebration. Arieh was one of 2,584 entrants and was also one of the 124 survivors, although calling him a survivor doesn’t do him justice because he bagged a top 20 stack.

Many bracelet winners and $25K Fantasy Draft picks advanced to Day 2 of this event. They included Tom Fuchs (1,350,000), Rich Alsup (1,210,000), Craig Varnell (1,200,000), David Daneshgar (755,000), Howard Mash (745,000), and Matthew Beinner (730,000).

Another huge crowd is expected to enter this event on the second and final flight, which commences at 10:00 a.m. local time on July 3.

Event #81: $800 Summer Celebration Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts

Double Board Bomb Pot Field Obliterated on Day 1

Event #83: $1,500 Double Board Bomb Pot PLO saw its 1,673-strong field reduced to only 227 on Day 1, with the fast pace and action-inducing format sending players to the rail throughout the day.

Danny Wong (490,000) and Igor Zektser (449,000) bagged up top 10 stacks. Paul Fehlig (799,000) is listed as the overnight chip leader on the WSOP LIVE app, but his stack looks a little on the large side.

Dozens of top-tier grinders showcased their love of action and made it through to Day 2. They included man of the moment Naoya Kihara (426,000) who lurks just outside the top 10, Jesse Lonis (335,000), Joao Simao (285,000), Brad Ruben (253,000), Luke Schwartz (235,000), Michael Moncek (232,000), Robert Mizrachi (191,000), Anthony Zinno (177,000), Davidi Kitai (175,000), and Anson Tsang (89,000).

Day 2 starts at 1:00 p.m. local time on July 3, with the plan to reduce the field to only five players.

Event #83: $1,500 Double Board Bomb Pot Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

What to Expect on Day 39 of the 2026 WSOP

The 2026 WSOP Main Event will dominate proceedings on Day 39 of the series, with Day 1b set to shuffle up and deal at 11:00 a.m. local time on July 3. This flight is expected to be very busy, with players hoping to bag a stack then be able to thoroughly enjoy the July 4 celebrations the following day. Cards are in the air from 11:00 a.m. local time.

Another Day 1b, this time in Event #81: Summer Celebration, kicks off the day at 10:00 a.m. local time, with Day 3 of Event #78: $600 Deepstack Championship No-Limit Hold’em scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. local time.

At noon, we see the final day of Event #79: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em, with the final day of Event #80: $10,000 8-Game Mixed Championship and Day 2 of Event #83: $1,500 PLO Double Board Bomb Pot kicking off at 1:00 p.m. local time.

Only one new tournament begins on July 3, doing so at 2:00 p.m. local time. That is the one-day Event #84: $5,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em. Netanel Stern is the reigning champion. Stern outlasted 1,282 opponents and scooped his first bracelet and $618,377 in prize money.

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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