Day 50 of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was the penultimate day of what has been an incredible series. Although the $10,000 WSOP Main Event final table continued enjoying a brief hiatus, there was plenty of action
David Peters became a five-time WSOP bracelet winner with a victory in Event #94: $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship. Peters topped a field of 558 entrants and received a cool $1,001,391.
Event #96: $3,000 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha also crowned its champion, with Joshua Wang taking the tournament down. Wang, a recreational player, defeated the legendary Erik Seidel heads-up to capture a $407,137 his first bracelet and to deny Seidel an 11th piece of WSOP hardware.
The third and final bracelet awarded on Day 50 went to Garrett Dwire, who will forever be known as the champion of Event #95: $500 Summer Saver No-Limit Hold’em. Dwire left 4,621 opponents in his wake as he turned a $500 investment into his first bracelet and a career-best $210,000.
Day 1 of the $5K NLHE Sees 884 Players Enter the Fray
A star-studded 884-strong field competed on Day 1 of Event #99: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, the penultimate event of the 2026 WSOP. By the close of play, after 20 levels, only 72 of those players had chips requiring bagging for the night.
Josh Norvock (1,530,000) has a long way to fly home once this event is done and dusted. Getting his hands on $695,256 and his first bracelet will make the 17-hour flight from Las Vegas to Australia a little more bearable.
Adam Hendrix (1,285,000) returns to the action in third place as he hunts what would be his first WSOP bracelet. The Alaskan has more than $10.5 million in live poker tournament earnings, but is long overdue for a bracelet victory.
Others looking to end the 2026 WSOP on a high include Cliff Josephy (1,100,000), Nick Guagenti (1,100,000), Joseph Cheong (1,090,000), Leo Margets (850,000), Artur Martirosian (815,000), Brian Rast (785,000), David Peters (765,000), and a pair of living legends in Jennifer Harman (187,000) and 17-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth (165,000).
The 72 survivors return to their seats from 1:00 p.m. local time on July 15 and will play down to a worthy champion.
Event #99: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Norvock | Australia | 1,530,000 | 61 |
| 2 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | 1,450,000 | 58 |
| 3 | Adam Hendrix | United States | 1,285,000 | 51 |
| 4 | Jimmy Guerrero | France | 1,160,000 | 46 |
| 5 | Nick Guagenti | United States | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 6 | Cliff Josephy | United States | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 7 | Joseph Cheong | United States | 1,090,000 | 44 |
| 8 | Keith Lehr | United States | 910,000 | 36 |
| 9 | Leo Margets | Spain | 850,000 | 34 |
| 10 | Vadzim Lipauka | Belarus | 830,000 | 33 |
Julien Sitbon Leads the $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. Only 16 Remain
Frenchman Julien Sitbon (3,800,000) is the man to catch in Event #97: $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E., where only 16 players remain in contention for the $872,052 top prize and, of course, the all-important bracelet.
Sitbon won his bracelet in an online event in 2023. He came agonizingly close to winning a second bracelet this summer, busting in second place in the $10,000 Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold’em event.
Russia’s Alexander Kostritsyn (3,205,000) is Sitbon’s closest rival before a sizable gap in the chip counts to third-placed Ali Eslami (1,990,000).
In a stroke of luck, or perhaps misfortune depending on how you look at it, Naoya Kihara (1,060,000), Alex Foxen (930,000), and Shaun Deeb (550,000) are all sitting next to each other when Day 3 begins. That talented trio is contesting the coveted WSOP Player of the Year race and can now have a direct influence on who comes out on top.
Others to look out for in the PokerNews live updates include Ari Engel (1,860,000), Maxx Coleman (900,000), Josh Arieh (315,000), and Qinghai Pan (235,000).
Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time on July 15, and a champion will be crowned.
Event #97: $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julien Sitbon | France | 3,800,000 |
| 2 | Alexander Kostritsyn | Russian Federation | 3,205,000 |
| 3 | Ali Eslami | United States | 1,990,000 |
| 4 | Walter Chambers | United States | 1,885,000 |
| 5 | Ari Engel | Canada | 1,860,000 |
| 6 | Matthew Beinner | United States | 1,350,000 |
| 7 | Yueqi Zhu | China | 1,315,000 |
| 8 | Naoya Kihara | Japan | 1,060,000 |
| 9 | William Kerkaert | United States | 1,055,000 |
| 10 | Aaron Kupin | United States | 950,000 |
Ryuta Nakai Bags Big on Day 1 of the $800 Deepstack NLHE
Only 129 of the 2,036 starters in Event #98: $800 Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em remain after 22 levels of fast-paced action. Japanese star and $25K Fantasy Draft pick Ryuta Nakai (1,295,000) was one of a host of stars who advanced to Day 2, doing so with a top 10 stack.
Earlier this summer, Nakai finished third in the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Championship, the second time he had finished third in a bracelet-awarding event. While he’d likely be happy with another third in this event, one would imagine he will be going all out for the win, with this being one of the final events of 2026.
Israel’s Kfir Nahum (2,030,000) is the chip leader and the only returning player with more than two million chips.
Jonathan Little (1,280,000), Jason Wheeler (1,200,000), Ryan Laplante (845,000), Lara Eisenberg (620,000), John Riordan (575,000), Stoyan Madanzhiev (475,000), and Simeon Spasov (385,000) are just a handful of well-known grinders to look out for during PokerNews‘ Day 2 coverage.
Speaking of which, cards are back in the air from 11:00 a.m. local time on July 15. See you there.
Event #98: $800 Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kfir Nahum | Israel | 2,030,000 | 68 |
| 2 | Josei Kamei | United Kingdom | 1,790,000 | 60 |
| 3 | Atanas Pavlov | Bulgaria | 1,635,000 | 55 |
| 4 | Ivan Govorov | Russia | 1,525,000 | 51 |
| 5 | Michael Stein | United States | 1,500,000 | 50 |
| 6 | Danette Smith | United States | 1,480,000 | 49 |
| 7 | Ryuta Nakai | Japan | 1,295,000 | 43 |
| 8 | Jonathan Little | United States | 1,280,000 | 43 |
| 9 | Brett Richey | United States | 1,225,000 | 41 |
| 10 | Tristan Mcmillan | Canada | 1,225,000 | 41 |
What to Expect on Day 51 of the 2026 WSOP
July 15 marks the 51st and final day of what has been an incredible 2026 WSOP. Of course, once this day is out of the way, there’s still the not-so-little matter of the Main Event final table in early August, but for all intents and purposes, the 2026 WSOP concludes.
Three events resume while one fresh event gets underway. All four will wrap up on July 15, meaning four bracelets will be awarded.
Event #98: $800 Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em restarts at 11:00 a.m. local time with the 129 returning players set to play down to a champion.
At 1:00 p.m. local time, Event #99: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em continues whittling its field down to a worthy winner.
It’s also the final day of Event #97: $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. where Julien Sitbon is the man to catch. Cards are back in the air from 1:00 p.m. local time.
The last bracelet-awarding tournament to get underway this summer is Event #100: $1,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold’em. Some players will use it as a last chance to win a bracelet, others may need a big result to rescue their series. Regardless, this is a one-day event featuring 20-minute blinds.
Mitchell Hynam is the reigning champion. The British grinder left 1,934 opponents in his wake as he captured his first bracelet and a $237,924 first-place prize.
Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor
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