Phil Ivey has never won the $50,000 WSOP Poker Players Championship, one of the few accomplishments in poker hasn’t achieved. But the poker legend is making a run at what would be his biggest win.
The 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner has not only reached the money in the prestigious mixed games event. He was right up near the top of the chip counts just after the bubble burst with 17 remaining players Tuesday night on Day 3.
Ivey Chasing 12th WSOP Bracelet
Ivey, who won his last bracelet in 2024, is second all-time in WSOP victories. But he still hasn’t won the Main Event or Poker Players Championship. That could all change on Thursday if he reaches the PPC final table.
As for now, he’s sitting in 5th place with 2,400,000 chips, trailing chip leader Benny Glaser after Bryce Yockey’s 18th-place bustout burst the bubble. Ivey, along with the rest of the 17-player field, has locked up a minimum cash of $100,934, with the first-place payout in one of the summer’s marquee events confirmed at $1,343,764.
The Poker Hall of Famer has cut a relaxed figure throughout a long evening session of cards, even taking the time to watch the World Cup soccer on the big screens at Horsehoe and Paris during hands.
In one pot between Paul Volpe and Bryce Yockey, PokerNews’ David Salituro reported Ivey spent all of the hand standing up from his seat watching the Colombia vs. Congo match on the television screen. “Phil, play some poker,” Eric Wasserson told him, drawing the iconic Ivey death stare.
Colombia happened to score right after. “Wass, don’t talk to me while I’m watching soccer,” Ivey told him.
Hellmuth Still in the Hunt for No.18
Alongside the second-most decorated WSOP player of all time, the most decorated player in series history also remains in contention: Phil Hellmuth.
The ‘Poker Brat,’ who recovered from COVID just in time to enter this year’s PPC, didn’t join the field until around the dinner break on Day 2. Despite the late start, he tripled his stack by night’s end and has continued to spin up a stack on Day 3.
Unlike Ivey, who sits among the chip leaders, Hellmuth occupies a lower-midfield position with 875,000 chips and in 14th position. Still, with plenty of play left before Thursday’s final day, he has more than enough ammunition to mount a deep run in the tournament many consider the purest test of all-around poker skill.
For all of Hellmuth’s record 17 WSOP bracelets, the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy remains conspicuously absent from his illustrious honor roll. Unlike Ivey, however, Hellmuth can boast of winning poker’s most revered title, having famously won the WSOP Main Event in 1989.
Latest Chip Counts – WSOP 2026 $50,000 Poker Players Championship
With the bubble now burst, here are the updated counts late on Day 3 in this year’s PPC, correct at the time of writing (~00:30 PT):
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benny Glaser | 4,300,000 |
| 2 | Paul Volpe | 3,760,000 |
| 3 | Kristopher Tong | 3,600,000 |
| 4 | Nick Guagenti | 2,900,000 |
| 5 | Phil Ivey | 2,400,000 |
| 6 | Jason Mercier | 2,200,000 |
| 7 | Josh Arieh | 2,175,000 |
| 8 | Maxx Coleman | 2,150,000 |
| 9 | Alex Livingston | 1,475,000 |
| 10 | Chris Hunichen | 1,340,000 |
| 11 | Chris Brewer | 1,250,000 |
| 12 | Jesse Lonis | 1,050,000 |
| 13 | Roy Thung | 900,000 |
| 14 | Phil Hellmuth | 875,000 |
| 15 | Maksim Pisarenko | 600,000 |
| 16 | Matt Glantz | 485,000 |
| 17 | Dara Taherpour | 410,000 |
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Eliot Thomas
Editor, Poker & Casino