The 27th day of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was one of the quieter days regarding the number of events running, with six tournaments taking place. The buy-ins for those tournaments ranged from the affordable $500 Salute to Warriors to the $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
Only one bracelet was won on Day 27 of the 2026 WSOP, and it went to Joao Simao. The Brazilian captured his fourth bracelet after coming out on top in Event #55: $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha, a victory worth $1,368,700. Simao defeated Indian star Santhosh Suvarna ($912,940) heads-up, denying him his second bracelet of the year.
Michael Mizrachi Falls; Matt Glantz Leads
Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship saw 87 players buy in, including the reigning champion, Michael Mizrachi. Having won this event a record four times, all eyes were on “The Grinder” as he embarked on a quest to capture his fifth PPC title.
Unfortunately for Mizrachi and his legion of fans, he busted during the final level of Day 1. Mizrachi was left short-stacked after tangling with Chino Rheem during a round of Razz. He then committed the rest of his chips in another game of Razz, losing to Brad Ruben and heading out of the tournament area. Rheem (763,000) ended the night in fourth place, while Ruben (500,000) also advanced.
Matt Glantz (989,000) holds the chip lead going into Day 2. Glantz regularly finds himself named in discussions about the best player without a bracelet. It would be incredible for him if he finally won some WSOP hardware in this star-studded event.
Eight-time bracelet winner Benny Glaser (826,000) flew high, as did fellow Brit Robert Wells (790,000).
As you can imagine, the overnight chip counts read like a who’s who of the poker world. Chris Brewer (694,500), Josh Arieh (625,500), Frank Brannan (649,000), Jesse Lonis (643,500), James Obst (594,000), Ryan Hoenig (590,000), and Dylan Weisman (582,000) all bagged up top 15 stacks.
Jason Mercier (499,500), Bryce Yockey (495,500), Paul Volpe (475,000), Ben Yu (404,000), Gus Hansen (401,500), John Monnette (370,500), Eli Elezra (325,000), Brian Rast (276,000), and Daniel Negreanu (247,000) are just a small selection of the other elite-level pros who made it safely through the first day’s play.
Day 2 starts at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 22, with late registration open until around 7:30 p.m. local time, meaning there’s every chance that last year’s 107 entrants will be beaten.
Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Glantz | United States | 989,000 |
| 2 | Benny Glaser | United Kingdom | 826,000 |
| 3 | Robert Wells | United Kingdom | 790,000 |
| 4 | Chino Rheem | United States | 763,000 |
| 5 | Kristopher Tong | United States | 739,500 |
| 6 | Chris Brewer | United States | 694,500 |
| 7 | Josh Arieh | United States | 652,500 |
| 8 | Frank Brannan | United States | 649,000 |
| 9 | Jesse Lonis | United States | 643,500 |
| 10 | Carlo van Ravenswoud | Netherlands | 605,000 |
A Host of Stars Advance From Day 2d of the Millionaire Maker
Day 2d of Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker started with 1,228 players returning to their seats, but only 164 of them had chips requiring bagging and tagging after the completion of another 10 levels.
Jamhour Qasem (2,830,000), Zak Delaimy (2,300,000), and Daniel McGinnis (1,965,000) were the trio of players who occupied the podium places at the close of play, according to the WSOP LIVE app.
Lower down the counts, you find the likes of Yuxi Huang (1,520,000), Joshua McCully (1,405,000), Jareth East (1,310,000), Harrison Gimbel (880,000), Ian Steinman (720,000), Athanasios Polychronopoulos (865,000), and Eugene Katchalov (680,000).
Day 3 commences at 11:00 a.m. local time on June 22. It sees 424 returning players lock horns over another 10 levels, under the watchful eye of the PokerNews live reporting team.
Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker Day 2d Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamhour Qasem | United States | 2,830,000 |
| 2 | Zak Delaimy | United States | 2,300,000 |
| 3 | Daniel McGinnis | United States | 1,965,000 |
| 4 | Mary Carey | United States | 1,880,000 |
| 5 | Bo Chen | United States | 1,815,000 |
| 6 | Octavio Borra | Argentina | 1,745,000 |
| 7 | Jose Rodriguez | United States | 1,700,000 |
| 8 | David Tovar | United Kingdom | 1,550,000 |
| 9 | Adam Walton | United States | 1,525,000 |
| 10 | Yuxi Huang | China | 1,520,000 |
Stephen Hubbard Continues His Hot Streak in the $1,000 PLO
Utah’s Stephen Hubbard won his first bracelet earlier this series, taking down the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Five-Card event. He has cashed in seven events and finished in the top five in two of them, plus that bracelet victory. Now, he finds himself in the top 10 of Event #57: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha on Day 1b.
Joining Hubbard on Day 2 are such luminaries as David Prociak (497,000), Australian legend Gary Benson (432,000), recent addition to the five-bracelet club Jeff Madsen (421,000), Anson Tsang (142,500), PLO specialist Dennis Weiss (141,000), and Allen Kessler (83,000).
The third and final flight for this event starts at 12:00 p.m. local time on June 22. Day 1a saw 683 entrants, Day 1b attracted 1,235 players, so Day 1c could see 2,000 newcomers enter the fray.
Event #57: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craig Jones | United States | 1,004,000 | 100 |
| 2 | Bradley Butcher | United States | 869,000 | 87 |
| 3 | Steven Sarmiento | United States | 825,000 | 83 |
| 4 | Christopher Jacobson | United States | 810,000 | 81 |
| 5 | Paulo Villena Gini | Brazil | 650,000 | 65 |
| 6 | Robert Emmerson | United States | 644,000 | 64 |
| 7 | Davin Anderson | United States | 634,000 | 63 |
| 8 | Farhad Jamasi | United States | 573,000 | 57 |
| 9 | Wang Liu | United States | 559,000 | 56 |
| 10 | Stephen Hubbard | United States | 550,000 | 56 |
Alessio Isaia Leads the Final 12 in the $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw
Italy may not have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but one Italian is hoping to make a name for himself on American soil. Alessio Isaia (2,200,000) has been a constant fixture in major live poker tournaments since 2008, but a bracelet has so far eluded him.
That could be set to change in 24 hours’ time because Isaia is the chip leader of Event #58: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw, where only 12 players remain in contention for the $161,313 top prize.
Calvin Anderson Does It Again! Wins Bracelet No. 7 in the $10k H.O.R.S.E.
Standing between Isaia and WSOP glory as players such as Nick Pupillo (1,745,000), Evan Sandberg (1,320,000), Ian Pelz (1,315,000), Michael Rodrigues (1,100,000), Steve Billirakis (1,065,000), Daniel Strelitz (1,025,000), and Sean Troha (695,000).
The final 12 players sit down at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 22 and will continue battling away until a champion is crowned.
Event #58: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alessio Isaia | Italy | 2,200,000 | 22 |
| 2 | Oliver Tot | Slovakia | 1,815,000 | 18 |
| 3 | Nick Pupillo | United States | 1,745,000 | 17 |
| 4 | Horacio Chaves | Paraguay | 1,685,000 | 17 |
| 5 | Michelle Chin | United States | 1,560,000 | 16 |
| 6 | Evan Sandberg | United States | 1,320,000 | 13 |
| 7 | Ian Pelz | United States | 1,315,000 | 13 |
| 8 | Michael Rodrigues | Portugal | 1,100,000 | 11 |
| 9 | Steve Billirakis | United States | 1,065,000 | 11 |
| 10 | Daniel Strelitz | United States | 1,025,000 | 10 |
| 11 | David May | United States | 965,000 | 10 |
| 12 | Sean Troha | United States | 695,000 | 7 |
Nicholas Rigby Builds a Huge Stack in the Salute to Warriors Event
An impressive 4,478 players bought into Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors on Day 1, with only 672 of those punching their Day 2 tickets. With $40 of each buy-in being donated to veteran charities and organizations, almost $180,000 was raised from this event alone.
While Adam Brody (1,540,000) topped the Day 1 chip counts, it was the man in second place who caught the eye. Nicholas Rigby (1,278,000) shot to fame in 2021 thanks to his love of playing 3x2x, now forever known as “The Dirty Diaper.” Rigby employs a loose-aggressive style, and that style is more effective when he has plenty of chips in front of him. Expect plenty of crazy bets and calls on Rigby’s table on Day 2.
Rampage is Up More Than $1.3M in WSOP High Stakes Cash Games
Jamie Gold (860,000), the 2006 WSOP Main Event champion, will also be happy with how his Day 1 panned out. Others who are through to Day 2 include Brett Shaffer (770,000), Lexy Gavin-Mather (477,000), Francis Anderson (325,000), Brandon Sheils (322,000), Angela Jordison (283,000), and Alexandros Kolonias (47,000).
Day 2 starts at 12:00 p.m. local time on June 22, with another 15 to 17 levels planned depending on how quickly the field thins out.
Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Brody | United States | 1,540,000 | 128 |
| 2 | Nicholas Rigby | United States | 1,278,000 | 107 |
| 3 | Hiroto Nishijima | Japan | 1,204,000 | 100 |
| 4 | Sean Williams | United States | 1,175,000 | 98 |
| 5 | Naixuan Shi | China | 1,151,000 | 96 |
| 6 | Melissa Bartelme | United States | 1,147,000 | 96 |
| 7 | Nirath Rean | United States | 1,133,000 | 94 |
| 8 | Allen Lanier | United States | 1,109,000 | 92 |
| 9 | Eyyal Altar | United States | 1,086,000 | 91 |
| 10 | Nobuaki Sasaki | Japan | 1,070,000 | 89 |
What to Expect on Day 28 of the 2026 WSOP
Seven events take place on Day 28 of the 2026 WSOP, including two that get underway for the first time.
The first in-play tournament to resume is Day 3 of Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker, which shuffles up and deals at 11:00 a.m. local time. Day 3 sees 424 players return to the action.
At 12:00 p.m. local time, two events continue. First, there’s Day 1c of Event #57: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha then there is Day 2 of Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors.
Two more events commence at 1:00 p.m. local time. A champion will be crowned in Event #58: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw, while at the same time, dozens of poker Goliaths return for Day 2 of Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
It is an early start of 10:00 a.m. local time for those entering Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold’em, which is open to anyone aged 60 years young or older. Lonny Weitzel topped a 3,338-strong field in 2025 and collected a $356,494 top prize.
Event #62: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em is the other new event starting on Day 28; it shuffles up and deals at 2:00 p.m. local time. Mark Darner is this event’s reigning champion. He secured a $496,826 payday after leaving 1,492 opponents in his wake.
Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor
In this Series
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