PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (July 1). Until then, we will keep readers informed with updates on chip counts and core event statistics, including entries and the prize pool. Scroll down to see more.
Event #72: $1,000 Mini Main Event
Day 1a Completed
From a field of 2,599 players, just 194 remain after the opening flight of the Event #72: $1,000 Mini Main Event at the World Series of Poker, running at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
The survivors are led by Travis Taylor, who is the only player who bagged over three million in chips.
Players will have to wait until Wednesday, July 1, for the field to combine, with two more starting flights still to come.
| Rank | Player | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travis Taylor | 3,285,000 | 82 |
| 2 | Carlos Caldas | 2,655,000 | 66 |
| 3 | Adam Croffut | 2,535,000 | 63 |
| 4 | Robin Kleinbeck | 2,210,000 | 55 |
| 5 | Erik Smith | 2,145,000 | 54 |
| 6 | Union Lung | 2,045,000 | 51 |
| 7 | Sivan Pauker | 1,990,000 | 50 |
| 8 | Jeffrey Evans | 1,905,000 | 48 |
| 9 | Francisco Duart | 1,875,000 | 47 |
| 10 | Andony Wasaya | 1,830,000 | 46 |
Other former bracelet winners who secured their place in Day 2 include 888poker Ambassador and bracelet winner Vivian Saliba, Brad Ruben, Asher Conniff and seven-time WSOP bracelet winner Men Nguyen.
Flight B kicks off at 10 a.m. on June 29, followed by Flight C on Tuesday at the same time. Players will navigate 22 levels on Day 1, each lasting 30 minutes. The rapid-fire nature of the levels ensures the field narrows quickly, while the 60,000-chip stack provides plenty of early play.
Late registration remains open for 12 levels (until approx. 5 p.m. for each starting flight). Players eliminated in Flight A may reenter Flight B or C, and those out in B may reenter Flight C. The field combines on Wednesday, July 1, at 11 a.m. to play down to a winner.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for updates from the WSOP.
Day 1a of Event #72: $1,000 Mini Main Event has now concluded. There were 2,599 entries to the first starting flight. Of those, 194 bagged and tagged to return for Day 2.
Poker fans were treated to many exciting hands at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) the past week.
But there's always a player involved in one of these juicy hands who doesn't find it as interesting as the rest of us. Take Allen Kessler, for example, who took a cruel Razz bad beat to bust from the $3,000 Nine Game Mix event, a hand you'll read about in just a bit.
"The Chainsaw" isn't the only recipient of a bad beat or on the wrong end of a brutal cooler the past week at the WSOP.
According to the WSOP LIVE app.
Brian 'Smitty' Smith would stand out in the $1,000 WSOP Mystery Millions anyway. A tall guy with a broad smile, fully decked out in purple, he jokes that he's a "walking billboard" for the pancreatic cancer charity Purple Pansies.
But he stood out even more on Sunday, as the grinder from Atlanta, Georgia, pulled a gold chest for $100,000 and immediately announced it was all going to the charity so close to his heart.
As per the WSOP LIVE app.
There are 100 bracelet-awarding events on the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) schedule, but every poker player dreams of becoming the champion of just one of those tournaments: the $10,000 WSOP Main Event. Unfortunately for some, the $10,000 buy-in puts the 2026 WSOP Main Event out of reach, which is where satellites come into their own.
In 2003, the aptly-named Chris Moneymaker, then an accountant from Atlanta, Georgia, won a $10,000 WSOP Main Event seat via an $86 buy-in satellite online at PokerStars. Moneymaker outlasted 838 opponents, including defeating seasoned pro Sammy Farha heads-up, to win the WSOP Main Event and kickstart the phenomenon that would be called the Moneymaker Effect.
Fast forward to today, and hundreds, if not thousands, of players will head to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas hoping to win their way into the 2026 WSOP Main Event for a fraction of the $10,000 asking price. The 2026 WSOP Main Event satellites run from July 1-7 and come in buy-ins of $150, $260, $585, $1,100, and $2,200.
As per the WSOP LIVE app.
It was one of the largest fields at this year's World Series of Poker, and with Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker down to its final two tables, every single decision carried massive implications.
The stakes couldn't have been higher, with the tournament scheduled to mint two separate millionaires by the time a winner emerges on Wednesday. Unfortunately for Seiji Sasaki, the Japanese player will not be among those taking home a seven-figure payday. Sasaki bowed out in 15th place after a dramatic clash with Michael Monroig.
Believing he had secured a vital double-up, Sasaki initially celebrated and high-fived his rail, only to realize the reality when he returned to the table...
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