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Event #76: $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha
Day 1 Completed
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #76: $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha
Day: 1
Players Left 19 / 50
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 10
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
The most expensive four-card poker contest at the 2026 World Series of Poker kicked off earlier today at the Paris and Horseshoe Hotel Las Vegas. With a six-figure price tag, Event #76: $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha attracted a field of 50 entries and has so far generated a prize pool of $4,800,000.
Upon completion of ten levels of 60 minutes each, only 19 players remained, and a familiar name appeared at the top of the leaderboard. Four time gold bracelet winner Artur Martirosian bagged up 5,815,000 and has already established a gap ahead of second-placed Sean Winter (3,695,000).
"If I have the same luck like today, I will finish it tomorrow," Martirosian joked to the dealer when he bagged up his chips for the night, though he needed to fire a second bullet to earn the top spot.
Joni Jouhkimainen, meanwhile, doubled in the penultimate hand of the night to jump into third place with a stack of 2,160,000.
Plenty of well-known poker pros can be found in the overnight top ten and that also includes GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu (1,990,000), Santhosh Suvarna (1,390,000) and Robert Cowen (1,300,000).
Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 1
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Artur Martirosian | Russian Federation | 5,815,000 | 233 |
| 2 | Sean Winter | United States | 3,695,000 | 148 |
| 3 | Joni Jouhkimainen | Finland | 2,160,000 | 86 |
| 4 | Alex Foxen | United States | 2,040,000 | 82 |
| 5 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | 1,990,000 | 80 |
| 6 | Philip Sternheimer | United Kingdom | 1,820,000 | 73 |
| 7 | Lautaro Guerra | Spain | 1,510,000 | 60 |
| 8 | Sergio Martinez Gonzalez | Spain | 1,485,000 | 59 |
| 9 | Santhosh Suvarna | India | 1,390,000 | 56 |
| 10 | Robert Cowen | United Kingdom | 1,300,000 | 52 |
Action of the Day
When the action kicked off, only a single table was running, and the Cinderella story of Phillipp Mellon was off to a great start. He initially entered a $120 step satellite and made it through two other steps to earn his entry in the high-stakes contest. Mellon became the first player with more than a million in chips, but he ultimately bowed out in level five when his top two pair and flush draw couldn't improve against the top set of Sergio Martinez Gonzalez.
Jesse Lonis lost his first bullet rather quickly and opted not to re-enter, but he may do so in the first two levels of Day 2 before the end of the late registration and re-entry period. Lou Garza soared up the leaderboard after entering midway through the day when he knocked out David Prociak and Martirosian, but the latter came back to haunt him later on when Martirosian turned a king-high straight to cement his status as the chip leader in the final level of the night.
Other notable casualties included Farid Jattin, Sean Rafael, 2026 WSOP Player of the Year contenders Naoya Kihara and Nick Schulman, Jason Koon as well as Josh Arieh. Koon was one of several players who sent their chips over to Martirosian when his double-suited rundown failed to crack pocket aces.
The rise of Negreanu on the leaderboard commenced when he got it in with aces against aces and turned a straight, then rivered a flush to send $50,000 Pot Limit Omaha High Roller finalist Jeremy Druckman to the rail.
Defending champion Shaun Deeb didn't join the action just yet because he was busy earning bracelet number nine nearby in Event #74: $1,500 8-Game Mixed for $181,625, winning the heads-up against Dean Joe. The top prize is more than enough to cover his entry fee, though, and late registration will remain open until the end of Level 12, two levels into Day 2.
Fewer than half of the field remains heading into the penultimate tournament day, but the field size will likely increase further. Day 2 is scheduled to get back underway at noon local time on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Level 11, which features blinds of 10,000-25,000 and a big blind ante of 25,000.
Stay tuned for another two days of high-stakes four-card coverage right here on PokerNews with the 2026 WSOP Main Event already looming right around the corner.
Level 10
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Level 10
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Only 19 players out of the 50 entries have bagged up chips and will return at noon local time with another two levels of late registration still open. The full chip counts and a recap of today's action are to follow.
Level 10
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Joni Jouhkimainen bet the K♣10♦4♦7♣ turn for 300,000 and then called all in when Chris Frank check-raised big.
Joni Jouhkimainen: K♦9♦8♣5♣ 
Chris Frank: Q♠J♣7♠7♥
The top pair with two flush draws and an open-ended straight draw for the Finn was up against Frank's bottom set, and he got there on the 6♣ river to double for 935,000.
Level 10
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Daniel Negreanu limped on the button before Ian Matakis raised to 80,000 from the small blind.
Negreanu called and sent them to a flop of 8♦J♦5♥. Matakis continued for 200,000 before Negreanu put Matakis all-in. Matakis called to put himself at risk for 290,000 total.
Ian Matakis: A♦K♣Q♣10♦
Daniel Negreanu: K♦8♣7♦6♠
Matakis flopped the better flush draw and had outs to a straight to stay alive.
The A♥ turn gave him the lead, and the Q♥ river kept it that way as Matakis scored the double up against Negreanu.
Level 10
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Alex Foxen was in the small blind and in a pot with Sam Soverel who was sitting in the big blind. The 3♦J♣9♦ flop was already face up and the pot was at 140,000.
Foxen checked, Soverel bet and Foxen made a swift re-raise to put Soverel all in for his 295,000. Soverel snap called and the pair tabled their cards.
Sam Soverel: J♠10♥9♠8♥
Alex Foxen: 9♥9♣7♠3♣
Foxen had flopped a set of nines, while Soverel was looking at two pair and the straight draw. There was no help for Soverel on the K♥ turn or 4♦ river, and he hit the rail in one of the last hands of the night.
Level 10
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Sergio Martinez Gonzalez check-called a bet of 180,000 by chip leader Artur Martirosian on the 7♥6♣2♣2♠ turn, and the latter then checked behind the 5♥ on the river. Martinez Gonzalez exposed his 10♠9♣8♦7♠ for the nine-high straight, and Martirosian grinned and said, "I felt it" before he mucked his cards.
Daniel Negreanu came back to the table, still recording for his vlog and exclaimed "nuts nuts nuts" while pointing towards Martirosian.
"Not always, I just lost two in a row," Martirosian replied.
Level 10
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Three ways to the Q♣5♣2♠ flop, the action checked to Sam Soverel and he bet 30,000. Philip Sternheimer called before Chris Frank check-raised to 150,000. Soverel tossed his cards into the muck, but Sternheimer called.
Both then checked the K♦ turn and 9♥ river for Sternheimer to show his A♣K♠9♣7♠ for kings and nines. Frank had that beat with the K♥8♠2♥2♣ to win the pot late on Day 1.
Level 10
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Daniel Negreanu was in the cutoff in a pot with Artur Martirosian, who was in the small blind. The J♦2♣7♦ flop was showing and the pot stood at 180,000.
Both checked their action to see the 5♠ turn and Martirosian bet out 75,000. Negreanu called, and the pair saw the A♦ complete the board.
Martirosian checked to Negreanu, who opted to check behind. Martirosian showed his A♥10♥ first for the pair of aces, then followed with his 9♥9♦. After turning over the cards, Negreanu said, "Your nines were good," and flashed just a single card 7♠XxXxXx for a pair of sevens.
