2026 WSOP Day 17: Nguyen Cracks Aces En Route to bagging $100K High Roller Chip Lead

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Jun 12, 2026 9 min read

Although there were no bracelets won on June 11, the 17th day of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP), there was no shortage of action. Seven events of all shapes and sizes took place inside the vast Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, each nudging a little closer to crowning their worthy champion.

Buy-ins ranged from the $500 COLOSSUS to the $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em. There were Fixed-Limit and No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, and even H.O.R.S.E. playing out on Day 17. Want to know more about what went down in Las Vegas? Keep reading PokerNews' daily recap to find out.

Only Nine Remain in the $100,000 High Roller; Christopher Nguyen Leads

Another 48 players ponied up $100,000 during late registration to take their seats in Event #36: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em. By the time the curtain came down on Day 2, only nine of those high-stakes gurus had chips in front of them.

Christopher Nguyen finished at the top of the counts with 17,200,000 chips. However, it could have been a different day for Nguyen had Lady Luck not been on his side. Nguyen looked set to bust when he four-bet jammed with king-queen and ran into Artur Martirosian's aces, but a king on the turn and a queen on the river gave Nguyen a double-up, and he never looked back.

Amazingly, Martirosian had his aces cracked again a short time later, this time by Teun Mulder's jack-ten of spades. That hand sent Martirosian home in 19th place, popping the money bubble, while Mulder made it through to Day 3 in third place with 8,840,000 chips.

Joining Nguyen and Mulder on Day 3 are some of poker's most recognizable names. Brazilian sensation Yuri Dzivielevski (11,800,000) returns in second place as he hunts down his sixth bracelet. Alexandros Theologis (9,955,000), Alex Kulev (5,550,000), Martin Kabrhel (5,215,000), Biao Ding (4,750,000), and Sam Soverel (3,420,000) are also through, as is Alex Foxen (2,220,000), who brings up the rear with a sub-10 big blind stack.

The final day of this event starts at 2:00 p.m. local time on June 12. Each player is guaranteed at least $255,491 for their efforts, while the top three each bank more than $1.3 million. Whoever comes out on top takes home $2,841,432 and the all-important WSOP bracelet.

Event #36: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts

Jean-Robert Bellande On Course For His Second Bracelet

Only seven players remain in contention for the $538,158 top prize and gold bracelet that Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em will award on June 12. The penultimate day started with 57 players returning to their seats and ended with just seven needing to back up their stacks.

Jean-Robert Bellande (16,290,000), a bracelet winner in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed in 2018, leads the final seven into Day 4. Bellande was one of only two players who pushed through the 10-million chip mark by the close of play, Greece's Christos Argyriadis (13,600,000).

Those two big stacks are joined in the Grande Finale by Omar Zazay (6,900,000), Jessica Vierling (4,885,000), Guofeng Wang (3,910,000), Jim Collopy (3,690,000), and Troy Donaldson (3,220,000).

Vierling hopes to follow in Kristen Foxen's footsteps and join a relatively rare club of female players who have won open WSOP events, while Collopy has a chance to capture his fourth gold bracelet.

Cards are in the air on Day 4 from 1:00 p.m. local time on June 12, with PokerNews providing live updates throughout.

Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Day 3 Chip Counts

Justin Liberto Holds a Commanding Lead in the $10,000 PLO8 Championship

Justin Liberto looks set to become the 2026 WSOP's first double bracelet winner as he holds a commanding lead going into the final day of Event #33: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship.

Earlier this month, Liberto ended an 11-year bracelet drought by taking down the $1,500 Mixed Omaha event for $265,297. He now has one hand on this event's bracelet and $757,395 top prize because his 13,590,000 stack is almost four times larger than anyone else in the field.

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Nathan Gamble (3,540,000), himself a two-time WSOP champion, is the player closest to Liberto in the chip counts. Nino Pansier (3,300,000) and a pair of $25K Fantasy Draft picks in Matthew Beinner (1,770,000) and Martin Zamani (1,195,000) make up the final five.

It is a 3:15 p.m. local time restart on June 12 for these five players. Play continues until a champion is crowned, and Liberto looks set to be bestowed with such a title.

Event #33: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship Day 2 Chip Counts

A Host of Stars Progress From Day 1b of the COLOSSUS

Another 3,219 players bought into Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold'em on Day 1b, taking the total attendance to 5,813 with two flights remaining. Only 612 of today's entrants navigated their way through 15 levels, and there were a bunch of stars among them.

Cody Little (1,094,000), Kristaps Kalva (1,011,000), and Brian Bishop (1,000,000) bagged up the three largest Day 1b stacks.

Such luminaries as Scott Ball (425,000), Timur Margolin (290,000), Brandon Sheils (290,000), 2024 WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Tamayo (275,000), Brian Battistone (257,000), Joey Couden (152,000), Malcolm Trayner (146,000), Shawn Buchanan (141,000), and Stephen Song (33,000) also made it through to Day 2b.

Day 2b starts at 11:00 a.m. local time on June 12, and features the 612 survivors from this flight. If they make it through another 12 levels, they'll progress to Day 3 on June 15.

Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold'em Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts

Only 43 Players Progress from Day 2a of the COLOSSUS

Day 2a of Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold'em saw the 501 returning players reduced to only 43 over the course of 12 levels. Those 43 surviving players can now take a break, as Day 3 doesn't begin until June 15.

Anthony Fay (6,620,000) was the man who emerged from Day 2a with the largest stack. Fay already has a cash at the 2026 WSOP, finishing 13th in the $500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em for a career-best $11,710.

Also among the big stacks is Maryland's Justin Arnwine (5,050,000). Arnwine has almost $2 million in live scores but, as yet, no bracelet to show for his efforts. You should check out Arnwine's Hendon Mob profile if you get the chance, and sort it by finishing place. He had scores of first-place finishes in low-stakes tournaments, so he evidently knows how to close out a tournament.

While Day 3 doesn't start until June 15, Day 1c begins at 10:00 a.m. local time on June 12, with Day 2b shuffling up and dealing at 11:00 a.m. local time on June 12 as well.

Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold'em Day 2a Top 10 Chip Counts

Will Given Bags the Biggest Stack on Day 1b of the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha

Day 1b of Event #35: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha saw 1,617 players enter the mix, which is more than competed across the entire tournament in 2025. Those entrants were tasked with completing 17 levels, but only 130 made it through to Day 2.

Will Givens (876,000) gave himself every chance of ending what a 12-year bracelet drought is. Givens won his bracelet at the 2014 WSOP, taking down the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event for a career-best $306,634. The Colorado native is now nicely poised for yet another deep run in a WSOP tournament.

Tyler Brown (810,000) bagged and tagged the second-largest Day 1b stack, with Israel's Ido Aboudi (806,000) in third. $25K Fantasy Draft pick Jon Turner (803,000) finished fourth on the night.

Lower down the chip counts but through to Day 2 nonetheless, are household names such as Lou Garza (612,000), Allan Le (605,000), Maxx Coleman (596,000), Zdenek Zizka (477,000), Julien Sitbon (462,000), Esther Taylor (269,000), Rob Cowen (235,000), Brandon Shack-Harris (228,000), and Chad Eveslage (174,000).

A total of 191 players from Day 1a and 1b return to their seats from 12:00 p.m. local time on June 12. Ten levels are scheduled, with blinds starting at 5,000/10,000.

Event #35: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts

Clayton Mozdzen Leads, but Nick Schulman Still Hunting After Day 3 of the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.

Canadian Clayton Mozdzen (3,105,000) leads the final 14 into the last day of Event #37: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E at the 2026 WSOP. Mozdzen is yet to win a bracelet, but he does have a brace of fifth-place finishes to his name. He was the fifth-place finisher in the $1,500 Dealer's Choice in 2023 and in the 2026 edition of the same tournament.

Ryan Caskey (2,340,000) and Joe Brindle (2,250,000) rounded off the podium places.

Although he has around half the chips of the current leader, all eyes will be on Nick Schulman (1,595,000) when play resumes. The Poker Hall of Fame member and seven-time bracelet winner is more than capable of mounting a charge for his eighth piece of WSOP hardware.

Fellow bracelet winners Mike Wattel (2,130,000) and Philip Sternheimer (720,000) are also present and correct.

It is a 1:00 p.m. local time start on June 12 for the 14 remaining players. Only one of them will earn the right to call themselves this event's champion.

Event #37: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. Day 3 Chip Counts

Jeremy Ausmus Leads After Day 1 of the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship

Six-time WSOP bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus (319,000) bagged the largest stack on Day 1 of Event #38: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship 7-Handed. Ausmus has already reached two final tables this summer and is in pole position to navigate to a third. The fact he cracked aces during Day 1 hints at that deadly combination of playing and running well.

Arizona's Ryan Johnson (285,000) and Kyle Ray (275,000) also started this event well, while Josh Arieh (268,000), Ryuta Nakai (182,000), Daniel Negreanu (182,000), and James Obst (171,000) each bagged a top 10 stack.

Negreanu was down to less than 10,000 chips at the start of his day. He managed not only to claw his way but also to finish among the leaders when time was called on Day 1.

Exactly 40 of the 87 entrants bagged up at the end of the 10th level. Among them were Jason Daly (165,000), Brian Rast (160,000), Shaun Deeb (142,000), Jesse Lonis (96,000), John Hennigan (95,000), David "ODB" Baker (90,000), Joe McKeehen (82,000), and Matt Glantz (48,000).

Day 2 shuffles up and deals at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 12. Late registration remains open until around 2:15 p.m. local time, so expect a flurry of late entrants to boost this Championship event's attendance.

Event #38: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship 7-Handed Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

What to Expect on Day 18 of the 2026 WSOP

It is going to be a super busy day on June 12, the 18th day of the 2026 WSOP, with 10 events running. We shall see a handful of bracelets won, some tournaments inch closer to their final tables, and some new events to freshen things up.

Day 1c of Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold'em kicks the day off at 10:00 a.m. local time. There is every chance this flights sees more than 3,000 entrants, and maybe even 4,000.

An hour later, the 631 surviving players from the COLOSSUS' Day 1b sit down on Day 2b.

Two more events resume at 12:00 p.m. local time. We have the final day of Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em, where only seven players remain. One of them will walk away with $538,158.

Event #35: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed has its Day 2 start at 12:00 p.m. local time, too.

At 1:00 p.m. local time, the final day of Event #37: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. and Day 2 of Event #38: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship 7-Handed get underway, with the final day of Event #36: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em set to explode into action from 2:00 p.m.

Lastly, for the currently in-play tournaments, the final day of Event #33: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship. Due to the WSOP wanting to stream this final table, the players won't be back in action until 3:30 p.m. local time.

If you are 50-years-old or older and have $5,000 burning a hole in your pocket, Event #39: $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold'em begins at 12:00 p.m. local time. David "ODB" Baker is this event's reigning champion. He outlasted 679 opponents in 2025, earning $646,845 and his fourth bracelet.

Then at 2:00 p.m. local time, Event #40: $1,500 Razz begins. Last year, Allan Le defeated Shaun Deeb heads-up for the title, the $126,363 top prize, and what was Le's second bracelet.

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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• Tags WSOP26 Brian Rast Chad Eveslage Daniel Negreanu Clayton Mozdzen High Roller Jessica Vierling Jesse Lonis Jeremy Ausmus Jean-Robert Bellande Joe McKeehen Jonathan Tamayo Josh Arieh Justin Arnwine Justin Liberto Nick Schulman Shaun Deeb Timur Margolin