2026 WSOP Day 28: Kristopher Tong Leads an All-Star Cast in the $50K PPC

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Jun 23, 2026 7 min read

The relentless machine that is the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) continued on June 22, the 28th day of the poker's longest-running festival. Several events whittled down their field, with one crowning its worthy champion. The Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas was awash with up-and-coming star, seasoned pros, and WSOP Main Event champions. Here's what went down at the 2026 WSOP.

Event #58: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw concluded on Day 28 of the 2026 WSOP, and it was Michelle Chin who will forever be known as this tournament's champion. Chin already had a pair of WSOP Circuit rings to her name from victories in 2015. Now, she has a WSOP bracelet to add to her collection.

Kristopher Tong Leads the $50,000 Poker Players Championship After Day 2

Kristopher Tong showed his mixed game prowess in 2023 when he finished fifth in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. Two years later, he won the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship. Now, Tong leads the final 39 in Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship.

Tong returns to his seat on Day 3 with 2,428,000 chips, one of only two players with at least two million chips. The legendary Benny Glaser (2,286,000) is the other. Glaser has had a quiet series by his lofty standards, but is now in an excellent position to get his hands on a ninth gold bracelet.

As usual, this event is packed to the rafters with poker royalty. Maxx Coleman (1,917,000), Chris Hunichen (1,670,000), Matt Glantz (1,480,000), Chris Brewer (1,253,000), and Alex Livingston (1,060,000) are just a handful of stars returning with top 10 stacks.

Lower down the pecking order but still in contention are such luminaries as Bryce Yockey (950,000), Jesse Lonis (906,000), Josh Arieh (902,000), 17-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth (900,000), Hall of Famer Phil Ivey (694,000), Jason Mercier (634,000), and short-stack Brian Rast (107,000).

It is a 1:00 p.m. local time restart on June 23. Another six levels are planned, and PokerNews will be on hand to provide industry-leading coverage of poker's most prestigious tournament.

Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts

Millionaire Maker Field Cut to 62; Irene Carey is Among the Front-Runners

Only 62 players remain in Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker after three days of intense poker action. Each of those players is now guaranteed $27,300 but they each have an eye on the $1,250,000 top prize.

California's Irene Carey (6,900,000) returns on Day 4 with a top 10 stack and a legitimate shot of striking WSOP gold. Carey finished 68th in this tournament in 2023, her deepest run in a bracelet-awarding event. She is now edging close to becoming another female champion of an open WSOP event.

Bo Chen (13,255,000) is the man out in front when play resumes. India's Kunal Patni (11,555,000), Seiji Sasaki (11,435,000), Jed Friedman (10,660,000), and Jacob Gagnon (10,530,000) return to their seats with eight-figure stacks.

A handful of bracelet winners are looking to add to their collection. Ryan Eriquezzo (5,885,000), Will Givens (5,260,000), Harrison Gimbel (3,495,000), and Bradley Gafford (3,445,000) are the four bracelet winners still in this event.

Cards are back in the air from 11:00 a.m. local time on June 23, with the plan to reduce the field to only five hopefuls.

Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker Day 3 Top 10 Chip Counts

Day 1c of the $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Draws in 1,845 Runners

Day 1c of Event #57: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha attracted 1,845 entrants, almost as many as competed in the 2025 edition of this affordable tournament. Only 104 of those who started Day 1c with high hopes advanced to Day 2.

Reigning WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas champion, Schuyler Thornton (759,000), bagged up one of the largest Day 1c stacks. You may recall that Thornton came close to winning a bracelet last year, finishing second in the $2,500 Mixed Limit Triple Draw event.

Several high-profile players punched their Day 2 tickets at the end of this flight. They included Drew O'Connell (699,000), Keven Stammen (699,000), Ray Henson (609,000), Allan Le (490,000), Mike Leah (348,000), Robert Mizrachi (273,000), Phil Laak (211,000), Yuval Bronshtein (124,000), and seven-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu (87,000).

Cards are back in the air from 12:00 p.m. local time on June 23.

Event #57: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Day 1c Top 10 Chip Counts

Jamie Gold is the Man to Catch After Day 2 of the Salute to Warriors

There is a very familiar name at the top of the chip counts in Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors as the tournament progresses to its third and final day. The 2006 WSOP Main Event champion Jamie Gold (15,700,000) is the man to catch with only 35 players remaining.

Gold cashed in this event in 2024 but crashed out early into the money places. This time around, he is close to adding a second bracelet to the Main Event jewelry he scooped 20 years ago.

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Only two other players crammed eighth figures' worth of chips into their overnight bags. India's Jeevan Lobo (14,850,000) and Japanese grinder Sho Shiratori (10,275,000) return on Gold's coattails.

Gold is the only player remaining who has tasted victory in a bracelet-awarding event. However, there are some talented players heading into Day 3, including Lexy Gavin-Mather (4,300,000), whose deepest run in a bracelet event was a sixth-place finish in the 2019 edition of the $1,000 Ladies Championship. Can she go five places deeper in this tournament?

Play resumes at 11:00 a.m. local time on June 23, continuing until only one man or woman has all of the chips in front of them.

Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts

Super Seniors Proves Popular With 3,332 Players Buying In on Day 1

The curtain came down on Day 1 of Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors after 10 levels. During that time, the 3,223 players who entered were reduced to a more manageable 836. While it was Antonio Gheller (321,000) who claimed the overnight chip lead, all eyes are on the 19 bracelet winners who punched their Day 2 tickets.

Kevin Song (192,500) looks set to add to his near-$4.9 million in live tournament earnings. He returns in the top 4% of the remaining players.

Others safely through, including Rob Hollink (149,500), Marsha Wolak (144,000), Robert Williamson (101,000), 2004 WSOP Main Event champion Greg Raymer (95,000), Barry Shulman (81,500), and Massoud Eskandari (52,500).

Day 2 gets underway from 11:00 a.m. local time on June 23.

Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

Blaz Zerjav Bags Big on Day 1 of the $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Event #62: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em saw 1,736 players reduced to a more manageable 312 over the course of 15 levels. At the top of the overnight chip counts is Slovenia's Blaz Zerjav (893,000).

Zerjav bagged a pair of bracelets in 2025. First, he won the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em event for $1,734,717. He then took down the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event. There's still a lot of poker to be played in this tournament, but Zerjav will be confident of adding a third bracelet to his collection.

A whole host of stars turned out for this event, and while many fell by the wayside, more than a dozen of them will take their seats on Day 2. They include high rollers Roman Hrabec (346,000) and Artur Martirosian (285,000), Main Event champions Martin Jacobson (244,000) and Damian Salas (224,000), and multiple bracelet winners Martin Kabrhel (217,000), Calvin Anderson (119,000), Chad Eveslage (108,000), and Aleksejs Ponakovs (92,000).

The returning players resume their quest for WSOP glory from 1:00 p.m. local time on June 23.

Event #62: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

What to Expect on Day 29 of the 2026 WSOP

Get ready for an action-packed day on June 23, as nine events are scheduled to take place at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.

Three in-play events resume at 11:00 a.m. local time, starting with Day 4 of Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker, where only 62 players remain in contention for what is a $1,250,000 top prize.

While the players in the Millionaire Maker make themselves comfortable, the final day of Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors, which will continue playing until a champion emerges, shuffles up and deals.

It is also an 11:00 a.m. local time start for Day 2 of Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors, where the plan is to complete another 10 levels.

As the clock strikes 12:00 p.m. local time, Day 2 of Event #57: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha gets underway. The plan for this event is to whittle the field down to only five players.

Day 3 of the ridiculously stacked Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship starts at 1:00 p.m. local time. Six more levels, each lasting 100 minutes, are on the cards. How many players will remain when the curtain comes down on proceedings?

Event #62: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em sees its second day start at 1:00 p.m. local time too.

Three new tournaments start for the first time on June 23, starting with Day 1a of Event #63: $1,000 Mystery Millions No-Limit Hold'em at 10:00 a.m. local time. This event is expected to be enormous. Last year, 19,654 players bought in, and Michael Wilklow outlasted them all to capture a $1 million top prize. The 2026 edition has five starting flights, each allowing two re-entries. Our traditional coverage of this event starts on Day 2, on June 28.

An all-star cast is expected to jump into Event #64: $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLHE Mixed. Cards are in the air from 12:00 p.m. local time. Lou Garza is this event's reigning champion. In 2025, Garza left 244 opponents in his wake as he got his hands on $1,302,233 and his second WSOP bracelet.

Last, but certainly not least, is Day 1 of Event #65: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em, where cards are in the air from 2:00 p.m. local time. Look out for Samuel Rosborough in the field because he is the reigning champion. He topped a 2,320-strong crowd in 2025 and walked away with $410,426 and his first WSOP 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 Benny Glaser Brian Rast Daniel Negreanu Chad Eveslage Jamie Gold Josh Arieh Jesse Lonis Kristopher Tong Martin Jacobson Martin Kabrhel Massoud Eskandari Phil Hellmuth Phil Ivey Robert Mizrachi Rob Hollink Schuyler Thornton Irene Carey

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