2026 WSOP Day 6: Phil Hellmuth in Contention For 18th WSOP Bracelet

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Jun 01, 2026 7 min read

The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) reached its sixth day on May 31 and it was a day that had everything. You could hear Andrew Shelton's voice all around the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas when he opened the top bounty in Event #1: $550 Mini Mystery Millions and became an instant millionaire.

Then you had Daniel Negreanu surrendering a 10:1 lead in his Event #7: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship match before Michael Casella denied Nick Schulman his eighth bracelet in Event #8: $1,500 Badugi. Oh, and a certain Phil Hellmuth reached the final day of Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship. What a day!

Hellmuth did what Hellmuth likes to do and bought into the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship fashionably late, one of 42 late entrants. The 17-time WSOP bracelet winner sat down with 60,000 chips, which he turned into 665,000 over the next 12 hours.

"The Poker Brat" was the player who popped the money bubble, sending $1,500 Seven Card Stud runner-up Brian Yoon empty-handed. Hellmuth returns on Day 3 with eight big bets, placing him sixth of the 15 returning players, and with a legitimate shot of capturing his 18th bracelet.

Standing between Hellmuth and another bracelet are a whole host of stars. They include chip leader Scott Clements (1,980,000), who is looking to win bracelet number four. Dylan Weisman (1,940,000) and Hall of Famer Todd Brunson (1,280,000) are also present and correct, as are Nam Le (1,180,000), Josh Arieh (1,120,000), James Obst (530,000), reigning champion Ryan Bambrick (410,000), and Robert Mizrachi (330,000).

Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 1 with all eyes on Hellmuth.

Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts

David Prociak Leads Going Into the Mini Mystery Millions' Final Day

The gargantuan 20,488-strong field in Event #1: $550 Mini Mystery Millions has been whittled to only 13 players, with three-time bracelet winner David Prociak (88,000,000) leading them back into battle for the final day's play.

Although the $1 million jackpot bounty has already been won, there's still the not-so-small matter of a $400,000 first-place prize and a coveted gold bracelet to play for.

As mentioned, it is Prociak who leads the way, closely followed by Alexander Kaviani (81,500,000). There's then some distance between the top two and Jurgen Pirgu (45,500,000 in third place.

France's Axel Bayout (43,000,000) returns in fourth place as he hunts his second bracelet, while India's Kartik Ved (35,000,000) could also become a two-time bracelet winner.

Day 3 of this remarkable tournament starts at 2:00 p.m. local time on June 1, an hour later than the WSOP LIVE app originally showed. Join PokerNews at that time to discover who becomes this event's worthy champion.

Event #1: $550 Mini Mystery Millions Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts

Alex Foxen, Ryuta Nakai, Dimitar Danchev, and Nikita Kuznetsov Through to $25K Heads-Up Final Four

While it was Daniel Negreanu hogging the headlines for all the wrong reasons in Event #7: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship, there are four players hoping to see their name up in lights in the next 24 hours.

Alex Foxen has an opportunity to win his fourth bracelet after progressing to this event's final day. Bulgarian star Dimitar Danchev has one hand on what would be his second bracelet, while Japanese star Ryuta Nakai and Nikita Kuznetsov are both hoping to capture their maiden piece of WSOP hardware. Nakai and Danchev will face off in one semi-final, with Foxen taking on Kuznetsov in the other.

All four players have had to be at their brilliant best to reach the Final Four. They only need one more day of playing their A-game to bring the bracelet and $800,000 top prize home.

Discover who comes out on top in this event by tuning into PokerNews from 3:30 p.m. local time on June 1.

$600 Deepstack Attracts 4,622 Entrants; Marco Johnson Bags Big

Event #10: $600 Deepstack No-Limit Hold'em drew in a 4,622-strong crowd, but only 230 of those starters had chips requiring bagging and tagging when Day 1 concluded. Flying high at the end of that first day was none other than Marco Johnson (1,535,000), a two-time bracelet winner and a player considered to be one of the most dangerous in the game.

Johnson is such a big name that he almost looks out of place in a $600 buy-in event, but the fact that he's in the mix in this event is a testament to how strong a WSOP bracelet's lure is.

Lucky WSOP Player Pulls $1 Million Bounty in Mini Mystery Millions

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Adam Cohen (2,345,000) finished at the top of the counts, with the likes of Stephen Dauphinais (1,050,000), three-time bracelet winner Ryan Hughes (780,000), Alen Bakovic (595,000), Isaac Hagerling (585,000), Christopher Chatman (530,000), Jason James (485,000), and Kenneth Kim (450,000) among the Day 1 survivors.

Play in this event resumes at 11:00 a.m. local time, with the plan to play down to a winner.

Event #10: $600 Deepstack No-Limit Hold'em Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

Phil Ivey Progresses to Day 2 of the $10,000 GGMillion$ High Roller

There are few, if any, names in poker bigger than that of Phil Ivey. The 11-time WSOP bracelet winner attracts attention wherever he goes, so you can imagine the excitement around the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas when Ivey bagged up at the end of Day 1 in Event #11: $10,000 GGMillion$ High Roller.

Ivey was one of 92 players who punched their Day 2 tickets from a field of 194. The legendary figure finished his Day 1 with 117,500 chips, placing him 71st. While that doesn't sound too great for Ivey fans, the structure of this event means their hero returns to the action with almost 60 big blinds.

Daniel Negreanu also jumped into this event shortly after exiting the $25K Heads-Up event. Negreanu, a father-to-be, fared better than Ivey, bagging up 154,000 chips as Day 1 ended.

As you would expect from a high-stakes No-Limit Hold'em event, the Day 1a field was littered with bracelet winners, $25K Fantasy Draft picks, and elite-level players. Chih Fan (846,500) topped the counts, while Dong Chen (445,500), Barak Wisbrod (443,000), and Ren Lin (347,000) finished in the top 10.

Lower down the counts is where you find such luminaries as Justin Fawcett (332,000), Thomas Muehloecker (316,000), Andrew "Lucky Chewy" Lichtenberger (292,500), Renat Bohdanov (288,000), Chad Eveslage (258,000), Aleksejs Ponakovs (254,500), Faraz Jaka (175,000), Jesse Lonis (159,000), and Adrian Mateos (153,000).

Day 1b of this eye-catching tournament shuffles up and deals at 12:00 p.m. local time on June 1, with PokerNews' traditional coverage starting on June 2.

Event #11: $10,000 GGMillion$ High Roller Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts

$1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Attracts a Bumper Crowd

A field of 626 entrants battled it out in Event #12: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw, an increase from the 532 who competed in 2025. That bumper crowd resulted in an $831,015 prize pool, with the top 94 finishers sharing it, and the champion banking $155,819.

Patrick Leonard (379,000) bagged up the seventh-largest stack when time was called on proceedings. Leonard is looking for his second bracelet, having received one for his victory with Espen Jorstad in the $1,000 Tag Team event in 2022.

Only Andrew Park (765,000), Brian Breck (638,000), Jorge Ufano (590,000), Jerry Wong (470,000), Philip Jaffe (429,000), and Tal Avivi (400,000) return on Day 2 with larger stacks than Leonard's.

Day 2 also sees Jason Mercier (355,000), Justin Liberto (336,000), Patrick Moulder (311,000), and Jon Kyte (301,000) lurking outside the top 10, while Dario Sammartino (283,000), David "ODB" Baker (268,000), Shawn Buchanan (103,000), Ryutaro Suzuki (97,000), Ari Engel (65,000), and Bryce Yockey (25,000) return.

This tournament resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 1, and PokerNews will bring you all of the action.

Event #12: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Top 10 Chip Counts

What to Expect on Day 7 of the 2026 WSOP

June 1 marks the one-week point of the 2026 WSOP, and it is going to be a busy day indeed. No fewer than eight events will be in play at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, consisting of six in-play events and two newcomers.

The first of the in-play events to resume on Day 7 is Event #10: $600 Deepstack No-Limit Hold'em. It shuffles up and deals at 11:00 a.m. local time, continuing until a champion emerges and claims the $259,829 top prize.

An hour later, at 12:00 p.m. local time, Day 1b of Event #11: $10,000 GGMillion$ commences. Day 1a attracted 194 entrants, and an even larger field is expected for this second and final flight.

Both the final day of Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship and Day 2 of Event #12: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw get underway at 1:00 p.m. local time.

The final day of Event #1: $550 Mini Mystery Millions starts at 2:00 p.m. local time with only 13 vying for the $400,000 top prize. Please note that the WSOP LIVE app states a 1:00 p.m. local time start, but the tournament directors have said it begins an hour later.

It is a 3:30 p.m. local time start for the final day of Event #7: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em. Alex Foxen, Dimitar Danchev, Nikita Kuznetsov, and Ryuta Nakai are the only quartet left in this tournament.

The first new event of the day is actually the tournament that kicks everything off. Event #13: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em begins at 10:00 a.m. local time on June 1. Last year's tournament saw Christopher Staats leave 2,353 opponents in his wake, earning his first bracelet and $414,950 in prize money. Short-handed No-Limit Hold'em tournaments always draw in the crowds; this one should be no different.

At 2:00 p.m. local time, Event #14: $1,500 Mixed PLO Hi-Lo 8/Omaha Hi-Lo 8/B Big O kicks off. If you love split-pot Omaha, this is the event for you! British superstar Benny Glaser is this event's reigning champion, having triumphed over 1,238 opponents in 2025. This bracelet was Glaser's second of that summer and his seventh overall. Expect him to be among the entrants as he attempts to defend his title.

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 2026 WSOP Adam Cohen Adrian Mateos Alex Foxen Benny Glaser Chad Eveslage Dimitar Danchev Dylan Weisman Espen Jorstad Faraz Jaka Jon Kyte Jason Mercier Marco Johnson Phil Hellmuth Nick Schulman Nikita Kuznetsov Patrick Leonard Robert Mizrachi Ryan B

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