A Champion Will Be Crowned
The stage is set for Day 2 of the 2026 Bar Poker Open Florida World Championship hosted at the Palm Beach Kennel Club, as a total of 33 players are slated to return for an opportunity to get their chunk of the $105,600 prize pool and the $26,400 first-place prize.
Vangjel Haxhia of New York Free Poker (1,004,000), Bryan Ducharme of No Limit Pub Poker Tour (920,000), and J.P. Terrasi (615,000) enter Day 2 as the top three stacks in the room.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | League | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vangjel Haxhia | United States | New York Free Poker | 1,004,000 | 84 |
| 2 | Bryan Ducharme | United States | No Limit Pub Poker Tour | 920,000 | 77 |
| 3 | J.P. Terrasi | United States | No Limit Pub Poker Tour | 615,000 | 51 |
| 4 | David Short | United States | No Limit Pub Poker Tour | 393,000 | 33 |
| 5 | Alfred Cotten | United States | No Limit Pub Poker Tour | 581,000 | 48 |
| 6 | Jerry Hill | United States | Deepstacks Poker League | 546,000 | 46 |
| 7 | Ron Mangiarelli | United States | Pikes Peak Poker | 474,000 | 40 |
| 8 | Robert Savadge | United States | No Limit Pub Poker Tour | 418,000 | 35 |
| 9 | Pat Aguiar | United States | Eastern Poker Tour | 380,000 | 32 |
| 10 | Marianna Laccetti | United States | No Limit Pub Poker Tour | 361,000 | 30 |
Haxhia had quite a rush on Day 1b, highlighted by hitting four of a kind to eliminate an opponent late in the day. He was the only player to enter Day 2 already in seven figures and shared with PokerNews that he believes this was his first time entering Day 2 as the chip leader despite playing Bar Poker Open tournaments for a long time.
Ducharme had a rough start to Day 1a, but rallied in the back half of the flight to come into Day 2 second in chips overall. Ducharme’s day turned around when he hit a set to crack the pocket jacks of his opponent to go on to bag as the Day 1a chip leader.
A total of seven different leagues will be represented on Day 2. Ron Mangiarelli (474,000), for example, comes from Colorado, representing Pikes Peak Poker with a healthy stack as he pursues a main event title. On the other end of the chip counts was Jolanda Tedford (34,000), who came with her husband from Utah as representatives of Str8 Luck. Tedford will have an uphill climb as she will enter with three big blinds as she looks to replicate her league name and make a run at a title.
Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $26,400 | 8 | $2,640 |
| 2 | $15,480 | 9 | $2,112 |
| 3 | $10,560 | 10-12 | $1,513 |
| 4 | $7,392 | 13-15 | $1,320 |
| 5 | $5,808 | 16-18 | $1,161 |
| 6 | $4,752 | 19-27 | $1,003 |
| 7 | $3,696 | 28-33 | $897 |
Day 2 will play down to a winner where a new champion will be crowned. Play is scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m. Gorilla Gaming is scheduled to livestream the final table with cards-up coverage. The estimated time of the final table is scheduled to approximately begin at 6 p.m. local time.
Stay here at PokerNews for continued coverage and updates on Day 2 action at the 2026 Bar Poker Open Florida World Championship, as a new champion will emerge at the Palm Beach Kennel Club Poker Room.