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John Wolfson Takes Big Lead into Day 2 of BPO Vegas World Championship
The final field is set after Day 1b of the Bar Poker Open 2026 Vegas World Championship, as another 19 players bagged up in the money to battle for a seat at the final table on Wednesday, June 10.
Another 373 entries joined the action at Golden Nugget Las Vegas for the second chance flight, the last shot for BPO online and league invitation winners to build a stack and earn a minimum payday of $600. That brough the total field to 1,031 entrants, creating a final prize pool of $345,385.
Setting the pace in the final flight was John Wolfson, who took the overall lead by collecting a massive stack of 1,770,000 chips. Wolfson, who represents Over the Top Poker League, flopped a full house late in the day to surge up the leaderboard and finish in top spot.
Stephen Thorn was the only other player to bag a seven-figure stack, totalling 1,130,000 chips to take second place on the day.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Wolfson | United States | 1,770,000 | 111 |
| 2 | Stephen Thorn | United States | 1,130,000 | 71 |
| 3 | Joseph Tymorek | United States | 845,000 | 53 |
| 4 | David Garrity | United States | 620,000 | 39 |
| 5 | Jason Bergman | United States | 610,000 | 38 |
| 6 | Anthony Garilli | United States | 560,000 | 35 |
| 7 | Michael Wyatt | United States | 545,000 | 34 |
| 8 | William Fierro | United States | 405,000 | 25 |
| 9 | Christopher Bricker | United States | 390,000 | 24 |
| 10 | Clint Dunn | United States | 380,000 | 24 |
Sunshine Poker League's Thorn hit the river to stay alive shortly after late registration closed, rode a string of late-night eliminations for there to vault into second spot. Joseph Tymorek rounds out the top three, sitting with 845,000 after holding the chip lead for several levels.
David Garrity (620,000) scored a big knockout once play reached the money, going runner-runner to make Broadway and beat a set of kings.
Sitting just behind Garrity in fifth position is Jason Bergman (610,000), who held with aces in a key spot before the money bubble.
Day 1b Bubbles
Many players were looking to follow up their survival on the opening day by chasing the $1,500 double bag bonus, including the lone Australian in the money. Elizabeth Rice earned her entry through the National Poker League, and was back for Day 1b after bagging a healthy stack in the opening flight.
Frank Johnson also returned to action after finishing with the second-largest stack on Day 1a1, but was unable to navigate his way into the money for a second time. Six others will also have to settle for their opening flight bag, with Les Mildenberg and Jaimie Trayler coming the closest to the bonus by making the money but not finding a bag.
Rice seemed to be on her way as the field thinned, but she lost lost a pivotal hand when her opponent made trips on the flop and was left with just a single T-1,000 chip. Rice was then forced all in on the stone bubble, unable to survive for a second night.
The final hand of the night came when Gabriel Khury shoved the last of his stack into a flush, finishing in 20th spot to leave the rest of the field moving forward to Day 2.
Action will resume on Wednesday, June 10 at 12:00 p.m. local time, as the remaining 53 players return to chase a seat at the final table.
Day 2 will see levels extend to 40 minutes in length, while tables will be eight-handed for the remainder of the tournament. Play will resume with 3:36 left in Level 16, with blinds of 8,000/16,000.
Breaks will continue after every two hours of play, and cards are scheduled to remain in the air until the final eight players are left standing.
The PokerNews live reporting and digital media teams will be providing full coverage, so don't miss any of the exciting action as the field narrows down on Day 2 at Golden Nugget Las Vegas.