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Bar Poker Open Contenders Combine for Day 2 of Vegas World Championship
The opening flights of the Bar Poker Open 2026 Vegas World Championship produced plenty of quads and even a straight flush as 1,032 entrants battled for a share of the $345,720 prize pool.
Today at 12 p.m. local time, the remaining 54 players return to Golden Nugget Las Vegas in the money, looking for a spot at the final table.
The Day 2 leaderboard is topped by John Wolfson (1,770,000), who took the overall lead by bagging a massive stack on the second chance flight. That puts the Over the Top Poker League player firmly in front, with a clear advantage over Day 1a1 chip leader Ian Auvil (1,355,000).
The other opening flight was led by Henry Hearns (1,070,000), who sits fifth overall heading into the resumption of play.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Wolfson | United States | 1,770,000 | 111 |
| 2 | Ian Auvil | United States | 1,355,000 | 85 |
| 3 | Frank Johnson | United States | 1,350,000 | 84 |
| 4 | Stephen Thorn | United States | 1,130,000 | 71 |
| 5 | Henry Hearns | United States | 1,070,000 | 67 |
| 6 | Germain Mingo | United States | 1,025,000 | 64 |
| 7 | Joseph Tymorek | United States | 845,000 | 53 |
| 8 | Roxanne LoGrande | United States | 775,000 | 48 |
| 9 | Jeff Fisher | United States | 740,000 | 46 |
| 10 | Gorav Sangal | United States | 695,000 | 43 |
Sitting just outside the top ten is Les Mildenberg, who survived the opening flight before adding another cash on Day 1b. Jaimie Trayler also made the money twice, but will have some work to do as the short stack heading into action today.
Among the contenders with a playable stack is Elizabeth Rice (580,000), who is the lone qualifier remaining from Australia's National Poker League. Rice came close to joining the group with Mildenberg and Trayler, but fell on the Day 1b money bubble after being forced all in for her last chip.
The field grew by one from the 53 players that found a bag, as Chris Haer qualified directly into Day 2 with a starting stack of 485,000.
Players will return to one of seven tables that will be ready for action at noon local time, with blinds rolled back to the earliest level from the opening flights. The clock will begin with less than four minutes left in Level 16, with blinds of 8,000/16,000 and a 16,000 big blind ante.
Levels will lengthen to 40 minutes, and all tables will be eight-handed for the final two days of the event. There will be scheduled breaks after every three levels, and action will continue until the official final table of eight is determined.
Full payout information will be available as play resumes, with all 54 players having locked up at least $700.
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Don't miss any of the action of the Bar Poker Open, as PokerNews will continue to deliver full coverage of the Vegas World Championship until a champion is crowned on Thursday, June 11.