Final 114 Contenders Chasing PokerStars Open Main Event Trophy in Philadelphia
After four gruelling flights at the 2026 PokerStars Open Philadelphia series, the time has come to play down to a champion in the $1,100 Main Event.
The tournament attracted a total of 896 entries, easily exceeding the advertised guarantee to create a prize pool of $860,160. That will be up for grabs today at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, when the final 114 players return at 11:15 a.m. local time.
The top three in the chip counts led their opening flights, with Rajath Tangam (1,100,000) sitting on top as the only player to bag more than a million chips. That came during the third flight, where Tangam finished with a lead of almost 400,000 chips over his nearest competitor.
Tangam holds a smaller advantage in the overall counts, as Day 1a leader Abel Gebeyehu (992,000) came the closest to joining the seven-figure club. The final flight was led by Lingkun Lu (862,000), who bagged up a slim lead in the largest flight to round out the top three.
The other flight leader was Michael Hager (637,000), who collected the most chips on Day 1b but sits 11th overall heading into the final day of action.
$1,100 Main Event Top Ten Overall Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rajath Tangam | United States | 1,100,000 |
| 2 | Abel Gebeyehu | United States | 992,000 |
| 3 | Lingkun Lu | United States | 862,000 |
| 4 | Sean Coates | United States | 810,000 |
| 5 | Greg Himmelbrand | United States | 809,000 |
| 6 | Yunye Lu | China | 744,000 |
| 7 | David Kinane | United States | 724,000 |
| 8 | Thilbaud Martin | France | 721,000 |
| 9 | Angel Lopez | United States | 651,000 |
| 10 | Daniel Fisher | United States | 637,000 |
While others were busy trying to earn a spot in the money over the final two flights, PokerStars Ambassador Jennifer Shahade (419,000) had taken care of that on Day 1b and left herself free to hit the felt in other events.
That included the Women's event, which Shahade took down on Friday night to capture her very first spade. She'll now be hunting for a bigger first-place prize, joined in the field by fellow Team Pro Arlie Shaban (427,000) as both sit in the middle of the pack entering the money.
Another storyline to watch will be Edward Leonard (496,000), who claimed the PokerStars trophy in this very event last year for $126,507 after a three-way deal.
$1,100 Main Event Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $126,705 | 10-12 | $9,400 | 55-63 | $4,000 |
| 2 | $80,705 | 13-15 | $8,600 | 64-72 | $3,650 |
| 3 | $56,400 | 16-18 | $7,800 | 73-81 | $3,300 |
| 4 | $41,400 | 19-21 | $7,000 | 82-90 | $3,000 |
| 5 | $31,400 | 22-24 | $6,400 | 91-98 | $2,700 |
| 6 | $25,400 | 25-27 | $5,800 | 99-108 | $2,450 |
| 7 | $20,400 | 28-36 | $5,200 | 109-114 | $2,200 |
| 8 | $15,900 | 37-45 | $4,800 | ||
| 9 | $12,400 | 46-54 | $4,400 |
Action will begin with 5:00 remaining of Level 16, where blinds will be 3,000/6,000 along with a 6,000 big blind ante. The clock will remain at 40 minutes for each level, with 15-minute breaks after every two hours of play.
The final 114 players all return in the money, having locked up at least $2,200. The top prize of $126,705 awaits the champion, along with the coveted trophy at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be there every step of the way, so be sure to stay tuned as we play down to a winner in the PokerStars Open Philadelphia Main Event.