button in SafariGaspar Fernandez Takes the Lead As Former Champs Rise and Fall in Day 2abc of Main Event
Day 2abc of the 2026 Main Event was one of sweet reunions (and many departures), as 2,468 hopefuls from the first three starting flights returned to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas to continue their journey toward claiming the crown jewel of poker — the World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet.
The returnees were joined by 312 late entrants who took advantage of the option to register on Day 2, bringing the total number of entries to 8,389 and growing the prize pool to $78,017,700 with one day remaining for late registration. By the time the last card was dealt, however, only 1,260 players were able to bag up chips for Day 3.
Besting them all was Argentina's Gaspar Fernandez with a stack worth 754,000 — good for just over 300 big blinds at the start of Day 3. Hot on his heels is Texas native Mason Vieth with 730,000.
Vieth, a dairy farmer who commonly goes by "Milkman," shared some words with PokerNews as he was bagging up for the night.
"I started off with a great table today. I ran kind of good. I did some big bluffs early on. I got moved to this table right here later in the day, and I really ran hot. I set over set a guy, and cracked aces with a set."
Vieth, who boasts over $1 million in live-tournament earnings, said his primary focus has been on the Main Event and he feels confident going forward.
"I feel great. I know I can put max pressure and ride the heater. I've been looking forward to this for three weeks. I was hanging out at the farm, just preparing for the Main Event only, really. I didn't really care about the other events that much, just the Main [Event]."
Unofficial Day 2abc Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaspar Fernandez | Argentina | 754,000 | 302 |
| 2 | Mason Vieth | United States | 730,000 | 292 |
| 3 | Arturas Astrauskas | Lithuania | 646,500 | 259 |
| 4 | Michael Banducci | United States | 630,000 | 252 |
| 5 | Daan Mulders | Netherlands | 629,500 | 252 |
| 6 | Miguel Riera | Spain | 592,000 | 237 |
| 7 | Chiori Gannon | United States | 589,500 | 236 |
| 8 | Kevin Ordet | United States | 584,000 | 234 |
| 9 | Haruna Fujita | Japan | 551,500 | 221 |
| 10 | Peter Patricio | Brazil | 543,500 | 217 |
Among the late arrivals, none made a bigger splash out of the gate than Sasha Liu. From cracking kings with jack-five suited to picking off a massive bluff with aces, Liu proved to be an unstoppable force from the get go. By the second break of the day, Liu had nearly multiplied her stack tenfold. However, while Liu looked poised to run away with the lead, her momentum largely halted in the latter half of the day, but was still enough to end with a substantial stack of 495,500.
Former Champions Give Mixed Results
Day 2abc contained no shortage of players who had already etched their names in Main Event history, with eight previous Main Event champions taking their seats in search of repeat glory.
Faring best of the bunch was 2004 Main Event champion Greg Raymer after a last-minute double up vaulted his stack to a well-above-average 291,000.
Recently inducted Poker Hall of Famer, nine-time bracelet winner, and defending Main Event champion Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi also had a productive day after spinning up a modest stack of 73,000 at the start of play to 202,500. While still early, Mizrachi is in the running to become the first back-to-back Main Event champion since Johnny Chan, who accomplished the feat by winning both in 1987 and 1988.
"I started the day with 72 or 73 and ended with 202, so it's looking like a repeat!" Mizrachi said to Jeff Platt shortly after bagging.
Seventeen-time bracelet winner and 1989 Main Event champion Phil Hellmuth shared the field with his son Nicholas Hellmuth, who was continuing his Main Event debut. The senior of the two found himself on the fortunate end of a set-over-set cooler for an early double up and was sent to the stream table, where he maintained a healthy stack to end with 173,000. Meanwhile, his son nursed a short stack for much of the day and scored a couple of clutch double-ups late in the day to keep his run alive with 24,000.
The other champs who will be joining Raymer, Mizrachi, and Hellmuth on Day 3 are Huck Seed (83,000) and Greg Merson (79,000). The latter built up a big stack by the last level of play but lost the majority of it on the final level after running two pair into Michael Gaskins' set.
Less fortunate among the Main Event champions were Joe Cada, Damian Salas, and Daniel Weinman — all of whom busted before the end of play. Others notables who who will also have to wait for Main Event redemption include Jason Koon, Antonio Esfandiari, Adam Hendrix, Nick Rigby, Matt Vengrin, and Elaine Rawn — who fell victim to quads against Elia Ahmadian in a massive pot just before dinner break.
Notables who managed to bag big stacks include Tony Dunst (479,000), Martin Zamani (460,000), Brian Hastings (409,000), Freddy Deeb (383,000) and Ryuta Nakai. Nakai entered the day with the overall chip lead, but a roller-coaster of a day saw him slip to under 100,000 before ultimately recovering to end with 235,500.
The 3,638 survivors from Day 1d will reconvene for Day 2d on Tuesday, July 7, at 11 a.m. Play will get back underway on Level 6, which features 400/800 blinds with an 800 big-blind ante.
Late registration for the Main Event will officially close on Day 2d at the start of Level 8 (~3:45 p.m.) At the time of writing, nearly 200 additional players have registered, and many more are expected. Everyone who bags from either Day 2 flight will meet for Day 3 on Wednesday, July 8, at 11 a.m.
For all the latest, be sure to stick with PokerNews as the long quest to crown the 2026 Main Event champion continues!