button in SafariMichael Rossitto Leads Day 3 of The WSOP Main Event
As the summer rounds the last corner to its end, the crown jewel of the 2026 WSOP sees its action just ramping up. This year, Event #82: $10,000 Main Event drew out a total of 9,208 entrants to generate a prize pool of $85,634,000, making this the fourth biggest main event in the 56 years of the WSOP.
All the 3,294 remaining players today combine for the first time and begin the next leg of their journey to make the money. Only 1,382 will be walking away with a minimum cash of $15,000 and time will tell whether or not Day 3 or 4 will be the bubble bursting day. Sitting up top along with the $10,000,000 cash prize is the WSOP Main Event bracelet and a chance to be immortalized in the annals of poker history.
Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Rossitto | United States | 770,500 | 308 |
| 2 | Gaspar Fernandez | Argentina | 754,000 | 302 |
| 3 | Jeff Fenster | United States | 747,000 | 299 |
| 4 | Yannick Schumacher | Germany | 738,000 | 295 |
| 5 | Mason Vieth | United States | 730,000 | 292 |
| 6 | Robert Gill | United States | 728,500 | 291 |
| 7 | Joseph Baghdalian | United States | 705,000 | 282 |
| 8 | Arturas Astrauskas | Lithuania | 646,500 | 259 |
| 9 | Farid Jattin | Colombia | 630,000 | 252 |
| 10 | Michael Banducci | United States | 630,000 | 252 |
Leading the way of the field is Day 2d’s leader, Michael Rossitto (770,500). A familiar face on the tournament circuit, Rossitto has collected over $5 million in live earnings according to Hendon Mob with three WSOP final tables on his resume. He and his podium mates Gaspar Fernandez (754,000) and Jeff Fenster (747,000) are each looking for their first WSOP bracelet.
Many other of the game’s greats found their way into today’s play and are looking to etch their name into this summer’s history. Farid Jattin (630,000) and Terrance Reid (597,500) hold sizable stacks coming into the day. Others that looked to capitalize during the day are Alex Foxen (493,500), Brian Hastings (490,000), Will Givens (483,500), Brian Yoon (386,500), Freddy Deeb (383,000) and WSOP POYs like Ian Matakis (374,500), Shaun Deeb (368,500) and Scott Seiver (282,000). They will be among the thousands of contenders in the hunt for this title.
39 former main event champions are still alive today and of that number, just 12 have advanced into Day 3 in the hopes of becoming the first multi-time champion since 1997. Defending his crown is nine-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi (202,500), who is fresh off of his ninth WSOP bracelet win this year. The list of players with ten or more bracelets just contains five players, but a win here would add a sixth name to the list.
One of the names on that list is 17-time WSOP bracelet winner and 1989 Main Event champion Phil Hellmuth (173,000), who sits looking to further extend his all time lead. 2004 champion Greg Raymer (291,000), 1996 champion Huck Seed (83,000), 2012 champion Greg Merson (79,000) advanced through Day 2abc, while John Cynn (403,000), Ryan Riess (395,000), Hossein Ensan (236,500), Scott Blumstein (218,000), Joe Hachem (135,000), Joe Mckeehen (102,500) and Chris Moneymaker (221,000) all advanced from Day 2d with a chance to become a two-time champion.
Play will resume at 11:00 am with players coming back to Level 11. Blinds will be 1,000/2,500, with a 2,500 big blind ante. Levels will last two hours each, with a 20-minute break occurring at the end of each level. At the conclusion of Level 13 (around 6:00 pm) there will be a 60-minute dinner break. After that, the players will return and play two more levels before bagging up for the evening.
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the exciting updates on the ground of the 2026 WSOP at Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.