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As the United States celebrated its 250th anniversary, there was a celebration at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas as well. To celebrate the beautiful game of poker, no fewer than 1,573 people traveled to Sin City to register for Day 1c of the flagship tournament of the 2026 World Series of Poker, the iconic Event #82: $10,000 WSOP Main Event NLH World Championship, making the total tally across Day 1a, 1b, and 1c stand at 3,383 entries, meaning $31,461,900 has already been collected in the prize pool.
While fireworks went off outside and the annual hot dog eating contest was displayed on the big screens inside the Paris Ballroom, hundreds of hopefuls from all walks of life sat down for their chance at becoming a world champion. Seasoned pros, super high-stakes regulars, content creators, amateurs taking their shot at the big one, and even musical cowboys sat down at the poker tables, all becoming equal once the cards were sent into the air by 2006 Main Event champion Jamie Gold.
After the five two-hour levels of Day 1c had been completed, about three-quarters of the field had booked their tickets to Day 2, with 1,166 bagging at the end of the night. Ian Matakis was one of the seasoned pros who made it through, amassing 118,700 after a swingy day. Super high roller Klemens Roiter more than doubled his starting stack with 126,800, and the one and only musical cowboy in the field, Duncan Horst, did not falter under the pressure of the cameras as he sang himself to a stack of 91,300.
But none of the players, no matter their background, could compare to chipleader Yulian Bogdanov. The top Bulgarian regular is well on his way to recording his sixth-ever WSOP Main Event cash, bagging a massive 315,000, worth nearly 400 big blinds at the start of Day 2. Lithuanian native Arturas Astrauskas follows with 296,700, while 25k Fantasy pick Lawrence Brandt, the Hello Kitty-sporting Justin Arnwine, and old-school legend Freddy Deeb also appear in the unofficial top ten chip counts.
Unofficial End of Day 1c Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yulian Bogdanov | Bulgaria | 315,000 | 394 |
| 2 | Arturas Astrauskas | Lithuania | 296,700 | 371 |
| 3 | Lawrence Brandt | United States | 292,800 | 366 |
| 4 | Rahul Gangan | United States | 291,600 | 365 |
| 5 | Jourdan Baptiste | United States | 281,600 | 352 |
| 6 | Justin Arnwine | United States | 280,600 | 351 |
| 7 | Gaspar Fernandez | Argentina | 279,000 | 349 |
| 8 | Freddy Deeb | Lebanon | 267,800 | 335 |
| 9 | Simon Wilson | Ireland | 264,000 | 330 |
| 10 | Naveen Sama | India | 256,500 | 321 |
Among all the names, one really stood out, however. After a hiatus of eight years (from Vegas, not WSOP Europe), Annette Obrestad returned to the WSOP. It has been 13 years since Obrestad’s one and only Main Event cash, a deep run that ended in 89th place. After playing much of the day on one of the streamed tables, Obrestad ended what she called a “slow day” with 44,200, just under the starting stack of 60,000. Still, she is looking forward to continuing her journey on Day 2
“It feels good being back,” she shared as she was done bagging her chips. “It feels like nothing’s changed, but also lots has changed. It’s difficult to explain. I feel like I’m more where I should be. My drive for tournaments is not as strong as it used to be, but the Main is still special. I’m excited for the days to come.”
Gold, meanwhile, was joined by two fellow Main Event winners. However, Martin Jacobson and Qui Nguyen departed the field in quick succession. Jacobson’s queens were outflopped by Alain Benabou, who made it to Day 2 with 177,400, while Nguyen jammed his short stack into the kings of Alberto Morales (242,000). Gold was also not able to make it to the end of the day, while David Benyamine saw his Main Event crushed by Gonzalo Velozo (65,000), and Aylar Lie joined the champions at the rail after running a full house into Renan Revinthis’ (132,000) quads.
Notable players who bagged six-figure stacks on Day 1c include prolific bracelet winners Dylan Smith (205,500), Brian Hastings (178,100), Jerry Wong (158,000), Brian Rast (119,100), Jessica Teusl (116,300), and best-without-a-bracelet contender Chino Rheem (171,300).
The 1,166 survivors of Day 1c will join their 1,810 fellow returning players from Day 1a and Day 1b on June 6 at 11 a.m. local time, where they will combine for Day 2abc. The massive Day 1d, meanwhile, is scheduled for July 5, starting at 11 a.m. local time, and playing the same five two-hour levels as the previous three days.
Thousands are expected to descend upon the WSOP for Day 1d, so make sure to tune back in to the PokerNews updates as our industry-leading Main Event coverage will resume on July 5.
