2026 World Series of Poker
Chip Counts
David Meghory fired 3,300 into a pot of 6,000 from the hijack on a 4♦10♥A♦5♠ turn. Stephen Smith check-called in the big blind, and check-called again when Meghory barreled for 7,000 on the 10♣ river.
Meghory could only show a bluff with K♣Q♦, leaving Smith to take the pot with A♠Q♠ for top pair.
Jamie Gold, the 2006 World Champ, announced "shuffle up and deal" just after 11 a.m. on Saturday before the Day 1c session kicked off in the 2026 WSOP Main Event.
Moments later, a player dusted off all 300 big blinds worth of chips to bust the $10,000 buy-in tournament. That player was Dewitt Newkirk, a licensed general contractor from North Carolina with no Hendon Mob resullts. He was the first out of over 925 initial entrants from the session to be sent home. And it took almost no time for the elimination to happen.
There were roughly 21,000 chips in the pot on Q♥2♣8♥A♣3♣.
Augustas Bareisa in middle position checked to Kong Wang, who was in the cutoff, and he fired out a bet of 8,500. Bareisa looked up at the clock for a few moments, then made the call.
Wang tabled A♥9♥, but could not beat the middle set of Bareisa as he tabled 8♣8♦ to take the pot.
On a flop of 6♥3♣2♦, Masao Watanabe in the small blind check-raised from 2,400 to 6,000, and Mark Kelly called on the button. They checked the 10♣ turn and Watanabe bet the K♦ river for 14,000. Kelly instantly declared "call" and was shown the A♦Q♠ for a bluff, which Kelly had beat holding A♥K♠ for a rivered pair of kings.
In a pot of 4,700, a quartet of players went to the 7♥J♥K♥ flop, which they checked through. It was checked to Stephen Smith on the button on the 8♥ turn, and he took a stab of 1,200. David Meghory called in early position before Steven Crossmock and Peter Columbia both folded in middle position.
The 9♥ river went check, check. Meghory showed A♥4♥ for the ace-high flush, and Smith quickly mucked his cards.
On the next deal, Gabriel Plesent raised to 600 on the button. Small blind Romain Lewis had recently taken his seat and three-bet to 2,000 in the small blind. Plesent quickly folded, granting the pot to Lewis.
A preflop raising war saw Michael Tweedlie get all of the chips into the middle against Abbas Heidari and it was the most classic of setups that unfolded.
Abbas Heidari: A♠A♦
Michael Tweedlie: K♥K♣
The J♦4♦3♥ flop was safe for Heidari as was the 4♣ on the turn. However, Tweedlie spiked the K♠ on the river and that spelled the end for Heidari. Both stacks were counted and the very active Tweedlie had chipped up to more than 65,000 already to knock out Heidari as second casualty on Day 1c.
He was followed by Jesse McVicker a few minutes later.
There were roughly 4,000 chips in the pot on 10♣J♥J♠5♦.
Kerdley Micourt who was in the cutoff bet 2,100 and Yong Lee in the big blind made the call.
Both players decided to check on the 3♠ river, and Yong quickly tabled his hand of J♦6♥ to scoop the pot.
This hand was picked up on a flop that read 2♦K♠3♠ with 1,600 in the middle. Howard Hankin from the small blind checked it over to Yan Poudrier, who bet 1,200 from the hijack.
Hankin made the call to usher in the 8♥ turn. Both players checked to bring the 9♥ river. Hankin took the initiative with a bet of 2,100, which resulted in a call from Poudrier.
Hankin showed 10♣9♦ for a rivered pair of nines, but that was no good as Poudrier revealed K♥10♥ for a pair of kings to claim the pot.
On a completed board of A♦8♥2♥K♠4♥, Peter Dykes led for 5,200, about half of what was in the middle, from the big blind. On the button, Benjamin Huegel cut out a raise to 16,000, putting Dykes into the blender.
Over a minute would roll of the clock before Dykes decided to toss in calling chips. However, he got the bad news as Huegel tabled Q♥7♥ for the second-nut flush, and his river raise got paid as he scooped a big one early.