button in SafariWong Leads 381 Survivors Into Day 2 of the U.S. Circuit Championship
Day 2 of Event #16: $1,700 U.S. Circuit Championship at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas is set to get underway at 12 p.m. local time.
One of the newest additions to the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) schedule, the event attracted 2,148 entries in yesterday's opening flight, generating a prize pool of $3,231,666.
A total of 381 players advanced from the starting flight and will return for Day 2. With only 323 spots paid, the field is less than 60 eliminations away from the money, where a min-cash of $3,420 awaits. Beyond that, players will be chasing the coveted WSOP gold bracelet and the top prize of $439,605.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | She Wong | United States | 994,000 | 124 |
| 2 | Michael Wilklow | United States | 852,000 | 107 |
| 3 | Scott Horvath | United States | 823,000 | 103 |
| 4 | Zachary Gergen | United States | 755,000 | 94 |
| 5 | Cezar Quiambao | Philippines | 746,000 | 93 |
| 6 | Antonio Vargas | United States | 739,000 | 92 |
| 7 | Christos Argyriadis | Greece | 690,000 | 86 |
| 8 | David Schneider | United States | 644,000 | 81 |
| 9 | Ivan Ruban | Russia | 637,000 | 80 |
| 10 | Joshua Wang | China | 598,000 | 75 |
Leading the way heading into Day 2 is She Wong, who topped the overnight leaderboard with 994,000 chips. With more than $1.1 million in recorded live tournament earnings, Wong is well positioned to add another deep run to an already impressive résumé.
Sitting second in chips is Michael Wilklow, who enjoyed a fast start to the tournament. The reigning Mystery Millions champion from last summer bagged 852,000 and will be one of the players to watch when action resumes.
Several bracelet winners also remain in contention, including Austrian Daniel Rezaei (560,000), seven-time bracelet winner Josh Arieh (421,000), two-time Ladies Championship winner Shiina Okamoto (359,000), and 2015 WSOP Main Event winner Joe McKeehen (240,000).
Further down the chip counts are Norwegian poker pro Jon Kyte (88,000), one of the picks in the 25K Fantasy Draft, double bracelet winner Renji Mao (71,000), 2024 WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Tamayo (65,000), and Shannon Shorr (40,000), all of whom will be looking to build momentum early in the day.
Play resumes at Level 16 with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and an 8,000 big blind ante. The schedule calls for ten 60-minute levels, with the remaining players advancing to Day 3 at the end of the night.
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As always, PokerNews will be on the floor providing live updates, chip counts, and all the key moments from the 2026 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.