PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 3 (June 8). Until then, we will be keeping readers informed with updates on chip counts and core event statistics, including entries and prize pool. Scroll down to see more.
There was no shortage of big moments and big hands during the first week of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Daniel Negreanu lost a 10:1 chip lead thanks to a three-outer in the Sweet 16 of Event #7: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship. Phil Hellmuth made an 18th bracelet run that fell short when he ran into the nut flush. And one player avoided complete disaster when he suffered a brutal cooler with quads.
According to the WSOP LIVE app.
In the 969th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow are at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas for the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
To kick things off, they talk about a big hand played by Phil Ivey, one that left the usually stone-faced poker pro in shock. See the hand and learn what happened! From there, it's a discussion on why Jeremy Ausmus may have been denied a vlogger pass, big names falling just short of gold bracelets, and Alan Keating no-showing the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship.
Speaking of that tournament, Daniel Negreanu was cruising right along until he suffered a series of unfortunate events, including a river bad beat that you can see in this episode. Some other things you can see are the $1,000,000 bounty pull from the $550 Mini Mystery Millions tournament and highlights from the Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) Event #100 with Matt Stout.
Finally, the PokerNews Podcast has a new sponsor in Think Jerky, and as fate would have it, there's a poker connection between Chad and the brand's Pat's Cheesesteak stick that dates back more than a decade to a poker game in Philadelphia. Learn all about that, and while you're at it, be sure to check out Think Jerky!
Find out all about those stories and more in this week's episode of the PokerNews Podcast! Oh, and be sure to check out the audio version of the PokerNews Podcast that is available on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
At 11:00 a.m. local time on June 5, the 761 survivors from Day 1b of Event #18: $1,500 Monster Stack will return to their seats and aim to navigate another 10 levels. Those who make it to the end will progress to Day 3 on June 8, where all the other Day 2 survivors will combine for the first time.
Three-time bracelet winner Jason Daly (370,000) is nicely positioned when play resumes, with a stack enough for 21st place. Daly will be joined by other bracelet winners, including Qiang Xu (345,000), David Jackson (341,500), Leo Soma (269,500), Lukas Zaskodny (255,000), Nick Pupillo (224,500), Joe Serock (165,000) and Barry Shulman (154,000).
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Dwan | United Kingdom | 925,000 | 370 |
| 2 | Robert Renaud | Canada | 880,000 | 352 |
| 3 | Yuk Lee | United States | 732,000 | 293 |
| 4 | Michele Migliore | Italy | 665,000 | 266 |
| 5 | Lin Zhou | China | 548,000 | 219 |
| 6 | Jonas Lauck | Germany | 516,000 | 206 |
| 7 | Nathan Chaibi | United States | 489,000 | 196 |
| 8 | Liran Betito | Israel | 467,500 | 187 |
| 9 | Jerry Yagao | United States | 462,500 | 185 |
| 10 | Robert Georato | United States | 458,500 | 183 |
Late registration remains open until the end of Level 11 (about 12:15 p.m.), which, if Day 2a is anything to go by, will be long enough for dozens of players to enter. Day 2a saw almost 300 new faces enter the mix!
PokerNews traditional coverage of the $1,500 Monster Stack begins on Day 3.
Planning on playing this event? PokerNews activates MyStack for every WSOP event, regardless of that tournament's buy-in, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting
MyStack is a free poker tool that puts you in control of your chip counts on our live reporting pages. Once you have created a free PokerNews account, you can use MyStack to update your chip counts in real time; hopefully, your stack will continue increasing throughout the event!
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on legends like Daniel Negreanu or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you. No subscriptions, no paywalls - just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most.
It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Event #18: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold'em
Day 2b Started
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