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Event #18: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold'em
Day 3 Completed
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #18: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 3
Players Left 33 / 11,933
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
When play began for Day 3 in Event #18: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em, there were 660 hopefuls looking at the prize pool that was generated before their very eyes just as play began. The huge $15,841,057 total was generated by 11,933 total entrants across four separate Day 1 and Day 2 flights, of which just 80 remain following the conclusion of the third day at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas.
The Day 4 lineup is a solid one, with Valentin Vornicu earning the chip leader title after bagging up for a monumental stack of 27,500,000 chips. This total converts to over 100 big blinds when Day 3 begins, good for over three times the average stacks left in play.
Andrew Moreno (22,500,000) isn't too far behind, but not too close either, with Matthew Miller (19,300,000) completing the podium. Each of these three are no stranger to poker tournament glory, but a first bracelet continues to elude them.
Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentin Vornicu | United States | 27,525,000 | 138 |
| 2 | Andrew Moreno | United States | 22,530,000 | 113 |
| 3 | Matthew Miller | United States | 19,345,000 | 97 |
| 4 | Yaser Al-Keliddar | United States | 17,860,000 | 89 |
| 5 | Jonas Lauck | Germany | 17,670,000 | 88 |
| 6 | Yegor Moroz | United States | 15,390,000 | 77 |
| 7 | Marc Fiorentino | United States | 14,150,000 | 71 |
| 8 | Richard Alsup | United States | 13,420,000 | 67 |
| 9 | Aaron Massey | United States | 13,350,000 | 67 |
| 10 | Martin Zamani | United States | 13,350,000 | 67 |
Those returning for Day 4 of Event 18 at the 2026 World Series of Poker have guaranteed themselves a hefty $19,000 pay day, but that total shies in comparison to the whopping $1,302,125 up top.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Payout | Place | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,302,125 | 12-13 | $93,000 |
| 2 | $900,000 | 14-17 | $75,000 |
| 3 | $700,000 | 18-26 | $61,000 |
| 4 | $520,000 | 27-35 | $50,000 |
| 5 | $400,000 | 36-44 | $40,000 |
| 6 | $305,000 | 45-53 | $33,000 |
| 7 | $240,000 | 54-62 | $27,200 |
| 8 | $190,000 | 63-71 | $22,500 |
| 9 | $150,000 | 72-80 | $19,000 |
| 10-11 | $120,000 |
A large number of big names came and went, with multiple WSOPE Main Event Champions coming up short in their attempt to navigate their way through one of the busiest tournaments of the summer.
Bulgarian Stoyan Madanzhiev didn’t manage to break the top 400, with Hall of Famer John Juanda finishing slightly higher in 273rd. A master of navigating large fields, two time Main Event Final Tablist Kenny Hallaert fell in 380th, whereas his tablemate in last year’s edition, John Wasnock fared slightly better, bagging for 7,800,000.
The large majority of Day 1 chip leaders were also unfortunately eliminated during Day 3, including Zhijian Zhang of Day 1a, Robert Renaud of Day 1b, and Day 1c’s representative Sandro Carucci, who were all unable to bag up for a fourth day.
Day 2’s top players had more success, with only Jason Funke from 2b unable to bag up. Ralph Perry (6,300,000), Vincent Albert (9,300,000) and She Wong (8,200,000) chip led flights 2a, 2c and 2d, respectively, and all managed to put their stacks to good use. They will be hoping to continue doing so as they all return for Day 4.
There were also plenty of $25k Fantasy players who started the day and managed to gain some points for their teams. Aram Zobian, Justin Zaki, and Terrance Reid all headed home relatively early on, with Michael Gathy and Jason Daly managing to make a deeper run, and Martin Kabrhel letting the room know his disappointment upon only just missing out on the top 100.
Play is set to resume at 11:00 a.m. local time in the Gold section of Paris Ballroom, with blinds restarting at the 120,000/240,000 level. Action will continue through the final table until just five players remain with chips, at which point bags will be put out for Day 5.
Stay tuned as PokerNews offers full live coverage of the rest of this event, as well as many more across the rest of the WSOP.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Here are the chip counts at the end of Day 3, according to the WSOP LIVE app.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Play has concluded for the day, and 81 players are dropping their chips into the bags for the night. Recap will follow shortly. Players return tomorrow at 11 a.m. in Paris Gold.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Aaron Massey opened to 415,000 from early position before Daris Justice re-raised to 755,000, leaving only 10,000 behind from the hijack.
Both players checked it down on the 5♠8♦9♠Q♠3♦ runout to go to a showdown.
Massey tabled Q♣10♦, which was enough to take down the pot as Justice showed K♣J♥ for king high.
Justice was eliminated shortly after.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Kyle Dishongh went all-in for 2,285,000 from the cutoff before Vincent Albert called on the button to put Dishongh at risk.
Kyle Dishongh: Q♦Q♣
Vincent Albert: K♦J♦
The flop left no doubt who would win the hand when it came Q♠Q♥10♣ to give Dishongh quads.
The four of a kind made the 3♥ turn and the 9♠ river immaterial as Dishongh scored the double up.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Jonas Lauck raised from early position to 300,000, and Joseph Ozzi three-bet all in for 3,675,000, which Lauck immediately called.
Joseph Ozzi: A♦Q♣
Jonas Lauck: K♥K♣
The board was 2♠6♦8♥K♠J♠, and a set of kings was the best hand, so Lauck earned the knockout.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Travis Hudgens open shoved for 2,390,000 from early position. Action began to fold round until it reached Andrew Moreno on the button. He made the call, which hardly made a dent in his stack, and the blinds got out of the way.
Travis Hudgens: A♠K♥
Andrew Moreno: K♠K♦
Hudgens had picked up the right hand at the wrong time, and despite turning a flush draw, the J♥J♦9♥5♥8♦ runout sent him home as one of the final eliminations of the night.
