button in Safari$25,000 High Roller Day 1b Gets Underway at Noon
Day 1b of Event #19: High Roller No-Limit Hold'em gets underway today at the 2026 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, where another wave of high‑stakes hopefuls will take their shot in one of the most anticipated events on the schedule. Yesterday’s opening flight drew 81 entries, contributing $1,903,500 to the prize pool. After eight levels of play, just 25 of those players bagged chips and progressed to Day 2. Today’s second flight will push the field even higher, as many who busted out of yesterday’s events are expected to join the action.
Yesterday’s opening flight set a high bar, with the top three stacks establishing themselves as the early players to beat in this year’s $25,000 High Roller. Daniel Rezaei bagged the overall lead and brought through a dominant 1,176,000 stack, while Dejan Kaladjurdjevic (978,000) and Turbo Nguyen (928,000) finished close behind.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Rezaei | Austria | 1,176,000 | 147 |
| 2 | Dejan Kaladjurdjevic | Montenegro | 978,000 | 122 |
| 3 | Turbo Nguyen | United States | 928,000 | 116 |
| 4 | Galen Hall | United States | 784,000 | 98 |
| 5 | Dylan Weisman | United States | 758,000 | 95 |
| 6 | Raoul Kanme | Netherlands | 490,000 | 61 |
| 7 | Aram Oganyan | United States | 474,000 | 59 |
| 8 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Turkey | 470,000 | 59 |
| 9 | Sergio Aido | Spain | 438,000 | 55 |
| 10 | Zachary Grech | United States | 389,000 | 49 |
Several notables who fell short on Day 1a are also likely to return for another attempt. One of those is Michael Moncek, who was eliminated late in the evening yesterday during the first starting flight. With one re‑entry available per flight, the Day 1b field is expected to feature a mix of fresh and familiar faces looking to take another swing in the event.
Players who manage to lock up a bag will join a fierce field, as Stephen Chidwick (550,000), Chris Nguyen (457,000), Jesse Lonis (205,000), Ben Heath (172,000), and Jason Koon (149,000) all made it through in yesterday’s flight. Players who survive today’s flight will join the Day 1a qualifiers on Day 2, Friday, June 5, where the full field will merge, and the race toward the money will officially begin. The prize pool and payout information will be confirmed once registration closes.
Day 1b action will begin at 12 p.m. in the Paris Gold section. Players who buy in will start with 150,000 chips and attempt to navigate eight levels of play before bagging for Day 2. Blinds will start at 1,000/1,000 with a 1,000 big blind ante, and levels will last 60 minutes throughout the day. Registration will remain open until the start of Level 10 on Day 2, which is expected to fall at approximately 1:15 p.m., allowing players multiple opportunities to fire in the event.
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Follow all the action as it unfolds with the PokerNews live reporting team, who will be on the floor providing chip counts, eliminations, and key hands throughout the $25,000 High Roller here at the 2026 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.