button in SafariOnly 142 Players Return for Day 2; Registration Still Open
The 2026 World Series of Poker is underway as a total of 415 players took their shot on Day 1 of Event #2: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Only 142 players made it through the opening act and will return to the felt for more action on Day 2.
Peter Cross (525,000) led the field, finishing the first day as the chip leader. Meanwhile, Yuliyan Kolev (470,500) followed in second.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Cross | Japan | 525,000 |
| 2 | Yuliyan Kolev | Bulgaria | 470,500 |
| 3 | Benjamin Williams | United States | 456,000 |
| 4 | Daniel Vicente | Spain | 401,000 |
| 5 | Clemen Deng | United States | 358,500 |
| 6 | Peter Mugar | United States | 342,000 |
| 7 | David Chaput | United States | 335,500 |
| 8 | Fikret Kovac | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 320,000 |
| 9 | Ren Lin | China | 316,500 |
| 10 | Martin Kabrhel | Czech Republic | 298,000 |
Kolev is looking to add to his WSOP bracelet collection. The Bulgarian has two bracelets on his resume and will look to add number three to his cabinet. Kolev’s most recent WSOP bracelet came in 2022 when he took down the $1,500 Millionaire Maker for over $1 million.
Cross is still searching for his first WSOP bracelet as he will have the opportunity to add to his more than half-million in WSOP career earnings.
Five-time bracelet winner Martin Kabrhel (298,000) finished just inside the top ten. The chatty Czech will be a force to be reckoned with on Day 2.
Other notables to advance to Day 2 include Chris Hunichen (249,500), Shaun Deeb (215,500), Viktor Blom (200,500), Eugene Katchalov (189,000), Josh Arieh (129,000), Cary Katz (114,000), Maurice Hawkins (92,500), and Benny Glaser (37,500).
The event will resume at 1 p.m. local time with Level 11, blinds 1,000/2,500/2,500. They will play a total of 10 levels before advancing to Day 3 of this four-day event.
Registration is still open for this event. Late registration will conclude at the end of Level 12 (at about 3:15 p.m.). Each player is allowed one reentry with a fresh starting stack set at 50,000. A total of 15% of players will make the money.
Blind levels are set for one hour each with 15-minute breaks slotted every two levels, with a 60-minute dinner break scheduled after Level 16.
Stay tuned here at PokerNews for live coverage of Day 2 of the $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.