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Event #20: $1,500 Dealers Choice
Day 2 Completed
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #20: $1,500 Dealers Choice
Day: 2
Event Info
2026 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$870,850
Total Entries
656
Level
33
Blinds
0 / 0
Ante
0
Entries
132
Players Left
10
Players Left 1 / 656
Filter
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 25,000-50,000, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
It was moving day here at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas for the second day of action in Event #20: $1,500 Dealers Choice. A total of 656 hopefuls came out for the event, up from the 597 entries tallied in 2025. Among those, just 132 returned for Day 2 today, all of whom were chasing their piece of the $870,840 prize pool.
The final 99 players would be in the money and guaranteed a minimum cash of $3,009. The money was reached in the second level of the day after two simultaneous eliminations meant that no hand-for-hand was needed.
Once the dust settled at the end of the night, just ten players remain in contention for the first-place prize of $161,057.
Leading the way after today's action is Philip Wess. "Commanding" doesn't begin to describe his lead over the rest of the field. He finished the night with 5,370,000, good for one-third of the chips in play. Wess is from the Boston area and has just four recorded live tournament cashes, with the most recent coming in 2017. His stack rode a rollercoaster all day but finished strong to put himself in pole position.
Dario Sammartino sits on 2,030,000, good for second place, and Robert Klein rounds out the podium in third with 1,915,000.
End of Day 2 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philip Wess | United States | 5,370,000 |
| 2 | Dario Sammartino | Italy | 2,030,000 |
| 3 | Robert Klein | United States | 1,915,000 |
| 4 | Luteng Li | Canada | 1,650,000 |
| 5 | Nathan Gamble | United States | 1,350,000 |
| 6 | Clayton Mozdzen | Canada | 1,180,000 |
| 7 | John Bunch | United States | 1,155,000 |
| 8 | Jeff Madsen | United States | 750,000 |
| 9 | Kelvin Zhao | United States | 510,000 |
| 10 | Daniel Geyser | United States | 480,000 |
A strong crew will advance to Day 3, with bracelet winners Nathan Gamble (1,350,000) and Jeff Madsen (750,000) making it through, along with mixed game regulars Clayton Mozdzen (1,180,000) and John Bunch (1,155,000).
The Dealers Choice events always bring out the brightest minds in the poker world to compete in 21 different poker formats. Some notables who cashed the event but did not advance to Day 3 include Philip Sternheimer (96th - $3,009), Eli Elezra (88th - $3,009), Nick Guagenti (86th - $3,009), Chino Rheem (79th - $3,009), Maxx Coleman (69th - $3,009), defending champion Benny Glaser (58th - $3,159), Christopher Vitch (55th - $3,159), Josh Arieh (54th - $3,159), James Obst (29th - $5,460), David "ODB" Baker (25th - $5,460), and Allan Le (12th - $8,198).
The final ten players will return at 1 p.m. tomorrow in Paris Gold section to resume play. The action gets back underway in Level 26 with big bet blinds of 15,000/30,000 and limits of 60,000/120,000 and an average stack of 1,640,000. Play will continue in 60-minute levels until we have a champion.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $161,057 |
| 2 | $107,341 |
| 3 | $72,042 |
| 4 | $49,383 |
| 5 | $34,588 |
| 6 | $24,766 |
| 7 | $18,137 |
| 8 | $13,592 |
| 9 | $13,592 |
| 10 | $10,430 |
Stay tuned to PokerNews as we deliver updates from the floor as we play down to a winner in Event #20: $1,500 Dealers Choice here at the 2026 World Series of Poker.
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 25,000-50,000, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 1 | Daniel Geyser | United States | 480,000 |
| 74 | 3 | Clayton Mozdzen | Canada | 1,180,000 |
| 74 | 4 | Nathan Gamble | United States | 1,350,000 |
| 74 | 5 | Kelvin Zhao | United States | 510,000 |
| 74 | 6 | John Bunch | United States | 1,155,000 |
| 75 | 1 | Luteng Li | Canada | 1,650,000 |
| 75 | 3 | Jeff Madsen | United States | 750,000 |
| 75 | 4 | Philip Wess | United States | 5,370,000 |
| 75 | 5 | Robert Klein | United States | 1,915,000 |
| 75 | 6 | Dario Sammartino | Italy | 2,030,000 |
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 25,000-50,000, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 25,000-50,000, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Badugi
Action was picked up after the first draw as Nathan Gamble from the small blind and Ryan Hughes in the big blind were tangled in a pot. Several bets went in before the first draw with Hughes only having 45,000 behind. Gamble check-called to put Hughes at risk.
On the second draw, Gamble drew one and Hughes stood pat.
Both patted the final draw.
Ryan Hughes: Q♦10♠7♥4♣ 
Nathan Gamble: 10♦3♠2♥A♣
Gamble made a ten on the final draw and Hughes elected not to break his queen as he exited in 11th.
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 25,000-50,000, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Badeucy
Luteng Li raised in the cutoff and called the three-bet from Allen Le on the button.
Li drew two while Le drew two behind him. Both of them checked.
On the second draw, Li drew one while Le drew two, then Li bet to see Le call.
The final draw saw Li stand pat. Le drew two and called when Li bet to put him all in for 60,000.
Allen Le: 10♥9♦7♥6♠2♣
Luteng Li: 10♦8♥5♠3♣2♦
Le's ten-nine was no good against Li's ten-eight and eight badugi. The two time WSOP bracelet winner saw his run come to an end on one of the last hands of the night.
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 25,000-50,000, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Five more hands will be played at each table before play ends for the night.
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 25,000-50,000, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
| Table | Seat | Player | Chip Counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | 1 | Kelvin Zhao | 850,000 |
| 75 | 2 | Luteng Li | 800,000 |
| 75 | 3 | Allan Le | 400,000 |
| 75 | 4 | Robert Klein | 1,650,000 |
| 75 | 5 | Dario Sammartino | 2,225,000 |
| 75 | 6 | John Bunch | 1,175,000 |
| 86 | 1 | Clayton Mozden | 1,250,000 |
| 86 | 2 | Jeff Madsen | 1,325,000 |
| 86 | 3 | Daniel Geyser | 1,150,000 |
| 86 | 4 | Nathan Gamble | 1,550,000 |
| 86 | 5 | Ryan Hughes | 275,000 |
| 86 | 6 | Philip Wess | 3,600,000 |
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 25,000-50,000, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Omaha Hi-Lo
Action was picked up on the turn in a pot between Dario Sammartino in the cutoff and Lawrence Brandt in the big blind.
With a board reading 8♥2♠2♦A♠ and two bets from both players in the middle, Brandt moved his final bet into the middle and Sammartino called with the covering stack.
Lawrence Brandt: A♥K♥K♦7♥
Dario Sammartino: 8♠8♣3♥2♣
Brandt needed a king to stay alive for the high or Sammartino to pair his three to have a better low. Neither came on the river 6♠ and the two-time WSOP bracelet winner was eliminated from the tournament.
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 25,000-50,000, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 50,000 Completion, 50,000-100,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 25,000/35,000 Ante, 10,000-25,000 Blinds
Big O
John Bunch opened to 60,000 in the hijack and Robert Klein three-bet to 200,000, which Bunch called.
The flop rolled out K♥7♦3♠ and Klein moved all in for 300,000 effective to see Bunch call.
John Bunch: A♥K♣J♥4♦3♥
Robert Klein: A♠A♦8♦6♦3♦
A low materialized on the 2♦ turn and the K♠ river filled up Bunch to see him double at the expense of Klein.
