PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (June 5). 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.
Event #21: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Day 1 Completed
Poker Hall of Fame member Eli Elezra (318,000) got off to a flying start on Day 1 of Event #21: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better. The five-time bracelet winner, one of which came in the $10,000 buy-in edition of this event in 2022, finished just outside the top 10, but is nicely positioned for yet another deep run.
Day 1 attracted 1,093 entrants. After 15 levels, 173 players remained, with Elezra's name displayed next to 12th place.
Thomas Zanot (485,000) and Jordan Polk (483,000) were neck-and-neck at the chip counts' summit, followed by Michael Rodrigues (460,000), Schuyler Thornton (452,000), Jean Laurent (409,000), and Tobias Hausen (409,000), the only other players who bagged up 400,000+ chips.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Zanot | United States | 485,000 | 81 |
| 2 | Jordan Polk | United States | 483,000 | 81 |
| 3 | Michael Rodrigues | Portugal | 460,000 | 77 |
| 4 | Schuyler Thornton | United States | 452,000 | 75 |
| 5 | Jean Laurent | United States | 409,000 | 68 |
| 6 | Tobias Hausen | Germany | 409,000 | 68 |
| 7 | Andrew Voor | United States | 373,000 | 62 |
| 8 | Kevin Xu | United States | 372,000 | 62 |
| 9 | John Esposito | United States | 360,000 | 60 |
| 10 | Bouwe Claushuis | Netherlands | 359,000 | 60 |
Mixed game events tend to draw bracelet winners and $25K Fantasy Draft picks, and this tournament was no different.
John Esposito (360,000), Ray Fishman (327,000), and Dennis Weiss (291,000) bagged top 20 stacks, while Justin Fawcett (282,000), Pei Li (282,000), Ryan Hansen (280,000), and Robert Nehorayan (277,000) all return in the top 30.
Lower down the count but certainly not out of contention in this event are the likes of Nick Guagenti (260,000), Josh Arieh (244,000), Ryan Hoenig (243,000), Jim Collopy (209,000), Bryce Yockey (200,000), Robert Mizrachi (197,000), Anthony Zinno (143,000), and eight-time bracelet winner Benny Glaser (107,000).
Day 2 shuffles up and deals at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 5 with blinds starting at 3,000/6,000. Another 10 levels are planned, which should cut the field down to the last handful of tables.
Here are the chip counts at the end of Day 1, according to the WSOP LIVE app.
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is set to usher in a new era for its winter flagship, WSOP Paradise, after confirming the festival will move from Atlantis Paradise Island to the luxury Baha Mar resort, also in the Bahamas.
The 2026 edition, slated to run from Tuesday, December 1 to Friday, December 18, will shuffle up and deal in a new home roughly six miles up the Bahamian coast from where Austria’s Bernhard Binder announced himself to the wider poker world, capturing the record-breaking 2025 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event just a few months ago.
In an announcement on social media platform X, the WSOP wrote, "The next chapter of WSOP Paradise is coming... Bigger. Better. Unmissable. This December, the world's fastest-growing poker event arrives at the stunning Baha Mar."
According to the WSOP LIVE app.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $235,377 | 16 -23 | $9,219 |
| 2 | $156,863 | 24 -31 | $7,607 |
| 3 | $110,085 | 32 -39 | $6,389 |
| 4 | $78,430 | 40 -47 | $5,464 |
| 5 | $56,738 | 48 -55 | $4,760 |
| 6 | $41,688 | 56 -63 | $4,224 |
| 7 | $31,117 | 64 -71 | $3,822 |
| 8 | $23,602 | 72 -79 | $3,525 |
| 9 | $18,196 | 80 -95 | $3,317 |
| 10 -11 | $14,262 | 96 -111 | $3,185 |
| 12 -15 | $11,369 | 112 -164 | $3,033 |
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Per the WSOP LIVE app.
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.
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