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James Chueng and Naoya Kihara Gunning for Second Series Bracelet in Day 3 of $10,000 Stud Championship
Of the 130 entrants who took their shot at World Series of Poker glory in Event #23: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship, just 11 players will return to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas for Day 3 to battle for the bracelet.
Sitting atop the leaderboard is Poker Hall of Famer and defending Main Event champion Michael Mizrachi, who, despite being down to less than a big bet on Day 1, went on to rally his stack before soaring up the leaderboard in the last level of Day 2 to end with 1,429,000.
In second position is high-roller regular and two-time WSOP bracelet winner Chris Brewer with 1,301,000, and rounding out the top three is James Cheung, who will return to the felt with 1,242,000.
Cheung, winner of the $1,500 Stud event earlier in the series, declared one of his goals is to become the first player to win both the $1,500 Stud bracelet and the $10,000 Stud bracelet in the same series — a bold ambition that is now one step closer to reality.
Start of Day 3 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Mizrachi | United States | 1,429,000 | 29 |
| 2 | Chris Brewer | United States | 1,301,000 | 26 |
| 3 | James Cheung | United Kingdom | 1,242,000 | 25 |
| 4 | Ryan Miller | United States | 845,000 | 17 |
| 5 | Naoya Kihara | Japan | 702,000 | 14 |
| 6 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | 702,000 | 14 |
| 7 | Maksim Pisarenko | Russian Federation | 644,000 | 13 |
| 8 | Allen Kessler | United States | 582,000 | 12 |
| 9 | Dan Sepiol | United States | 187,000 | 4 |
| 10 | Brad Ruben | United States | 132,000 | 3.5 |
| 11 | Jason Kluska | United States | 59,000 | 1 |
A bit further down the leaderboard sits Naoya Kihara (702,000), fresh off a victory in the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship, and now looking to become the first player to win back-to-back WSOP events entered since Benny Glaser achieved the feat at the 2025 WSOP.
Also still in contention is two-time bracelet winner Ryan Miller (845,000), six-time bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus (702,000), five-time bracelet winner Brad Ruben (132,000), and legendary WSOP grinder Allen Kessler — who will have 582,000 to work with in his bid to capture his maiden bracelet.
This year's total number of entrants in the Stud championship created a prize pool of $1,209,000 and, while everyone remaining has already locked up a cash of at least $24,181, all eyes are sure to be on the $301,970 top prize set aside for the eventual champion.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $301,970 | 6 | $54,458 |
| 2 | $201,308 | 7 | $42,333 |
| 3 | $139,036 | 8 | $33,974 |
| 4 | $98,782 | 9 | $28,179 |
| 5 | $72,254 | 10-11 | $24,181 |
Day 3 is set to get underway at 1 p.m. local time and play down until a winner. Play will resume on Level 19, which features 25,000/50,000 betting limits. Levels 19 and 20 will last 60 minutes each, and every subsequent level will be 90 minutes each for the duration of the tournament.
With the finish line within view, who will rise to the top to claim the most prestigious Seven Card Stud title in the world? To find out, be sure to stick with PokerNews as we continue to bring all the action from the floor until just one player is left holding the bracelet!