button in SafariPecheux Leads the Final 12 in the $2,000 No‑Limit Hold’em Event
Day 2 of the $2,000 No‑Limit Hold’em event saw the returning 160 players reduced to just 12 by the time the bags came out, with plenty of action unfolding throughout the day here at the World Series of Poker hosted in the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas.
It was Erwann Pecheux (5,460,000) who ended the night on top of the counts, ahead of Ioannis Kapnopoulos, who bagged 4,685,000 to finish second in chips. Pecheux climbed the ranks late in the night, and the final elimination of Jonathan Lawson pushed him into the lead.
Pecheux noted that he “struggled with 10–15 big blinds throughout the day until the last level of the night”, when he surged after winning a number of consecutive big pots.
Kapnopoulos led for much of the final two levels, with his momentum beginning mid‑day after scoring a triple knockout. His stack continued to grow, and he secured a late night elimination after cracking Zachary McDiarmid’s kings by flopping a set and turning a boat.
Braxton Dunaway rounded out the top three with 4,290,000 and will return with plenty of room to maneuver when play resumes tomorrow. Dunaway was the only WSOP bracelet winner to lock up a bag and secure a seat in the final stage of the tournament.
Day 3 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erwann Pecheux | France | 5,460,000 | 91 |
| 2 | Ioannis Kapnopoulos | Greece | 4,685,000 | 78 |
| 3 | Braxton Dunaway | United States | 4,290,000 | 72 |
| 4 | Ivan Poroliev | Bulgaria | 2,230,000 | 37 |
| 5 | Sami Bechahed | France | 2,080,000 | 35 |
| 6 | Albert Calderon | United States | 2,050,000 | 34 |
| 7 | Yaniv Peretz | Latvia | 1,825,000 | 30 |
| 8 | Briant Alavez | Mexico | 1,620,000 | 27 |
| 9 | Kimon Fountoukidis | Poland | 1,615,000 | 27 |
| 10 | Brandon Mueller | United States | 1,600,000 | 27 |
| 11 | Flavien Guenan | France | 1,050,000 | 18 |
| 12 | Craig Mason | United States | 535,000 | 9 |
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, as many players returned today with fewer than ten big blinds. 2025 WSOP bracelet winner Joshua Boulton was one of the first to be eliminated.
The field reached the money quickly. No hand‑for‑hand play was required, as during the first level of the day Zexiang Sun got his big slick in against Wangcheng Yuan’s kings and busted on the stone bubble.
After that, eliminations came thick and fast. Chahnhoon Jung narrowly made the pay jump, and many players followed him out the door with the minimum payout of $4,004.
A number of bracelet winners also hit the rail. Shortly after doubling through Ryan Hiller, Aaron Kupin was eliminated in 53rd place. He was quickly followed by Ivan Deyra and Thai Ha, leaving only Shiina Okamoto, Braxton Dunaway, Ryan Hiller, and Zdenek Zizka still in the hunt for more gold.
Okamoto dominated the middle stages of the day. After returning with an average stack, her climb began when she eliminated Stanton Tentnowski in a battle of the bracelets. She continued to pressure her table and stacked up to over a million chips. However, she suffered a rough Level 21, first taking a hit from Bartlomiej Swieboda, then losing more after doubling up Craig Mason. Running on fumes, she managed a small double with ace‑jack but soon hit the rail after getting her pocket fours in against Aobo Li’s queens.
Fellow bracelet winner and 25K Fantasy pick Zdenek Zizka, fresh off his sixth‑place finish in the $25,000 High Roller, also made another deep run but hit the rail just before the dinner break.
Other notable eliminations inside the money included Adam Hendrix, Chang Yu Chung, and Day 2 chip leader Xuan Liu. Liu ran deep but her stack slowly dwindled until she got her remaining chips in against Carlos Guerrero. She flopped well, but her tournament life ended on the river.
Ryan Hiller also made a deep run, knocking out William Gard late in the day. He appeared poised to reach Day 3 and chase another bracelet, but a preflop raising war with Albert Calderon ultimately ended his run during the last level of the night.
With just 12 players left, the pay jumps are starting to get substantial. Everyone returning tomorrow has locked up at least $14,430, but all eyes are on the $288,064 top prize and the coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $288,064 |
| 2 | $191,997 |
| 3 | $135,294 |
| 4 | $96,783 |
| 5 | $70,300 |
| 6 | $51,862 |
| 7 | $38,868 |
| 8 | $29,600 |
| 9 | $22,912 |
| 10 | $18,031 |
| 11 | $18,031 |
| 12 | $14,430 |
Day 3 will resume at 12 p.m. with Level 26 where blinds will be 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 big blind ante. Players will have a 15‑minute break every two levels. There is no scheduled dinner break; one will be added depending on the pace of play, as the tournament is set to play down to a winner.
Come back to PokerNews tomorrow to see who will be crowned the 2026 $2,000 No‑Limit Hold’em WSOP champion as we follow the action all the way to the final hand.