PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (June 8). 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 #26: $2,000 No-Limit Holdem
Day 1 Completed
Day 1 of Event #26: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em saw 968 players flock to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. After the completion of 15 levels, only 160 of those players who started the day with high hopes had chips to bag. Xuan Liu bagged the third largest stack, giving her an excellent platform to build from on Day 2 as she hunts her first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet.
Liu has more than $3.4 million in live poker tournament earnings, but a bracelet has eluded her so far. A sixth-place finish in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event at the 2012 WSOP is the closest Liu has come to securing some WSOP hardware.
The Canadian's quest for WSOP glory won't be easy, as she has a tough starting table on Day 2. She'll lock horns with the likes of Zdenek Zizka (415,000), Erwann Pecheaux (173,000), and Aaron Kupin (170,000), among others, when play resumes on June 8.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Palker | United States | 742,000 | 124 |
| 2 | Srivinay Irrinki | United States | 612,000 | 102 |
| 3 | Xuan Liu | Canada | 585,000 | 98 |
| 4 | Takahiro Kidokoro | Japan | 541,000 | 90 |
| 5 | David McGowan | United States | 538,000 | 90 |
| 6 | Jose Nadal | Mexico | 514,000 | 86 |
| 7 | Yulian Bogdanov | Bulgaria | 480,000 | 80 |
| 8 | Yaniv Peretz | Latvia | 449,000 | 75 |
| 9 | Zdenek Zizka | Czech Republic | 415,000 | 70 |
| 10 | Peter Yang | United States | 410,000 | 68 |
Among the other Day 1 survivors are the likes of Braxton Dunaway (212,000), Ilan Boujenah (208,000), Bernhard Binder (206,000), Adam Hendrix (187,000), Shiina Okamoto (180,000), 2024 WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Tamayo (151,000), Ivan Deyra (144,000), Shannon Shorr (110,000), and Frank Brannan (89,000).
Day 2 shuffles up and deals at 12:00 p.m. local time on June 8, with blinds starting at 3,000/6,000 and a 6,000 big blind ante. PokerNews' live reporting team will be on hand to bring you all of the action from this event.
Here are the chip counts at the close of play, according to the WSOP LIVE app.
One question always gets asked in the build-up to the World Series of Poker (WSOP): who are the best players still chasing their first bracelet? It's something PokerNews looks at every year.
But here's another angle worth exploring. Which players have actually won the most money at the WSOP without ever getting their hands on one of poker's most coveted prizes?
Some players have racked up millions in WSOP earnings, building their totals on one monster score, while others have chipped away year after year grinding the series.
The total prize pool for the event is $1,723,040. The top 146 players make the money, with $288,064 set aside for first place.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $288,064 | 14 -17 | $11,748 |
| 2 | $191,997 | 18 -26 | $9,733 |
| 3 | $135,294 | 27 -35 | $8,207 |
| 4 | $96,783 | 36 -44 | $7,046 |
| 5 | $70,300 | 45 -53 | $6,162 |
| 6 | $51,862 | 54 -62 | $5,490 |
| 7 | $38,868 | 63 -71 | $4,986 |
| 8 | $29,600 | 72 -80 | $4,617 |
| 9 | $22,912 | 81 -89 | $4,361 |
| 10 -11 | $18,031 | 90 -98 | $4,204 |
| 12 -13 | $14,430 | 99 -146 | $4,004 |
According to WSOP LIVE app.
As football's most legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, once said, "Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing."
Forget the bad beats, one-outers, and misclicks—at the World Series of Poker, success is measured in green (and gold). From its inception in 1970 to the record-breaking 2024 edition, the series has seen some of poker's most unforgettable victories and created hundreds of millionaires.
Thanks to the poker boom (among other factors), it’s no shock that all of the WSOP’s biggest payouts have come in the last 25 years. The Main Event fields have exploded, and the rise of high-stakes tournaments has sent prize pools soaring to new heights.
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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