Event #29: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em
Day 2 Completed
Event #29: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em
Day 2 Completed
He burst the bubble, and now Santhosh Suvarna leads the final 11 in Event #29: $50,000 High Roller.
Already a two-time bracelet winner, Suvarna will take a healthy lead over Chang Lee into the final day's play in the biggest buy-in event of the 2026 WSOP so far.
Lee won his bracelet last year and went on a tear in the last level, going from seven big blinds to second in chips.
But he still trails the affable Indian, who will look to secure his third WSOP bracelet on Wednesday.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santhosh Suvarna | India | 7,700,000 | 51 |
| 2 | Chang Lee | South Korea | 5,900,000 | 39 |
| 3 | Brandon Wilson | United States | 5,200,000 | 35 |
| 4 | Chris Brewer | United States | 5,100,000 | 34 |
| 5 | Jans Arends | Netherlands | 4,700,000 | 31 |
| 6 | Colin Robinson | United States | 4,700,000 | 31 |
| 7 | Anatoly Zlotnikov | Russia | 4,200,000 | 28 |
| 8 | Pieter Aerts | Belgium | 3,800,000 | 25 |
| 9 | Sergio Aido | Spain | 3,600,000 | 24 |
| 10 | Ben Heath | United Kingdom | 2,300,000 | 15 |
| 11 | Brian Breck | United States | 1,600,000 | 11 |
| 12 | Turbo Nguyen | United States | 1,400,000 | 9 |
Brandon Wilson sits third in chips, having kicked off Day 2 at the top of the leaderboard.
With late registration remaining open for the first two levels of the day, a wave of players jumped into the fray. Among the dozens of late entries were heavy hitters like Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Bryn Kenney, Michael Moncek, Alan Keating, and Artur Martirosian.
What followed was a fast-paced environment full of rapid-fire double-ups and sudden exits. Through it all, Wilson maintained his stronghold on the field by the first break. Meanwhile, Santhosh Suvarna began his rise up the ranks, flanked closely by Biao Ding and Brian Breck.
Suvarna’s momentum surged further after he eliminated Hellmuth, a knockout that allowed him to overtake Wilson for the tournament chip lead.
With play on the live stream, the action got more intense but a little quieter with Martin Kabrhel hitting the exit after being eliminated by Ben Heath.
Suvarna experienced a brief setback just before the dinner break, dropping a few chips with the field sitting just two eliminations away from the money. However, he quickly bounced back post-dinner, ultimately eliminating Bernhard Binder to officially burst the money bubble and secure the remaining players a minimum cash of $100,000.
Once the field was in the money, the chips flew furiously, with a rotating cast of characters trading the chip lead as the field steadily thinned toward the final table.
Eventually, Suvarna returned to the top of the counts and led the field ahead of Lee, who doubled with aces and queens, both in the final level to emerge as an unlikely chip leader contender.
Players who just missed out on Day 2 included Matthias Eibinger (26th), Orpen Kisacikoglu (23rd) and Adrian Mateos (18th), all of whom took home $100,000.
Mateos was a $25k Fantasy Draft pick, as was Tyler Moncek (17th - $105,000) and Biao Ding (15th - $105,000). The only two remaining $25k Fantasy players are Brandon Wilson and Chris Brewer.
The remaining players are all guaranteed $105,000 with the winner taking home $1,922,870.
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $1,922,870 |
| 2 | $1,281,905 |
| 3 | $893,225 |
| 4 | $634,870 |
| 5 | $460,445 |
| 6 | $340,905 |
| 7 | $257,770 |
| 8 | $199,500 |
| 9 | $157,280 |
| 10-11 | $127,040 |
| 12 | $105,000 |
Action will resume at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10 in the Paris Ballroom. Blinds will be 100,000/150,000 with a 150,000 big blind ante. Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the coverage as we crown a winner in the $50,000 High Roller.
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Jans Arends | Netherlands | 4,725,000 | 32 |
| 1 | 3 | Colin Robinson | United States | 4,650,000 | 31 |
| 1 | 4 | Chris Brewer | United States | 5,085,000 | 34 |
| 1 | 5 | Turbo Nguyen | United States | 1,350,000 | 9 |
| 1 | 6 | Ben Heath | United Kingdom | 2,320,000 | 15 |
| 1 | 8 | Chang Lee | South Korea | 5,920,000 | 39 |
| 2 | 1 | Brandon Wilson | United States | 5,235,000 | 35 |
| 2 | 2 | Sergio Aido | Spain | 3,575,000 | 24 |
| 2 | 4 | Pieter Aerts | Belgium | 3,825,000 | 26 |
| 2 | 5 | Anatoly Zlotnikov | Russia | 4,225,000 | 28 |
| 2 | 6 | Brian Breck | United States | 1,635,000 | 11 |
| 2 | 7 | Santhosh Suvarna | India | 7,720,000 | 51 |
Johannes Straver open-shoved from under the gun for 1,055,000. Brandon Wilson called in the small blind.
Johannes Straver: A♥5♠
Brandon Wilson: 9♠9♥
The pocket pair held on the Q♥10♣8♠8♦3♠ runout and Straver was eliminated.
Chang Lee limped in the small blind and Anatoly Zlotnikov raised to 450,000. Lee shoved for 1,600,000 and Zlotnikov called.
Chang Lee: Q♥Q♣
Anatoly Zlotnikov: J♠J♣
The A♥4♣3♥A♦3♠ board ran out clean and Lee enjoyed another double.
Chang Lee was all in for 830,000 with A♦A♣ against the K♠Q♥ of Turbo Nguyen.
The board came 9♥3♠2♠8♦10♣ and Lee doubled to 2,000,000.
Aleksejs Ponakovs shoved for 1,700,000 from the button and was called by Brandon Wilson in the big blind.
Aleksejs Ponakovs: J♠10♠
Brandon Wilson: A♥6♦
Ponakovs needed help but got none on the K♠K♦3♥Q♥5♥ board and was eliminated.
Pieter Aerts opened to 140,000 and Biao Ding called in the big blind. The flop came 10♣7♥4♣ and Ding checked.
Aerts continued for 140,000 before calling a shove from Ding for the Chinese player's last 1,225,000.
Biao Ding: 10♦8♠
Pieter Aerts: 9♣7♣
The turn was the 5♠ but the river A♣ improved Aerts to a flush and send Ding to the rail in 15th place.
Level: 18
Blinds: 60,000/120,000
Ante: 120,000