Event #3: $500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold'em gets underway at 12:00 p.m. local time today, May 27, at theHorseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. This event is only open to people who work in the gaming industry; it is their chance to experience the thrill of a WSOP event from the right side of the table!

You find dealers, croupiers, and an army of PokerNews staff and live reporters competing in this event, each hoping to strike gold and start their summer in style with a bankroll-boosting prize.

📌 Event Snapshot

• Event: #3 – $500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold'em
• Date(s): May 27-28, 2026
• Time: 12:00 p.m. local time
• Buy-In: $500 (1 re-entry allowed)
• Format: No-Limit Hold'em
• Late Registration: Open until the end of Level 9 (approx. 7:30 p.m.)
• Starting Stack: 25,000 chips
• Levels: 40 minutes
• 2025 Winner: Phovieng Keokham ($64,369)
• 2025 Field Size: 914 entries
• 2025 Prize Pool: $379,310

Structure and Schedule

The $500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold'em event shuffles up and deals at 12:00 p.m. local time on May 27 before crowning its worthy champion sometime on May 28.

Player will exchange their $500 buy-in for 25,000 chips. Those wishing to channel their inner Phil Hellmuth and buy in late can do so for the first nine levels (approx. 7:30 p.m. local time).

Blinds start at 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante on Day 1, increasing every 40 minutes. Play is broken up by 15-minute breaks every three levels, and a 60-minute dinner break at the conclusion of Level 9, at around 6:30 p.m. local time. The curtain comes down on Day 1 after 15 levels or when only 15% of the field remains, whichever is later.

Surviving players return to their seats at 12:00 p.m. on May 28 to play down to a winner. Similar to Day 1, 15-minute breaks occur every three levels, and anyone with chips in front of them after Level 26 (approx. 6:30 p.m. local time) will head for a 60-minute dinner break.

[H=2Why is This Event Significant?[/H]
This event gives the hard-working poker industry staff a chance to become a WSOP champion. Many of the players who enter this tournament work tirelessly behind the scenes or long, arduous hours dealing games so that poker continues thriving. While everyone loves reading about stellar players winning vast sums of money, the Industry Employees Event gives us a champion that every non-elite poker player can relate to.

[H=2]Past Champions & History[/H]

[B][PLAYER="phovieng-keokham"]Phovieng Keokham[/PLAYER][/B] left a trail of 913 opponents in his wake as he marched on to victory in this event at the 2025 WSOP. Keokham received a bumper $64,369 and his first WSOP bracelet.

[I]PokerNews[/I]' [B][B][PLAYER="connor-richards"]Connor Richards[/PLAYER][/B][/B] came close to becoming a WSOP champion, but he fell in seventh place for an $8,301 score.

[I]PokerNews[/I] staff have fond memories of this event, not least because [URL="https://www.pokernews.com/podcast/" target="_blank"]PokerNews Podcast[/URL] extraordinaire, [B][B][PLAYER="chad-holloway"]Chad Holloway[/PLAYER][/B][/B], won this event in 2013 for $84,915 and his first bracelet.

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Tags: Phovieng KeokhamWSOPWSOP26