PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 3 (June 15). 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.
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is set to usher in a new era for its winter flagship, WSOP Paradise, after confirming the festival will move from Atlantis Paradise Island to the luxury Baha Mar resort, also in the Bahamas.
The 2026 edition, slated to run from Tuesday, December 1 to Friday, December 18, will shuffle up and deal in a new home roughly six miles up the Bahamian coast from where Austria’s Bernhard Binder announced himself to the wider poker world, capturing the record-breaking 2025 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event just a few months ago.
In an announcement on social media platform X, the WSOP wrote, "The next chapter of WSOP Paradise is coming... Bigger. Better. Unmissable. This December, the world's fastest-growing poker event arrives at the stunning Baha Mar."
According to the WSOP LIVE app.
In the 971st episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow come to you from the floor of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) where they discussed one of the most viral hands of the summer, one involving Bobby James and Ricky Landais that has been called one of the worst bad beats ever!
They then discuss Martin Kabrhel's premature celebration, give you a good news update on Jeremy Ausmus vlogging credentials, and a poker curse from WWE superstar Danhausen. Other stories include highlights from the Mixed Game Festival XIV, choosing a winner for the signed Daniel Negreanu autographed book (plus a new giveaway), and the return of the famous PokerNews segment, The Chainsaw Report, featuring Allen Kessler.
Find out all about those stories and more in this week's episode of the PokerNews Podcast! Oh, and be sure to check out the audio version of the PokerNews Podcast that is available on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
According to the WSOP LIVE app.
Shaun Deeb has a chance to make history in two ways at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) — a real good chance.
The reigning WSOP Player of the Year, in an interview with PokerNews during a break in Event #2: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'em, appeared confident he will become the first to win POY in consecutive years and three times overall. But he predicts a close friend of his will give him a run for his money.
Welcome to the second of four Day 1s of Event #34: $500 The COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold'em, which explodes into action from 10 a.m. local time. This tournament should see a massive field over the next few days, hence its name. Last year's event drew in more than 16,000 entrants. Will the 2026 edition attract even more?
The Colossus follows a similar structure to the Monster Stack in that the survivors from each Day 1 lock horns with each other the following day in a Day 2. The field combines for the first time on Day 3, which is when PokerNews traditional live coverage begins.
On Day 1a, some 2,684 players bought in, but only 501 of those starters progressed to Day 2.
Joseph Ozimok bagged the Day 1a chip lead, turning his 50,000 starting stack into 1,065,000 by the close of play. Andreas Frohli, a 25K Fantasy Draft pick, also got off to a great start, finishing his flight with 735,000 chips, enough for eighth on the leaderboard.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Ozimok | United States | 1,065,000 | 133 |
| 2 | John Hardie | United States | 1,046,000 | 130 |
| 3 | Arash Vaziri | United States | 996,000 | 125 |
| 4 | Giuseppe Lomuscio | United States | 852,000 | 107 |
| 5 | Kennii Nguyen | United States | 818,000 | 102 |
| 6 | Xingwei Chen | China | 808,000 | 101 |
| 7 | Serhii Koreniev | United States | 782,000 | 98 |
| 8 | Vitaliy Gordeychuk | United States | 779,000 | 97 |
| 9 | Andreas Frohli | Austria | 735,000 | 92 |
| 10 | Michael Byers | United States | 730,000 | 91 |
Day 1 flights run from June 10 to June 13, with each flight starting at 10 a.m. and playing 15 levels. Late registration remains open through the first 12 levels and dinner break of each starting flight, closing at around 8:15 p.m.
Players who bag move on to the set of Day 2 flights, which run from June 11 to June 14, starting at 11 a.m., with each Day 2 playing 12 levels. The field combines for Day 3 on Monday, June 15, with Day 4 on Tuesday, June 16, playing down to a winner. PokerNews traditional coverage will begin on Day 3.
In 2025, Courtenay Williams came through a field of 16,301 entries to win his first WSOP bracelet and $542,540.
“I honestly don’t know which means more,” Williams said when asked about the bracelet or the money. “At this moment, they are both equal.”
Planning on playing this event? PokerNews activates MyStack for every WSOP event, regardless of that tournament's buy-in, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting
MyStack is a free poker tool that puts you in control of your chip counts on our live reporting pages. Once you have created a free PokerNews account, you can use MyStack to update your chip counts in real time; hopefully, your stack will continue increasing throughout the event!
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on legends like Daniel Negreanu or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you. No subscriptions, no paywalls - just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most.
It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS
Day 1b Started
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