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.
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 Day 2a of Event #34: $500 The COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold'em here at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP). At 11 a.m. local time, the 501 players who navigated through 15 levels on Day 1a will return to their seats for Day 2a.
The returning players will face another 12 levels. Some will thrive, others will merely survive, but having a single chip in their stack when play concludes means they go through to Day 3 on June 15.
Joseph Ozimok (1,065,000) is likely to be one of those players who thrives, not least because he sits down with 133 big blinds at his disposal. John Hardie (1,046,000) is equally as deep; he returns to the battlefield with a 130 big blind war chest.
| 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 |
Eighteen of the Day 2a players are either 25K Fantasy Draft picks or already own a WSOP bracelet. They include Ryan Leng (568,000), who has three gold bracelets, Justin Fawcett (545,000), "Captain" Tom Franklin (327,000), Darius Samual (200,000), Kartik Ved (199,000), and Alex Keating (180,000).
The plan for today is to complete 12 levels, with a 15-minute break every three levels; there is no provision for a dinner break on the WSOP structure sheet.
Players return to Level 16, meaning blinds are 4,000/8,000 with an 8,000 big blind ante. Ninety-eight players will bust empty-handed, with 403 places paid, a min-cash weighing in at $1,007.
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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!
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Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS
Day 2a Started
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