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Event #39: $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold'em
Day 3 Completed
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #39: $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 3
Players Left 3 / 844
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Final Table
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
After ten hours of play, Day 3 of Event #39: $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold’em at the 2026 World Series of Poker has come to an end.
From the original field of 844 entries, which created a prize pool of $3,882,400, just 44 players returned to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas for the penultimate day. By the time the chips were bagged, only seven players remained, all within touching distance of the WSOP gold bracelet and the top prize of $673,011.
Ending the night at the top of chip counts was Qing Lu with a stack of 9,455,000. Lu entered the unofficial final table as chip leader and remained one of the most active players, later eliminating Luke Graham in eighth place to help cement her position as the one to catch when cards are back in the air for Day 4.
2026 WSOP Event #39: $5k Seniors High Roller NLHE Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qing Lu | United States | 9,455,000 | 39 |
| 2 | Arie Kliper | Israel | 7,875,000 | 33 |
| 3 | Chad Lipton | United States | 7,520,000 | 31 |
| 4 | Juan Rodriguez | Peru | 5,200,000 | 22 |
| 5 | Marc Rivera | Philippines | 4,810,000 | 20 |
| 6 | Kenneth Kim | United States | 3,940,000 | 16 |
| 7 | Nariman Yaghmai | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 3,600,000 | 15 |
Behind Lu is Arie Kliper with 7,875,000, while Chad Lipton rounds out the top three with 7,520,000. Lipton won a pivotal race against Gary Herstein with pocket tens against ace-king to send Herstein out in ninth place, and help send his stack up the chip counts.
Also advancing to the final day are Juan Rodriguez (5,200,000), Marc Rivera (4,810,000), Kenneth Kim (3,940,000), and Nariman Yaghmai (3,600,000). Rodriguez was on the brink of elimination on the final shuffle of the night with pocket jacks versus Rivera's ace-ten. A clean runout earned him a double-up and a spot on the final day.
Rivera is one of the most accomplished players remaining in the field. The Filipino is ranked third on his country's all-time money list with more than $4.2 million in live tournament earnings but is still chasing his first WSOP bracelet. Rivera was at risk when nine remained, but found a three-outer to survive and keep his chances of a first bracelet intact.
Several notable names managed to make deep runs before falling short of the final day, including Day 2 chip leader Manish Madan, Quoc Le, Ghassan Hoss, TJ Shulman, bracelet winners Andres Korn, Imari Love, and Julio Belluscio, as well as Matthew Davenport, Buck Bucceri, Shannon Peace, Donnacha O'Dea, and JJ Liu.
The final Day will start at 1 p.m. on Monday, June 15, at Paris Gold. Play will start on Level 31 with blinds 120,000/240,000 and 240,000 ante and will continue until a champion is crowned. Everyone returning has locked up $88,469 for their efforts, with eyes fixed on the staggering sum just a few spots away.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $673,011 |
| 2 | $448,634 |
| 3 | $314,158 |
| 4 | $223,439 |
| 5 | $161,446 |
| 6 | $118,541 |
| 7 | $88,469 |
Stay locked in with PokerNews for continued coverage of Event #39: $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold’em, as the seven will play down to a champion.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FT 005 | 1 | Arie Kliper | Israel | 7,875,000 | 33 |
| FT 005 | 2 | Kenneth Kim | United States | 3,940,000 | 16 |
| FT 005 | 3 | Juan Rodriguez | Peru | 5,200,000 | 22 |
| FT 005 | 4 | Chad Lipton | United States | 7,520,000 | 31 |
| FT 005 | 5 | Nariman Yaghmai | Iran | 3,600,000 | 15 |
| FT 005 | 6 | Marc Rivera | Philippines | 4,810,000 | 20 |
| FT 005 | 7 | Qing Lu | United States | 9,455,000 | 39 |
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
The tournament has concluded for the evening, and seven players will return tomorrow at 1 p.m. The blinds will start at 120,000/240,000/240,000.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Marc Rivera opened to 400,000 in late position and Juan Rodriguez shoved all-in for 2,450,000. When action went back to him, Rivera asked for a count then made a one-chip call.
Juan Rodriguez: J♠J♥ 
Marc Rivera: A♣10♠
Both Rodriguez and his rail started chanting "Hold!" when the flop dropped 5♠3♣10♣. They continued with their chants as the Q♦ turn fell.
On the river J♣, both Rodriguez and his rail erupted in cheers as he secured a double up on the very last hand of the day.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Nariman Yaghmai limped in from the small blind, and Marc Rivera checked from the big blind. The flop was 3♠9♣K♦, and both players checked.
Both players checked the turn J♥.
The river 6♥ was where Yaghmai took the lead and bet 200,000, and received a call from Rivera.
Rivera mucked when Yaghmai showed A♦6♦ for a pair of sixes.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
With less than a big blind remaining, Luke Graham moved in under the gun for 150,000. Nariman Yaghmai raised to 450,000 from the next seat with Qing Lu calling in the hijack, and Chad Lipton coming along from the big blind.
With Graham all-in, the dealer fanned the 6♦A♦2♣ flop. Lipton and Yaghmai checked, and Lu bet 500,000. That was enough to get folds from both opponents, earning Lu the side pot as the cards were tabled with Graham having the chance to quintuple up.
Luke Graham: Q♥7♥
Qing Lu: K♦Q♦
Neither player held a pair, but Lu's flush draw left Graham drawing very thin.
The 6♣ turn changed nothing, and the 8♦ river improved Lu to an unnecessary flush.
Lu's stack climbed to nearly ten million, while Graham exited as the eighth-place finisher.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Luke Graham jammed for around 1,650,000 from the hijack and Nariman Yaghmai called for his stack of 1,500,000 in the cutoff. Once the remaining players folded, the cards were tabled.
Nariman Yaghmai: A♠10♥
Luke Graham: 5♦5♣
It was a flip for Yaghmai's tournament life, and one that would have left Graham on fumes had he lost.
Yaghmai vaulted into the lead on the 8♠10♠7♥ flop with top pair. The rest of the board ran out Q♣4♦ and Yaghmai doubled up to around 3,500,000.
Level 30
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Arie Kliper raised from early position to 400,000, and Marc Rivera called from the big blind. The flop dropped with J♥5♠J♠, Rivera checked, and Kliper bet 350,000. Rivera check-raised to 950,000, and Kliper moved all in for 3,450,000, effective. Rivera quickly called.
Marc Rivera: Q♣J♦
Arie Kliper: A♠3♠
Rivera held trip jacks, and Kliper held the flush draw heading to the turn. The turn 7♠ gave Kliper his flush, but the river 7♣ brought Rivera his full house for the win.
