button in SafariJoni Jouhkimainen Tops Day 1a Flight of the $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha
Day 1a of the $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha event here at the 2026 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas saw 105 entries jump into the field in hopes of securing a place in Day 2. Only 27 players made it through, and they will combine with those who choose to enter Day 1b tomorrow, which kicks off at 12:00 p.m.
It was Joni Jouhkimainen who topped the counts on Day 1a after bagging 1,598,000. His rise to the top came very late in the day. After battling through the field, he was knocked down by Daniel Negreanu just 30 minutes before play ended. Sitting on around 655,000 at the time, Jouhkimainen surged into the lead shortly after when he came back for vengeance and took down four players in one of the final hands of the night.
Jouhkimainen was closely followed by Ka Kwan Lau, who secured 1,205,000 to take into tomorrow. Alex Foxen (1,150,000) rounded out the podium and will return with 230 big blinds to start Day 2. Foxen is fresh off his fourth bracelet win in the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty event yesterday. He had a steady day, quietly building throughout the ten levels of play.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joni Jouhkimainen | Finland | 1,598,000 | 320 |
| 2 | Ka Kwan Lau | Hong Kong | 1,205,000 | 241 |
| 3 | Alex Foxen | United States | 1,150,000 | 230 |
| 4 | Nino Pansier | Netherlands | 1,028,000 | 206 |
| 5 | Artur Martirosian | Russian Federation | 870,000 | 174 |
| 6 | Ian Matakis | United States | 740,000 | 148 |
| 7 | Carlo van Ravenswoud | Netherlands | 710,000 | 142 |
| 8 | Christopher Frank | Germany | 692,000 | 138 |
| 9 | Juha Helppi | Finland | 637,000 | 127 |
| 10 | Stian Usterud | Norway | 625,000 | 125 |
Nino Pansier narrowly missed the top three. He picked up momentum midway through the day, helped by the elimination of Arthur Morris in a set-over-set pot that pushed him near a million and into the lead. He eventually finished fourth after slipping late in the evening.
Not everyone found the same success in today’s flight. Joao Simao had a rough run, first eliminated by Chance Kornuth after getting it in ahead on the turn but busting out on the river. He re-entered, but met the same fate, being eliminated in a three-way all in where both he and Youness Barakat were knocked out by Christopher Frank.
Ren Lin also joined the field but fell quickly; he was at risk multiple times during the last level and survived only once before busting alongside Michael Moncek.
Artur Martirosian found traction on his second bullet after busting early in the day. His first exit came at the hands of Dash Dudley after calling off his stack on the turn while behind. Martirosian re-entered shortly after and quickly turned things around, eliminating Krasimir Yankov. Later in the night, he also ended Biao Ding’s run after Ding joined late and lasted only a few hands.
Negreanu got off to a smooth start after entering with just over two levels remaining. His stack took a hit after doubling up Kornuth once and then again. Negreanu managed a late double through Jouhkimainen, but the Finn got his revenge moments later in a dramatic five-way all-in during one of the final hands of the night, sending Negreanu, Yang Wang, Cary Katz, and Sean Rafael to the rail.
Many of today’s eliminations are expected to return for another attempt in Day 1b, or even on Day 2, as late registration and re-entry remain open through the first two levels of Day 2 (until Level 12 at approximately 2.30 p.m.). With two re-entries permitted per day, players have multiple opportunities to chase the bracelet.
Day 1b begins tomorrow at 12 p.m. and follows the same structure as today. Players will start with 150,000 chips at Level 1 with blinds at 300/500 with a 500 big blind ante. Ten levels will be played before bagging for Day 2. Late registration is open for the entirety of Day 1b. Players are due to take a 60-minute dinner break after Level 6 (~6.30 p.m.) and will take 15 minute breaks after every two Levels.
Be sure to return to the PokerNews live updates tomorrow to continue following all the action from the 100 bracelet events here at the 2026 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.