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Cards are in the air from 2:00 p.m. local time in the second freezeout tournament of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Event #49: $2,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em. Freezeouts are rare these days, particularly in the live arena, so expect this event to prove extremely popular, especially with poker purists.
As the event's name suggests, there are no reentries permitted. Everyone receives 35,000 chips for their $2,500 investment. Dust those chips off, and the quest for a WSOP bracelet is over for this event at least.
The $500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em event earlier in the series saw 4,100 entries create $1,701,500 prize pool. This event won't attract as many players, due to its price point, but the prize pool and top prize will be far more substantial.
📌 Event Snapshot
- Event: #49 – $2,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em
- Date(s): June 16–18, 2026
- Time: 2:00 p.m. local time
- Buy-In: $2,500
- Format: No-Limit Hold’em
- Late Registration: Open until the end of Level 12 (approx.00:00 a.m. on Day 1)
- Reentry: None
- Starting Stack: 35,000 chips
- Levels: 40 minutes on Day 1, 60 minutes on Day 2 to finish
- 2025 Winner: Cary Katz – $449,245
- 2025 Field Size: 1,299 entries
- 2025 Prize Pool: $2,890,275
Structure and Schedule
Play begins at 2 p.m. with 40-minute levels throughout Day 1. Players who return for Day 2 will be treated to a slower 60-minute clock until the completion of the tournament.
Day 1 will play 15 levels, whereas those who bag up will come back for Day 2 to play another 10 levels. Those that are still in contention will return on Day 3, playing down to a winner.
Late registration closes at the end of Level 12, which is around midnight on Day 1.
Past Champions & Notable Winners
In 2025, Cary Katz defeated a field of 1,299 entries to win $449,245 and his first WSOP bracelet.
“I wasn't even supposed to play it. I didn't even have it on my schedule. I was going to rest this weekend and just get ready for the Main [Event]. But you know, I said I had a feeling I kind of want to play this.
“I like freezeouts. I'll go over and late register the freezeout and see what happens. And it was a good decision. I'm glad I took my shot.”
Are You Using MyStack?
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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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