PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 3 (June 22). 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.
Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker
Day 2a Completed
From the 460 players who made it through the opening flight of Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker, just 67 have survived for Monday's Day 3 with American Rob Kuhn the overwhelming chip leader.
He bagged 2,700,000, almost twice as many as his nearest competitor Natural 8 Ambassador Thai Ha.
Ha sits alongside Dean Cimera and Day 1a chip leader Will Givens as the only other players above 1,400,000 in chips.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Kuhn | United States | 2,700,000 | 132 |
| 2 | Thai Ha | Vietnam | 1,465,000 | 73 |
| 3 | Dean Cimera | Croatia | 1,430,000 | 72 |
| 4 | Will Givens | United States | 1,410,000 | 71 |
| 5 | Kunal Patni | India | 1,240,000 | 62 |
| 6 | Dustin Nelson | United States | 1,170,000 | 59 |
| 7 | Michael Gathy | Belgium | 1,150,000 | 58 |
| 8 | Chisa Matsutani | Japan | 1,114,000 | 56 |
| 9 | Spyridon Apartoglou | Greece | 1,110,000 | 56 |
| 10 | Jed Friedman | United States | 1,085,000 | 54 |
Other bracelet winners through to Day 3, where PokerNews live updates will start, include Michael Gathy (1,150,000) who sits seventh in chips, as well as Paul Berger (550,000), Rafael Reis (480,000), Thomas Cazayous (425,000) and Frederic Normand (130,000).
All of these players and more will have to sit out the next three days before play resumes on Monday, June 22 at 11 a.m. for Day 3 in the $1,500 Millionaire Maker.
Stay tuned for updates from the 2026 World Series of Poker.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this recap indicated that Rob Kuhn was not the chip leader. This was an error and has been corrected.
Day 2a of Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker has concluded. Of the 460 players who returned, only 67 remain to join the Day 3 crowd when the tournament merges.
The road to success at the World Series of Poker isn’t just built at the tables anymore. In 2026, players are increasingly turning to technology to sharpen their edge, streamline their schedules, and survive the grind of a long Las Vegas summer.
While real-time assistance during play is strictly prohibited, there is a growing ecosystem of tools that players can use away from the table to prepare, study, and stay organized throughout the series.
The poker world moves fast and during massive events, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everyone. Whether you’re following a high-stakes pro, a local hero from your home game, or a family member chasing a bracelet, PokerNews makes it even easier with the new MyPlayers feed — your personalized updates feed for tracking the players you care about in one place.
Build your custom watchlist by clicking the star icon next to a player in the live reporting feed, and they’ll be pinned to the top of chip counts and tracked in a single, real-time feed as the action unfolds.
Alan Keating won a record $1.4 million pot last year on High Stakes Poker. But that hand, despite being worth more than most Americans make in a dozen years, pales in comparison to a three-way pot during Season 16.
The first eight of 11 episodes of the new season are available right now exclusively on PokerGO. There are many High Stakes Poker veterans such as Jennifer Tilly, Andrew Robl, and Justin Gavri mixed among recreational players like comedian Kevin Hart. And there's even a recent World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner in the mix — Santhosh Suvarna.
Santhosh took down the $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em for $1,992,870 on June 11, and then lost back $1.1 million of it the next day in Hustler Casino Live's Million Dollar Game at the WSOP. But he was in a strong position to win a pot worth far more than his MDG losses during Episode 6 of HSP.
As per the WSOP LIVE app.
In the 976th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow are back at Level 8 Studio in Las Vegas to catch up on all things 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
That includes looking at the big winners and losers from the Million Dollar Cash Game, including big hands by Alan Keating, Texas Mike, and Martin Kabrhel. Speaking of Kabrhel, he got into it with both Daniel Negreanu and Martin Zamani, and it seems the tide may be turning on how a lot of fans and other players feel about him. From there, the crew discusses Jared Bleznick's controversial comments against the Seniors High Roller, the current Player of the Year standings, and bracelet wins by some of the biggest names in the game, including Nick Schulman, Alex Foxen, Yuri Dzivielevski, and Adrian Mateos. Plus, Rich Alsup and Eddie Blumenthal both nabbed WSOP hardware.
Finally, learn who won the Bar Poker Open Championship at the Golden Nugget for a smooth $100,0001
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.
The Foxen family has 10 combined bracelets — two this year. For now.
That number could increase to as many as 12 on Friday as both high rollers — Alex Foxen and Kristen Foxen — were deep and big-stacked in separate events at the time of publishing. Both future Poker Hall of Famers (maybe this year for Kristen?) have already won bracelets at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
But they're looking for more, and to chase the WSOP Player of the Year award.
button in Safari
