button in SafariDefending Champion Robert Wells Brings Short Stack Into Day 2 of Record-Breaking $3k Nine-Game Mix
Mixed games continue to be on the rise during the 2026 World Series of Poker Event #52: $3,000 Nine Game Mix is the latest mixed event that broke all records, attracting a bumper crowd of 472 entries on Day 1 to create a prize pool of $1,260,240.
Today, at 1 p.m. local time, 164 players will return to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas for Day 2 of the event, among them the 2025 winner of this event, Robert Wells.
Wells, a long-time regular at the WSOP mixed games, won his maiden bracelet in this event last year. He will have to spin up his stack of 58,000 for a chance at consecutive cashes, however, as he enters Day 2 with just over seven big bets, some 90 eliminations away from making the money.
Recent no-limit 2-7 bracelet winner Stephen Hubbard is in a much better position in the hunt for the $254,470 top prize, bagging 366,500 on Day 1 for the chip lead. Other notable stacks in the top ten belong to Simeon Tsonev (321,000), Uri Reichenstein (302,000), and bracelet winners Nicholas Julia (287,000) and David Williams (282,500).
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Hubbard | United States | 366,500 |
| 2 | Yosif Nawabi | United States | 326,000 |
| 3 | Ralph Perry | United States | 324,000 |
| 4 | Simeon Tsonev | Bulgaria | 321,000 |
| 5 | Thomas Zanot | United States | 304,500 |
| 6 | Uri Reichenstein | Israel | 302,000 |
| 7 | Nicholas Julia | United States | 287,000 |
| 8 | David Williams | United States | 282,500 |
| 9 | Richard Freitas | Brazil | 263,000 |
| 10 | Tara Dunn | Canada | 259,500 |
Matt Vengrin was the best-performing $25k Fantasy player on Day 1, returning with 245,000. All-time money leader Bryn Kenney follows closely at 242,500, looking for his first live bracelet in 12 years.
Hall of Famer Todd Brunson bagged a six-figure stack of 111,500, and will be joined by his compatriot Eli Elezra (87,000). Naoya Kihara continues hunting his third bracelet of the summer with 104,500, while the scorching-hot Dennis Weiss will unbag 98,000 onto the table.
Day 2 will start with limits of 4,000/8,000 in the fixed-limit games, and blinds of 1,000/2,000 in the no-limit and pot-limit games.
The levels will be 60 minutes long throughout the day, and ten of them will be played before the surviving players bag up. A short break takes place after every two levels, while a 60-minute dinner break is scheduled after Level 18, around 7:30 p.m. local time.
The payouts will start from place 71, meaning 93 exits are needed before the money is reached. The minimum cash amounts to $6,060, with five-figure payouts lying in wait for the top 20. The top three will guarantee themselves a six-figure sum, with the eventual champion walking away with more than a quarter-million dollars.
Payout Structure
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $254,470 | 10 -11 | $16,590 |
| 2 | $166,540 | 12 -14 | $13,180 |
| 3 | $111,610 | 15 -20 | $10,760 |
| 4 | $76,510 | 21 -27 | $9,040 |
| 5 | $53,680 | 28 -34 | $7,800 |
| 6 | $38,560 | 35 -41 | $6,940 |
| 7 | $28,390 | 42 -48 | $6,360 |
| 8 -9 | $21,420 | 49 -71 | $6,060 |
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PokerNews will be on the Las Vegas tournament floor to provide live updates of the $3k Nine Game's second day, so stay tuned as the exciting mixed-game action will get underway shortly.