button in SafariHelppi Top Ten as Nakajima Leads Five Card PLO on Event's WSOP Debut
Japan's Suguru Nakajima will return for Day 2 in Event #53: $1,500 Five Card PLO in pole position after bagging the chip lead over Ravi Shankar.
The format, which is making its debut at the 2026 WSOP, attracted 1,319 entries with just 76 players remaining.
Also inside the top 10 is 2024 $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha champion Daniel Perkusic and Finnish poker legend Juha Helppi
Event #53: $1,500 Five Card PLO Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suguru Nakajima | Japan | 1,698,000 | 170 |
| 2 | Ravi Shankar | United States | 1,446,000 | 145 |
| 3 | Garth Paul | United States | 980,000 | 98 |
| 4 | Craig Jones | United States | 965,000 | 97 |
| 5 | Ghassan Hoss | Wales | 934,000 | 93 |
| 6 | Kai Yang | United States | 930,000 | 93 |
| 7 | Daniel Perkusic | Germany | 863,000 | 86 |
| 8 | Juha Helppi | Finland | 847,000 | 85 |
| 9 | Bouwe Claushuis | Netherlands | 841,000 | 84 |
| 10 | Mohamed Kerkeni | France | 829,000 | 83 |
Other notable players who will return for Day 2 include 25K Fantasy players and multi-time champions Max Neugebauer (574,000) and Sam Soverel (381,000), two-time bracelet winner Zachary Gruneberg (494,000), and plenty of others who are looking for their second bracelet.
The bubble burst late on Day 1, with the survivors returning on Friday, June 19 at 12 p.m. for Day 2. Stay tuned to PokerNews with live coverage of this event beginning on Day 2.