button in SafariInaugural Event #53: $1,500 Five Card PLO Down to 76 Players
Day 2 of the Event #53: $1,500 Five Card PLO is happening today, June 19, at 12 p.m. local time in Horsehoe and Paris Las Vegas.
Making its debut at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP), the format proved to be an immediate success, attracting 1,319 entries and generating a total prize pool of $1,750,973.
Only 76 players remain in contention and are all guaranteed a minimum cashout of $3,820, but the goal for today is to advance to Day 3 to win the top prize of $271,552 and grab a WSOP golden bracelet.
On top of the chip counts is Japan's Suguru Nakajima, who bagged 1,698,000 at the end of the night.
Following him is American Ravi Shankar (1,446,000), and closing the podium positions in third is his countryman Garth Paul (980,000).
Top Ten 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 |
Also in the top ten is 2024 $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha champion Daniel Perkusic.
Perkusic has made numerous final table appearances in PLO and has most of his recorded cash earnings in this discipline. With his expertise, the German player is more than capable of taking down this inaugural event.
Joining them in the top ten is Finnish poker legend Juha Helppi, who has earned more than $10 million in tournament earnings dating back to 2001.
Still in the running are 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), among other players who are in the hunt for the second bracelets.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $271,552 |
| 2 | $180,230 |
| 3 | $127,560 |
| 4 | $91,530 |
| 5 | $66,610 |
| 6 | $49,160 |
| 7 | $36,810 |
| 8 | $27,970 |
| 9 | $21,570 |
| 10-11 | $16,890 |
| 12-15 | $13,430 |
| 16-23 | $10,840 |
| 24-31 | $8,890 |
| 32-39 | $7,410 |
| 40-47 | $6,280 |
| 48-55 | $5,410 |
| 56-63 | $4,730 |
| 64-71 | $4,220 |
| 72-76 | $3,820 |
The day will start at Level 18 with blinds at 5,000/10,000 and go through ten levels with 15-minute breaks every two levels and a 60-minute dinner break after Level 23.
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