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Naseem Salem Leads Star-Studded Final 53 For $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em
Day 2 of Event #56: $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em at the 2026 World Series of Poker kicks off at 1 p.m., with a gold bracelet and $492,050 top prize still up for grabs. The event attracted 1,150 entries and created a prize pool of $3,075,500, and after a long Day 1 at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, only 53 return to the felt today.
Sitting at the top is Naseem Salem with 2,025,000 and is the only player to have passed the two-million chip barrier. Salem is trailed by Abhishek Mhatre with 1,955,000, and Ying Zhu with1,885,000. The rest of the top five is taken up by David Miscikowski (1,800,000) and Christopher Vitch (1,505,000).
Salem will be looking to continue what has already been a memorable summer. Earlier in the series, he won his first WSOP bracelet and first seven-figure score by taking down Event #11: $10,000 GGMillion$ High Roller No-Limit Hold'em. Now he returns with the chip lead and a chance to add a second bracelet in less than three weeks.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naseem Salem | United States | 2,025,000 |
| 2 | Abhishek Mhatre | Canada | 1,955,000 |
| 3 | Ying Zhu | United States | 1,885,000 |
| 4 | David Miscikowski | United States | 1,800,000 |
| 5 | Christopher Vitch | United States | 1,505,000 |
| 6 | Brandon Sheils | United Kingdom | 1,470,000 |
| 7 | Mykel Robble | United States | 1,420,000 |
| 8 | Johannes Straver | Netherlands | 1,370,000 |
| 9 | Maria Konnikova | United States | 1,325,000 |
| 10 | Colin Robinson | United States | 1,255,000 |
Many tournament crushers will look to deny Salem his second bracelet. Three-time bracelet winner Vitch starts fifth in chips, while bracelet winners Maria Konnikova (1,325,000), Colin Robinson (1,255,000), Anthony Spinella (1,170,000), and Barak Wisbrod (795,500) all return with healthy stacks.
Also in the counts is Poker Hall of Famer Nick Schulman (875,000), who is looking to win his second bracelet of the summer. Also still in contention are 2024 WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Tamayo (520,000), Joey Weissman (635,000), and Faraz Jaka (545,000). Among the shorter stacks are Maxim Lykov (305,000), Belarmino De Souza (275,000), and two-time bracelet winner Bryan Piccioli (175,000), all of whom have plenty of work to do if they want to make the final table.
Play resumes on Level 22 with blinds of 15,000/30,000 and a 30,000 big blind ante. Levels increase to 40 minutes in length for the remainder of the tournament, with the plan to play down to a winner. All 53 remaining players have locked up at least $9,050, but with nearly half a million dollars awaiting the eventual champion, the biggest prizes are just over the horizon.
Remaining Payouts
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Stay tuned to PokerNews for continuing coverage of $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em as the players battle for the WSOP gold bracelet and huge top prize.