button in SafariScapula, Thornton and Hachem Among Final 23 of $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
In just a few hours, a player will have the joy of becoming a 2026 World Series of Poker champion in Event #57: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
On the way to the bracelet, that player will first have to make it through the final 23 players who qualified for Day 3 from a field of 3,763 entrants. A first-place prize of $390,300 from a total prize pool of $2,558,182 awaits the eventual winner. But who will that player be?
After Day 2, Francois Scapula appears to be in a good position to bring France its first bracelet in two years after bagging the chip lead with 8,520,000.
He had not been in the spotlight much until the final levels of the day, when a rivered flush and aces versus aces propelled him to the top of the counts. But his lead is quite significant, as second-in-chips Sasha Guerin (6,430,000) and Dechang Zhang (6,255,000) sit more than 20 big blinds behind.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francois Scapula | France | 8,520,000 | 107 |
| 2 | Sasha Guerin | United States | 6,430,000 | 80 |
| 3 | Dechang Zhang | United States | 6,255,000 | 78 |
| 4 | Harry Rubin | United States | 5,395,000 | 67 |
| 5 | Schuyler Thornton | United States | 4,850,000 | 61 |
| 6 | Toby Joyce | Ireland | 4,550,000 | 57 |
| 7 | James Sedlacek | United States | 4,040,000 | 51 |
| 8 | Narcis-Gabriel Nedelcu | Romania | 3,830,000 | 48 |
| 9 | Paul Zappulla | United States | 3,770,000 | 47 |
| 10 | Nuno Duarte | Portugal | 3,735,000 | 47 |
Following Harry Rubin (5,395,000), another strong contender is 2025 WPT World Championship winner Schuyler Thornton (4,850,000). Toby Joyce is also in the mix with 4,550,000 as he looks to win a second WSOP bracelet after capturing his first in an online event in 2020.
Like Joyce, recent Irish Open champion Narcis-Gabriel Nedelcu (3,830,000), Thomas Skaggs (2,615,000), and Xing He (1,460,000) could all add another bracelet to their résumés. The same goes for short stack Gary Benson (1,060,000), who is chasing his second bracelet 30 years after winning his first.
Winning a bracelet would be a first, however, for Paul Zappulla (3,770,000), Daniel Hachem (2,955,000), Bobby James (2,015,000), 2024 WSOP Circuit Sanremo Main Event champion Muhamet Perati (1,700,000), and Roussos Koliakoudakis (1,165,000), all of whom remain in contention heading into Day 3.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $390,300 |
| 2 | $260,220 |
| 3 | $191,500 |
| 4 | $142,140 |
| 5 | $106,430 |
| 6 | $80,390 |
| 7 | $61,260 |
| 8 | $47,100 |
| 9 | $36,542 |
| 10-11 | $28,610 |
| 12-15 | $22,600 |
| 16-23 | $18,020 |
Play is set to resume at 12 p.m. local time this Wednesday, June 24, with blinds at 50,000/100,000 and a 100,000 big blind ante. The tournament will continue with 60-minute levels until a winner is crowned.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for complete coverage of this event’s conclusion and all the action from the 2026 World Series of Poker!