PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (June 22). Until then, we will be keeping readers informed with updates on chip counts and core event statistics, including entries and prize pool. Scroll down to see more.
Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors
Day 1 Completed
Day 1 of Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors is in the bag, with only 672 of the 4,478 starters progressing to the second day. With $40 from each buy-in donated to various veteran charities and organizations, this year's event raised just shy of $180,000.
Adam Brody (1,540,000) is the Day 1 chip leader, according to the WSOP LIVE app, while Nicholas Rigby (1,278,000) bagged up the second-largest stack. Rigby shot to fame at the 2021 WSOP by playing the lowly three-deuce, which he refers to as "The Dirty Diaper."
Rigby's loose-aggressive style often puts his opponents under maximum pressure. With him returning on Day 2 with a large stack, expect him to try to bulldoze his way into the third and final day.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Brody | United States | 1,540,000 | 128 |
| 2 | Nicholas Rigby | United States | 1,278,000 | 107 |
| 3 | Hiroto Nishijima | Japan | 1,204,000 | 100 |
| 4 | Sean Williams | United States | 1,175,000 | 98 |
| 5 | Naixuan Shi | China | 1,151,000 | 96 |
| 6 | Melissa Bartelme | United States | 1,147,000 | 96 |
| 7 | Nirath Rean | United States | 1,133,000 | 94 |
| 8 | Allen Lanier | United States | 1,109,000 | 92 |
| 9 | Eyyal Altar | United States | 1,086,000 | 91 |
| 10 | Nobuaki Sasaki | Japan | 1,070,000 | 89 |
Plenty of other stellar names advanced from Day 1. They include Michael Wilklow (995,000), Jamie Gold (860,000), Brett Shaffer (770,000), Andreas Frohli (724,000), Paulina Loeliger (490,000), Lexy Gavin-Mather (477,000), Mitchell Hynam (436,000), Francis Anderson (325,000), Brandon Sheils (322,000), Angela Jordison (283,000), and Alexandros Kolonias (47,000).
Day 2 starts at 12:00 p.m. local time on June 22. The plan is to play 15 to 17 levels, depending on how quickly the field whittles down.
Here are the chip counts of the 672 surviving players, according to the WSOP LIVE app.
Day 1 of Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors has concluded. Of the 4,478 entries, 672 bagged to return for Day 2 and they are in the money after the bubble burst to end the day.
Standby for the full chip counts and recap.
The event was expected to play 10 Levels today, but with the tournament right on the bubble, the action will now continue until players make it through to the money.
There are 100 bracelet-awarding events on the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) schedule, but every poker player dreams of becoming the champion of just one of those tournaments: the $10,000 WSOP Main Event. Unfortunately for some, the $10,000 buy-in puts the 2026 WSOP Main Event out of reach, which is where satellites come into their own.
In 2003, the aptly-named Chris Moneymaker, then an accountant from Atlanta, Georgia, won a $10,000 WSOP Main Event seat via an $86 buy-in satellite online at PokerStars. Moneymaker outlasted 838 opponents, including defeating seasoned pro Sammy Farha heads-up, to win the WSOP Main Event and kickstart the phenomenon that would be called the Moneymaker Effect.
Fast forward to today, and hundreds, if not thousands, of players will head to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas hoping to win their way into the 2026 WSOP Main Event for a fraction of the $10,000 asking price. The 2026 WSOP Main Event satellites run from July 1-7 and come in buy-ins of $150, $260, $585, $1,100, and $2,200.
According to the WSOP LIVE app.
The prize pool and payouts for this event have been confirmed. The total prize pool is $1,835,980. The top 672 players are set to make the money, with $208,800 reserved for the outright winner.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $208,800 | 45 -53 | $4,470 |
| 2 | $137,370 | 54 -62 | $3,740 |
| 3 | $101,600 | 63 -71 | $3,170 |
| 4 | $75,800 | 72 -80 | $2,710 |
| 5 | $57,020 | 81 -89 | $2,330 |
| 6 | $43,260 | 90 -98 | $2,030 |
| 7 | $33,120 | 99 -143 | $1,790 |
| 8 | $25,570 | 144 -188 | $1,600 |
| 9 | $19,930 | 189 -233 | $1,440 |
| 10 -11 | $15,660 | 234 -287 | $1,310 |
| 12 -13 | $12,420 | 288 -341 | $1,200 |
| 14 -17 | $9,940 | 342 -395 | $1,110 |
| 18 -26 | $8,030 | 396 -449 | $1,040 |
| 27 -35 | $6,540 | 450 -672 | $1,000 |
| 36 -44 | $5,380 |
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