button in SafariBenny Glaser Leads Final Six Contenders in $50,000 Poker Players Championship After Penultimate Day
Stud Games: 40,000 Ante, 50,000 Bring-In, 150,000 Completion, 150,000-300,000 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 80,000/120,000 Ante, 40,000-80,000 Blinds
The pinnacle of the mixed-game tournament schedule at the 2026 World Series of Poker, Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship (PPC), is down to its final six players after four days of nine-game poker. They are the last ones standing from a starting field of 108 unique entries, and will return to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas on June 25 to divide the largest shares of the $5,130,000 prize pool and decide who will walk away with the $1,343,764 top prize, the prestigious Chip Reese Memorial trophy, and, of course, the golden WSOP bracelet.
After a day full of up-and-down swings, mixed games phenom Benny Glaser bagged the most chips at the end of the night. Having started the day as chipleader as well, Glaser went wire-to-wire to set himself up to become the first player of the post-poker-boom generation to capture nine bracelets.
“It was a struggle for a bit today,” Glaser shared with PokerNews as he was bagging his chips. “The early levels were nice, but once we got moved to the feature table, things became pretty tough. I had a couple of unfortunate hands, but I battled and had a very nice couple of levels at the end. I’m actually down 2,000,000 from my peak, but I’m relatively happy with the day.”
Capturing the PPC title is the ultimate dream of any mixed game grinder, so it is no surprise that Glaser is looking forward to the upcoming finale. “I’m excited. I hope I can get as much sleep as I can, lock in, and battle. It’s one of the most exciting spots of the year, and I’m looking to capitalize on it.”
Glaser ended the day with 8,610,000 in his possession, worth just under 22 big bets when play resumes. Meanwhile, the star-studded lineup of Maxx Coleman, Kristopher Tong, Josh Arieh, and Phil Ivey all bagged around 5,000,0000, while Paul Volpe’s 2,725,000 is the shortest stack of all.
End of Day 4 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benny Glaser | United Kingdom | 8,610,000 |
| 2 | Maxx Coleman | United States | 5,565,000 |
| 3 | Josh Arieh | United States | 5,265,000 |
| 4 | Kristopher Tong | United States | 5,180,000 |
| 5 | Phil Ivey | United States | 5,135,000 |
| 6 | Paul Volpe | United States | 2,725,000 |
Glaser has been here before, taking fourth in the 2022 PPC. He is, however, far from the only one with final table experience at the PPC. Although there is no previous champion left in contention, Arieh, the legendary Hall of Famer Ivey, and the short-stacked Volpe have secured their third-ever PPC final-table appearance, with seven-time bracelet winner Arieh especially hungry for revenge after his runner-up finish in 2019. Meanwhile, Tong became a two-time PPC finalist today, having placed fifth in 2023.
The only player new to the spotlights of the PPC final table will be Coleman, who is part of the players packed in the middle of the counts. Coleman’s skills are not to be discounted either, however, as he has noted his third in-the-money finish in the PPC in just four years, and earned himself two WSOP bracelets in the same time frame.
Legends Fall on Day 4
The day started with 15 players returning, all freshly in the money as the bubble had burst in the late hours of the previous day. All eyes were on Phil Hellmuth at the start of the day, as the all-time bracelet leader was looking to make the 2026 PPC bracelet his 18th one. His short stack was quickly dwindled to zero, however. His tournament nemesis, Glaser, took the last of his chips, eliminating Hellmuth in 14th place for $109,459.
The 82-year-old Roy Thung was by far the oldest contestant left. He added his first-ever PPC cash to his WSOP resume, which dates back all the way to 1997, but had to settle for 13th place. Receiving the same sum as Hellmuth, he recorded his largest-ever cash, according to The Hendon Mob. Big bet cannons Chris Brewer (12th - $109,459), Chris Hunichen (11th - $122,709), and Jesse Lonis (10th - $122,709) proved their mixed game prowess but fell before the final table, while Nick Guagenti’s first deep run in the PPC ended in eighth place for $144,054, becoming the final table bubble.
Jason Mercier began the final table as the absolute short stack, and despite doubling twice in quick succession, he was eliminated by Glaser about two and a half hours before the night’s end. Afterwards, although the players kept battling hard, no one really became at risk of busting, and the six players bagged up after the final level of the day had concluded. They have all secured a cash of $226,172, but all eyes will be on the seven-figure prize that comes with the honor of being crowned a PPC champion.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,343,764 | ||
| 2 | $895,837 | ||
| 3 | $600,698 | ||
| 4 | $417,607 | ||
| 5 | $301,405 | ||
| 6 | $226,172 | ||
| 7 | Jason Mercier | United States | $176,732 |
Day 5 will restart at 1:30 p.m. local time in Level 24, which has limits of 200,000/400,000 for the fixed-limit games, and blinds of 50,000/100,000 for the no-limit and pot-limit games. Levels will continue to be 100 minutes long, with a break scheduled after every level, and Day 5 will conclude only when a new Poker Players Champion has been declared.
Six remain, but only one name will be etched into the Chip Reese Memorial trophy. PokerNews will be live reporting the final day of the $50,000 Poker Players Championship from start to finish, so make sure to tune back in to find out who will be crowned the winner of the 2026 PPC.