button in SafariKelley Slay Rises to the Top on Day 2 of Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors
After ten levels of play, Day 2 action has come to a close here in Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors at the 2026 World Series of Poker, hosted by the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
Of the 836 players who began the day, just 103 will return for Day 3 on Wednesday, each having locked up at least $3,024. The remaining competitors will battle for a share of the $2,924,240 prize pool, with the winner set to earn $355,263 and the coveted gold bracelet.
Kelley Slay (2,085,000) finished atop the leaderboard and was the only player to eclipse the two million chip mark. The Florida native final tabled the $1,000 No Limit Hold'em - Battle of the Ages event last year at the WSOP, finishing ninth for a career-best score of $33,112. He will look to top that with another deep run in the coming days.
Sitting in second is Behrouz Keshtavar with 1,800,000, and rounding out the top three is Dean Rutledge, who bagged 1,585,000.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelley Slay | United States | 2,085,000 | 104 |
| 2 | Behrouz Keshtavar | United States | 1,800,000 | 90 |
| 3 | Dean Rutledge | United States | 1,585,000 | 79 |
| 4 | Barbara Sargent | United States | 1,515,000 | 76 |
| 5 | Jeffrey Camp | United States | 1,485,000 | 74 |
| 6 | Istvan Toro | Hungary | 1,320,000 | 66 |
| 7 | Mehrdad Yousefzadeh | United States | 1,300,000 | 65 |
| 8 | Timothy Garner | United States | 1,285,000 | 64 |
| 9 | Lionel Barracano | France | 1,275,000 | 64 |
| 10 | Paul Mcmullin | United States | 1,235,000 | 62 |
Players to Keep an Eye On
Kenna James flew under the radar but managed to steadily chip up and bag a respectable 790,000. Greg Raymer (345,000), the 2004 Main Event champion, was in the mix and punched a ticket into Day 3. JJ Liu scored a knockout with Big Slick during the later half of the day and finished with 315,000.
Rob Hollink (690,000) and Kevin Song (605,000), who both own a piece of WSOP gold, will return tomorrow with over thirty big blinds.
Those Who Fell Short
Barry Shulman, the 2009 WSOPE Main Event champion, saw an early exit, as did bracelet winners Massoud Eskandari and John Esposito. Long-time grinder Lee Markholt was also knocked out before the money.
Once the money bubble burst, a slew of eliminations followed, one of them being 2005 Main Event finalist Scott Lazar, who finished in 456th place for $2,001. Bracelet winners William Bennet (441st - $2,001) and Marsha Wolak (212th - $2,351) were among other notables to lock up a pay day. Fan favorite Marcel Luske (178th - $2,654), who received plenty of air time during the early days of the poker boom, ran top two pair into Broadway after the dinner break.
Remaining Payouts
Action will resume at 11 a.m. local time on Wednesday, June 24, and the tournament is scheduled to play down to five players. Play will resume at Level 21 with blinds at 10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 big blind ante, and there will be a 15-minute break every two levels. A one-hour dinner break will take place after Level 26 is completed, at approximately 5:30 p.m.
Be sure to follow PokerNews throughout the remainder of this event and for continued coverage of the 2026 World Series of Poker.