2026 World Series of Poker

Day: 2
123
Event Info
2026 World Series of Poker
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,000
Prize Pool
$2,924,240
Total Entries
3,323
Players Left
103
Average Chip Stack
645,243
Total Chips
66,460,000
Next Payout
Place 103
$3,024
Level Info
Level
21
Blinds
10,000 / 20,000
Ante
20,000
Players Info - Day 2
Entries
836
Players Left
103
Players Left 103 / 3,323
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Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors

Day 2 Completed

Kelley Slay Rises to the Top on Day 2 of Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Kelley Slay
Kelley Slay

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

RankPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Kelley SlayUnited States2,085,000104
2Behrouz KeshtavarUnited States1,800,00090
3Dean RutledgeUnited States1,585,00079
4Barbara SargentUnited States1,515,00076
5Jeffrey CampUnited States1,485,00074
6Istvan ToroHungary1,320,00066
7Mehrdad YousefzadehUnited States1,300,00065
8Timothy GarnerUnited States1,285,00064
9Lionel BarracanoFrance1,275,00064
10Paul McmullinUnited States1,235,00062

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.

JJ Liu
JJ Liu

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.

Marcel Luske
Marcel Luske

Remaining Payouts

PlacePrizePlacePrize
1$355,26314 -17$17,844
2$236,71218 -26$14,392
3$176,56427 -35$11,702
4$132,69636 -44$9,593
5$100,48845 -53$7,930
6$76,68354 -62$6,611
7$58,97063 -71$5,557
8$45,70372 -80$4,712
9$35,69981 -89$4,029
10 -11$28,10690 -98$3,475
12 -13$22,30599 -103$3,024

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.

Tags: Barry ShulmanGreg RaymerJJ LiuJohn EspositoKenna JamesKevin SongLee MarkholtMarcel LuskeMarsha WolakMassoud EskandariRob HollinkScott LazarWilliam Bennet

Day 3 Seat Draw (Gold Section)

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
TableSeatPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
741William BeasleyUnited States470,00024
742Donald BriggsUnited States880,00044
743Jeffrey MillerUnited States650,00033
744Kevin SongSouth Korea605,00030
746Semsettin IlyasUnited States1,000,00050
747Ronald EbenhoehUnited States215,00011
748Michael OdehUnited States300,00015
749Frank ConnellyUnited States335,00017
      
751Michael TarasUnited States220,00011
752Peter ForsbergUnited States1,000,01550
753Mark ThomasUnited States830,00042
754Terrance MulreanyUnited States430,00022
755Glen ClementiUnited States1,030,00052
756Curtis FreezeUnited States775,00039
757Jack SloanUnited States250,00013
758Ron FetschUnited States950,00048
759Perry WymoreUnited States780,00039
      
761Louis PitoUnited States340,00017
762Christopher PowersUnited States295,00015
763Jeffrey WilcoxUnited States500,00025
764Frederic SoriaUnited States535,00027
765Timothy GarnerUnited States1,285,00064
766Jorge MartinezUnited States560,00028
767Gary LambertUnited States128,0006
768Rob HollinkNetherlands690,00035
769Thomas BohmerUnited States215,00011
      
861Kelley SlayUnited States2,085,000104
862Mark ForsterUnited States530,00027
863Terry ThomasonUnited States350,00018
864Mark WarlingUnited States940,00047
865Robin AshworthUnited States505,00025
866Edward ApodacaUnited States900,00045
867Gregory BowmanUnited States990,00050
868Daniel McdonaghIreland255,00013
869Raymond XuUnited States275,00014
      
871George AlexUnited States385,00019
872Laurence LublinerUnited States560,00028
874Susan MurpheyUnited States750,00038
875Brian KayUnited States400,00020
876Jack BensonUnited Kingdom565,00028
877Frank JacobsonUnited States330,00017
878Rickey MccolleyUnited States970,00049
879Tai TaUnited States10,0001
      
881Nan MinUnited States705,00035
882Jill ArowestyUnited States154,0008
883Mark RubinUnited States705,00035
884Marc LevyUnited States1,050,00053
885Istvan ToroHungary1,320,00066
886Lionel BarracanoFrance1,275,00064
887Michael StansellUnited States325,00016
888Thomas SpaidUnited States930,00047
889Nancy BirnbaumUnited States1,110,00056
      
982Samuel CoenUnited States1,205,00060
983David SavareseUnited States560,00028
984Arthur FryUnited States945,00047
985Raymond WeitzmanUnited States305,00015
986Kenna JamesUnited States790,00040
987David SchneiderUnited States755,00038
988Patrick MorseUnited States125,0006
989Paul HughesUnited States160,0008
      
991Lawrence TerkelUnited States345,00017
992David JacksonUnited States455,00023
993Jeffrey CampUnited States1,485,00074
994William DeregoUnited States850,00043
995Lea WolfeUnited States135,0007
996Mehrdad YousefzadehUnited States1,300,00065
997Dean RutledgeUnited States1,585,00079
998Leo WhittUnited States230,00012
999Greg RaymerUnited States345,00017
      
1001Marie HarrellUnited States650,00033
1002Manoj BataviaUnited States800,00040
1003Paul HickersonUnited States290,00015
1004Steve SakakiniUnited States90,0005
1005Paul McMullinUnited States1,235,00062
1006Levent AksoyUnited States180,0009
1007Kinesh PatherSouth Africa1,150,00058
1008Joseph DavidmanUnited States705,00035
1009Robert StuveCanada440,00022
      
1011Alexander DovzhenkoUkraine160,0008
1012John MeolaUnited States475,00024
1013Daniel WarneUnited States565,00028
1014Kevin MasonUnited States545,00027
1015Suru PatelCanada465,00023
1016Robert PaclebUnited States755,00038
1018Barbara SargentUnited States1,515,00076
1019JJ LiuTaiwan315,00016
      
1061Robert GarvinUnited States510,00026
1062Antonin TeisseireFrance322,00016
1063An TranVietnam280,00014
1064Imre MakranyiUnited States485,00024
1065Behrouz KeshtavarUnited States1,800,00090
1066Shahen MartirosianUnited States960,00048
1067Salvatore BusaccaUnited States575,00029
1068Dick CarsonUnited States320,00016
1069Robert HessUnited States740,00037
      
1071Antonio GhellerUnited States630,00032
1072Pat MccoyUnited States460,00023
1073Beth GainsUnited States165,0008
1074Joseph DagostinoUnited States445,00022
1075Jonathan LemoneUnited States705,00035
1077Dhesikan AnanchaperumalUnited States735,00037
1078Korte YeoUnited States235,00012
1079Micheal DokellUnited States520,00026

End of Day 2 Chip Counts (full)

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

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Play Concludes

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

The remaining 103 players have bagged up their chips and will return for Day 3 on Wednesday, June 24.

Stay tuned for chip counts and a full recap of the day's action.

Pather Has Cooke Dead on the Turn

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Kathy Cooke
Kathy Cooke

Three ways to the 10KJ flop with 115,000 in the pot, Mark Rubin checked from the big blind and Kathy Cooke bet 60,000 from the hijack. Kinesh Pather raised to 160,000 on the button, which only Cooke called.

Cooke knuckled it over to Pather on the 6 turn and Pather bet 250,000, leaving himself with just 130,000 behind. Cooke check-jammed and Pather snap-called to put himself at risk.

Kinesh Pather: JJ All in
Kathy Cooke: J10

Pather had a set of jacks, leaving Cooke drawing dead with two pair. An irrelevant 9 arrived on the river, and Pather secured the double-up.

Cooke was left with just a few big blinds and was eliminated shortly afterward.

Tags: Kathy CookeKinesh PatherMark Rubin

Weitzman Flips Out Warren

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Anthony Warren got his short stack into the middle from late position and Raymond Weitzman was trying to finish him off from the next seat.

Anthony Warren: 77 All in
Raymond Weitzman: KQ

Warren's pocket sevens ended up second best on the 9J9KQ runout, as Weitzman improved to two pair.

Warren was eliminated, while Weitzman added the chips to his growing stack.

Tags: Anthony WarrenRaymond Weitzman

Makranyi's King-High Sends Allen to the Rail

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Debra Allen's stack of around 170,000 got into the middle preflop, and Imre Makranyi was the player trying to win them all and add some chips to his own stack.

Debra Allen: QJ All in
Imre Makranyi: KQ

Makranyi had made the right decision to call with king-high, as he had Allen dominated and simply needed her to miss the board.

Makranyi's king-high remained the best hand after the 59428 runout, and Allen became the latest casualty of the event.

Last Level Eliminations

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

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