PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (June 28). 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 #63: $1,000 Mystery Millions No-Limit Hold'em
Day 1a Completed
The first of six flights in Event #63: $1,000 Mystery Millions No-Limit Hold'em saw 1,643 players take their shot at World Series of Poker (WSOP) glory, but only 76 of those advanced to Day 2.
JC Tran, a two-time bracelet winner, finished Day 1a with 1,610,000 chips, enough for a top 10 stack at this early stage. Tran captured his first bracelet in 2008 in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event. His second bracelet came a year later in the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha.
Readers of a certain age may remember that Tran finished fifth in the 2013 WSOP Main Event, which earned him a career-high $2,106,893.
According to the WSOP LIVE app, Leo Soma (3,180,000) bagged the largest Day 1a stack, followed by his fellow Frenchman Vincent Lavollee (2,200,000), with Greece's Emmanouil Chalkiotis (2,120,000) just behind him.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leo Soma | France | 3,180,000 | 80 |
| 2 | Vincent Lavollee | France | 2,200,000 | 55 |
| 3 | Emmanouil Chalkiotis | Greece | 2,120,000 | 53 |
| 4 | Brad Sailor | United States | 1,950,000 | 49 |
| 5 | Jian Levine | United States | 1,701,500 | 43 |
| 6 | Donald Fulton | United States | 1,700,000 | 43 |
| 7 | Jakob Miegel | Germany | 1,650,000 | 41 |
| 8 | JC Tran | United States | 1,610,000 | 40 |
| 9 | Andre Cullins | United States | 1,610,000 | 40 |
| 10 | Armen Minasyan | Armenia | 1,535,000 | 38 |
Others who navigated their way through the Day 1a minefield include Jakob Miegel (1,650,000), Yen Han Chen (760,000), Zdenek Zizka (665,000), David "ODB" Baker (665,000), Jason James (318,000), David Shmuel (313,000), and Howard Mash (30,000).
The 76 Day 1a survivors won't be back in action until June 28, but Day 1b shuffles up and deals at 10:00 a.m. local time on June 24. Stay tuned to PokerNews for updates from the 2026 WSOP.
Here are the chip counts of the 76 Day 1a survivors, according to the WSOP LIVE app.
Day 1a of Event #63: $1,000 Mystery Millions has now concluded. Of the 1,643 entries to the flight, 76 players have bagged to advance.
Standby for the full chip counts and recap.
As football's most legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, once said, "Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing."
Forget the bad beats, one-outers, and misclicks—at the World Series of Poker, success is measured in green (and gold). From its inception in 1970 to the record-breaking 2024 edition, the series has seen some of poker's most unforgettable victories and created hundreds of millionaires.
Thanks to the poker boom (among other factors), it’s no shock that all of the WSOP’s biggest payouts have come in the last 25 years. The Main Event fields have exploded, and the rise of high-stakes tournaments has sent prize pools soaring to new heights.
According to the WSOP LIVE app.
A player in the WSOP $1,000 Super Seniors has found himself in hot water after bringing an X-rated card protector to the table.
Andrew Martin, who was competing on Day 2 of the event, told PokerNews that WSOP floor staff instructed him to remove the silver card protector after deeming it inappropriate for use during the tournament.
According to Martin, staff also issued a warning on his WSOP account and informed him that any further use of the item could result in a more serious penalty.
According to the WSOP Live apps.
In the 976th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow are back at Level 8 Studio in Las Vegas to catch up on all things 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
That includes looking at the big winners and losers from the Million Dollar Cash Game, including big hands by Alan Keating, Texas Mike, and Martin Kabrhel. Speaking of Kabrhel, he got into it with both Daniel Negreanu and Martin Zamani, and it seems the tide may be turning on how a lot of fans and other players feel about him. From there, the crew discusses Jared Bleznick's controversial comments against the Seniors High Roller, the current Player of the Year standings, and bracelet wins by some of the biggest names in the game, including Nick Schulman, Alex Foxen, Yuri Dzivielevski, and Adrian Mateos. Plus, Rich Alsup and Eddie Blumenthal both nabbed WSOP hardware.
Finally, learn who won the Bar Poker Open Championship at the Golden Nugget for a smooth $100,0001
Find out all about those stories and more in this week's episode of the PokerNews Podcast! Oh, and be sure to check out the audio version of the PokerNews Podcast that is available on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
According to the WSOP LIVE app.
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