With limited media access to the new feature tables, PokerNews will provide updates where possible, alongside the results of the match-ups and the updated bracket as players are eliminated. Some matches will be streamed by the World Series of Poker, and our updates will follow the same delay as the live stream.
There is a slight delay to the restart, with play expected to resume shortly.
With all matches in Round 2 completed, just eight players remain in Day 1a.
The surviving players will take a break before returning to play the third and final round of the day.
Updates will resume at 12:30 a.m. local time.
Left extremely short-stacked, Justin Dykes moved all in on the button for just one big blind and was at risk versus Harvey Castro.
Justin Dykes: 7♦4♥ 
Harvey Castro: J♦10♥
The deck only served to improve Castro to a straight on the 5♠K♠7♣8♠9♦ board, and Dykes was the final elimination of the round.
Harvey Castro limped in with 10♦9♠, and Justin Dykes checked with 10♣6♠. The flop was 5♦J♥5♣, and Dykes checked. Castro bet 8,000, and Dykes raised to 16,000, and Castro called.
Dykes checked the turn Q♦, and Castro bet 18,000. Dykes folded, leaving him with a short stack.
Justin Dykes moved all in over a Harvey Castro limp. Castro made the call for all of his 292,000 chips, putting his tournament life on the line.
Harvey Castro K♠Q♦
Justin Dykes 3♠3♣
Castro got an instant lift from the flop in a runout Q♥9♣6♣7♦9♦ that gave him a double-up and huge chip advantage.
Justin Dykes made it 40,000 to go from the button with A♠2♦. Harvey Castro made the call with 10♠9♥.
After the flop went check-check, Castro responded to the J♣ on the turn with a bet of 60,000. Dykes immediately folded.
Level: 24
Blinds: 8,000/16,000
Ante: 0
Michael Berk moved all in from the button, and Pavels Spirins called off his remaining 137,000.
Pavels Spirins: A♦J♣
Michael Berk: Q♥9♦
The deck favoured Berk on this occasion, who improved to a straight on the 6♣5♥7♣8♠K♥ board, to send Spirins to the rail.
Check out the updated bracket here.
You can pretty much go ahead and pencil in Shaun Deeb (and a few others) among those who will, to quote Jason Somerville, “run it up” this summer at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP). But there are others who will shine during poker's most prestigious series, some of whom just might win their first bracelet.
The WSOP Player of the Year race, won by Deeb last year, began with WSOP Europe earlier this year. Deeb kickstarted his title defense with six cashes and two runner-up finishes in Prague. Many of the summer grinders didn't travel across the pond, including Daniel Negreanu.
Despite the head start, the reigning POY is no lock to win it again. There are others who figure to factor into the race. Or, at the very least, post impressive results in Las Vegas.
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