button in SafariMaxx Coleman Holds Commanding Lead Over Final 13 in Stud Hi-Lo Championship
Low Card: 10,000
Completion: 30,000
Limits: 30,000-60,000
The 2026 edition of the Stud Hi-Lo Championship drew out a bigger crowd than last year’s identical tournament. Event #75: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better drew out a total of 190 entrants to generate a prize pool of $1,767,000 that the final 29 players all saw a piece of. After 10 levels of play, just 13 remained in contention for the WSOP bracelet and the $415,648 yet to be awarded to first place.
With nearly two times the next closest stack, two-time WSOP bracelet winner Maxx Coleman (2,430,000) took a commanding lead of the final 13 players. This is Coleman’s ninth cash of the 2026 WSOP, having final tabled two bracelet events this summer, including Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship. Coleman’s best finish in a $10k championship event came in 2023, when he finished in third place in the $10k Stud. With his massive stack today, he looks poised for another run for bracelet number three.
Day 2 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxx Coleman | United States | 2,430,000 | 30 |
| 2 | Jack Germaine | United Kingdom | 1,490,000 | 18 |
| 3 | Walter Chambers | United States | 1,050,000 | 13 |
| 4 | Nicolas Milgrom | France | 1,030,000 | 12 |
| 5 | Mark Rubbathan | United Kingdom | 955,000 | 11 |
| 6 | Matt Grapenthien | United States | 890,000 | 11 |
| 7 | Paul Volpe | United States | 715,000 | 8 |
| 8 | Chris Brewer | United States | 680,000 | 8 |
| 9 | Koji Fujimoto | Japan | 640,000 | 8 |
| 10 | Caitlin Comeskey | United States | 505,000 | 6 |
| 11 | Jose Paz-Gutierrez | Bolivia | 375,000 | 4 |
| 12 | Matt Vengrin | United States | 305,000 | 3 |
| 13 | Bradley Jansen | United States | 90,000 | 1 |
Rounding out the podium are Jack Germaine (1,490,000) and Walter Chambers (1,050,000), each one of them looking to add a first WSOP bracelet to their resume. Others that found their way to the bags at day’s end included Matt Grapenthien (890,000), Paul Volpe (715,000), Chris Brewer (680,000), and Caitlin Comeskey (505,000).
Day 2 Action
As the day began, a flurry of late entrants joined the field. Many were unsuccessful, with players falling like Martin Kabrhel, Christopher Vitch, Dario Sammartino, and Nick Pupillo. They joined the rail along with those who bagged up from the day prior like Eric Rodawig, Robert Mizrachi, Michael Estes, and Jerry Wong.
After the dinner break, the defending champion Qinghai Pan fell to ensure that a new champion would claim the title in this event. Shortly after, Ray Fishman and Brandon Shack Harris busted and brought the field to the stone bubble. It was Benjamin Miner who become the bubble boy of the tournament, falling to Nicolas Milgrom and ensuring that the other 29 players would all make some money in this tournament.
The eliminations came quickly once the bubble burst, as Noah Bronstein (29th-$20,320), Michael Moncek (25th-$20,320), and 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Ivey (22nd-$20,320) all became early casualties in the money. Start of day chip leader Bryce Yockey (20th-$21,336) would be the first to receive a pay jump, with Jake Schwartz (19th-$21,336), and Calvin Anderson (17th-$21,336) among those to follow him out the door.
On the second-to-last hand, Ryutaro Suzuki (14th-$24,377) was the final elimination of the night, as a four-way hand saw Coleman ascend high up the counts while Suzuki exited the tournament area.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $415,648 | 8 | $43,226 |
| 2 | $277,087 | 9 | $34,725 |
| 3 | $191,165 | 10 | $28,681 |
| 4 | $135,065 | 11 | $28,681 |
| 5 | $97,785 | 12 | $24,377 |
| 6 | $72,587 | 13 | $24,377 |
| 7 | $55,282 |
At 1:00 pm tomorrow, the 13 remaining players will return and compete for the WSOP bracelet. Level 21 will be the first level of play with antes at 10,000. It will be 10,000 to bring in and 40,000 to complete, with limits at 40,000/80,000. Levels will last 90 minutes each, with a 10-minute break occurring at the conclusion of every level. Play is scheduled to continue until a winner is crowned at Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the exciting updates on the ground at the 2026 WSOP.