PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (July 2). Until then, we will keep readers informed with updates on chip counts and core event statistics, including entries and the prize pool. Scroll down to see more.
Event #79: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em
Day 1 Started
The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) continues at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, and there’s an icy chill in the air (not the aircon), with Event #79: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em, kicking off at 12:00 p.m. local time on July 1.
Freezeout events always carry a different kind of tension, with every decision carrying added weight. Last year was no different, as a huge field of 1,027 was eliminated one by one, not to return, generating a prize pool of $2,742,090 in the process.
Day 1 gets underway at 12:00 p.m. local time on July 1, with players set to complete 17 levels, each lasting 40 minutes. A 15-minute break takes place every three levels, while a 60-minute dinner break is scheduled after Level 9, around 6:30 p.m. Late registration remains open through the first nine levels.
Day 2 resumes at 12:00 p.m. on July 2, with 10 levels planned and the clock increasing to 60 minutes. Players take 15-minute breaks every two levels, with a 60-minute dinner break after Level 23 (approx. 6:30 p.m.).
Day 3’s restart time is to be confirmed, with the remaining field playing down to a winner. As with Day 2, there are 15-minute breaks every two levels, and a dinner break will be announced during play. Should the final table be selected for live streaming, the schedule may be adjusted.
Blinds begin at 100/200 with a 200 big blind ante and increase steadily throughout the event, reaching 800,000/400,000 in the later stages.
Freezeout tournaments remain a purist’s format at the WSOP. With no re-entry option, every chip matters from the very start, and players must balance survival with accumulation. It’s a format that consistently rewards strong fundamentals and composure under pressure.
Renat Bohdanov came out on top in 2025, turning his $3,000 buy-in into $451,600 and a second WSOP bracelet after navigating a tough field and a rowdy final table. In the aftermath of his victory, the Ukrainian told PokerNews "This one was very important because it feels like a bigger one and more important, so I’m excited.”
The event is now into its 6th year at the WSOP, and there has been an international flavor to previous winners. Alongside Bohdanov from Ukraine, Erlend Melsom from Norway won in 2024, Robert Schulz from Germany in 2023, and David Jackson from the US in 2022.
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Poker fans were treated to many exciting hands at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) the past week.
But there's always a player involved in one of these juicy hands who doesn't find it as interesting as the rest of us. Take Allen Kessler, for example, who took a cruel Razz bad beat to bust from the $3,000 Nine Game Mix event, a hand you'll read about in just a bit.
"The Chainsaw" isn't the only recipient of a bad beat or on the wrong end of a brutal cooler the past week at the WSOP.
According to the WSOP live app.
Brian 'Smitty' Smith would stand out in the $1,000 WSOP Mystery Millions anyway. A tall guy with a broad smile, fully decked out in purple, he jokes that he's a "walking billboard" for the pancreatic cancer charity Purple Pansies.
But he stood out even more on Sunday, as the grinder from Atlanta, Georgia, pulled a gold chest for $100,000 and immediately announced it was all going to the charity so close to his heart.
As per the WSOP LIVE app.
This year's nominees for the Poker Hall of Fame have been announced, with the eight individuals now heading to the living members of the Hall for voting.
Each member can vote for up to four nominees, and anyone receiving votes from 22 or more members earns an automatic induction. This change, from a previous "winner-takes-all" format allowing for only one induction per year, was announced earlier this month.
Five of the eight nominees are first-time nominees, having met the minimum age requirement of 40. Eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Shaun Deeb headlines these players; he is joined by Jason Koon, Isaac Haxton, Chris Moorman, and Justin Bonomo.
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