PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (May 30). 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 #8: $1,500 Badugi
Day 1 Completed
Day 1 of Event #8: $1,500 Badugi brought 554 players to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. After 15 levels of play, 84 remained.
Of these 84 players, 31 already have at least one WSOP bracelet to their name. These previous bracelet winners include Lok Chan (348,000), who finished with the second biggest stack of the day. He sits behind Brian Tate, the event's current chip leader.
Tate bagged 428,000 in chips, giving him a substantial lead over his opponents. This puts Tate in a good position to take down a share of the $735,435 in the event's prize pool.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Tate | United States | 428,000 | 86 |
| 2 | Lok Chan | Hong Kong | 348,000 | 70 |
| 3 | Satoshi Tanaka | United States | 329,000 | 66 |
| 4 | Kevin Xu | United States | 307,000 | 61 |
| 5 | Ryan Hoenig | United States | 297,000 | 59 |
| 6 | Matthew Wantman | United States | 292,000 | 58 |
| 7 | Dominick Sarle | United States | 285,000 | 57 |
| 8 | Frank Muir | United States | 277,000 | 55 |
| 9 | Alexander Bitsakis | Canada | 275,000 | 55 |
| 10 | Jampana Appalaraju | United States | 255,000 | 51 |
Chip counts according to the WSOP LIVE app
Some of the other bracelet winners to survive Day 1 included Ryan Hoenig (297,000), Matthew Wantman (292,000), Chino Rheem (197,000), Ryan Riess (193,000), Jean-Robert Bellande (169,000), and Nick Schulman (104,000).
There were also two previous Main Event winners Chris Moneymaker (162,000) and Max Neugebauer (140,000).
This bracelet-bedizened field will return for Day 2 of Event #8: $1,500 Badugi on May 30 at 1:00 p.m. local time with Day 2. Action is expected to run for 10 levels. You can follow the day's action live here on PokerNews.
Here are the end-of-day chip counts according to the WSOP LIVE app.
A total of 554 players created a prize pool of $735,435. The top 84 players finished in the money, with a minimum cash of $2,999. The eventual champion will take home $141,963, along with the WSOP bracelet.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $141,963 | 12-17 | $7,095 |
| 2 | $94,607 | 18-23 | $5,762 |
| 3 | $62,920 | 24-29 | $4,812 |
| 4 | $42,815 | 30-35 | $4,136 |
| 5 | $29,824 | 36-41 | $3,662 |
| 6 | $21,279 | 42-47 | $3,343 |
| 7 | $15,560 | 48-53 | $3,149 |
| 8-9 | $11,668 | 54-59 | $3,074 |
| 10-11 | $8,979 | 60-84 | $2,999 |
Changes to television and livestream coverage have been made for the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Major changes.
But fear not, the biggest event of the year in poker will be easily accessible to fans around the world, for free (well, most of it).
ESPN returns to cover the Main Event this year, but the rest of the 2026 WSOP will be available for livestreaming on the WSOP's official social media channels.
Chip counts according to the WSOP LIVE app.
According to the WSOP LIVE app.
The poker world moves fast and during massive events, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everyone. Whether you’re following a high-stakes pro, a local hero from your home game, or a family member chasing a bracelet, PokerNews makes it even easier with the new MyPlayers feed — your personalized updates feed for tracking the players you care about in one place.
Build your custom watchlist by clicking the star icon next to a player in the live reporting feed, and they’ll be pinned to the top of chip counts and tracked in a single, real-time feed as the action unfolds.
Event #8: $1,500 Badugi
Day 1 Started
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