button in SafariClayton Mozdzen Leads Field Into Day 2 of $10k 8-Game Championship
While most eyes may be on the start of the Main Event today at the 2026 World Series of Poker, the mixed-game experts will continue to battle on Day 2 of Event #80: $10,000 8-Game Mixed Championship, which starts at 1 p.m. local time. The third edition of the prestigious freezeout event saw a turnout of 156 unique entries on Day 1, and 73 of them will return to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. That being said, the $1,450,800 prize pool will undoubtedly grow further as late registration will remain open for one more level today.
Canadian grinder Clayton Mozdzen will return with the biggest stack of all. He amassed 345,000 during a late-night surge on Day 1, worth nearly six starting stacks. Mozdzen has already appeared on two mixed-game final tables this summer, including a runner-up finish in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E., and has put himself in prime position to make yet another deep run in an attempt to capture his maiden bracelet.
2019 Main Event finalist Nicholas Marchington sits in second with 327,000, while Taylor Atchison started his hunt for a second bracelet of the series off well by gathering 297,500. Other notable names in the top ten include the red-hot Naoya Kihara (233,000) and this year's $10k Dealer's Choice champion Bryce Yockey (228,500).
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clayton Mozdzen | Canada | 345,000 |
| 2 | Nicholas Marchington | United Kingdom | 327,000 |
| 3 | Taylor Atchison | United States | 297,500 |
| 4 | Wataru Kosugi | Japan | 275,500 |
| 5 | Christopher Vitch | United States | 270,500 |
| 6 | Yuval Bronshtein | Israel | 251,000 |
| 7 | Ray Dehkharghani | United States | 238,500 |
| 8 | Naoya Kihara | Japan | 233,000 |
| 9 | Tomasz Gluszko | Poland | 230,000 |
| 10 | Bryce Yockey | United States | 228,500 |
Other returnees include recent 10k Stud Hi-Lo finalist Caitlin Comeskey (151,000), Australian mixed-game legend James Obst (149,500), poker author Dylan Linde (145,500), Hall of Famers Brian Rast (134,500), and Todd Brunson (115,000), and all-time money list leader Bryn Kenney (105,500)
The tournament will resume with Level 11, which has blinds of 1,000/2,000 for the big bet games and limits of 4,000/8,000 for the fixed-limit games. A 15-minute break will follow the first level, after which late registration will close. Day 2 will play ten 60-minute levels in total, with an hour-long dinner break scheduled after Level 15, around 6:30 p.m. local time.
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Day 2 of the $10k 8-Game Championship will be reported live exclusively by PokerNews, so stay tuned as the mixed-game action will get underway shortly.