PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (July 8). 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 #86: $600 Ultra Stack No-limit Hold'em
Day 1a Completed
Day 1a of Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold'em saw 1,366 players turn out in force. However, only 98 of those starters managed to navigate through 22 levels to take their seat on Day 2 in a couple of days' time.
According to the WSOP LIVE app, Rajan Patel (2,690,000) bagged the largest stack. He was one of five players to eclipse two million chips. Wade Gillett (2,460,000), Ming Chen (2,390,000), Son Ho (2,280,000), and Zahor Maymon (2,000,000) were the others.
Two-time bracelet winner Ryan Bambrick (1,315,000) bagged enough chips for a top 15 place on the overnight chip count list. Bambrick won his first bracelet in 2018 when he took down the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event for a then-career-best $217,123. He struck gold again at the 2025 WSOP, triumphing in the $10,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship for a new high of $470,437.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rajan Patel | United States | 2,690,000 | 67 |
| 2 | Wade Gillett | Canada | 2,460,000 | 62 |
| 3 | Ming Chen | United States | 2,390,000 | 60 |
| 4 | Son Ho | United States | 2,280,000 | 57 |
| 5 | Zahor Maymon | Israel | 2,000,000 | 50 |
| 6 | James Hollman | United States | 1,810,000 | 45 |
| 7 | Michael Danley | United States | 1,780,000 | 45 |
| 8 | Sanjeev Kapoor | United States | 1,730,000 | 43 |
| 9 | Adill Kassou | United States | 1,660,000 | 42 |
| 10 | Andrew Dubuque | United States | 1,635,000 | 41 |
The only other bracelet winner to progress from this flight was Japanese star Naoya Kihara (590,000). Kihara has been in red-hot form, cashing in 14 events, reaching five final tables, and capturing a brace of bracelets.
Day 1b is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. local time on July 6. Like this flight, Day 1b concludes once the 22nd level is done and dusted. Day 1c runs from 10:00 a.m. local time on July 7, with the surviving players from all three flights combining on Day 2 at 1:00 p.m. local time on July 8, when PokerNews' traditional live reporting of this event begins.
Here are the chip counts of the 98 players who advanced to Day 2 from Day 1a, according to the WSOP LIVE app.
Day 1a of Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold'em has concluded. Of the 1,366 entries to the flight, 98 players have bagged to return for Day 2.
Standby for the full chip counts and recap.
One question always gets asked in the build-up to the World Series of Poker (WSOP): who are the best players still chasing their first bracelet? It's something PokerNews looks at every year.
But here's another angle worth exploring. Which players have actually won the most money at the WSOP without ever getting their hands on one of poker's most coveted prizes?
Some players have racked up millions in WSOP earnings, building their totals on one monster score, while others have chipped away year after year grinding the series.
The least and most surprising World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion ever is arguably the same person.
Confused? You won't be in a bit. Poker's most prestigious annual event, with the purpose of crowning a 2026 world champion, kicks off today at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Michael Mizrachi, the newest Poker Hall of Famer, won this $10,000 buy-in tournament last summer for $10,000,000.
"The Grinder's" win brought some excitement around the poker community, but it wasn't a huge surprise like some past champs. Mizrachi didn't come out of nowhere before winning the Main Event. He wasn't an accountant who won a cheap online satellite to enter the tournament or some random amateur low-stakes cash game player.
According to the WSOP LIVE app, although top counts close to two million seem inaccurate.
It took almost no time, but as per usual, a player has been eliminated early in Level 1 at the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event.
Anthony Marini picked up A♦K♦ just after the World Championship event began and decided to gamble for his entire stack, while Ryan Sands didn't want his opponent to earn an early double-up.
As per the WSOP LIVE app.
Earlier this week, the Tournament Directors Association (TDA) held its biennial summit, which debuted back in 2001. The TDA Summit XII was held at the PokerGO Studio and drew more than 200 industry professionals from around the world.
“The goal of the TDA remains that we want a standard set of rules that players, tournament directors, and card room managers can reference,” said TDA board member Matt Savage, who recently appeared on the PokerNews Podcast to talk about the summit.
“It was an eventful meeting again. No major rule changes this time around, but some good tweaks to existing ones,” said famed tournament director and PokerStars Ambassador Kenny Hallaert. “It’s always good for the game of poker to share our experiences from PokerStars events with the rest of the industry and pick up new ideas from other operators.”
Likewise, PokerStars EPT Tournament Director Toby Stone told PokerNews: “The beauty of the TDA Summit is the mutual exchange of knowledge. Our core focus is always on making tournaments safer, fairer, and more enjoyable for the players. While the EPT is proud to already implement a lot of the cutting-edge rules and security measures being discussed, the summit is about lifting the global standard together. A huge congratulations to Matt Savage on 25 years of the TDA. What he started back then has transformed the live poker landscape, and his ongoing work continues to protect and grow the game we all love.”
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