button in Safari
Shawn Stroke Leads Mystery Bounty PLO Event Into Impromptu Third Day
Although play was supposed to end with just a single player acquiring a brand-spanking new gold bracelet at the 2026 World Series of Poker, action has come to an impromptu end in Day 2 of Event #87: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha. Instead of just one, a whopping 34 players now remain at the conclusion of the day.
Given the massive 4,764 player field, it was simply impossible to play down to a winner on Day 2, forcing action to be stopped after Level 29. The final 34 have bagged up for the evening, and a third day will be played.
Shawn Stroke holds the biggest stack coming into Day 3, having bagged some 15,550,000 chips, which translates to 104 big blinds when play resumes. Shortly behind is Christopher Vitch (15,175,000), with Wojciech Barzantny rounding out the podium at 11,050,000.
Barzantny played the role of executioner during the day, having surely topped the field with a massive 23 bounties, totalling $67,000 in prize money... and that number can only increase.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shawn Stroke | United States | 15,550,000 | 104 |
| 2 | Christopher Vitch | United States | 15,175,000 | 101 |
| 3 | Wojciech Barzantny | Austria | 11,050,000 | 74 |
| 4 | Sameer Batra | United States | 10,925,000 | 73 |
| 5 | Brian Roff | United States | 9,675,000 | 65 |
| 6 | Paawan Bansal | India | 9,625,000 | 64 |
| 7 | Matthew Shepsky | United States | 9,425,000 | 63 |
| 8 | Jeremy Kerbel | United States | 8,825,000 | 59 |
| 9 | Sergio Giha | United States | 8,150,000 | 54 |
| 10 | Travis Pearson | United States | 7,500,000 | 50 |
Looking down the list, Sameer Batra (10,925,000) has a very solid stack in fourth, with Brian Roff (9,675,000), Paawan Bansal (9,625,000) and Matthew Shepsky (9,425,000) all hot on his heels. Besides Vitch, Nick Pupillo (2,575,000) is the only remaining 25K Fantasy player, with ODB bonus player James Chen also still in the mix.
With 714 returning for Day 2 and Mystery Bounties up for grabs, eliminations came thick and fast, as expected. Within the hour, almost half the field had already been disposed of, with Esther Taylor (667th), Joao Simao (611th), Gabriel Andrade (513th) and Michael Moncek (418th) among the early casualties.
With bustouts came bounties, and as the field was cut in half, so were the top prizes available. Roussos Koliakoudakis was the lucky recipient of the first $100,000 payday on offer, leaving just one left for the rest, with two of the four $50,000 scores being pulled at similar times. Markus Anheier and Jonathan Samuels were the two to win big, with the latter offering quite the celebration.
Before the second break of the day, both six-figure chests were opened, with Owais Ahmed being the second and final player to find $100,000 in their chest.
The prize pool totalled a whopping $4,192,320, with $305,000 awaiting the eventual victor, alongside a coveted WSOP bracelet. Only one of the players will receive that payout, however, with those surviving to the unscheduled third day of play having locked up a minimum of $9,350.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $305,000 | 8 | $38,000 |
| 2 | $204,000 | 9 | $29,000 |
| 3 | $151,000 | 10-11 | $22,785 |
| 4 | $112,000 | 12-15 | $18,000 |
| 5 | $84,000 | 16-23 | $14,300 |
| 6 | $64,000 | 24-31 | $11,500 |
| 7 | $49,000 | 32-34 | $9,350 |
Play is set to resume at 1 p.m. local time at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas, in the Paris Green section. A winner will be determined on Day 3, and blinds start at the 100,000/150,000 level.
Stay tuned as PokerNews offers full live coverage of the final day.