PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (July 12). 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 #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker
Day 1a Completed
It's the lowest buy-in of the 2026 World Series of Poker, but that didn't stop 1,810 players jumping into the action on Day 1a of Event #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker.
After 22 levels, just 66 players remain, with Jose Cayetano the only player above two million in chips.
Cayetano has picked up two cashes at the WSOP this year — in the$2,500 NLHE and $800 Summer Celebration — and he can look forward to Day 2 on Sunday after bagging the overall chip lead.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Cayetano | United States | 2,350,000 | 59 |
| 2 | Yunkyu Song | United States | 1,860,000 | 47 |
| 3 | Brandon Schwartz | United States | 1,720,000 | 43 |
| 4 | Keith Schiller | United States | 1,615,000 | 40 |
| 5 | Thong Nguyen | United States | 1,610,000 | 40 |
| 6 | Luis Genel | United States | 1,550,000 | 39 |
| 7 | Maksim Kniter | Canada | 1,440,000 | 36 |
| 8 | Moshe Manzur | United States | 1,400,000 | 35 |
| 9 | Ronald Glenn | United States | 1,390,000 | 35 |
| 10 | Rodrigo Portaleoni | Brazil | 1,370,000 | 34 |
Other notables through to Day 2 include Andreas Froehli (1,085,000) and bracelet winners Thong Do (960,000), Ben Yu (750,000) and Andrew Brown (375,400).
The second of four starting flights gets underway on Thursday at 10 a.m. with play concluding once the field has reached its final 15 percent or 22 levels have been completed, whichever comes first.
There will be 30-minute levels on Day 1. Breaks (20 minutes) on Day 1 will occur every four levels, and a 75-minute dinner break is planned for after Level 15 (approximately 6:30 p.m.).
PokerNews live reporting on this event will commence from Day 2 (Sunday July 12) until a winner is crowned the following day at the Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas.
Day 1a of the Event #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker has concluded. Of the 1,810 entries to the flight, only 66 players found the bag to return for Day 2.
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.
According to the WSOP LIVE app.
The most exciting time in live poker is upon us, with the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event No-Limit Hold'em World Championship now underway.
The WSOP Main Event is considered the most prestigious live poker tournament, drawing thousands of entrants from far and wide, each hoping to become poker's world champion.
The field sizes of the Main Event are massive, despite the five-figure buy-in. With so many of poker's top players in action at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, you're spoiled for choice regarding who to add to your MyPlayers Feed.
The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) kicked off back on May 26, and now it is in the home stretch as June has come to an end and the $10,000 Main Event is underway. More than 70 tournaments have awarded bracelets thus far, and the PokerNews Live Reporting team has been on-site all summer long, capturing the action.
During that time, they've reported on some entertaining hands, bad beats, and more, which we're happy to feature in the latest edition of "Hands of the Week" presented by GTOWizard.
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.”
According to the WSOP LIVE app.
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