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.
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.
For the first time in well over a decade, Brad Booth was back in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
The Canadian, affectionately known as "Yukon Brad," was one of the biggest personalities of poker's boom years. From battling in Bobby's Room to pulling off one of the most memorable bluffs in High Stakes Poker history against Phil Ivey, Booth was never far from the spotlight.
Booth believes the last time he played the Main Event was around 2012, and after years away from the WSOP and a well-documented fall from the high-stakes scene, he's back in poker's biggest tournament with a very different outlook.
"It's been a minute," Booth told PokerNews. "Definitely north of a decade. I was in the woods there for a wee bit."
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.
The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas is gearing up for Event #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold’em. This two-day tournament starts at 10 a.m. local time in Las Vegas on July 8, and we’ll have a bracelet winner on Monday, July 13.
The Gladiators of Poker is a No-Limit Hold’em tournament that attracts massive fields each year thanks to its low buy-in and juicy structure. A crowd of 20,000+ is expected to compete for this event's bracelet.
The $300 Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold’em event starts at 10 a.m. local time on July 8, with the first of four Day 1 starting flights (Day 1b, 1c, and 1d will take place the following days through July 11). Each entrant will receive 30,000 chips at the start of play. Late registration remains open for 11 levels, and should close right around 4:30 p.m. local time.
Day 1 will run until the field has reached its final 15 percent or 22 levels have been completed, whichever comes later. 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.).
Day 2 restart is set for 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 12. Levels will jump to 40 minutes, and the day won't conclude until 17 levels have been played. Day 3, on July 13, is the final day when a winner will be crowned.
At the 2025 WSOP, Ian Pelz beat an insanely massive field of 24,629 entries to win $420,680 out of the $6,054,734 prize pool, and of course the bracelet.
Stephen Winters was the 2024 Gladiators of Poker champion. He beat a field with 20,647 entrants for the bracelet and $401,240 first-place prize.
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on legends like Daniel Negreanu or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you. No subscriptions, no paywalls - just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most.
It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Event #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker
Day 1a Started
button in Safari
