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 1b Completed
Day 1b of Event #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker at the 2026 World Series of Poker saw another 2,174 players buy in, but after the completion of 22 fast-paced levels, only 65 of those who started with high hopes advanced to Day 2.
Topping the chip counts at the close of play was none other than Canada's Jolnar Teliani (3,265,000), who has done her chances of joining the exclusive club of a female champion of an open World Series of Poker (WSOP) event no harm at all. Teliani has three victories in low-stakes events so far in 2026; can she make it four?
Kevin Theodore (2,900,000) and Sumit Kumar (2,855,000) are the pair of grinders who rounded off the podium places.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jolnar Teliani | Canada | 3,265,000 | 65 |
| 2 | Kevin Theodore | United States | 2,900,000 | 58 |
| 3 | Sumit Kumar | United States | 2,855,000 | 57 |
| 4 | Thomas Tran | United States | 2,265,000 | 45 |
| 5 | Sean Bloom | South Africa | 2,110,000 | 42 |
| 6 | Gaetan Balleur | France | 2,090,000 | 42 |
| 7 | Justin Arnwine | United States | 2,060,000 | 41 |
| 8 | Jean-Paul Drayton | United States | 1,825,000 | 37 |
| 9 | Noah Harthcock | United States | 1,815,000 | 36 |
| 10 | Mark Roland | United States | 1,810,000 | 36 |
Sean Bloom (2,110,000) also progressed with a big stack. Only this week, Adriaan Jacobs became the fourth South African to win a WSOP bracelet. Perhaps Bloom can become the fifth?
Justin Arnwine (2,060,000) also finished in the top 10 of the Day 1b chip counts as he hunts down his first gold bracelet.
Day 1c shuffles up and deals at 10:00 a.m. local time on July 10, with those entrants hoping to make it through 22 levels. Join PokerNews for updates from the 2026 WSOP at the Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas.
Check out the chip counts of the 65 players who advanced from Day 1b, according to the WSOP LIVE app.
Day 1b of Event #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker has now concluded. Of the 2,174 entries to the flight, 65 players have bagged to return for Day 2.
Standby for the full chip counts and recap.
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.”
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.
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.
As per the WSOP LIVE app.
Think you could wear the suit and make the tough calls? In the heat of the WSOP, tournament directors can change the course of a player’s entire summer.
But they're there to enforce the WSOP rules. We've all heard of some crazy rulings and penalties, but here we’ve pulled six scenarios based on the official WSOP rulebook to see if you've got what it takes to be a WSOP tournament director.
Read the scenarios, make your ruling, and check the answers at the bottom of the article.
button in Safari
