button in SafariJohn Juanda Headlines 140 Survivors from $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship Day 1a
It was the first starting flight of Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship at the 2026 World Series of Poker, with 498 total entries.
By the end of ten levels, just 140 remain and they are led by Hoi Lee. He, along with Alex Difelicele, are the only players above 500,000 chips, good enough for 200 big blinds when they return for Day 2 on Saturday, July 11.
Also advancing is former WSOP Europe Main Event champion and Poker Hall of Famer John Juanda. He's already cashed eight times at this year's WSOP, his best result coming in Event #67: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Championship, where he finished 16th. However, he also finished 18th in the $3,000 Freezeout less than a week ago.
Could another $3,000 tournament give Juanda another deep WSOP run?
Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hoi Lee | Hong Kong | 517,000 | 207 |
| 2 | Alex Difelicele | United States | 507,000 | 203 |
| 3 | Rogen Chhabra | United States | 478,000 | 191 |
| 4 | Luis Miretti Bonetto | Argentina | 410,000 | 164 |
| 5 | Henry Liang | United States | 405,000 | 162 |
| 6 | Joachim Meisolle | Germany | 368,000 | 147 |
| 7 | Sheldon Gross | United States | 354,500 | 142 |
| 8 | Jiyang Gan | China | 327,500 | 131 |
| 9 | Zheming Zhu | China | 306,500 | 123 |
| 10 | Liam Murphy | United States | 300,000 | 120 |
Other players through to Day 2 are Japan's Jun Obara (220,000), two-time WSOP bracelet winners Tyler Patterson (206,500) and Lukas Zaskodny (182,500), 2023 WSOP Main Event final tablist Steven Jones (196,000), and Jeff Madsen (163,000).
Slightly lower down the counts, you'll also find the trio of Leo Margets, Shiina Okamoto and Shundan Xiao — all separated by just 2,500 in chips. They will have to spin it up on Day 2, but will be happy to have bagged.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the latest from this event before traditional live coverage begins on Saturday at the Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas.