button in SafariIt's Going to be a Busy One on Day 1c of the $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship, Starting at Noon
Welcome back to the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
Today sees Day 1c of Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold’em, the third and final starting flight, with action underway at 12 p.m. with a winner crowned on July 13.
The Mid-Stakes Championship is a prestigious tournament for the mid-stakes grinders around the world who don’t always get the same recognition as the high rollers. This is their event to shine, and the one where a $1 million top prize is highly likely.
Yesterday's Day 1b saw 263 players from a 951-strong crowd advance to Day 2. Portugal's Luis Faria (431,000) topped the chip counts in the WSOP LIVE app.
Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luis Faria | Portugal | 431,000 | 172 |
| 2 | Agustin Naranja | Argentina | 413,000 | 165 |
| 3 | Yuxi Huang | China | 399,500 | 160 |
| 4 | James Sileo | United States | 387,500 | 155 |
| 5 | Daemon Richardson | United States | 387,000 | 155 |
| 6 | Tom Kunze | Germany | 367,000 | 147 |
| 7 | Maher Achour | Turkey | 355,500 | 142 |
| 8 | Robert Nemeskeri-Kiss | United States | 344,500 | 138 |
| 9 | Lucas Cortijo | Argentina | 343,000 | 137 |
| 10 | Laith Sheena | United Kingdom | 342,000 | 137 |
📌 Event Snapshot
- Event: #89 – $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold’em
- Date(s): July 8-13
- Time: Noon local time
- Buy-In: $3,000
- Format: No-Limit Hold’em
- Late Registration: Open for 11 levels (~1 p.m. on Day 2)
- Reentries: one per flight
- Starting Stack: 40,000 chips
- Levels: 60 minutes
- 2025 Winner: Ian O’Hara ($1,189,408)
- 2025 Field Size: 3,797 entries
- 2025 Prize Pool: $10,137,990
Structure and Schedule
Day 1c of the $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold’em event starts at noon local time on July 10, with the final starting flight. Each entrant gets 40,000 chips at the start of play. Late registration remains open for 11 levels, which is one level into Day 2. Blind levels will remain at 60 minutes throughout the tournament.
Day 1 will run until 10 levels have been completed. There will be 20-minute breaks every two levels, and a 60-minute dinner break is scheduled after Level 6, around 6:40 p.m.
Day 2 restart is set for noon on July 11. Breaks will drop to 15 minutes, but players will again play 10 levels. Dinner break, again 60 minutes, is set for around 7:30 p.m. after Level 26. Traditional PokerNews coverage begins on Day 2.
Day 3 on July 12 will have the same structure as Day 2, and the noon restart for Day 4 on July 13 will play down to a winner.
Past Champions & History
At the 2025 WSOP, Ian O’Hara beat a field of 3,797 entrants to win $1,109,408 plus bounties from the $6,054,734 prize pool, and, of course, the Mid-Stakes Championship bracelet.
Clement Richez was the 2024 Mid-Stakes champion. He beat a field with 3,177 entrants for the bracelet and $1,041,989 first-place prize.
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