PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (July 11). 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.
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."
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 #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold’em. This tournament features a trio of Day 1s, the first starts at noon local time in Las Vegas on July 8, and we’ll have a bracelet winner 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 event where a $1 million top prize is highly probable.
The $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold’em event starts at noon local time on July 8, with the first of three Day 1 starting flights (Day 1b and 1c will take place the following days through July 10). Each entrant will receive 40,000 chips at the start of play. Late registration remains open for 11 levels, which takes place during the early stages of 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 at 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.
Day 3 on July 12 will have the exact same structure as Day 2, and the noon restart for Day 4 on July 13 will play down to a winner.
At the 2025 WSOP, Ian O’Hara beat a field of 3,797 entries to win $1,109,408, plus bounties, out of 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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Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold'em
Day 1a Started
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