2026 World Series of Poker

Day: 1b
1a1b1c
Event Info
2026 World Series of Poker
Event Info
Buy-in
$3,000
Prize Pool
$7,980,630
Total Entries
3,038
Players Left
923
Average Chip Stack
131,658
Total Chips
121,520,000
Players Info - Day 1b
Entries
951
Players Left
263
Players Left 923 / 3,038
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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.

Leaderboard at Second Break

According to the WSOP LIVE app.

Brad Booth Returns to WSOP Main Event After More Than a Decade

Brad Booth
Brad Booth

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."

Top Twenty at First Break

According to the WSOP LIVE app.

Second Starting Flight in $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship Starts at 12 p.m.

Horseshoe Las Vegas
Horseshoe Las Vegas

Welcome back to the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.

Today sees Day 1b of Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold’em, the second of three starting flights, 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 event where a $1 million top prize is highly probable.

📌 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 1b of the $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold’em event starts at noon local time on July 9, with the second of three Day 1 starting flights (1c takes place Friday, July 10). 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.

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.

Never Miss a Moment with MyPlayers on PokerNews

MyPlayers
MyPlayers

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Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold'em

Day 1b Started

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