button in Safari
Level 21
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Cards are back in the air on Day 3 of the $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold'em Event.
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 3
Players Left 5 / 3,668
Filter
Final Table
Level: 21
Blinds: 10,000/25,000
Ante: 25,000
Before Michael Rocco won his first World Series of Poker bracelet two years ago, he'd already decided he was leaving poker behind.
When PokerNews caught up with the high-stakes player during the 2024 WSOP, the conversation wasn't about solvers, Player of the Year races, or the growing list of near-misses that had come to define his career. Instead, Rocco revealed he was preparing to step away from the game to pursue regenerative farming.
And then a few hours later, he finally won the bracelet he'd spent years chasing.
For most players, finally reaching the top would have been the beginning of another chapter. For Rocco, it simply meant he got to leave exactly how he'd hoped.
PokerNews caught up with the now 36-year-old to see how life is on the farm, and whether the poker grind is something that he yearns to go back to.
Day 3 has arrived for Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The event attracted a total of 3,670 entries as 167 players will make their return to continue the chase for a piece of the $9,793,560 prize pool. A whopping $1,159,182 first-place prize sits at the mountaintop as players look to snag the lion’s share of the prize pool at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Mitchell Hynam (2,600,000) sits atop the leaderboard after a strong Day 2. Hynam won his first bracelet during the last event of the 2025 WSOP. It is once again late in the summer, which could bode well for Hynam as he makes his pursuit for the second bracelet of his career.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mitchell Hynam | United Kingdom | 2,560,000 | 102 |
| 2 | Alan Ferraro | Italy | 2,000,000 | 80 |
| 3 | Adedapo Ajayi | United States | 2,000,000 | 80 |
| 4 | Niall Farrell | United Kingdom | 1,870,000 | 75 |
| 5 | Uri Reichenstein | Israel | 1,860,000 | 74 |
| 6 | Luis Faria | Portugal | 1,820,000 | 73 |
| 7 | Dimitrios Gkatzas | Greece | 1,710,000 | 68 |
| 8 | Pavels Spirins | Latvia | 1,700,000 | 68 |
| 9 | John Ripnick | United States | 1,690,000 | 68 |
| 10 | Lou Garza | United States | 1,690,000 | 68 |
Following Hynam in the counts are Alan Ferraro (2,030,000) and Adedapo Ajayi (2,005,000). Ferraro and Ajayi are both in search of their first WSOP gold. Ferraro has piled up five cashes thus far this summer, with his biggest cash coming in Event #73: $5,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em for $12,390. Ajayi is coming fresh off a run in the Main Event, where he managed to cash for $15,000. Ajayi is no stranger to live tournaments as he has amassed $2 million in earnings according to The Hendon Mob.
WSOP bracelet Niall Farrell (1,800,000) finished just outside of the top three chip counts to enter Day 3 fourth in chips. Farrell is the most accomplished of the players in the top ten chip counts, with nearly seven and a half million in live tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob. With this event, Farrell will have cashed six times this summer. Scotland’s all-time money leader and Triple Crown Winner will look to end the summer with a bang as he continues forward in this event.
Poker Hall of Famer John Juanda (320,000) is still in the running, but will have work to do as he will enter with just 12 big blinds when he sits down on Day 3.
Other notables to make it to Day 3 include Lou Garza (1,690,000), Joe Serock (1,550,000), Matt Affleck (1,000,000), Mustapha Kanit (615,000), Ren Lin (525,000), and Kane Kalas (415,000).
Remaining Prize Pool
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,159,182 | 18-26 | $47,045 |
| 2 | $772,580 | 27-35 | $38,280 |
| 3 | $576,099 | 36-44 | $31,408 |
| 4 | $432,875 | 45-53 | $25,987 |
| 5 | $327,767 | 54-62 | $21,684 |
| 6 | $250,110 | 63-71 | $18,249 |
| 7 | $192,347 | 72-80 | $15,491 |
| 8 | $149,093 | 81-89 | $13,264 |
| 9 | $116,485 | 90-98 | $11,457 |
| 10 -11 | $91,740 | 99-152 | $9,985 |
| 12-13 | $72,835 | 153-167 | $8,779 |
| 14-17 | $58,298 |
Play will resume at 12 p.m. local time. Action will resume at the 10,000/25,000 blind level with the blind levels set at one hour. Day 3 is scheduled to play 10 levels with 15-minute breaks slotted after every two levels. A 60-minute dinner break will take place after Level 26 or at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time.
Stay tuned here at PokerNews for complete coverage of Day 3 of the $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
According to WSOPLive app.
Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold'em
Day 3 Started
