PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (July 10). 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.
Event #91: $1,500 Pick Your PLO
Day 1 Completed
Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra (701,000) has gotten off to a flying start in Event #91: $1,500 Pick Your PLO, a brand-new tournament for the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Elezra was one of 857 entrants at the start of play, and now finds himself third from 104 survivors after Day 1.
Elezra is a legendary figure in poker, one with five bracelets to his name. The last of those bracelets came in 2022 when he triumphed in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship. Another Omaha bracelet looks to be heading the Israeli's way.
Only Emory Peebles (752,000) and Jun Weng (719,000) bagged more chips than Elezra, according to the WSOP LIVE app.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emory Peebles | United States | 752,000 | 125 |
| 2 | Jun Weng | China | 719,000 | 120 |
| 3 | Eli Elezra | Israwl | 701,000 | 117 |
| 4 | Samuel Rosen | United States | 673,000 | 112 |
| 5 | Scott Abrams | United States | 621,000 | 104 |
| 6 | Jeremy Harkin | United States | 586,000 | 98 |
| 7 | Jon Kyte | Norway | 558,000 | 93 |
| 8 | Brennan Benglis | United States | 558,000 | 93 |
| 9 | Farhad Jamasi | United States | 558,000 | 93 |
| 10 | Yunpeng Bai | China | 537,000 | 90 |
This event's unique format attracted top-tier players like flies to steak. Scott Abrams (621,000), Jon Kyte (558,000), Maxx Coleman (532,000), Blaz Zerjav (469,000), and Justin Liberto (468,000) find themselves in the top 15.
Lower down the pecking order, but still very much in contention, are such players as Jon Turner (283,000), Xixiang Luo (263,000), Andrew Ostapchenko (235,000), Benny Glaser (188,000), John Racener (184,000), Bryce Yockey (163,000), Robert Mizrachi (102,000), and Mike Matusow (73,000).
Cards are back in the air from 1:00 p.m. local time, with another 10 levels on the agenda. Stay tuned to PokerNews for updates from the Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas.
Here are the chip counts of the 103 Day 1 survivors, according to the WSOP LIVE app.
Day 1 of Event #91: $1,500 Pick Your PLO has now concluded. Of the 857 entries, 104 players remain in content to return for Day 2 and have already locked up a min-cash.
Standby for the full chip counts and recap.
The most exciting time in live poker is upon us, with the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event No-Limit Hold'em World Championship now underway.
The WSOP Main Event is considered the most prestigious live poker tournament, drawing thousands of entrants from far and wide, each hoping to become poker's world champion.
The field sizes of the Main Event are massive, despite the five-figure buy-in. With so many of poker's top players in action at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, you're spoiled for choice regarding who to add to your MyPlayers Feed.
The least and most surprising World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion ever is arguably the same person.
Confused? You won't be in a bit. Poker's most prestigious annual event, with the purpose of crowning a 2026 world champion, kicks off today at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Michael Mizrachi, the newest Poker Hall of Famer, won this $10,000 buy-in tournament last summer for $10,000,000.
"The Grinder's" win brought some excitement around the poker community, but it wasn't a huge surprise like some past champs. Mizrachi didn't come out of nowhere before winning the Main Event. He wasn't an accountant who won a cheap online satellite to enter the tournament or some random amateur low-stakes cash game player.
According to WSOP LIVE app.
The prize pool for this event is $1,137,667. Of the 857 entries, the top 129 are set to make the money, with $196,431 reserved for the eventual winner.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $196,431 | 16 -23 | $7,491 |
| 2 | $130,904 | 24 -31 | $6,245 |
| 3 | $90,762 | 32 -39 | $5,314 |
| 4 | $64,007 | 40 -47 | $4,617 |
| 5 | $45,925 | 48 -55 | $4,098 |
| 6 | $33,536 | 56 -63 | $3,718 |
| 7 | $24,931 | 64 -71 | $3,448 |
| 8 | $18,874 | 72 -79 | $3,272 |
| 9 | $14,557 | 80 -87 | $3,179 |
| 10 -11 | $11,441 | 88 -129 | $3,027 |
| 12 -15 | $9,167 |
In the 986th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow are joined at Level 9 Studio by poker pro Jordan Westmorland to talk the latest from the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
That includes the $10,000 Main Event being in full swing, albeit with slightly fewer players than in past years. Will the field crack 9,000 players? Also, how did Jordan, Mike, and Ben, who got to play at the feature table with Daniel Negreanu, do in poker's premier tournament? Along those lines, the WSOP is back on ESPN, or at least the app, and not everyone is happy about that.
In non-WSOP news, there was a big development in the Texas poker scene as Doug Polk unexpectedly announced that he would be stepping away from The Lodge's core business. What might this mean for Texas poker? The crew discusses.
In other news, Doron Ziony shared details on both the upcoming WSOP Circuit stop in Malta and the Battle of Malta, a look ahead to the Borgata Summer Poker Open, and River Rat merch!
Find out all about those stories and more in this week's episode of the PokerNews Podcast! Oh, and be sure to check out the audio version of the PokerNews Podcast that is available on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
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