PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (July 15). 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.
2026 World Series of Poker
Chip Counts
As per the WSOP LIVE app.
There are just five players standing between Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel and his 11th World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet.
The poker legend reached the final table of Event #96: $3,000 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha, one of the last events of the series as action in Las Vegas winds down significantly.
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.
Daniel Negreanu will wrap up his most profitable World Series of Poker in years on Wednesday, and he'll finish the summer in contention for WSOP Player of the Year.
The GGPoker ambassador came into the series having played minimal poker since the WSOP Paradise series in December. But he didn't show any rust and not only won his second bracelet in three years, he reached four final tables and still has a chance at one more in the $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. event.
Negreanu bagged an above-average stack Monday on Day 1 and will return to action at 1 p.m. PT for Day 2. It could be his final shot at another deep run at what has been a successful 2026 WSOP for the Poker Hall of Famer.
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According to the WSOP LIVE app.
The final nine players in poker's biggest tournament, the WSOP Main Event, have officially been set.
Twenty-two-year-old Lucas Jumalon leads the way after a stunning Day 8 performance saw him build a towering stack of 194,000,000 chips. He will return on August 3 in pole position, just eight eliminations away from becoming poker's newest world champion.
Behind him sit Rami Hammoud and Jamie Shaevel, who round out the top three, while the most decorated players remaining are Canada's Greg Mueller with three bracelets, and America's Michael Gagliano, with four.
The penultimate event on the schedule of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas is Event #99: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em. This one begins at 2 p.m. on July 14, and those who navigate to Day 2 return to the tables at 1 p.m. on July 15.
Expect a fair number of high-profile players and a total prize pool that will likely exceed $3,000,000. Players will be eager not only to scoop one of the last remaining WSOP bracelets on offer, but also to add points to their WSOP Player of the Year tally. This event could prove pivotal in determining the top 100 on the leaderboard heading to the conclusion of the POY race at WSOP Paradise in December, with players finishing in those positions being awarded tickets and packages to future WSOP events worth up to $100,000.
📌 Event Snapshot
- Event: #99 – $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em
- Date(s): July 14-15
- Time: 2 p.m. local time
- Buy-In: $5,000
- Format: No-Limit Hold’em
- Late Registration: Open for 12 levels (approximately 8:45 p.m.)
- Reentries: one per player
- Starting Stack: 50,000 chips
- Levels: 30 minutes
- 2025 Winner: Andrew Ostapchenko ($606,849)
- 2025 Field Size: 735
- 2025 Prize Pool: $3,381,000
Structure and Schedule
The action in Event #99: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em kicks off at 2 p.m. on July 14. Late registration will be available until the end of Level 12, with one reentry permitted per player.
Blind levels are 30 minutes throughout the tournament, and players will start with a 50,000-chip stack. Every two hours (four levels), there will be a 15-minute break in the proceedings, except after Level 12, when the break will last 20 minutes.
After 20 levels, all remaining players will bag their chips and then return for Day 2, which starts at 1 p.m. on July 15. Once again, there will be 15-minute breaks every four levels until the event plays down to a winner. Traditional PokerNews coverage will begin on Day 2.
Past Champions & History
The reigning champion for the $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event is Andrew Ostapchenko. The American overcame a field of 735 to secure a payday of $606,849.
Other winners from recent years include Alex Keating, Michael Wang, Boris Kolev and Carl Shaw.
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