2026 WSOP Day 44: Texas Mike Eyes Bracelet in $600 Ultra Stack

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Jul 09, 2026 5 min read

The 2026 World Series of Poker is almost entering its final week, and the action at Paris and Horseshoe is ramping up.

No bracelets were awarded on Wednesday, as the 2026 WSOP Main Event field combined for the first time. By the end of the day just 1,389 players remain, with the tournament just seven spots off the money.

The field also combined in the $600 Ultra Stack, while Day 1 flights in the Gladiators of Poker, Mystery Bounty PLO and Mid-Stakes Championship all took place. PokerNews is here to round up all the WSOP action so you don't miss a thing!

Bubble Approaching in Fourth-Largest WSOP Main Event Ever

After surviving their respective opening flights and the two Day 2s, 3,294 players returned to their seats for Day 3 in Event #82: $10,000 WSOP Main Event at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Hundreds of hopes vanished in the five levels of the day, some quietly, others with a mighty scream or bang on the table in disgust when Lady Luck had other plans.

Out of a field of 9,208 entries, only 1,389 hopefuls remain, and almost all of them will claim at least $15,000 for their efforts. However, the money bubble has to wait for the start of Day 4 on Thursday, July 9, with just seven eliminations to go.

Pot-Limit Omaha cash game crusher Sasha Liu entered at the start of Day 2 and reached more than six starting stacks within the first level. During the dinner break on Day 3, she already had a seven-figure stack at her disposal, yet still more than doubled that figure to an astonishing 2,364,000 in order to surpass Martin Zamani (1,963,000) to top the leaderboard.

2026 WSOP Main Event Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 3

With 1,389 players remaining and 1,382 set to be in the money, the hand-for-hand play is expected to kick in right away when Day 4 recommences at 11 a.m. local time at Paris Hotel Las Vegas.

The blinds will be 4,000-8,000 with a big blind ante of 8,000, and the average is nearly 50 big blinds deep.

16 Remain in $600 Ultra Stack

There were a total of 8,007 entries into Event #85: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Ultra Stack at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas. Following two extremely long days of gruelling competition, that number has shrunk to just 16.

Finishing the day on top was Henry Benamram from France, who finished the day with a last-minute spurt and is the only player with over 70 million in chips.

Fresh off a 3rd-place finish in Event #81: £800 Summer Celebration, Michael Moncek finished third in chips with 44,500,000.

Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts

Players will return to the Paris Ballroom at the feature tables tomorrow, July 9th, at 1 p.m. local time. A victor will be crowned during Day 3 no matter what.

Gladiators of Poker Gets Underway

It's the lowest buy-in of the 2026 WSOP, but that didn't stop 1,810 players jumping into the action on Day 1a of Event #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker.

After 22 levels, just 66 players remain with Jose Cayetano the only player above two million in chips.

Cayetano has picked up two cashes at the WSOP this year — in the$2,500 NLHE and $800 Summer Celebration — and he can look forward to Day 2 on Sunday after bagging the overall chip lead.

Event #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts

Other notables through to Day 2 include Andreas Froehli (1,085,000) and bracelet winners Thong Do (960,000), Ben Yu (750,000) and Andrew Brown (375,400).

Three-Time Bracelet Winner Jason Daly Advances in $1k Mystery Bounty PLO

From a field of 2,842 players, just 426 found bags on Day 1b of Event #87: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha at the 2026 World Series of Poker.

They are led by China's Yuhong Liu, with Japan's Hiroyuki Noda and Alberto Fonseca the only other players above one million in chips.

Event #87: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts

With mystery bounty prizes not introduced until Day 2, for many it was a case of locking up a stack before then. As a result, plenty of big names jumped into the event, and advanced, including WSOP bracelet winner Jason Daly who picked up his third bracelet earlier this summer in Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Eight or Better.

The field combines on Thursday for Day 2, with a winner set to be crowned.

John Juanda Headlines 140 Survivors from $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship Day 1a

It was the first starting flight of Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship at the 2026 World Series of Poker, with 498 total entries.

By the end of ten levels, just 140 remain and they are led by Hoi Lee. He, along with Alex Difelicele, are the only players above 500,000 chips, good enough for 200 big blinds when they return for Day 2 on Saturday, July 11.

Also advancing is former WSOP Europe Main Event champion and Poker Hall of Famer John Juanda. He's already cashed eight times at this year's WSOP, his best result coming in Event #67: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Championship, where he finished 16th. However, he also finished 18th in the $3,000 Freezeout less than a week ago.

Could another $3,000 tournament give Juanda another deep WSOP run?

Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts

WSOP Schedule: Thursday, July 9

Today sees the bubble burst in the WSOP Main Event, but expect it to be a long, drawn-out process with everyone wanting to lock up the $15,000 min-cash.

Meanwhile, bracelets in the $600 Ultra Stack and $1,000 Mystery Bounty PLO will also be awarded. Both events will return at 1 p.m.

There are also second flights in the Glidators of Poker (10 a.m.) and Mid-Stakes Championship (12 p.m.), as the $50,000 High Roller gets underway at 1 p.m. before the brand new $1,500 Pick Your PLO event at 2 p.m.

Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He now works as Managing Editor. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.

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