Hossein Ensan raised to 5,000 in the hijack. Brian Hastings defended his big blind and quickly check-called Ensan's continuation-bet of 8,000 on the J♠3♥Q♠ flop.
Ensan bet 15,000 on the 6♥ turn, this time seeing Hastings check-fold.
Over at another table. Kyle Grupp and Sinead Davenport created a pot of 57,000 when they reached the 5♣A♣J♥10♥ turn. They both checked, leading to the K♦ being placed on the river.
Grupp tossed in a tiny bet of 8,000, which Davenport raised to 20,000 after some time in the tank. Grupp sighed as he quickly let his cards go in defeat.
"Congratulations seat five, you have the button," the floor announced before the cards went in the air, and that was particularly bad for Mitchell Smith, who happened to come back with only four blinds and was in the big blind in the very first hand. David White raised to 5,500 and Stephen Seim in the small blind three-bet to 18,000. Smith called all-in for his last 7,500 and White folded.
Mitchell Smith: 5♦2♥
Stephen Seim: A♠Q♠
"At least I am live," Smith said, and White replied, "Not very live; I had fives."
The Q♣10♦4♦ flop put Smith on the ropes, but the K♦ turn and Q♦ river brought the flush and survival for Smith.
All 3,294 remaining players in the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event have taken their seats for Day 3, and the cards are officially in the air. Blinds begin at Level 11 with 1,000/2,500 and a 2,500 big blind ante.
As the summer rounds the last corner to its end, the crown jewel of the 2026 World Series of Poker sees its action just ramping up. This year, Event #82: $10,000 Main Event No-Limit Hold'em World Championship drew a total of 9,208 players, generating a prize pool of $85,634,000, making this the fourth-largest main event field in the 56 years of the WSOP.
All 3,294 remaining players combine today for the first time and begin the next leg of their journey to make the money. Only 1,382 will be walking away with at least a minimum cash of $15,000, and time will tell whether or not Day 3 or 4 will be the bubble-bursting day. Sitting up top along with the $10,000,000 cash prize is the WSOP Main Event bracelet and a chance to be immortalized in the annals of poker history.
Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Michael Rossitto
United States
770,500
308
2
Gaspar Fernandez
Argentina
754,000
302
3
Jeff Fenster
United States
747,000
299
4
Yannick Schumacher
Germany
738,000
295
5
Mason Vieth
United States
730,000
292
6
Robert Gill
United States
728,500
291
7
Joseph Baghdalian
United States
705,000
282
8
Arturas Astrauskas
Lithuania
646,500
259
9
Farid Jattin
Colombia
630,000
252
10
Michael Banducci
United States
630,000
252
Leading the way is Day 2d chip leader, Michael Rossitto (770,500). A familiar face on the tournament circuit, Rossitto has collected over $5 million in live earnings according to The Hendon Mob with three WSOP final tables on his resume. He and his podium-mates Gaspar Fernandez (754,000) and Jeff Fenster (747,000) are each looking for their first WSOP bracelet.
Many of the game’s greats found their way into today’s play and are looking to etch their names into this summer’s history. Farid Jattin (630,000) and Terrance Reid (597,500) hold sizable stacks coming into the day. Others that look to capitalize during the day are Alex Foxen (493,500), Brian Hastings (490,000), Will Givens (483,500), Brian Yoon (386,500), Freddy Deeb (383,000) and WSOP Players of the Year, like Ian Matakis (374,500), Shaun Deeb (368,500) and Scott Seiver (282,000). They will be among the thousands of contenders in the hunt for this title.
Defending champion Michael Mizrachi
There are 39 living main event champions, and of that number, 12 have advanced to Day 3 in the hopes of becoming the first multi-time champion since 1997. Defending his crown is nine-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi (202,500), who is fresh off of his ninth WSOP bracelet win this year. The list of players with ten or more bracelets contains just five names, but a win for Mizrachi would add a sixth name to the list.
One of the names on that list is 17-time WSOP bracelet winner and 1989 Main Event champion Phil Hellmuth (173,000), who sits looking to further extend his all-time lead. The 2004 champion Greg Raymer (291,000), 1996 champion Huck Seed (83,000), and 2012 champion Greg Merson (79,000) advanced through Day 2abc, while John Cynn (403,000), Ryan Riess (395,000), Hossein Ensan (236,500), Scott Blumstein (218,000), Joe Hachem (135,000), Joe Mckeehen (102,500) and Chris Moneymaker (221,000) all advanced from Day 2d, with a chance to become two-time champions.
Play will resume at 11 am with players coming back to Level 11. Blinds will be 1,000/2,500, with a 2,500 big blind ante. Levels will last two hours each, with a 20-minute break occurring at the end of each level. At the conclusion of Level 13 (around 6 p.m.), there will be a 60-minute dinner break. After that, the players will return and play two more levels before bagging up for the evening.
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the exciting updates on the ground at the 2026 WSOP at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.