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Event #2: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em
Day 2 Completed
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #2: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em
Day: 2
Event Info
2026 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
$5,000
Prize Pool
$2,622,000
Total Entries
570
Level
32
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
300,000
Entries
241
Players Left
24
Players Left 1 / 570
Filter
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Day 2 of Event #2: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em at the 2026 World Series of Poker has come to an end, with just 24 players remaining in the hunt for one of the series' first bracelets inside the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. A total of 570 entries were recorded by the time late registration closed, generating a $2,622,000 prize pool.
Bagging the chip lead at the end of the night was Russia’s Anatoly Nikitin, who finished with a stack of 3,290,000. Ivan Ruban also crossed the two million chip mark with 2,300,000, while China’s Xiaohu Liu rounds out the top three with 1,910,000.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anatoly Nikitin | Russian Federation | 3,290,000 | 165 |
| 2 | Ivan Ruban | Russian Federation | 2,300,000 | 115 |
| 3 | Xiaohu Liu | China | 1,910,000 | 96 |
| 4 | Zexiang Sun | United States | 1,700,000 | 85 |
| 5 | Charles Alex-Barton | United States | 1,690,000 | 85 |
| 6 | Scott Eskenazi | United States | 1,395,000 | 70 |
| 7 | Chenxiang Miao | China | 1,350,000 | 68 |
| 8 | Daniyal Gheba | United States | 1,330,000 | 67 |
| 9 | Peter Mugar | United States | 1,300,000 | 65 |
| 10 | Nicholas Seward | United States | 1,275,000 | 64 |
Once late registration closed after two levels of play, it didn't take long to reach the bubble. Two players were eliminated at the same time, meaning there was no need for hand-for-hand play. Justin Saliba eliminated Manuel Fritz when his big slick held against ace-queen, while Ruban sent Micah Raskin to the rail after Raskin's two Broadway cards couldn't overcome Ruban's ace-high.
As usual, Martin Kabrhel was vocal the entire day before eventually hitting the rail late on. Benjamin Williams windmilled a jack-high bluff to Kabrhel, then not long after, Kabrhel was shown a bluff by Zexiang Sun. Kabrhel's run came to an end in the last level of the day when Nicholas Seward sniffed out his river bluff.
Other notable players advancing to Day 3 include two-time bracelet winner Saliba (1,265,000), Ren Lin (1,090,000), Renji Mao (745,000). WSOP bracelet winners Julien Sitbon (620,000) and Colin Robinson (590,000) also remain in with a chance, while Brock Wilson returns at the bottom of the counts with 345,000.
Several big names also made deep runs and got themselves a payout, including Maurice Hawkins, Jeremy Becker, seven-time bracelet winner and hall of famer John Hennigan. Joining them on the rail was Anthony Zinno, 2013 WSOP Main Event winner Ryan Riess, Maria Konnikova, and Michael Gathy.
The start of day chip leader Peter Cross was among the players not to reach the money, while several other familiar names also hit the rail throughout the day. Including 17-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Shaun Deeb, Chris Hunichen, Viktor Blom, Jesse Lonis, Benny Glaser, and Scott Seiver, all of whom were unable to survive through to lock up at least a min-cash.
Day 3 resumes at 1 p.m. local time in the gold section of the Paris Ballroom. Action starts on Level 21 with blinds of 10,000/25,000 and a 25,000 big blind ante, with the plan to play down to five players, who will then return for the final day to battle for the bracelet and the $502,985 top prize.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $502,985 | 8 | $49,556 |
| 2 | $335,290 | 9 | $38,133 |
| 3 | $234,432 | 10-11 | $29,844 |
| 4 | $166,448 | 12-15 | $23,761 |
| 5 | $120,035 | 16-23 | $19,253 |
| 6 | $87,945 | 24 | $15,879 |
| 7 | $65,479 |
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all the latest updates and chip counts as Event #2: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em continues at the 2026 WSOP.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
The remaining 24 players have bagged their chips and headed into the night.
Day 3 will begin tomorrow, Thursday, May 28, at 1:00 p.m. local time.
Stay tuned for the full chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Yifu He raised to 45,000 from the cutoff. Ren Lin, who was on the button, asked how many chips everyone had around him, and then hemmed and hawed before raising to 100,000. He made the call.
The flop arrived with Q♦6♠7♥, and He checked while Lin put out a bet of 50,000. He called.
The turn brought the 2♦, and He checked again, and Lin put in 400,000, which would put He all in. He quickly called and turned over the bad news.
Yifu He: 6♥6♣ 
Ren Lin: A♣A♠
The river J♣, did not help Lin and He enjoyed a nice double up of his chips with his set of sixes.
Brock Wilson was sitting beside Lin and commented, "Did you see all the hollywooding on the button?"
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Action was picked up with Anatoly Nikita calling Peter Mugar's all-in of 500,000, putting the latter at risk.
Peter Mugar: K♥K♦
Anatoly Nikita: A♣Q♠
Mugar was able to fade all three streets when the board ran 7♣5♦2♣6♦J♦. With his kings standing tall, Mugar scored a much-needed double nearing the end of the day.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
With just 10 minutes left to play on Day 2, the clock has been paused, and the players will be dealt two more hands.
Once those hands are complete, the survivors will bag their chips and advance to Day 3.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Joseph Spanne jammed for 150,000 from the button. Charles Alex-Barton called in the small blind, putting Spanne at risk.
Joseph Spanne: A♥7♣
Charles Alex-Barton: J♠J♣
Spanne did not find any help on the K♦4♣Q♠5♥9♣ runout as the jacks of Alex-Barton held to bust Spanne.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
