Marcelo Mereles moved all in for 840,000 in middle position, and was quickly at risk when Octavio Borra announced a call on his left.
Marcelo Mereles: A♦J♠ 
Octavio Borra: A♣Q♦
Mereles stood up as he saw Borra's superior hand, and could not come from behind on the 9♠K♦2♣Q♥K♠ runout to confirm his early exit at the start of Day 3.
The fan vote has been cast, and Josh Arieh, a seven-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, is not among the eight individuals on the 2026 Poker Hall of Fame ballot.
Timing may have cost the 2021 WSOP Player of the Year a spot on the ballot. He's one of six players who will return at 1:30 p.m. PT on Thursday to compete in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship final table, all with a shot at securing the most coveted mixed games title in the world.
Cards are in the air for the final day of Event #65: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em.
Stay tuned for all the action from the floor as play continues until a champion is crowned.
Level: 26
Blinds: 30,000/60,000
Ante: 60,000
Day 3 of Event #65: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em at the 2026 World Series of Poker is upon us here at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
33 players bagged up from a Day 2 opening field of 410 and are now set to continue in Day 3 to fight it out for the lion’s share of the massive $3,474,067 prize pool. All will be eyeing up the massive first-place prize of $449,067, which of course comes along with the coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
Top of the pile going into Day 3 is Valentin Oberhauser, who was the only player to finish Day 2 above the five-million mark, bagging a massive 5,500,000. Chasing down Oberhauser is Kyle Lin, who bagged up an impressive 4,845,000.
Both Oberhauser and Lin are looking for their first WSOP final table appearance but have multiple cashes between them.
Rounding out the podium in third spot is Jan Sanchez, who is not too far behind Lin, having bagged up 4,175,000 and is already guaranteed his largest recorded live cash to date as per The Hendon Mob.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentin Oberhauser | France | 5,500,000 | 92 |
| 2 | Kyle Lin | United States | 4,845,000 | 81 |
| 3 | Jan Sanchez | United States | 4,175,000 | 70 |
| 4 | Ciro Gonzalez | Mexico | 3,420,000 | 57 |
| 5 | Brandon Hamlet | United States | 3,310,000 | 55 |
| 6 | Micheal O'Neill | Ireland | 3,150,000 | 53 |
| 7 | Leonardo Alves | Brazil | 3,120,000 | 52 |
| 8 | Juan Vecino | Spain | 3,080,000 | 51 |
| 9 | Ryan Julius | United States | 3,070,000 | 51 |
| 10 | Julian Eibel | Germany | 2,625,000 | 44 |
Notable players to keep an eye on should be Aussie pro and ever-chatty Dylan Foster (1,710,000), who is looking for his first WSOP bracelet to go along with his multitude of final table results and could edge up to the $2,000,000, as per The Hendon Mob, in lifetime earnings mark with a first-place finish. Nick Palma (1,135,000), and Antoine Labat (830,000) are also ones to look out for even though they are coming into Day 3 on the shorter stacks.
Day 1 chip leader Shawn Puri couldn’t hold onto his lead but made it through the day, bagging up 1,200,000. 2014 Main Event Champion Martin Jacobson (1,180,000) is still in the mix to make his second WSOP final table appearance in less than a week.
Aram Zobian is the only 25k Fantasy Draft player remaining bagging up 1,580,000 and will be looking for a deep run to pick up some good points for his team and crack the large field bonus.
All remaining players have locked up $14,250 but will be craning their necks and eyeing up the huge payouts for hitting a top five finish.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $449,067 | 10-11 | $33,677 |
| 2 | $299,218 | 12-13 | $26,759 |
| 3 | $220,399 | 14-17 | $21,474 |
| 4 | $163,838 | 18-26 | $17,405 |
| 5 | $122,923 | 27-33 | $14,250 |
| 6 | $93,091 | ||
| 7 | $71,167 | ||
| 8 | $54,926 | ||
| 9 | $42,801 |
Day 3 is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Level 26, where the blinds will be 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 big blind ante. Levels will be 60 minutes with a 15-minute break every two levels. A dinner break will be decided on by the floor on the day.
The players will battle it out until a winner is crowned and has their new WSOP gold bracelet on their wrist, along with a payout slip for $449,067.
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It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
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Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the action as it unfolds on the floor.
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 1 | Octavio Borra | Argentina | 1,930,000 | 32 |
| 74 | 2 | Chung-Tang Lin | United States | 1,415,000 | 24 |
| 74 | 3 | Sam Ameen | United Kingdom | 860,000 | 14 |
| 74 | 4 | Jacob Miller | United States | 1,330,000 | 22 |
| 74 | 5 | Jan Sanchez | United States | 4,175,000 | 70 |
| 74 | 6 | Shawn Puri | United States | 1,200,000 | 20 |
| 74 | 7 | Ciro Gonzalez | Mexico | 3,420,000 | 57 |
| 74 | 8 | Leonardo Alves | Brazil | 3,120,000 | 52 |
| 74 | 9 | Marcelo Mereles | Paraguay | 840,000 | 14 |
| 75 | 1 | Ryan Julius | United States | 3,070,000 | 51 |
| 75 | 2 | Hyun Cho | United States | 1,755,000 | 29 |
| 75 | 3 | Gael Ruiz | France | 1,270,000 | 21 |
| 75 | 4 | Dennis Stevermer | United States | 1,830,000 | 31 |
| 75 | 5 | Dylan Foster | New Zealand | 1,710,000 | 29 |
| 75 | 6 | Yongqing Yuan | United States | 725,000 | 12 |
| 75 | 7 | Nick Palma | United States | 1,135,000 | 19 |
| 75 | 8 | ||||
| 75 | 9 | Ben Squelch | United Kingdom | 730,000 | 12 |
| 86 | 1 | ||||
| 86 | 2 | Micheal O'Neill | Ireland | 3,150,000 | 53 |
| 86 | 3 | Martin Jacobson | Sweden | 1,180,000 | 20 |
| 86 | 4 | Samuel Rosborough | United States | 1,790,000 | 30 |
| 86 | 5 | Nethanel Cohen | France | 2,595,000 | 43 |
| 86 | 6 | Neel Joshi | India | 870,000 | 15 |
| 86 | 7 | Jakutis Povilas | Lithuania | 700,000 | 12 |
| 86 | 8 | Brian Kreuz | United States | 1,000,000 | 17 |
| 86 | 9 | Julian Eibel | Germany | 2,625,000 | 44 |
| 87 | 1 | Christopher Knibbs | United States | 1,390,000 | 23 |
| 87 | 2 | Valentin Oberhauser | France | 5,500,000 | 92 |
| 87 | 3 | Antoine Labat | France | 830,000 | 14 |
| 87 | 4 | Kyle Lin | United States | 4,845,000 | 81 |
| 87 | 5 | ||||
| 87 | 6 | Brandon Hamlet | United States | 3,310,000 | 55 |
| 87 | 7 | Juan Vecino | Spain | 3,080,000 | 51 |
| 87 | 8 | Aram Zobian | United States | 1,580,000 | 26 |
| 87 | 9 | Kevin Huang | China | 905,000 | 15 |
Event #65: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em
Day 3 Started
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