Event #79: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em
Day 2 Completed
Event #79: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em
Day 2 Completed
The final freezeout event of the 2026 World Series of Poker moved closer to crowning a champion at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, as the 14 contenders left in contention have advanced to the final day of Event #79: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em.
The total field of 1,792 entrants has been narrowed down to the last two tables, with all remaining players continuing their battle for the largest pieces of the $4,784,640 prize pool.
Leading the pack with one more day of action to come is Andrew Moreno (11,955,000), who has already earned his fourth cash of the series and will return with 100 big blinds for Day 3. Moreno is in great position to chase his first WSOP bracelet and is on the verge of passing his 11th-place finish in Event #18: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold'em.
Sitting in second spot is four-time bracelet winner Asi Moshe (9,950,000), who led the field on the opening day and maintained his spot among the chip leaders through all ten levels of Day 2.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Moreno | United States | 11,955,000 | 100 |
| 2 | Asi Moshe | Israel | 9,950,000 | 83 |
| 3 | Methavee Taveekitvatee | Thailand | 9,375,000 | 78 |
| 4 | Igor Popyk | Ukraine | 6,440,000 | 54 |
| 5 | Dohyeok Kim | South Korea | 5,830,000 | 49 |
| 6 | David Miscikowski | United States | 5,815,000 | 48 |
| 7 | Qiao Du | China | 4,250,000 | 35 |
| 8 | Dustin Murphy | United States | 3,800,000 | 32 |
| 9 | Walter Treccarichi | Italy | 3,260,000 | 27 |
| 10 | Chris Moorman | United Kingdom | 3,140,000 | 26 |
| 11 | Antoine Sankari | Canada | 3,000,000 | 25 |
| 12 | Martin Jacobson | Sweden | 2,145,000 | 18 |
| 13 | Gabriel Karlsson | Sweden | 1,445,000 | 12 |
| 14 | Greg Ostrander | United States | 1,400,000 | 12 |
Thailand's Methavee Taveekitvatee (9,375,000) rounds out the top three on the leaderboard, building a big stack after picking up pocket kings in a pair of pivotal spots. Taveekitvatee got her stack in against queens and held for a big double, only to later flop a set against John Juanda to send the Poker Hall of Fame member out at the final two tables.
On Day 2, 226 players returned in the money to battle for ten more levels, and that field was nearly cut in half by the first break. Among the other notables to earn a place in the money was Martin Kabrhel (80th - $9,620), who was multi-tabling this event along with Event #78: $600 Deepstack Championship No-Limit Hold'em while playing into the money in both. Kabrhel busted just before his third event of the day began, when he went on to win his sixth WSOP bracelet.
2023 WSOP Player of the Year Ian Matakis (47th - $14,610) also ran deep into the money, while two-time bracelet winner Dylan Weisman finished just ahead of Juanda in 17th place ($30,600).
Four other bracelet winners remain in contention, returning on Friday, July 3, at noon local time. David Miscikowski (5,815,000) sits firmly inside the top ten, joined by Chris Moorman (3,140,000), sitting with 26 big blinds. 2014 WSOP Main Event champion Martin Jacobson (2,145,000) remains in contention for a second bracelet, while Greg Ostrander (1,400,000) returns as the short stack.
Action will resume on Level 28, with blinds of 60,000/120,000 and a 120,000 big blind ante. Players will continue to navigate 60-minute levels until a winner is determined, with breaks scheduled after every two hours of play.
All 14 contenders have locked up at least $30,600, sitting on a pay jump at 13th place. The battle will resume for the top prize of $683,830, along with the latest piece of hardware to be handed out in Las Vegas.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $683,830 | 7 | $101,900 |
| 2 | $454,800 | 8 | $78,210 |
| 3 | $329,660 | 9 | $60,740 |
| 4 | $241,640 | 10-11 | $47,750 |
| 5 | $179,140 | 12-13 | $37,990 |
| 6 | $134,330 | 14 | $30,600 |
Don't miss any of the exciting conclusion, as the PokerNews live reporting team continues to provide full coverage when the final 14 players return to battle for the bracelet.
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | 1 | Methavee Taveekitvatee | Thailand | 9,375,000 | 78 |
| 66 | 2 | Qiao Du | China | 4,250,000 | 35 |
| 66 | 3 | ||||
| 66 | 4 | Antoine Sankari | Canada | 3,000,000 | 25 |
| 66 | 5 | Martin Jacobson | Sweden | 2,145,000 | 18 |
| 66 | 6 | Igor Popyk | Ukraine | 6,440,000 | 54 |
| 66 | 7 | ||||
| 66 | 8 | Asi Moshe | Israel | 9,950,000 | 83 |
| 66 | 9 | David Miscikowski | United States | 5,815,000 | 48 |
| 67 | 1 | Gabriel Karlsson | Sweden | 1,445,000 | 12 |
| 67 | 2 | ||||
| 67 | 3 | Greg Ostrander | United States | 1,400,000 | 12 |
| 67 | 4 | Walter Treccarichi | Italy | 3,260,000 | 27 |
| 67 | 5 | Dohyeok Kim | South Korea | 5,830,000 | 49 |
| 67 | 6 | Andrew Moreno | United States | 11,955,000 | 100 |
| 67 | 7 | Dustin Murphy | United States | 3,800,000 | 32 |
| 67 | 8 | ||||
| 67 | 9 | Chris Moorman | United Kingdom | 3,140,000 | 26 |
After ten levels of play, 14 players qualified for Day 3 of Event #79: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em.
Stay tuned as PokerNews provides you chip counts and a recap of today's action!
Qiao Du opened to 250,000 from the button. Zilong Zhang in the small blind three-bet all in for 2,415,000, then Andrew Moreno in the big blind jammed for 8,700,000. Du went deep into the tank but eventually folded what he later said was A♥K♥.
Zilong Zhang: A♠3♦
Andrew Moreno: Q♥Q♠
The board of 7♦10♦4♥6♥K♦ was no help for Zhang, who was sent to the rail.
Igor Popyk opened from the hijack, making it 200,000 to go. Asi Moshe checked his cards in the big blind and called to see the 8♦6♠2♦ flop.
Both players checked to the A♠ turn, and Popyk fired 350,000 into the middle. Moshe made the call, and the dealer revealed the 5♥ river.
Popyk slid out a bet of 100,000, and Moshe took a moment before making the call. Popyk showed 10♦9♦ for ten-high, while Moshe tabled 9♣6♣ for a pair of sixes to claim the pot.
The tournament director has instructed dealers to play six more hands before bagging for the night.
Martin Jacobson raised on the button to 200,000, with David Miscikowski making the call in the big blind. Miscikowski checked the J♣5♦3♦ flop, and Jacobson continued for 150,000.
Miscikowski called, and both players declined to bet the A♠ turn. Miscikowski then led out for 100,000 on the 6♠ river, and Jacobson thought it over before sending his cards into the muck.
Qiao Du on the button jammed for 2,415,000 and Zilong Zhang in the small blind called, while Andrew Moreno in the big blind folded the A♠ face up.
Qiao Du: A♣K♥
Zilong Zhang: J♥J♣
Du flopped top pair on 3♥K♠4♣10♥Q♥ and doubled up.