WSOP Day 34: Michael Mizrachi Takes Center Stage

Mizrachi’s Absolute Domination

The third day of the prestigious $10K PLO Championship (Event #70) will go down in history as a one-man show by Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi. The reigning world champion from 2025 continues his dominant performance, packing a staggering stack of 40,225,000 — accounting for 80% of all chips in play after Day 3.

Should Mizrachi clinch the victory, he will secure his ninth gold bracelet, joining Benny Glaser, who achieved this feat just days ago, and the legendary Johnny Moss.

Mizrachi's path to this commanding lead involved a huge confrontation within the final eight players, where he doubled up at the expense of the then-chipleader Jesse Lonis. Soon after, he also eliminated Lonis in seventh place, ending Lonis's miraculous comeback from less than one blind at the final two tables.

The last victim of Mizrachi's evening was Martin Zamani, whose elimination in fourth place wrapped up the day. Mizrachi will face two challengers for the title and $1,350,203 prize in the final day: Zarvan Tumboli from India, who qualified via a $1,100 satellite, and American Michael Hahn.

Final Standings of Event #70: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship

Naoya Kihara Chases Third Bracelet of the Season

The rise of Japan at this year's WSOP is gaining momentum, with Naoya Kihara once again in the spotlight. After winning two bracelets in $10K championships earlier this summer, he now leads the final 13 in the technically challenging Event #71: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet by a wide margin.

The second day narrowed the field from 99 players to the last 13, with other Japanese hopefuls Hiroyuki Noda and Ryuta Nakai still in the running. Also battling for the bracelet and a $182,591 prize are well-known vlogger Brad Owen and Brazilian online poker star Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi.

Top 10 Stacks After Day 2 – Event #71: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet 7-Handed

Daniel Negreanu Seeks to Recover Massive Loss

For lovers of combined formats, the popular Event #74: $1,500 8-Game Mixed kicked off, attracting 766 entries on its opening day. A total of 147 players have progressed to Day 2, with payouts (starting from 115th place) within reach.

The spotlight is on the star player Daniel Negreanu, who finally finds himself in a strong position after a less successful first half of the summer. Currently in 4th place, he holds a prime position to fight for his eighth bracelet and the $181,625 prize.

A win here could be a significant turning point for the popular “KidPoker” during WSOP 2026. Despite winning over $464,000, Negreanu announced in his daily vlog that he is down $571,729 after 33 days, indicating he has invested over a million dollars in tournament buy-ins.

Brazillian Pedro Barossi led after the first day. Big names such as Scott Seiver, nine-time champion Benny Glaser, and Calvin Anderson are also in the mix.

Top 10 Stacks After Day 1 – Event #74: $1,500 8-Game Mixed

Mystery Bounty Draws

The second day of the massive $1K Mystery Millions (Event #63) turned into the “bounty frenzy” everyone anticipated. From a record field of 22,811 entries, 1,236 players advanced to Day 2, with the opportunity to draw an envelope containing a mystery reward upon eliminating an opponent. More than $6.8 million was allocated for the Mystery Bounty prizes.

The biggest win went to Jonathan Schiller. Although he finished 439th with a $4,150 prize, he drew the most valuable envelope worth $1,000,000 from the “golden chest.” Interestingly, Schiller nearly left the casino by taxi but stayed after checking the app and realizing he still had a chance at the jackpot.

Other major bounties of $500,150 were awarded to Emmanouil Chalkiotis and Steven McCartney, while Wai Kiat Lee and Coltrane Mendelsohn each won $250,000.

An emotional moment was experienced by American Brian Smith. After drawing a $100,000 bounty, he immediately announced that he would donate a significant portion to Purple Pansies, a charity fighting against pancreatic cancer. Smith also showcased an incredible performance, moving from just 8 big blinds to a provisional third place during the day.

The final day will see 24 players compete for the title, led by India's Vinay Boob.

Top 10 Stacks After Day 2 – Event #63: $1,000 Mystery Millions

Amateur Skye Chen Shocks the Poker World

The Ladies Championship has crowned its new queen in a story straight out of a movie. Skye Chen, a former software engineer who recently took up poker, won out of a record 1,475 entries. She traveled to Las Vegas primarily to accompany friends for a Mahjong tournament and walked away with $194,630 and her first gold bracelet.

Joining her first WSOP event for fun, Chen's victory is all the more shocking. She summed it up perfectly: “I kind of thought the era of amateurs coming in and winning a bracelet was over, and I never believed I would go on to do it myself.”

Her path to the title was filled with twists and turns on the final day. Initial chipleader Emily Spencer ended up in fifth place, while Chen managed to fight back from being a short stack at crucial moments. The tournament's decisive moment came with her bold “hero call” during a heads-up against Aubrey Williams. Chen correctly called her opponent's bluff with ace-high, gaining a massive lead.

Williams attempted a comeback with three consecutive double-ups, but her A-5 was ultimately outmatched by Chen’s pocket fours in the final hand.

Final Table Results of Event #68: $1,000 Ladies Championship No-Limit Hold'em

Daniyal Gheba Targets Second Bracelet During WSOP 2026

One of the most anticipated events for small table specialists, Event #73: $5K 6-Max, began with a massive turnout of 1,018 entries, pushing the prize pool over $4.6 million. Late registration remains open for the first two levels of Day 2, so final numbers will be even more impressive.

After the first ten levels, the field was narrowed to 348 players led by American Sergei Kislinskii with a stack of nearly 400 big blinds.

Daniyal Gheba, who already triumphed in the opening event of WSOP 2026 $5K 8-Handed, is off to a great start and aiming for his second bracelet.

The field for this prestigious title also includes big names like Main Event winner Damian Salas, Danny Tang, and John Juanda.

Top 10 Stacks After Day 1 – Event #73: $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em

Mini Main Event Kicks Off

The more affordable version of the season's main tournament has started today. The first of three starting flights of the $1K Mini Main Event (Day 1a) saw an impressive 2,599 entries, with 194 players advancing to the next phase.

The chipleader position was secured by American Travis Taylor, the only player surpassing the three-million chip mark. Known names such as Vivian Saliba, Brad Ruben, and seven-time bracelet holder Men Nguyen have also advanced from the opening day.

Sources: WSOP, WSOP Live, X, YouTube