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Welcome back to PokerNews for our continuing coverage of the 2026 World Series of Poker, headlined by the WSOP Main Event, which pushed forward today with Day 2ABC.
We are officially in the thick of Main Event action, with the event dominating the tournament rooms across Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas for the foreseeable future. Today’s action featured the first of two Day 2 flights, bringing back survivors from Flights 1A, 1B, and 1C. Meanwhile, a massive field of 3,638 players from Day 1D will return to the felt on Tuesday for Day 2D.
The entire Main Event field will finally merge on Wednesday, July 8, the very same day the survivors from the three starting flights of the Ultra Stack combine for their own Day 2.
Gaspar Fernandez Takes the Lead As Former Champs Rise and Fall in Main Event
Day 2abc of the 2026 WSOP Main Event was one of sweet reunions (and many departures), as 2,468 hopefuls from the first three starting flights returned to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas to continue their journey toward claiming the crown jewel of poker — the World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet.
The returnees were joined by 312 late entrants who took advantage of the option to register on Day 2, bringing the total number of entries to 8,389 and growing the prize pool to $78,017,700 with one day remaining for late registration. By the time the last card was dealt, however, only 1,260 players were able to bag up chips for Day 3.
Besting them all was Argentina’s Gaspar Fernandez with a 754,000 stack — good for just over 300 big blinds at the start of Day 3.
Unofficial Day 2abc Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaspar Fernandez | Argentina | 754,000 | 302 |
| 2 | Mason Vieth | United States | 730,000 | 292 |
| 3 | Arturas Astrauskas | Lithuania | 646,500 | 259 |
| 4 | Michael Banducci | United States | 630,000 | 252 |
| 5 | Daan Mulders | Netherlands | 629,500 | 252 |
| 6 | Miguel Riera | Spain | 592,000 | 237 |
| 7 | Chiori Gannon | United States | 589,500 | 236 |
| 8 | Kevin Ordet | United States | 584,000 | 234 |
| 9 | Haruna Fujita | Japan | 551,500 | 221 |
| 10 | Peter Patricio | Brazil | 543,500 | 217 |
Day 2abc contained no shortage of players who had already etched their names in Main Event history, with eight previous Main Event champions taking their seats in search of repeat glory.
Faring best of the bunch was 2004 Main Event champion Greg Raymer after a last-minute double up vaulted his stack to a well-above-average 291,000.
Recently inducted Poker Hall of Famer, nine-time bracelet winner, and defending Main Event champion Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi also had a productive day after spinning up a modest stack of 73,000 at the start of play to 202,500. While still early, Mizrachi is in the running to become the first back-to-back Main Event champion since Johnny Chan, who accomplished the feat by winning both in 1987 and 1988.
“I started the day with 72 or 73 and ended with 202, so it’s looking like a repeat!” Mizrachi said to Jeff Platt shortly after bagging.
The 3,638 survivors from Day 1d will reconvene for Day 2d on Tuesday, July 7, at 11 a.m. Play will get back underway on Level 6, which features 400/800 blinds with an 800 big-blind ante.
Late registration for the Main Event will officially close on Day 2d at the start of Level 8 (~3:15 p.m.) At the time of writing, nearly 200 additional players have registered, and many more are expected. Everyone from both Day 2 flights will meet for Day 3 on Wednesday, July 8, at 11 a.m.
184 Players Advance From Ultra Stack Day 1b
On the second of three starting flights in Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack at the 2026 World Series of Poker, the field swelled with a total of 2,424 entrants in the flight.
By the end, it was Neng Lee who bagged the chip lead as the only player with over three million in chips. He’s now the man to beat at the start of Day 2, unless someone on Tuesday’s final starting flight can come close.
Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neng Lee | United States | 3,040,000 | 76 |
| 2 | John Berreman | United States | 2,460,000 | 62 |
| 3 | Alvin Qin | United States | 2,254,000 | 56 |
| 4 | Ajeet Temburni | United States | 2,125,000 | 53 |
| 5 | Hunter Jakus | United States | 2,110,000 | 53 |
| 6 | Takuto Okawa | Japan | 2,025,000 | 51 |
| 7 | Tal Rofe | Israel | 2,005,000 | 50 |
| 8 | William Steinmetz | United States | 1,925,000 | 48 |
| 9 | Vincenzo Abate | Canada | 1,800,000 | 45 |
| 10 | Derek Wang | United States | 1,800,000 | 45 |
Breno Drumond took down the Tag Team earlier this summer, and is the best-placed of the bracelet winners, sitting 11th in chips.
Day 1c is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. local time on July 6. Like this flight, Day 1c concludes once the 22nd level is done and dusted. The surviving players from all three flights combine on Day 2 at 1:00 p.m. local time on July 8, when PokerNews‘ traditional live reporting of this event begins from the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
WSOP Schedule: Tuesday, July 7
Tuesday sees the final starting flight in the Ultra Stack, with cards getting underway at 10 a.m.
However, all eyes will be on Day 2d in the WSOP Main Event, with registration closing tomorrow and finalizing the entry number for this year at least. PokerNews will be on hand for all the information, chip counts, bust outs and more from the tables. Stay tuned for all the action!
Managing Editor