2026 WSOP Week 6 Recap: The Main Event Gets Underway, Negreanu Wins a Bracelet

Image courtesy of the World Series of Poker

There is a lot happening every single week of the World Series of Poker, but the week of the Main Event is usually the most exciting one. It is, after all, the pinnacle of the series.

The 2026 WSOP Main Event got underway on July 2, and at the time of writing this, two starting flights (Day 1A and Day 1B) are in the books. There are two more to come, though, and the registration will remain open for the first two levels of Day 2.

But the Main Event starting was just one of several big stories this week.

Daniel Negreanu finally managed to win a bracelet, and it so happened that he won it in a tournament that paid over $2.2 million for first. Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi claimed his ninth WSOP gold as well.

And we have to mention the $1,000 Ladies Championship, which was won by an amateur player, but the tournament created quite a lot of controversy due to Aubrey Williams, a transgender woman who finished the runner-up.

2026 WSOP Week 6 Bracelet Winners

The Main Event Gets Off to a Slower Start

In the months leading to the 2026 World Series of Poker, there was a lot of guesswork around the kind of turnout we could expect for the summer.

Due to a number of reasons, the general expectation was that the player numbers would take a bit of a dip this year, and, so far, the attendance has been lower than in previous years, although not by much.

As for the Main Event, it’s a bit early to give any firm predictions. After two initial flights, the number of entrants stands at 1,810. However, there are two more Day 1s to go, and, traditionally, later flights tend to attract more entries.

Plus, the registration will remain open for the first two levels of Day 2, and it’s safe to assume at least some players will go for the max late-reg strategy.

All in all, we don’t expect this year’s tournament to break any attendance records, but the final number of players should be around 9,000.

Some of the big-name players opted to take their shots during early flights, and quite a few of them bagged chips for Day 2, including the defending champion Michael Mizrachi, Antonio Esfandiari, Greg Raymer, Phil Hellmuth, Greg Merson, and Joe Cada, to just mention a few.

In case you missed it, Hellmuth also performed his traditional grandiose Main Event entrance, gathering the attention of bystanders and the media, and annoying some of the players at the tables.

Negreanu & Mizrachi Pick Up Bracelets

This year’s World Series of Poker hasn’t been particularly kind to Daniel Negreanu. He had a few deep runs and some close calls, but, until a couple of days ago, he was down a few hundred thousand.

All that changed when Kid Poker managed to find the win in the $100,000 Pot Limit Omaha High Roller. It was a small-field event, but Daniel had to face a few dozen of the best players in the world on his way to victory.

Finding his way through the usual ups and downs of PLO, Negreanu managed to come out on the positive side of variance this time around to claim his eighth WSOP bracelet and lock up over $2.2 million, guaranteeing himself a profitable summer in Las Vegas.

Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi is on a bracelet chase, too, looking to surpass Hellmuth’s record. He has some ground to cover in that department, but his recent victory helps bring him closer to that goal.

The Grinder triumphed in the $10,000 PLO Championship, winning $1.35 million and securing his ninth WSOP bracelet.

True to his word, Mizrachi jumped straight into another tournament so that he wouldn’t miss on any bracelet-winning opportunities.

Phil Hellmuth currently holds 17 bracelets, so there is quite a bit of space between him and the rest of the pack, and The Poker Brat is trying to up his own count, too, so those looking to catch up have their work cut out for them. But it could certainly happen.

WSOP Ladies Championship Creates Some Controversy

Despite numbers being slightly down in many events this year, the $1,000 Ladies Championship had its best year, setting a new attendance record.

The tournament attracted 1,475 players, resulting in a prize pool of just under $1.3 million.

While the large number of entrants was a great positive, the event attracted attention for different reasons, as Aubrey Williams, a transgender woman, built a sizeable stack and was making a deep run.

Aubrey divided the poker community. Some believed that she had no business playing a women’s tournament (unless she paid $10,000, which is what men who want to play have to do), while others saw no issue whatsoever.

Women who were in the actual event largely supported Aubrey’s right to participate, including Caitlin Comesky, who finished in the fourth place.

As luck and fate would have it, the event got down to Aubrey Williams and Skye Chen. In the end, Chen was able to snare the victory for $194k and her very first WSOP gold. In her winner’s interview, she described herself as an amateur player who was in town for a mahjong tournament.

Despite the controversy, it was great to see a big field in the Ladies Championship, and having an amateur win the whole thing almost by accident is always an awesome story.

Full Steam Ahead

For the next few days, all the attention will be on the Main Event. We’ll be looking at player numbers and checking in on big-name players to see who finds the bag for Day 2.

As for the coverage, fans outside of the US can follow all the Main Event action via daily YouTube streams on the official WSOP channel. For US-based fans, the coverage is available on the ESPN app.

We are entering the final quarter of the 2026 World Series of Poker, but there is still plenty of excitement ahead, and we are there for it all!