2026 WSOP Day 39: Michael Mizrachi Defends Main Event Title On Day 1b

Day 39 of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) unfolded on Friday, July 3rd, delivering a fresh wave of high-stakes action and notable achievements. The poker world was still buzzing from the previous day's fireworks, which saw Martin Kabrhel capture his sixth bracelet and Daniel Negreanu secure his eighth, setting a high bar for the subsequent events.

Friday's schedule was packed with highlights, most notably the commencement of Day 1b of the prestigious $10,000 WSOP Main Event NLH World Championship. The reigning champion, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, made a grand entrance, ready to defend his hard-won title. Adding to the day's drama, Jesse Lonis carved out a significant run in the unique $1,500 Double Board Bomb Pot Pot-Limit Omaha event. Beyond these marquee events, two more coveted gold bracelets found new homes, underscoring the relentless pace of the series.

The first bracelet of the day was claimed by Asi Moshe in Event #79: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em. This victory marked Moshe's fifth career WSOP bracelet and his first since stepping away from professional poker, a triumphant return that surely resonated with many. Shortly after, Dzmitry Urbanovich emerged victorious in Event #80: $10,000 8-Game Mixed Championship, earning his inaugural bracelet and a substantial $431,260 prize. Alex Foxen, a formidable presence, came close but ultimately bowed out in fifth place.

The Main Event, Event #82, continued to build momentum on Day 1b, drawing an additional 1,038 entries. This brought the total field to 1,810 entries and the prize pool to an impressive $16,833,000. The day's extended two-hour blind levels allowed for slow and deliberate play, with 760 players successfully bagging chips for Day 2. Brazil's Osmar Rockenbach concluded the day as the chip leader with 286,900, closely followed by Michael Stembera (270,300) and Damarjai Davenport (263,000).

Among the top ten chip counts were bracelet winners Ali Eslami (256,200) and Shota Nakanishi (242,000), alongside Cassandra Yong (224,300), who surged into contention with a crucial double-up late in the day. Michael Mizrachi, fresh from receiving his ninth WSOP gold bracelet in a pre-game ceremony, finished Day 1b with 73,200 chips, playing from the feature table. He was joined by fellow WSOP Main Event champion Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, who bagged 122,300. Other notable players advancing included Nicholas Rigby (75,700), Kenny Hallaert (22,400), Malo Latinois (136,900), and Antonio Esfandiari, who finished with 34,300 chips from the other feature table. Day 1c, the penultimate starting flight, is set to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time, with expectations for even larger turnouts in the remaining flights and into Day 2.

### Event #82: $10,000 WSOP Main Event NLH World Championship Top Ten Chip Counts for Day 1b

| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Osmar Rockenbach | Brazil | 286,900 | 478 | | 2 | Michael Stembera | United States | 270,300 | 451 | | 3 | Damarjai Davenport | United States | 263,000 | 438 | | 4 | William Watson | United States | 262,000 | 437 | | 5 | Shawn Savage | United States | 261,500 | 436 | | 6 | Ali Eslami | United States | 256,200 | 427 | | 7 | Shota Nakanishi | Japan | 242,000 | 403 | | 8 | Adam Matues | United States | 228,000 | 380 | | 9 | Cassandra Yong | United Kingdom | 224,300 | 374 | | 10 | Tomas Teran | Venezuela | 223,500 | 373 |

In Event #83: $1,500 Double Board Bomb Pot Pot-Limit Omaha, Jesse Lonis showcased his prowess in a less conventional format, navigating the field to secure a fourth-place chip position with 3,145,000. He trails Paul Fehlig (5,885,000), Julio Trimmer (4,500,000), and Daniel Walmsley (3,455,000). The event, which defied expectations with 1,673 entries and a $2,220,907 prize pool, concluded Day 2 with 19 players remaining, exceeding the anticipated five. These survivors will return at 1:00 p.m. local time with 60,000 antes to play down to a champion.

### Event #83: $1,500 Double Board Bomb Pot Pot-Limit Omaha End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts

| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Paul Fehlig | United States | 5,885,000 | | 2 | Julio Trimmer | Mexico | 4,500,000 | | 3 | Daniel Walmsley | Australia | 3,455,000 | | 4 | Jesse Lonis | United States | 3,145,000 | | 5 | Antoine Labat | France | 3,075,000 | | 6 | Justin Fawcett | United States | 2,965,000 | | 7 | Ali Sheikholeslami | United States | 2,745,000 | | 8 | Jacob Fishbein | United States | 2,265,000 | | 9 | Abdul Amer | United States | 1,930,000 | | 10 | Christopher Amaral | United States | 1,810,000 |

Event #81: $800 Summer Celebration saw Kamran Jamal lead the 217 survivors from Day 1b, accumulating 2,200,000 chips. This flight added 4,219 entries, boosting the total to 6,804 entries and a robust $4,762,100 prize pool. Notable players like Michael Moncek (1,410,000) and Allan Le (700,000) also advanced. The combined Day 2 field of 341 players will resume at 11:00 a.m. local time, playing down to a winner.

### Event #81: $800 Summer Celebration Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts

| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Kamran Jamal | United States | 2,200,000 | 55 | | 2 | Fabian Niederreiter | Germany | 2,150,000 | 54 | | 3 | Yi Klassen | United States | 2,070,000 | 52 | | 4 | Naushad Ali | United States | 1,895,000 | 47 | | 5 | Ozren Cvijanovic | Serbia | 1,735,000 | 43 | | 6 | Ryan Southworth | - | 1,700,000 | 43 | | 7 | Yijie Zhang | United States | 1,669,000 | 42 | | 8 | Mauro Sosa | Argentina | 1,470,000 | 37 | | 9 | William Steinmetz | United States | 1,460,000 | 37 | | 10 | Andreas Frohli | Austria | 1,440,000 | 36 |

Finally, Event #78: $600 Deepstack Championship No-Limit Hold'em, which amassed 5,177 entries and a $2,609,208 prize pool, concluded Day 3 with only five players remaining. South Africa's Adriaan Jacobs leads the final table with 67,200,000 chips. Seong Han sits in second with 30,000,000, having eliminated Lisa Tan in seventh place. Paul Merlette, the last American standing, holds 27,700,000. Xingwei Chen (17,500,000) and Junichi Murakami complete the final five, setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion.