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Poker’s biggest summer is back. The 57th annual World Series of Poker opened May 26 at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas. From the moment the cards were in the air, it was clear this edition meant business.
More than 2,000 entries landed across just two opening-day events. The series runs through July 15 and offers 100 bracelet events in total. WSOP Online bracelet opportunities will run alongside the live schedule for players in regulated states.
Mizrachi opens the 2026 WSOP with historic pedigree
Before a single hand was dealt, the spotlight fell on Michael Mizrachi. The reigning WSOP Main Event champion stepped to the microphone and delivered the phrase every poker player knows: “Shuffle Up and Deal.” With that, the 2026 series was officially underway.
Mizrachi earned that honor the hard way. Last summer, he accomplished something no player had ever done before — winning both the $50,000 Poker Players Championship and the Main Event in the same year. The Main Event victory gave him his eighth career bracelet and $10 million. Minutes after the last hand was played, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.
$550 Mystery Millions pulls 1,600+ entries on day 1
New to this year’s WSOP lineup, Event 1 is a lower-cost take on a tournament favorite. The Mystery Millions event, formerly priced at $1,000, is now offered at $550.
The format hides a $1 million bounty on a mystery player somewhere in the field. Eliminate that player, and you collect seven figures from a $550 buy-in — a concept players embraced immediately.
Day 1 drew 1,635 entries. After 22 levels, 60 players remained. Las Vegas local Jansen Satparam led the counts with 1,800,000 chips. Germany’s Peyman Luth was close behind at 1,700,000, with Americans David Farber and Steven Buckner Jr. holding 1,600,000 and 1,500,000, respectively.
Fifth place went to David Prociak, a three-time WSOP bracelet winner who will enter Day 2 with 1,500,000 chips and his eye on a fourth title. Familiar names, including Chad Eveslage, Gabriel Andrade and DJ Buckley, also survived to fight another day.
Dzivielevski tops $5,000 NLH field on opening day
Event 2 was a $5,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em contest at eight-handed tables, drawing 415 entries on Day 1, with late registration still open into Day 2.
Brazilian professional Yuri Dzivielevski was the standout performer, closing the day with 715,000 chips — a commanding lead over the 141 players behind him. Peter Cross was second at 525,000. Bulgaria’s Yuliyan Kolev, recognizable for once appearing at a WSOP final table with a KFC bucket on his head, held 470,500 in third.
The rest of the survivors included several well-known names. Five-time bracelet winner Martin Kabrhel bagged 298,000. Statistician and author Nate Silver, who has quietly built a solid tournament record, survived with 175,500. Bestselling author Maria Konnikova, who documented her poker journey in a widely read book, ended the day at 75,000. Benny Glaser, one of Britain’s most decorated players with eight career bracelets, also advanced, though his 37,500 stack leaves him with work to do.
Deeb chases third WSOP Player of the Year title
The Player of the Year race is always a subplot at the WSOP. This year, Shaun Deeb enters as the man everyone else is chasing. The New Yorker won the 2025 WSOP Player of the Year award, his second such title — a feat only Daniel Negreanu had achieved before him.
Deeb holds eight bracelets and arrived in Las Vegas already ahead on points after a productive WSOP Europe stint in Prague in April, where he reached two final tables. He left empty-handed both times, his opponent hitting four of a kind at the decisive moment on each occasion. The runner-up finishes still padded his POY point total before the Las Vegas series even began.
He is not hiding his ambitions for the summer. Deeb has said he expects to finish in the top three in roughly 85% of his entries. If that holds, a third POY title — something no player has ever achieved — is well within reach. The WSOP has also added financial weight to the race this year, with three $100,000 prizes on offer for the top finishers in the POY standings.
Main Event, 98 more bracelets and a summer of poker
With 98 bracelet events still ahead, opening day was just a warmup. The $10,000 Main Event begins July 2, with a delayed final-table format set to bring a fresh dynamic to broadcast coverage. The summer is young, and the competition has only just begun.
