PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (July 4). Until then, we will keep readers informed with updates on chip counts and core event statistics, including entries and the prize pool. Scroll down to see more.
Event #81: $800 Summer Celebration
Day 1b Completed
Day 1b of Event #81: $800 Summer Celebration No-Limit Hold'em was big and fast, winnowing down 4,219 entries to just 217 over the course of 22 blind levels. This turnout added $2,953,300 to the prize pool.
With 2,584 entries on Day 1a, there are a total of 6,803 entries in this event, which generated a total prize pool of $4,762,100.
Kamran Jamal (2,200,000) led the field at close of play with 2,200,000 in his stack.
The other two podium places were occupied by Fabian Niederreiter (2,150,000) in second place and Yi Klassen (2,070,000) in third.
| 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 | Canada | 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 |
Andreas Frohli is the only 25K Fantasy player in the top ten, but there were several more who found bags further down the rankings. Some of these include Michael Moncek (1,410,000) and Allan Le (700,000),
Some bracelet winners who also made it to Day 2 include Jason James (1,300,000), Bryan Schultz (1,215,000), Ilija Savevski (285,000), Femi Fashakin (225,000), and Justin Oliver (215,000).
With the Day 1a survivors included, there will be a total of 341 players returning for Day 2, which begins on July 4 at 11 a.m. Play will resume with 20,000/40,000 blinds and a 40,000 big blind ante and will continue until a winner is declared.
According to WSOPLive App.
According to WSOP LIVE App
In the 982nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow are joined by Matt Savage at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas.
There, they talk about Shaun Deeb's recent bracelet win and whether or not that will be enough to put him over the edge for the Poker Hall of Fame. It certainly was enough to put him back on top of the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year standings. Speaking of the Poker Hall of Fame, Savage shares whether he feels snubbed for not making the list of nominees and who he thinks has the best shot of getting in.
From there, the crew turns its attention to the Tournament Directors Association (TDA) Summit XII, which recently wrapped up at PokerGO Studio. Savage shares a little history about the TDA, his big takeaways, and then Chad shares a highlight video catching up with some of the bigger tournament directors in the game to get their thoughts on this year's summit.
Finally, the crew thanks sponsor Think Jerky, which you can order here.
Find out all about those stories and more in this week's episode of the PokerNews Podcast! Oh, and be sure to check out the audio version of the PokerNews Podcast that is available on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
Chip counts according the WSOP app+
The most exciting time in live poker is upon us, with the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event No-Limit Hold'em World Championship now underway.
The WSOP Main Event is considered the most prestigious live poker tournament, drawing thousands of entrants from far and wide, each hoping to become poker's world champion.
The field sizes of the Main Event are massive, despite the five-figure buy-in. With so many of poker's top players in action at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, you're spoiled for choice regarding who to add to your MyPlayers Feed.
As per the WSOP LIVE app.
It took almost no time, but as per usual, a player has been eliminated early in Level 1 at the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event.
Anthony Marini picked up A♦K♦ just after the World Championship event began and decided to gamble for his entire stack, while Ryan Sands didn't want his opponent to earn an early double-up.
As per the WSOP LIVE app.
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