PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 2 (July 8). 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.
According to the WSOP live app.
The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) kicked off back on May 26, and now it is in the home stretch as June has come to an end and the $10,000 Main Event is underway. More than 70 tournaments have awarded bracelets thus far, and the PokerNews Live Reporting team has been on-site all summer long, capturing the action.
During that time, they've reported on some entertaining hands, bad beats, and more, which we're happy to feature in the latest edition of "Hands of the Week" presented by GTOWizard.
According to the WSOP live app.
On a board of 9♠2♣9♣K♥3♥ with 24,000 in the pot, Kimberly Unger in the hijack bet 17,000.
Alexander Ivarsson on the button went into the tank for a very long moment. He checked his cards and decided to call, but saw Unger flip over K♣K♠ for a full house.
“Wow,” he said silently as he tossed his cards into the muck.
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.
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According to the WSOP LIVE app.
Earlier this week, the Tournament Directors Association (TDA) held its biennial summit, which debuted back in 2001. The TDA Summit XII was held at the PokerGO Studio and drew more than 200 industry professionals from around the world.
“The goal of the TDA remains that we want a standard set of rules that players, tournament directors, and card room managers can reference,” said TDA board member Matt Savage, who recently appeared on the PokerNews Podcast to talk about the summit.
“It was an eventful meeting again. No major rule changes this time around, but some good tweaks to existing ones,” said famed tournament director and PokerStars Ambassador Kenny Hallaert. “It’s always good for the game of poker to share our experiences from PokerStars events with the rest of the industry and pick up new ideas from other operators.”
Likewise, PokerStars EPT Tournament Director Toby Stone told PokerNews: “The beauty of the TDA Summit is the mutual exchange of knowledge. Our core focus is always on making tournaments safer, fairer, and more enjoyable for the players. While the EPT is proud to already implement a lot of the cutting-edge rules and security measures being discussed, the summit is about lifting the global standard together. A huge congratulations to Matt Savage on 25 years of the TDA. What he started back then has transformed the live poker landscape, and his ongoing work continues to protect and grow the game we all love.”
The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas is gearing up for Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold’em. This three-day event with three starting flights gets underway at 10 a.m. local time in Las Vegas on July 5, and the champion will be determined on July 9.
Ultra Stack simply means the players will all start with a lot more chips than normal for a $600 buy-in tournament, which makes this event appealing to recreational players and pros alike.
Day 1a of the $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold’em event starts at 10 a.m. local time on July 5, with entrants receiving a 60,000 starting stack. Late registration remains open for 12 levels and will close at the end of the dinner break, which should be right around 6:15 p.m. local time. There are three Day 1 starting flights, all playing the same structure, with Day 1b scheduled for July 6 and Day 1c on July 7.
All Day 1's will complete 22 levels of 30 minutes each with a break after every four levels. There is a 75-minute dinner break after Level 12, at approximately 5 p.m.
Day 2 begins at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8. Levels jump to 40 minutes, and the day won't conclude until either 17 levels have been played or the field is down to five players. Breaks will occur every three levels, and a 60-minute dinner break will start at right around 7:30 p.m. PokerNews traditional live coverage will begin on Day 2.
At the 2025 WSOP, Justin Fawcett, an American poker player, outlasted a field of 7,057 entrants to win $355,110 out of the $2,992,086 prize pool, along with his first WSOP bracelet.
Carson Heidemann won this same event in 2024 for $343,010 and the bracelet, beating out 6,628 entrants.
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It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
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Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack No-limit Hold'em
Day 1a Started
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