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In line with the live stream coverage, reporting from the tournament floor will begin on a 150-minute delay to prevent spoilers. The stream is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. local time.
2026 World Series of Poker
Event #19: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em
Day: 3
Players Left 22 / 345
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Level 18
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Philip Sternheimer raised on the button to 165,000 with A♠5♣, Nick Schulman defended his big blind with 10♦8♥.
Action checked to the river as the board ran out K♥K♠4♠10♣6♦, Schulman fired out a bet of 265,000, and Sternheimer called.
In the 971st episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow come to you from the floor of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) where they discussed one of the most viral hands of the summer, one involving Bobby James and Ricky Landais that has been called one of the worst bad beats ever!
They then discuss Martin Kabrhel's premature celebration, give you a good news update on Jeremy Ausmus vlogging credentials, and a poker curse from WWE superstar Danhausen. Other stories include highlights from the Mixed Game Festival XIV, choosing a winner for the signed Daniel Negreanu autographed book (plus a new giveaway), and the return of the famous PokerNews segment, The Chainsaw Report, featuring Allen Kessler.
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.
A new PokerNews Podcast drops three times a week during the 2026 WSOP! You can expect a new episode every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode!
Level 18
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Emilien Pitavy raised to 160,000 in early position. Both Eric Wasserson and Kristen Foxen called from the button and small blind, which tempted Zachary Grech to join in from the big blind.
Four ways to a 9♣A♣J♦ flop, Foxen and Grech both checked, and Pitavy continued for 300,000. Wasserson folded his 7♦7♥ before Foxen check-raised to 750,000. That removed Grech from the equation, as he folded Q♥5♥, and Pitavy called.
The 10♥ turn saw Foxen barrel for 1,150,000, which won her the pot with her J♣10♣, when Grech folded his K♣7♣.
Level 18
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Nick Schulman raised to 160,000 from the cutoff with J♠9♠, Biao Ding went all in from 170,000 from the big blind with A♦7♠, and Schulman called for 5,000 more.
The board ran out 5♠3♠3♥5♥6♥, and Ding doubled.
Level 18
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Dejan Kaladjurdjevic raised to 160,000 from middle position with A♥9♦, and Brian Rast called in the big blind with A♦5♣.
The flop came 3♠5♠5♦, and Kaladjurdjevic put Rast all in for 635,000, and Rast snap-called.
The board ran out 10♠8♣, and Rast doubled.
Level 18
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Joey Weissman raised to 160,000 on the button, and quickly faced a three-bet to 350,000 from Zachary Camp in the small blind. The big blind got out of the way, and Weissman called.
Camp continued for 100,000 on the 5♥8♥7♣ flop, and Weissman responded with a raise to 500,000. Camp wasted little time in calling, and they headed to the Q♠ turn.
Camp checked in flow, and Weissman checked behind.
The 6♥ completed the board, and once again, Camp checked. Weissman wasn't content checking a second time, though, instead sliding a bet of 650,000 into the middle. Camp gave it some thought and ultimately chose to call.
Weissman tabled 9♠9♣ for the winner, as Camp mucked his A♦8♦.
Level 18
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Ignacio Moron opened to 160,000 in early position, and Galen Hall three-bet to 490,000 in the cutoff. The action returned to Moron, who four-bet to 820,000 before calling when Hall five-bet jammed for 1,590,000.
Galen Hall: Q♠Q♦ 
Ignacio Moron: Q♥Q♣
As it turned out, both players had the same pocket pair, and when the 5♣3♥9♦ flop was dealt, the chop was confirmed.
The 3♦ turn and A♦ river completed the board, and the players split the blinds.
Level: 18
Blinds: 40,000/80,000
Ante: 80,000
The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) recently ended its $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, and the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller is entering Day 3. While there are plenty of high rollers on this year’s schedule, that wasn’t always the case.
The first "High Roller" WSOP tournament with a buy-in of $25,000 or more was the 2006 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E., which has now become the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, won by Chip Reese for $1,784,640. He prevailed over a stacked field of 143 after an epic seven-and-a-half-hour heads-up battle with Andy Bloch.
It was the only game in town until 2009, when the $40,000 40th Anniversary NLH Event became the second high roller, although it was a one-time event won by Vitaly Lunkin for $1,891,018.
In 2010, the Poker Players Championship (PPC) officially joined the Las Vegas festival with a $50,000 buy-in and is now considered by many to be the de facto world championship.
WSOP Europe joined the party in 2013 with the €25,000 NLH High Roller (about $34,603 USD), while the first online High Rollers were the 2020 $25,000 NLHE Poker Players Championship and $25,000 Heads-Up NLH: People's Choice Event on GGPoker.
The floodgates opened in 2023 when WSOP Paradise debuted, featuring two $25,000, one $50,000, and one $100,000 events.
$25,000+ Buy-in Events By Year
| Year | Events w/ Buy-ins $25K+ |
|---|---|
| 2006-08 | 1 |
| 2009-12 | 2 |
| 2013-15 | 4 |
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021-22 | 12 |
| 2023 | 18 |
| 2024 | 21 |
| 2025 | 25 |
When it comes to WSOP High Roller bracelets, 11 players are tied with two each. The players with two high roller bracelets are Aleksejs Ponakovs, Alex Foxen, Chad Eveslage, Dan Cates, Daniel Negreanu, Fedor Holz, Jason Koon, Jonathan Duhamel, Martin Kabrhel, Santhosh Suvarna, and Stephen Chidwick.
Brian Rast, Joao Vieira, and Michael Addamo are tied with three apiece, while Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and Shaun Deeb are tied for the all-time lead with four.
Most High Roller Final Tables
| Place | Player | Final Tables |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Brian Rast | 10 |
| 6 | Chance Kornuth | 10 |
| 6 | Daniel Negreanu | 10 |
| 6 | Martin Kabrhel | 10 |
| 6 | Stephen Chidwick | 10 |
| 4 | Ben Lamb | 11 |
| 4 | Isaac Haxton | 11 |
| 3 | Jason Koon | 12 |
| 2 | Adrian Mateos | 13 |
| 1 | Phil Ivey | 16 |
Most High Roller Cashes
| Place | Player | Cashes |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 8 players tied | 17 |
| 6 | Alex Foxen | 19 |
| 4 | Jason Koon | 20 |
| 4 | Phil Ivey | 22 |
| 2 | Adrian Mateos | 22 |
| 2 | Stephen Chidwick | 22 |
| 1 | Daniel Negreanu | 26 |
The players with 17 cashes are Chance Kornuth, Christoph Vogelsang, Dan Smith, Justin Bonomo, Martin Kabrhel, Nick Schulman, Scott Seiver, and Shaun Deeb.
Most High Roller Winnings
| hPlace | Player | Winnings |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | $10,722,275 |
| 9 | Adrian Mateos | $11,951,321 |
| 8 | Alejandro Lococo | $12,833,420 |
| 7 | Ben Heath | $14,764,795 |
| 6 | Fedor Holz | $15,028,689 |
| 5 | Justin Bonomo | $15,041,128 |
| 4 | Daniel Negreanu | $16,089,417 |
| 3 | Dan Colman | $17,038,561 |
| 2 | Alex Foxen | $17,072,233 |
| 1 | Antonio Esfandiari | $20,293,720 |
This final list is, of course, dominated by results from the three $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop tournaments. If you remove those results, the list looks like this:
Most High Roller Winnings Without Big One for One Drop
| Place | Player | Winnings |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Fedor Holz | $9,028,689 |
| 9 | Stephen Chidwick | $9,113,517 |
| 8 | Chris Hunichen | $9,150,441 |
| 7 | Bernhard Binder | $10,000,000 |
| 6 | Martin Kabrhel | $10,400,948 |
| 5 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | $10,722,275 |
| 4 | Adrian Mateos | $11,951,321 |
| 3 | Alejandro Lococo | $12,833,420 |
| 2 | Ben Heath | $14,764,795 |
| 1 | Alex Foxen | $17,072,233 |
If you also remove the 2024 Paradise Island $500,000 Triton Million, Heath and Lococo drop off the list, replaced by Joao Vieira and Isaac Haxton.
In line with the live stream coverage, reporting from the tournament floor will begin on a 150-minute delay to prevent spoilers.
The stream is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. local time, and can be viewed right here.
