Day 2abc of the 2026 WSOP $10,000 Main Event World Championship brought another large field to Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, with several former champions moving on to Day 3.
Gaspar Fernandez finished at the top of the Day 2abc chip counts with 754,000. The day began with 2,468 players from Day 1a, Day 1b and Day 1c, while another 312 late entrants brought the Day 2abc field to 2,780. By the end of play, 1,260 players had advanced to Day 3.
With Day 2d still to come, the 2026 WSOP Main Event had reached 8,389 entries, creating a current prize pool of $78,017,700.
Hellmuth, Raymer and Mizrachi Survive
Phil Hellmuth, Greg “Fossilman” Raymer and defending champion Michael Mizrachi were among the former WSOP Main Event winners who survived Day 2abc.
Hellmuth, the 1989 world champion, advanced with 173,000 chips. His day included an early double-up on a K-5-2 flop, where he held pocket fives against Sanjeev Sisodiya’s pocket deuces.
After the hand, Hellmuth told his opponent: “I can't fold second set… but I can fold bottom set.”
Raymer, the 2004 Main Event champion, also found a key double late in the day. He was all-in with pocket tens after flopping a set, while his opponent held ace-queen for top pair top kicker. Raymer ended the day with 290,000 chips.
Mizrachi, the defending Main Event champion, nine-time WSOP bracelet winner and 2025 Poker Hall of Fame inductee, started the day with 73,000 and finished with 202,500. He told Jeff Platt: “It's looking like a repeat!”
Huck Seed also advanced with 83,000, while Greg Merson bagged 79,000.
Former Champions Among Day 2abc Eliminations
Not every former champion made it through. Joe Cada, 2020 Hybrid champion Damian Salas and Daniel Weinman were among the Main Event winners eliminated on Day 2abc.
Other notable names who exited included Jason Koon, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, Adam Hendrix and Nick “Dirty Diaper” Rigby. None of them reached the money this year.
Fernandez Tops the Day 2abc Counts
Fernandez’s 754,000 put him first in the Day 2abc chip counts. Mason Vieth followed with 730,000, while Arturas Astrauskas ended with 646,500 and Michael Banducci bagged 630,000.
Daan Mulders rounded out the top five with 629,500. Miguel Riera, Chiori Gannon, Kevin Ordet, Haruna Fujita and Peter Patricio also finished inside the top 10.
Tony Dunst ended the day with 479,000, Martin Zamani bagged 460,000, Brian Hastings finished with 409,000 and Freddy Deeb advanced with 383,000. Ryuta Nakai, the Day 1a overnight chip leader, bagged less than he started with, but still finished above average on 235,500.
Top 10 Chip Counts from Day 2abc
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaspar Fernandez | Argentina | 754,000 |
| 2 | Mason Vieth | United States | 730,000 |
| 3 | Arturas Astrauskas | Lithuania | 646,500 |
| 4 | Michael Banducci | United States | 630,000 |
| 5 | Daan Mulders | Netherlands | 629,500 |
| 6 | Miguel Riera | Spain | 592,000 |
| 7 | Chiori Gannon | United States | 589,500 |
| 8 | Kevin Ordet | United States | 584,000 |
| 9 | Haruna Fujita | Japan | 551,500 |
| 10 | Peter Patricio | Brazil | 543,500 |
