Last Updated on July 6, 2026 by Bala Kumar
Introduction
Day 41 of the 2026 World Series of Poker might have looked light on paper, with just three events on the schedule, but the sheer size of the Main Event’s final starting flight made sure the venues stayed packed. Day 1 of the $10,000 Main Event alone drew thousands of hopefuls, delivering big stacks, brutal bad beats, and a leaderboard stacked with former champions still chasing history.
A Quiet Schedule, But a Packed House
On paper, Day 41 of the 2026 WSOP looked like a light day, with only three events running. In practice, though, the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas were as busy as ever, driven almost entirely by the massive turnout for the Main Event’s final starting flight.
Only one new bracelet was handed out on July 5. Zixuan Liu claimed his first-career WSOP bracelet by winning Event #85: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em, earning $219,391 in the process. Liu shared with PokerNews that part of his winnings would go toward buying his wife a new car, a small but sweet reward for her support along the way.
Day 1d By the Numbers
A total of 4,694 players registered for the final Day 1 flight of the Main Event, and thanks to the tournament’s deep blind structure, an impressive 3,638 of them survived to bag chips for Day 2. That kind of survival rate reflects just how much play these starting flights allow before anyone’s tournament life is truly on the line.
Leading the way at the end of the night was Taylor von Kriegenbergh of Massachusetts, who bagged the top stack of the flight with 312,800 in chips — good for 391 big blinds. Von Kriegenbergh has a strong resume of live results but is still chasing his first career WSOP gold bracelet, and a deep run here would go a long way toward changing that.
Rounding out the top of the counts were Michael Comisso (293,000), Sean Costa (292,600), Italy’s Michael Rossitto (289,300), Ireland’s Terrence Burke (287,000), and David Wells (283,000) — a top 10 list dominated by American players but with plenty of international flavor mixed in.
The Wildest Hand of the Night: A Six-High Bluff Gone Wrong
Not every stand-out moment from Day 1d involved a big stack. Patrick Lander found himself at the center of one of the flight’s most talked-about hands after getting involved with six-five offsuit. Lander built the pot aggressively — squeezing preflop, betting the flop and turn, and calling a check-raise — before firing a final bluff by jamming the river. His opponent snapped him off with a set, leaving Lander to show down nothing but six-high for his troubles. It’s the kind of hand that reminds even seasoned players why bluff-selection matters as much as bluff-execution.
Former Champions Chase a Second Main Event Title
Eleven past WSOP Main Event winners advanced out of Day 1d, all hoping to join the small, exclusive group of players who’ve captured the title twice. Max Neugebauer led that pack with 198,700 in chips, followed by Stoyan Madanzhiev (121,000), Jonathan Tamayo (109,300), Ryan Riess (106,800), Scott Blumstein (105,600), Simone Andrian (97,200), Joe McKeehen (75,000), Hossein Ensan (50,000), Chris Moneymaker (39,500), Alexandros Kolonias (36,700), and Robert Varkonyi (33,100).
Having that many former champions still alive in the same starting flight is a reminder of just how deep the Main Event’s talent pool runs every single year.
Other Notable Names Still in the Hunt
A handful of well-known grinders also punched their tickets to Day 2 with strong stacks. Kathy Liebert cracked the top 20 with 245,000 in chips, while Taylor Paur (224,500), Viktor Blom (217,100), Massoud Eskandari (206,400), Martin Kabrhel (202,200), Stephen Song (201,600), Tyler Smith (198,100), Asi Moshe (195,300), and Chris Hunichen (194,900) all secured top-100 stacks heading into the next phase of the tournament.
What’s Next for the Main Event
Players who bagged chips on Day 1d won’t be back in action until 11:00 a.m. local time on July 7. Meanwhile, Day 2abc gets underway at 11:00 a.m. on July 6, bringing together 2,468 survivors from the earlier starting flights for their first taste of combined-field action.
Elsewhere at the WSOP: Event #86 Ultra Stack Kicks Off
The Main Event wasn’t the only tournament generating headlines on Day 41. The first flight of Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold’em ran alongside it, drawing 1,366 entrants, of which just 98 survived 22 grueling levels to bag a stack.
Two-time bracelet winner Ryan Bambrick navigated the field to finish in 15th place with 1,315,000 in chips. Japan’s Naoya Kihara, who has already racked up 14 cashes and two bracelet wins in 2026 alone, continued his hot streak by advancing with 590,000. 888poker ambassador Ian Simpson also moved through, looking to improve on last year’s 26th-place finish out of more than 7,000 entrants in the same event.
The tournament’s second starting flight, Day 1b, gets underway at 10:00 a.m. local time on July 6.
Final Thoughts
Day 41 of the 2026 WSOP delivered exactly what fans expect from the Main Event season — massive fields, memorable bad beats, and a leaderboard stacked with both rising stars and former champions still hungry for more. With Day 2abc and Day 2d set to bring the surviving fields together, the road toward the final table is only just beginning to take shape.
FAQs
1. How many players survived Day 1d of the 2026 WSOP Main Event?
A total of 3,638 players bagged chips from 4,694 entrants on Day 1d.
2. Who finished as the Day 1d chip leader?
Taylor von Kriegenbergh topped the chip counts with 312,800 chips.
3. Who won a WSOP bracelet on Day 41?
Zixuan Liu won Event #85: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em, earning $219,391 and his first WSOP bracelet.
4. Which former WSOP Main Event champions advanced on Day 1d?
Notable survivors included Jonathan Tamayo, Ryan Riess, Joe McKeehen, Chris Moneymaker, Scott Blumstein, and Hossein Ensan, among others.
5. What happens after Day 1d of the 2026 WSOP Main Event?
Day 2abc begins on July 6, while Day 2d starts on July 7, bringing all surviving players one step closer to the money and the final table.
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