Earl Burton

If you have been living under a rock somewhere, then it might have passed your attention that the 2026 World Series of Poker has been underway…for the past six weeks. All those tournaments have been a prelude to what literally thousands of people have been waiting for, and Thursday will bring that action to life. Yes, Thursday is the start of the 2026 WSOP $10,000 Championship Event – the “Main Event” – and it will be the focal point of the WSOP from here until its conclusion in August (more on this in a minute).

The 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event is underway in Las Vegas, and ESPN has assumed command of the broadcasting duties. Day 1B is currently ongoing and, harkening back to the past in poker, how about a live blog for the proceedings? Over the next couple of hours, we’ll give you a feel for what is going on in the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas as we work our way to poker’s next World Champion.

The 2026 World Series of Poker’s $10,000 Championship Event – the “Main Event” to the world – has blasted through its first four Day Ones and its two Day Two flights. Over 9,000 players entered the tournament, and as of Wednesday morning, only 3,294 of those hopefuls remain. For those who were able to watch the broadcast of the Main Event on ESPN+, they were treated to the dominance of Alex Foxen as it literally seemed that players were looking to give their chips to him.

The grind known as the 2026 WSOP $10,000 Championship Event – the 2026 WSOP Main Event, to some – continued through Wednesday as the field came together for the first time. The object of the five levels of play on Day Three was to get to the money bubble, and the field got very close. Alas, they would come up just a bit short, meaning that a few unfortunate souls must return on Thursday and will receive nothing for their efforts.

The money bubble popped during Day Four of the 2026 WSOP Main Event, and only 533 players are remaining in the battle.

After nearly two weeks of poker warfare, it has come down to this. The 2026 WSOP Main Event has entered its penultimate day, with 21 players left to battle for the nine slots that will come back in August to determine the next World Champion. Leading the way heading into Day Seven will be the defending champion of the Aussie Millions, Malcolm Trayner, who will have to fend off a triumvirate of notable professionals looking to derail his run.

Due to persistent tanking on Day 6 of the 2026 WSOP Main Event, a 'shot clock' has been introduced.

At the start, 9,208 hopefuls had a single dream: to win the 2026 WSOP Main Event. Now, after almost two weeks of poker, the final nine men have been determined in the race. It is also time to epitomize one of the axioms of the United States Marine Corps when it comes to taking action on a situation – hurry up and wait – as these players will go into the cooler until August 3, when they will return to Paris Las Vegas to battle for the World Championship.

The tables are gone, the lights taken down from the ceilings of the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The 2026 World Series of Poker only has two things left to wrap up from its summertime bacchanalia. One, the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table, which will be contested on August 3-5. The other? Might take a bit longer…the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year race, which will be decided in December in the Bahamas and had a surprisingly exciting climax in Las Vegas that tightened the race.

There has been a great deal of controversy over the World Series of Poker’s Player of the Year race, but it has done one thing: completely reworked the two overall POYs in the game. A completely new list of contenders – save for a couple – has announced their intentions for the year-long race. The run begins now and continues to the end of 2026, when the final version of the WSOP and another tour’s World Championship will once again have an impact on the proceedings.