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Nahum Leads Heading into Final Day
The opportunity to get one last shot at a gold bracelet at the 2026 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas is coming to a close, as there are only a few events left for players to etch their name into WSOP history. Event #98: $800 Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em attracted a total of 2,036 hopefuls, creating a prize pool of $1,425,200. A total of 129 players will return on Day 2 as they take their shot at the $196,659 first-place prize.
Kfir Nahum (2,030,000) topped the leaderboard after one day of play. Nahum is followed by Josei Kamei (1,790,000) and Atanas Pavlov (1,635,000) to round out the top three.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kfir Nahum | Israel | 2,030,000 | 68 |
| 2 | Josei Kamei | United Kingdom | 1,790,000 | 60 |
| 3 | Atanas Pavlov | Bulgaria | 1,635,000 | 55 |
| 4 | Ivan Govorov | Russian Federation | 1,525,000 | 51 |
| 5 | Michael Stein | United States | 1,500,000 | 50 |
| 6 | Danette Smith | United States | 1,480,000 | 49 |
| 7 | Ryuta Nakai | Japan | 1,295,000 | 43 |
| 8 | Jonathan Little | United States | 1,280,000 | 43 |
| 9 | Brett Richey | United States | 1,225,000 | 41 |
| 10 | Tristan Mcmillan | Canada | 1,225,000 | 41 |
Nahum has been active this summer, accumulating seven cashes before this event, with his highest finish coming in the $1,500 Mystery Millions event, where he placed 31st for $36,750. Nahum has a WSOP Circuit ring, but is still in search of his first WSOP bracelet. Nahum will bring with him a wealth of experience as he has racked up nearly three million in live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob.
England’s Kamei had five total WSOP cashes this summer entering this tournament. Kamei’s high mark was a 38th-place finish in the $1,500 Five Card Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-Handed event, where he took home $7,410. Kamei is also in search of his first WSOP hardware.
Pavlov will enter Day 2 with nearly two million in career earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. Like the other competitors on the podium, the Bulgarian is still in the hunt for his first-ever WSOP bracelet and is looking to make his first final table at the WSOP.
Remaining Payouts
Japan’s Ryuta Nakai (1,300,000) managed to crack the top ten chip counts with a strong Day 1. Nakai has had two deep runs at the 2026 edition of the WSOP with a third-place finish in both the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em Eight-Handed event and the $25,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship. Despite knocking on the door a couple of times, Nakai is still looking to capture the first bracelet of his career, which includes nearly three million in reported live tournament earnings.
Jonathan Little (1,300,000) is also still in contention with a top ten stack on Day 1. Little has one WSOP bracelet as he looks to add a second piece of gold to his cabinet. Little is perhaps the most accomplished player to make the top ten with $9,750,050 in total live earnings. Little has had three cashes this series, but is still looking for a six-figure score to round out his summer.
Day 2 will feature 30-minute blind levels, with the day scheduled to play down to a winner. Action is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. local time with 15-minute breaks slotted after every four levels. Play will resume with the blinds at 15,000/30,000/30,000.
Stay tuned here at PokerNews for complete coverage of the action on Day 2 as a new WSOP champion will be crowned on the final day of the series at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.