Following the $25K Fantasy Draft the day before, cards were officially in the air for Day 1 of the 2026 WSOP.
Two events kicked off the series, with Day 1A of the $550 Mini Mystery Millions and the $5,000 8-Max.
$5,000 8-Max
From the 415 Day 1 entries, 142 players bagged for Day 2 of the $5,000 8-Max tournament, which unofficially kicked off the WSOP for those with slightly deeper pockets.
Speaking of big names, Yuri Dzivielevski absolutely steamrolled the competition on Day 1 of the $5,000 8-Max, bagging an incredible 357 big blinds (715,000 chips) for Day 2, the equivalent of 14.3 starting stacks.
Notables who also bagged big for Day 2 include Clemen Deng (6th, 179 bbs), Tony “Ren” Lin (10th, 158 bbs), Martin Kabrhel (11th, 149 bbs), Renji Mao (14th, 135bbs), Matthew Salsberg (17th, 129bbs), and Christopher “Big Huni” Hunichen (20th, 124bbs).
Players will still be able to register for the first two levels of the day. People who decide to register at the start of the day, at the 1,000/2,500 blind level, will start off with 20 big blinds. A true max late-reg will be at the beginning of Level 13 (2,000/4,000), giving players 12.5 big blinds to play with.
It is a single re-entry tournament, meaning players get two bites at the apple.
$550 Mini Mystery Millions
The $550 Mini Mystery Millions is one of the most attractive low-cost tournaments at the 2026 WSOP, with $200 of every buy-in going toward the Day 2 Mystery Bounty prizes. Somebody is guaranteed to pull a $1,000,000 bounty, though half the battle is surviving the 22 levels of play, as you have to take your 25,000-chip starting stack through the 15,000/30,000 blind level.
From a total of 1,635 entries, 246 players made the money, though four players ended up chopping the first two $622 min-cashes for $311 each.
Only 60 players, just 3.67% of the field, found a bag for Day 2, with notable pros Caitlin Comeskey ($1,099), Piotr Krupa ($968), Olga Iermolcheva ($866), and Jeff Boski ($728) falling late in the day.
Plenty of big names found huge bags, however, with Steven “Cuz” Buckner taking a 1.5 million-chip stack (51 bbs) to Day 2. Three-time bracelet winner David Prociak will also move on with a similar stack.
Gabriel Andrade (26bbs), Kharlin Sued (29bbs), Chad Eveslage (23bbs), DJ Buckley (20bbs), and Jeremy Becker (17bbs) also found Day 2 bags to kick off their 2026 WSOP on the right foot. It’s worth remembering that DJ Buckley was one of two players to pull a $1,000,000 bounty in the 2024 version of the tournament.
The price point has fallen from $1,000 to $550, making this tournament much more accessible. The WSOP also has six flights for this version of the tournament, up from four flights.
WSOP Express prices revealed
If you’re heading out to the 2026 WSOP, you better bring some serious cash just to pay for food. Better yet, you better bring your own food.
At the WSOP Express cafes, located on the floor all over the 2026 WSOP, there’s a daily entree rotation that will cost you $18. This includes a cheesesteak, BBQ pulled pork sandwich, bacon cheeseburger, carne asada burrito, Italian sausage sandwich, and a chicken pastor burrito.
There’s also a $15 daily cold sandwich selection, a $12 hot dog, and a $12 breakfast sandwich/burrito. A Naked brand juice will cost you $10, while a can of soda will cost you a fiver. A bottle of water, Gatorade, or iced tea will run you $8, while a cup of coffee will run you $7.
Fortunately, all prices have taxes, gratuities, and service charges included.
Shawn Sheikhan out of jail
Long-time poker player Shawn Sheikhan will be a free man for the 2026 WSOP, officially free from his halfway house on June 4th.
The Iranian-American, who was famous on Poker After Dark and for his infamous 2004 WSOP Main Event feud with Mike Matusow, was sentenced to four years in prison in November 2023 for running illegal and unlicensed marijuana dispensaries throughout the San Diego area.
“Sheiky,” who had surrendered to authorities on January 1st, 2024, has been in a halfway house in Phoenix, Arizona, after serving roughly half of his sentence in a California jail.
Sheikhan operated a warehouse in Spring Valley, California, that contained over 3,000 pounds of marijuana, five firearms, cash, and casino chips.
Though mostly a cash game player, Sheikhan thrived in mixed games tournaments, making six final tables amongst his 14 WSOP cashes. Of course, he’s remembered most for his notable run in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, an 11th-place finish for $600,000.
2026 WSOP Day 2
Day 2 of the WSOP is a loaded schedule, with Day 1B of the $550 Mini Mystery Millions as the headliner, along with the annual $500 Employees Event and the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better tournament.
There’s also Day 2 of the $5,000 8-Max, with two more levels of registration available for those who want to dip their toes in the water.
