2026 WSOP: Kristopher Tong Leads $50K Poker Players Championship Day Two
2026 WSOP $50K Poker Players Championship Day Two ends, Kristopher Tong leads with 2.428 million chips. The event has 108 entries, prize pool $5.13 million, champion will receive $1.343 million and the Chip Reese trophy. Phil Hellmuth returned after recovery, chips increased to 900k. Benny Glaser, Chris Hunichen, etc. are close behind.
The field for the 2026 WSOP Poker Players Championship (PPC) narrowed on Day 2. After late registration closed, the total entries reached 108, one more than in 2025. The prize pool accumulated to $5.13 million, with only the top 17 finishers cashing. The minimum payout is $100,934 (a little more than double the buy-in), and the champion will take home $1,343,764 along with the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy.
Late Registration Injects New Blood
A total of 21 players joined during late registration, including 17-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth had missed the event due to COVID-19 and entered on Day 2 after recovering, increasing his starting stack of 300,000 to 900,000 by the end of the day. He finished runner-up in the 2011 PPC and remains in contention, aiming for an even better result.
Chip Leader: Kristopher Tong
Kristopher Tong had a standout Day 2, climbing from a mid-field stack of 739,500 on Day 1 to 2,428,000, becoming the only player above 2.4 million. Britain's Benny Glaser (8 gold bracelets) follows closely with 2,286,000, and these two are the only players with stacks exceeding 2 million.
Chris Hunichen ranks fourth with 1,670,000, while Day 1 leader Matt Glantz sits fifth with 1,480,000. Among the top ten, Ryan Miller has the smallest stack at 968,000, but the competition remains fierce.
Top Ten Chip Counts at the End of Day 2
- Kristopher Tong - 2,428,000
- Benny Glaser - 2,286,000
- Maxx Coleman - 1,917,000
- Chris Hunichen - 1,670,000
- Matt Glantz - 1,480,000
- Chris Brewer - 1,253,000
- Yosuke Miki - 1,127,000
- Maksim Pisarenko - 1,083,000
- Alex Livingston - 1,060,000
- Ryan Miller - 968,000
The only former PPC champion still in the field, Brian Rast, is among the 39 remaining players but is dead last with just 107,000 chips. He will need a strong effort on Day 3.
Tournament Outlook
Day 3 (local time Tuesday) will feature six levels of 100 minutes each, with a likely goal of reaching the money (17 players). A seven-player final table will be determined on Wednesday, with the final champion to be crowned on Thursday. WSOP officials expect to provide video coverage only for the Thursday final table.