2026 WSOP: Day One of $50K Poker Players Championship Ends; Joao Simao Wins $50K PLO High Roller
The 2026 WSOP is halfway through, with two $50K high roller events drawing attention. In the Poker Players Championship, 87 entries on Day 1 saw 66 advance, with Matt Glantz leading and Daniel Negreanu barely surviving. In the $50K PLO high roller, Brazil's Joao Simao defeated Santhosh Suvarna to win his fourth WSOP bracelet and $1,368,700.
The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is halfway through, but high buy-in events continue to attract big-name players. After Day 1 of the $50,000 Poker Players Championship (PPC, Event #60), survivors still don't know the final prize distribution. Another $50,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) high roller crowned a champion, with Brazil's Joao Simao emerging victorious.
PPC Day 1: A Star-Studded Field
The $50,000 Poker Players Championship remains a marquee WSOP event due to its high buy-in and elite competition. Last year, Michael Mizrachi won his fourth title and ultimately claimed the overall WSOP Player of the Year, but this year "The Grinder" Mizrachi was eliminated on Day 1, falling short of a fifth victory.
Day 1 saw 87 entries, but that number is not final—late registration remains open until the start of Level 10 (around 7:30 PM Monday), at which point the final field size and prize pool will be revealed. Of the 87 initial entrants, 66 survived to Day 2. Most notably, Daniel Negreanu—who has struggled early in this series—nearly busted early in the PPC. During the No-Limit Hold'em rotation, Negreanu gambled aggressively and lost four-fifths of his starting 30,000 stack, but he grinded his way back and made it to Day 2.
The chip leader is Matt Glantz, who took down a key PLO hand against Scott Seiver. On a flop of K-6-3, six-handed, Seiver moved all in with top two pair. Glantz called with top pair plus a flush draw, and when the flush came on the river, Glantz eliminated Seiver and rode that momentum to the top.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts:
- Matt Glantz, 989,000
- Benny Glaser, 826,000
- Robert Wells, 790,000
- David 'Chino' Rheem, 763,000
- Kristopher Tang, 739,500
- Chris Brewer, 694,500
- Josh Arieh, 652,500
- Frank Brannan, 649,000
- Jesse Lonis, 643,500
- Carlo van Ravenswoud, 605,000
Negreanu is among the former PPC champions still in the field, along with Phil Hui and three-time champion Brian Rast. Play resumes at 1:00 PM Pacific Time, with late registration open until the start of Level 10.
Joao Simao Wins $50,000 PLO High Roller
The $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller drew a field of four-card specialists. Naoya Kihara, who has already won two bracelets in the 2026 WSOP, aimed for a third (only nine players in history have accomplished that). He faced off against businessman Santhosh Suvarna, Robert Cowen, and Yuri Dzivelevski.
Over a ten-hour final table, Suvarna shined, hitting multiple hands and getting paid. He doubled up Simao early, then made a straight on the river to beat Cowen. But Cowen, profiting from other players, surged to a 12.5 million chip lead.
Simao took the aggressive route, eliminating Kihara (7th) and van Ravenswoud (5th) to join the eight-figure chip club. He then forced folds from Cowen and Chivukula to reclaim the lead. The trio—Simao, Cowen, and Suvarna—traded the lead repeatedly.
Eventually, heads-up play began with three players involved. Cowen was the first to exit: He held a suited ace ♦Q♥9♥4♦ against Suvarna's 7-5-5-3. The board ran 9x 8♥ 6♥ Jx 6x. Cowen missed his flush draw, and Suvarna won the pot to become the chip leader. But Simao quickly doubled up: He moved all in with A-A-A-K, and Suvarna called with K-Q-8-6. The board came 5-2-5-7-5, and Simao's pair of aces held, giving him the lead.
Final hand: Suvarna (small blind): 10-10-8-6 Simao (big blind): A-A-J-9 Flop: A-8-7, giving Simao a set of aces. Suvarna had a straight draw. Turn: 5, giving Suvarna extra straight outs (a 4 would complete it). River: K, no help. Simao won, earning his fourth career gold bracelet.
Final Table Payouts:
- Joao Simao, $1,368,700
- Santhosh Suvarna, $912,420
- Robert Cowen, $628,510
- Venkat Chivukula, $445,440
- Carlo van Ravenswoud, $325,080
- Yuri Dzivelevski, $244,510
- Naoya Kihara, $189,720
- Veselin Karakitukov, $152,020