WSOP 2026 Day 3: De Michele gets off to a hot start in Mystery Bounty, Selbst places 11th in Omaha Hi-Lo
On the third day of WSOP 2026, Italian player De Michele shone in the Mystery Bounty, making a strong start. Renowned female player Vanessa Selbst sits in 11th place out of 17 in Omaha Hi-Lo, with a chance to advance.
WSOP 2026 Day 3 Report
The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is heating up in Las Vegas. On Day 3, multiple events ran simultaneously, with the Mystery Bounty and Omaha Hi-Lo drawing significant attention.
De Michele Strikes Gold in Mystery Bounty
According to Italian Poker Club reports, Italian player De Michele put on an impressive performance in the Mystery Bounty event, securing a strong start. The Mystery Bounty format is known for its unique elimination reward mechanism—each time a player eliminates an opponent, they randomly draw from a set of hidden envelopes containing varying bounty amounts, with the top prize reaching six figures. This unpredictability adds extra drama to the tournament. De Michele, relying on solid strategy and precise hand reading, accumulated a sizable stack during the day, setting a good foundation for the remainder of the event.
Vanessa Selbst Finishes 11th in Omaha Hi-Lo
In another event, the Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8 or Better, renowned female player Vanessa Selbst temporarily sits in 11th place (out of 17 survivors). Omaha Hi-Lo is a split-pot game where players use four hole cards and five community cards to form the best high hand and best low hand (low requires five unpaired cards with ranks ≤8). Selbst, known for her aggressive style and excellent reading ability, is currently in the middle of the chip count, just one step away from the final table. She has achieved great results in numerous events before; it will be interesting to see if she can break into the final table this time.
Other Event Highlights
In addition, several side events took place on the same day, including No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and others. Many well-known players such as Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu were also present on the floor, though their exact placements have not yet been announced. WSOP 2026 will continue through mid-July, by which time multiple gold bracelet winners will be crowned.
Tournament Background and Significance
As the world's highest-level poker tournament, the WSOP attracts tens of thousands of players each year. The Mystery Bounty format added in 2026 further enhances participation and spectator appeal. Omaha Hi-Lo tests players' ability to balance between two hand types and is highly favored by experienced players. Vanessa Selbst, one of the few women to achieve success in the male-dominated poker world, remains a media focus.
As the competition deepens, the intensity will only increase. Stay tuned for further updates.
FAQ
- Mystery Bounty is a special tournament format where players who eliminate an opponent randomly draw a hidden envelope containing cash prizes of varying amounts, up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. This format encourages aggression while adding an element of luck and entertainment.