After nearly two weeks of poker warfare, it has come down to this. The 2026 WSOP Main Event has entered its penultimate day, with 21 players left to battle for the nine slots that will come back in August to determine the next World Champion. Leading the way heading into Day Seven will be the defending champion of the Aussie Millions, Malcolm Trayner, who will have to fend off a triumvirate of notable professionals looking to derail his run.
Leading the Way Not the Place to Be
62 players came back on Sunday to continue animosities, and it was not good to be the “leader of the pack” in this case.
The two chip leaders at the start of Day Six action, Tyler Gaston and Blake Barousse, would both be targeted by the masses, and neither would survive the onslaught. Gaston would start the day as the only player over the 20 million mark in chips, and all those chips would be gone by the evening hours on Sunday. On his final hand, Gaston would push a slight edge with his flush draw against the flopped pair of Antonio Galiana; that flush draw would fail to hit, sending Gaston out in 37th place.
The story was only slightly better for the other chip leader, Barousse. After opening the betting against Rami Hammoud, Barousse saw a board of K-9-3-2-7 and would check-call bets on the flop and turn. On the river, Barousse checked once again, and after Hammoud hammered in another bet, Barousse called and showed a K-10. Normally, that would be a decent hand, but Hammoud had The Doghand (K-9) for the flopped two pair. That would be enough to ship Barousse to the rail in 31st place.
The news was not good for a fan favorite either. Ralph Perry, looking to make a run for the “old school,” found himself all in against Thomas Clack on a board that read 10-6-5-4-Q. On the river, Perry called the all-in move of Clack and was dismayed to see Clack turn up pocket fives for the set; all Perry could do was show his pocket eights that were run down and head to the cage for his 44th place money ($215,000).
Trouble On the Horizon
While Trayner gathered chips to the tune of 63.2 million, there are a trio of notable names that are looking to take him down.
Perhaps the biggest name on the list is a former World Champion. The 2019 WSOP Main Event champion, Hossein Ensan, has waded through the deep waters to be in contention, a rarity for former winners of this tournament. A former champion of the WSOP Main Event has not returned to the final table since Johnny Chan’s magical three-year run from 1987-1989 (‘The Orient Express’ won in 1987 and 1988 but would be the runner-up to Phil Hellmuth in 1989). Ensan will begin Day Seven action in seventh place with his 31.3 million in chips.
The defending WSOP Player of the Year is also making a case to hold onto that title for another year. Shaun Deeb has been a force on the felt throughout the 2026 WSOP (and the 2026 WSOP Main Event), and he is not slowing down as the schedule reaches its final days. Deeb is a spot ahead of Ensan, in sixth place with 31.7 million chips, and is eyeing the POY leaderboard vigorously. Should Deeb win the 2026 WSOP Main Event, he would add nearly 2,000 points (1,993.72, to be exact) to his total and have a hammerlock on the POY heading into the Bahamas in December.
Last but not least is the Poker Hall of Famer Todd Brunson. Brunson quietly played through the tumultuous WSOP battleground, admitting in interviews that he had not played any poker since LAST YEAR’S WSOP. It seems that it IS like riding a bike, as Brunson has clawed his way through the field and is at the Day Seven signpost, albeit with only 7.8 million in chips. Should Brunson’s magic continue and he win the Main Event, he would join his father, the legendary Doyle Brunson, as the only father-son combo to pull off that feat.
Here’s how the Top Ten will set up heading to Day Seven on Monday:
1. Malcolm Trayner (Australia), 63.2 million
2. Rami Hammoud (Canada), 41.5 million
3. Lucas Jumalon (Canada), 40.8 million
4. Evagoras Evagorou (Cyprus), 38.2 million
5. Will Givens (USA), 31.7 million
6. Shaun Deeb (USA), 31.3 million
7. Hossein Ensan (Germany), 29.7 million
8. Thomas Clack (United Kingdom), 27.5 million
9. Antonio Galiana (Spain), 27.2 million
10. Mario Boos (France), 24.3 million
Poker’s longest day – it is entirely possible that the action will not conclude until the early morning hours on Tuesday – begins at 11 AM (Pacific Daylight Time), and there is no limit to how long it will play out. The 21 players must be whittled down to the final nine men (no women remain), who will then go on a break until August 3. The final table will come back together in Las Vegas to play for the World Championship on that date through August 5 (and to be broadcast on ESPN). The entire final table will become newly minted millionaires, but the first-place finisher will take home the $10,000,000 prize and the most precious trophy in poker: the WSOP Main Event championship bracelet.
