WPT Cambodia 2026 Day 9: Gathercole Leads Day 1A of Championship

Day 9 of the

WPT Cambodia Passport to the World Championship 2026

at

NagaWorld

in Phnom Penh,

Cambodia

marked a major milestone as the flagship $500,000 guaranteed Championship Event officially got underway alongside the side event winner.

Championship Event $500K GTD Flight 1A Underway

The main attraction of the festival kicked off as players took their seats for Flight 1A of the marquee Championship Event ($1,300 Buy-In). With a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool up for grabs, players are set to battle through 14 levels today before bagging for Day 2. The field reached 124 entries after nine levels of registration.

After more than 12 hours of play and 14 levels, Day 1A of the $500,000 Championship Event at NagaWorld has come to an end with 21 players surviving. Leading the field is Australia's Nathan Gathercole, who held the chip lead for most of the day and finished with 590,000 chips (118 big blinds).

One of the most notable names in the field, Ari Engel, also made it through the opening flight. He finished the day with 90,000 chips (18 big blinds). It is not the biggest stack heading into Day 2, but with his experience, he remains very much in the hunt.

Day 1A Top 10 Chip Counts

Simon Solli Wins Early Bird Megastack 30 Sec

The morning session kicked off with fast-paced action in Event #M8 Early Bird Megastack 30 Sec. Simon Solli navigated the 15-minute blind levels and strict 30-second shot clock to conquer the opening field of the day and take home the trophy with a prize of $2,112.

High Roller Action and Satellite Qualifiers

High-stakes competition continued across the room alongside milestone satellite qualifiers, offering players multiple avenues to compete for WPT titles and seats to the World Championship.

Day 10 at NagaWorld

Day 10 promises another massive turnout at NagaWorld, headlined by Championship Event Flight 1B and upcoming High Roller restarts.

Click to Expand: Day 10 Schedule (Friday, August 21)