WSOP 2026 Day 9 Recap: Three Bracelets Won as Hellmuth and Deeb Eye $10K Lowball Championship

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Recap
Callum Jury
Originally from the Lake District, UK, I’ve spent the last few years living and breathing the Southeast Asian poker circuit. Since 2025, I’ve been a fixture on the floor at the APT, PokerStars, and WSOP events, serving as a lead reporter and media specialist for Somuchpoker. My work is about more than just recording action; I manage the social media and digital content that brings action rail to the fans. By combining a business education and creative background, I aim to look past the technical hand histories to capture the actual human grit and drama that happens during a deep run.

Day 9 of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas had everything: sick bad beats, a winning hand mucked at showdown, three bracelets awarded, and poker royalty seated at virtually every table.

Bracelet Winners on Day 9

PhD student Honghao Zhang claimed his first bracelet in Event #13: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, banking $346,108 in what was his first-ever cash in a bracelet event. Justin Liberto won Event #14: $1,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo, earning $265,297 and a second bracelet eleven years after his first. Philip Ardire rounded out the day’s hardware by winning Event #15: $600 PLO Deepstack for $171,589 — a tournament he entered without a set schedule.

Event #17: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Championship — Final 13

Shaun Deeb

The 13 returning players hold a combined 44 bracelets between them — 17 of which belong to Phil Hellmuth , who is once again eyeing number 18. He enters the final day 11th in chips with 620,000 (31 BBs) — short but alive. Shaun Deeb (1,530,000) sits second behind Japan’s Ryutaro Suzuki (1,570,000), and with eight bracelets of his own, is another contender to watch. Alex Foxen (785,000) and Chad Eveslage (770,000) are also in the mix. Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. on June 4.

Event #17: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Championship — Final 13 Chip Counts

RankPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Ryutaro SuzukiJapan1,570,00079
2 Shaun Deeb United States1,530,00077
3Naoya KiharaJapan1,155,00058
4Per HildebrandSweden1,110,00056
5John MonnetteUnited States955,00048
6David LinUnited States945,00047
7John CynnUnited States825,00041
8 Alex Foxen United States785,00039
9Chad EveslageUnited States770,00039
10Robert FrenchUnited States735,00037
11 Phil Hellmuth United States620,00031
12Jason DalyUnited States515,00026
13Dan ShakUnited States365,00018

Event #11: $10,000 GGMillion$ High Roller — Final Eight

WSOP 2026
Naseem Salem

Naseem Salem (14,800,000) and Alexis Cruz Martinez (12,300,000) are the two chip leaders heading into the final day, the only players with eight-figure stacks. Salem locked up a min-cash of $105,178 alongside the other seven survivors, with $1,089,964 still to play for. Chad Lipton (7,900,000), Chris Brewer (7,600,000), and Roman Hrabec (7,100,000) round out the top five. Cliff Josephy (6,800,000), John Racener (4,300,000), and Joey Weissman (1,900,000) complete the final eight. Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. on June 4, with free live streaming from 3:30 p.m. on the WSOP YouTube channel.

Event #11: $10,000 GGMillion$ High Roller — Final Eight Chip Counts

RankPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Naseem SalemUnited States14,800,00074
2Alexis Cruz MartinezUnited States12,300,00062
3Chad LiptonUnited States7,900,00040
4Chris BrewerUnited States7,600,00038
5Roman HrabecCzechia7,100,00036
6Cliff JosephyUnited States6,800,00034
7John RacenerUnited States4,300,00022
8Joey WeissmanUnited States1,900,00010

Event #16: $1,700 U.S. Circuit Championship — Final 32

Antonio Vargas leads the 32 returning players with 8,435,000 as he bids to become the inaugural Circuit Championship winner. Robert Kuhn (8,070,000) sits just behind him. Bracelet holders Pei Li (3,845,000), Kartik Ved (3,825,000), and Shawn Daniels (1,065,000) are also still in contention. The final day begins at noon on June 4 with $439,605 at stake.

Event #18: $1,500 Monster Stack — Day 1a

Martin Kabrhel

Day 1a drew 1,514 entrants, with 538 players advancing. Martin Kabrhel (296,500) bagged in 31st place. Notable survivors also include Patrick Leonard (239,000), John Juanda (119,000), Chris Moorman (85,000), and Chris Hunichen (50,000). Day 2a begins at 11:00 a.m. on June 4 alongside Day 1b.

Event #19: $25,000 High Roller — Day 1a

Daniel Rezaei topped the 81-entry Day 1a field with 1,176,000, the only player to break seven figures. Also through are Dylan Weisman (758,000), Stephen Chidwick (550,000), Chris Hunichen (425,000), and Jason Koon (156,000). Day 1b fires at noon on June 4.

Event #20: $1,500 Dealers Choice — Day 1

A field of 656 battled across 20 poker variants, with 132 players advancing. Luis Velador (366,000) leads, ahead of Tobias Leknes (324,000). Nick Schulman (165,000) and Dario Sammartino (236,000) are among the Day 2 returners. Day 2 begins at 1:00 p.m. on June 4.

What’s Coming on Day 10 of WSOP 2026

Seven events in play on June 4, with two bracelets expected to be awarded — the $10K Lowball Championship at 1:00 p.m. and the GGMillion$ final at 1:00 p.m. (streamed free from 3:30 p.m.). The inaugural $1,700 Circuit Championship also plays to a conclusion at noon. Day 1b of the Monster Stack and the $25,000 High Roller both fire in the morning, and the only new event is Event #21: $1,500 PLO Hi-Lo 8 or Better at 2:00 p.m.

All figures and data courtesy of PokerNews and the WSOP.