A record field of 1,475 entries turned out for the 2026 WSOP Ladies Event, and one of them had a chance to win the tournament for a third year in a row.
Shiina Okamoto, who won this one in 2024 and 2025, returned to announce the Shuffle Up and Deal and to defend her title. She would face the largest field ever, more than 100 entries bigger than last year, and 500 more than 2022.
It would have been considered an extreme long shot to suggest a successful title defense last year, but this year, we had to consider the very real possibility that Okamoto would win again. After all, she finished as the runner-up in 2023. Maybe this is just her event, and forever.
Her back-to-back titles were no fluke. Okamota has since enjoyed top-three finishes on tours all over the world, including the APT, WSOPC, and a win in the EPT Barcelona Women's Event in August of last year. A deep run in this year's WSOPE Main Event in Prague only proved that she can do it anywhere, and against anyone.
No threepeat
However, It wasn't meant to be in 2026. Okamoto bowed out early on Day 1, opening the door for a new lineup of players to take their shot at this year's Ladies Event title. There's still a long way to go — only 338 runners remain from the original 1,475 entries.
Standout players like Lexy Gavin-Mather, Jessica Teusl, and Angela Jordison grace the back half of the top-20, while Maria Konnikova will return with a top-ten stack. Blinds return in Level 11 on Day 2 at 1K/2K/2K.
Notable WSOP Ladies Event chip stacks (via WSOP LIVE app)
- Lexy Gavin-Mathers - 205,000
- Angela Jordison - 202,000
- Paulina Loeliger - 192,500
- Rania Nasreddine - 184,000
- Cherish Andrews - 166,000
- Caitlin Comeskey - 99,500
Other players like Paulina Loeliger and Rania Nasreddine populate the top 30, and Cherish Andrews has over 110 big blinds just inside the top 50. Further down, you'll find Caitlin Comesky just outside the top 100 after she occupied space among the top stacks throughout the day.
There's a long way to go for everyone, with Friday's Day 2 setting up a spring to the money before Day 3 and a final table on Day 4. The top 222 places will pay the $2,001 min-cash, while the winner pockets $194K and the WSOP gold bracelet.
2026 WSOP Ladies Event top ten chip stacks
(Still unofficial while tournament staff sorts out the bags.)
- Katherine Porrello - 382,500
- Christy Cranford - 327,000
- Linna Chu - 322,500
- Sumire Uenomachi - 305,000
- Heidi Hina - 256,500
- Yingjie Qian - 238,500
- Elisa Nakagawa - 234,000
- Maria Konnikova - 225,500
- Amy Hoechstetter - 224,000
- Yu Han - 222,000
