Things turned serious on Day 6 at the 2026 WSOP Main Event, where only 62 players are coming back on Sunday for a dream run at $10 million and poker immortality.
The prior session was a loud, silly, and boisterous Day 5, but that vibe gave way to business on Day 6, when everyone was starting to think about The Big One.
And everyone is right to focus. It's not going to be easy. The field is still full of gamblers, legends, top pros, a former champion, and even a Brunson.
Day 6, the session that set it all up, could even be described as 'vintage.'
Ralph Perry, old school gambling legend and 2002's third-place finisher, was barreling up the chip counts. Hossein Ensan, the 2019 champion, was right behind him. The two, against nature as older players in the field, played like hot shots and held court all day long.
Tables were openly tanking for pay jumps, and a host of upcoming poker stars were vying for a spot on Day 7.
We even saw Todd Brunson vacuum up chips to finish among the top stacks.
It was a Main Event Day 6 fit for the classic WSOP bumper music that they brought back on ESPN.
Hearing familiar footsteps
The list of remaining players is full of leading stories, but Perry is the one who catches the eye. Perry finished third in the 2002 Main Event, a tournament won by Robert Varkonyi on the edge of the Moneymaker Boom, and he's the subject of endless gambling stories around town.
He's also known by some as the "On Your Bike" guy after a famous clash with Tony G.
Perry was charging up the leaderboard from the early part of the day, even spending some time above 23 million as the clear chip leader. He would come back to Earth and bag 13.7 million, but a big story is developing.
Meanwhile, Shaun Deeb is living his own version of Groundhog Day. Deeb really needs to move on to some other tournaments if he wants the best shot at WSOP Player of the Year, but no one has stepped up to bust him out of the Main Event.
Deeb's tune has probably changed by now. It's hard to believe he's not thinking about a WSOP Main Event banner as the final table draws near. It is, however, a classic twist on the pursuit of back-to-back POY titles. He returns with 8.7 million.
The unthinkable?
Elsewhere, Ensan was a stone-cold killer. The 2019 champ is the last former winner standing after Michael Mizrachi joined Ryan Riess and Greg Raymer on the rail on Day 5, and now he's one of the pacesetters.
Ensan will return for Day 7 with 17.7 million and a chance to do what Nick Schulman called "the unthinkable" with a second Main Event win in the modern era. He also has the top stack among all former bracelet winners.
WSOP Main Event Day 6 bracelet winner chip stacks
- Hossein Ensan - 17,775,000
- Malcolm Trayner - 17,200,000
- Todd Brunson - 17,000,000
- Antonio Galiana - 15,600,000
- Giuseppe Pantaleo - 14,450,000
- Romain Lewis - 13,900,000
- Ralph Perry - 13,775,000
- Michael Gagliano - 11,675,000
- Will Givens - 10,175,000
- Greg Mueller - 10,000,000
- Shaun Deeb - 8,725,000
- Patrick 'Pads' Leonard - 6,100,000
- Dylan Smith - 4,350,000
- Cade Lautenbacher - 1,100,000
Yes, Will Givens is still in, though he had a much calmer day after stealing the spotlight with a drunken run of chips on Day 5. Givens did spend some extra time away from the table, but he probably needed a few extra minutes of recovery on each of the breaks.
Patrick 'Pads' Leonard is also still rolling, and he is an emerging fan favorite, but 'Pads' will need to pick up some chips. The final tally was 6.1 million, but that's plenty to work with on a methodical Day 7.
Last woman standing
Another spotlight stealer is Congya Zhang, who is the lone woman remaining in the field. Zhang was down to just three big blinds, but she'll come back with 1,350,000 and a chance to double back into the mix.
Zhang outlasted Lara Eisenberg, Caitlin Comeskey, and Sarah Lee in a group of the final four women on Day 6. Eisenberg enjoyed another deep run after her 2021 Ladies Championship, while Comeskey had a star turn with another great finish at the 2026 WSOP. Comeskey recently turned her focus back to poker after a long run of content creation, and it's working out very well.
Todd Brunson rounds out the long, long list of leading stories, though there are still more. Brunson, the son of Doyle, has one of the big stacks for Sunday. He quietly built a large pile on the outer tables throughout Day 6, and he will return with a lot of experience as one of the favorites to make a serious run at the final table.
If all of that isn't enough, PokerGO Studio beat Brock Wilson still remains, along with recent Aussie Millions champ Malcolm Trayner.
Standard bearers
The leaderboard is set for Day 7, and Tyler Gaston will carry the torch. Blake Barousse is right behind him, and Zhao Liu is hanging around after building on his Day 5 chip lead.
Barousse is a construction worker and former McNeese State football player from Louisiana. Gaston is a local Las Vegas lawyer who finished third in the 2022 Millionaire Maker tournament.
2026 WSOP Main Event Day 6 top ten chip counts
- Tyler Gaston - 21,000,000
- Blake Barousse - 19,375,000
- Zhao Liu - 19,000,000
- Mario Boos - 17,950,000
- Hossein Ensan - 17,775,000
- Rani Hammound - 17,400,000
- Junjie Tang - 17,300,000
- Malcoln Trayner - 17,200,000
- Todd Brunson - 17,000,000
- Carlos Chadha Villamarin - 16,825,000
The remaining 62 players are back on Sunday at 11am local time with an ESPN livestream to follow at noon.
Image courtesy of WSOP.
