The $1,500 Monster Stack at the 2026 WSOP has crossed 10,000 entries for the first time in its 12-year history.
And the number will continue to grow through the weekend.
At the time of writing, midway through Days 1D and 2C (we’ll explain shortly), over 10,500 entries are on the tournament clock, with late registration remaining open through the first level of Day 2D on Sunday.
The monster keeps growing
When it first appeared on the WSOP schedule in 2014, the $1,500 Monster Stack was a freezeout with just one starting day. It led to what was then the largest single-day field in WSOP history, attracting 7,977 runners.
Through 2021, the tournament remained a freezeout, one of a dying breed in the WSOP landscape outside of the $10,000 price point these days, with just 11 still on the 100-event schedule.
2022 saw its first major change, adding a second flight with players busting on Day 1A allowed to re-enter on Day 1B.
That lasted for two years before a third starting flight was added in 2024, and then a fourth in 2025, leading to the former record of 9,920 entries.
This year’s change is the most significant yet, adding a single in-flight re-entry across the four starting flights and into Day 2s, making for eight possible entries (again, we’ll explain).
Re-entry concerns and how they work
While this year’s new record field, which has already built an over $14M prize pool, can be attributed directly to the possibility of up to eight entries, the change has drawn criticism from some in the poker world.
In a pre-WSOP video posted by Faraz Jaka, the well-respected player and coach shared his thoughts, saying he could see the concerns that the added re-entries impact the recreational player, while also seeing the benefits of the massive prize pool.
Go to the 3:47 point of the video to hear his thoughts.
Once seen as a recreational player's dream tournament – offering a lower buy-in than the Main Event but a similarly huge field and deep structure – the Monster Stack is now viewed by some as another event that favors pros who can fire fire multiple bullets.
Here’s how the eight possible entries across four Day 1 flights and the first level of their subsequent Day 2 work:
- Players can enter and re-enter once on each Day 1 flight (A, B, C and D).
- Players can enter on Day 1 and, if eliminated, re-enter during the first level of the corresponding Day 2.
- Players who skipped a flight can enter during the first level of its Day 2.
However you break it down, what was once one entry now allows up to a maximum of eight bullets.
So, who’s into Day 3 already?
Days 1A and B, along with their Day 2s, have been completed with 216 players making it through to Monday’s Day 3. Leading the way so far is Jason Funke, with 8,500,000 chips according to the WSOP Live app.
Other notables who’ve advanced include veteran tournament player Ralph Perry (3.3M), two-time WSOP Main Event final tablist Kenny Hallaert (2.4M), 2025 WSOP Paradise $250K Triton runner-up Gabriel Andrade (2.1M), five-time bracelet winner Martin Kabrhel (1.4M), and 2025 WSOP Main Event runner-up John Wasnock (1.1M).
Survivors from Day 3 will move on to Tuesday’s Day 4, which is scheduled to play down to five players, who will return on Wednesday to crown a champion that will receive the bracelet and one of the biggest paydays of the entire summer.
