The Muck · WSOP Daily Brief
Joao Simao came from behind to win the $50K PLO High Roller for $1.37 million and a fourth bracelet - the biggest individual score of a strong Brazilian summer. Michael Mizrachi's bid to defend the $50K PPC ended on Day 1 in Razz, courtesy of Brad Ruben. Matt Glantz leads the field going into Day 2. Daniel Negreanu is alive, barely. Phil Hellmuth and Shaun Deeb have a $10 million side bet on the table. The Millionaire Maker is down to 424 players. Summer is full tilt.
Share on XSimao entered heads-up against Santhosh Suvarna of India trailing in chips. He doubled through with A-A-A-K versus K-Q-8-6 on a board that ran out 5s-2c-5h-7h-5d, making aces full of fives. The final hand: Simao held A-A-J-9, Suvarna got all-in with T-T-8-6, and the board came A-8-7-5-K. Simao flopped top set and never looked back. Full payouts: Suvarna ($912,420), Robert Cowen 3rd ($628,510), Chivukula 4th ($445,440), van Ravenswoud 5th ($325,080), Dzivielevski 6th ($244,510), Naoya Kihara 7th ($189,720), Karakitukov 8th ($152,020). 110 entries, $5,225,000 prize pool.
Why it mattersThis was yesterday's developing story - Cowen had led into the final table and Kihara was hunting his third bracelet of the series. Instead, Simao ran them down and earned the biggest cash of the summer so far. It's the second Brazilian bracelet of the 2026 WSOP after Yuri Dzivielevski, who finished 6th here. Simao's fourth bracelet puts him among the most decorated active international players on the circuit.
The Portuguese phrase Simao lives by on the felt is 'Joga Bonito' - play beautiful. Four bracelets and $1.37 million in a single session suggests the philosophy is working. Cowen led into the final table. Kihara was there for a third bracelet. Simao had other plans.
Michael Mizrachi - four-time PPC champion and defending title holder - was eliminated on the final level of PPC Day 1. He tangled with Chino Rheem in Razz, then fell to Brad Ruben. Matt Glantz leads 87 surviving entries with 989,000. Benny Glaser sits 2nd (826,000), Robert Wells 3rd (790,000), Rheem 4th (763,000). Other top-10 notables: Josh Arieh (652,500), Chris Brewer (694,500). Daniel Negreanu lost roughly 80% of his stack within the first 10 minutes - he called a river raise from Brewer holding J-K on a J-K-8-2-7 board with two spades, and Brewer had 9s-8s for the flush. Negreanu recovered to 247,000 by end of day. Jason Mercier, Bryce Yockey, Paul Volpe, Gus Hansen, John Monnette, Eli Elezra, Brian Rast, and Dan Cates all survived. Late registration remains open through approximately 7:30pm today. Day 2 starts at 1pm.
Why it mattersMizrachi winning a fifth $50K PPC title would have been one of the defining moments of the 2026 series. It won't happen this year. The field is deep and credentialed - Glantz has made a career of running deep in mixed-game events and his chip lead is real. Negreanu surviving to Day 2 despite giving away most of his chips in the opening minutes is a testament to either resilience or running good at exactly the right time.
Mizrachi goes out in Razz, the cruelest game at the table. Negreanu donates his stack to Chris Brewer inside the first ten minutes then grinds back to 247k. If Negreanu wins this tournament it will be the greatest comeback-of-the-session story of the summer. He is, to be clear, a very short stack. But he is not dead.
Phil Hellmuth publicly defended his son Phillip Hellmuth III's decision to sell Main Event action at 1.4 markup. Shaun Deeb criticized the markup publicly. The resulting bet: Hellmuth risks $14,000 against Deeb and Jason Mo risking the exact dollar amount of Phillip III's final Main Event cash - up to $10 million if he wins. If Phillip III busts before the money, Deeb and Mo collect $14K. If he cashes, they pay out his entire result. Main Event starts July 2.
Why it mattersThe markup debate gets real stakes attached. This is also the rare bet where the theoretical maximum loss is $10 million - the entirety of a Main Event first-place prize. It's financially asymmetric enough to be a real conversation: Deeb is essentially writing an uncapped insurance policy for $14K in premium.
Deeb is currently 0-for-3 in final tables this series - three runner-up finishes, zero bracelets. Now he's also on the hook for every dollar Phillip Hellmuth III earns in the Main Event. If the kid makes the final table, Deeb's summer gets even more complicated than it already is. The universe appears to be stress-testing Shaun Deeb.
The Millionaire Maker (Event #50) closed its field at 11,769 entries, building a prize pool of approximately $15.6 million. Day 2d concluded with Jamhour Qasem leading at 2,830,000, followed by Zak Delaimy (2,300,000) and Daniel McGinnis (1,965,000). Harrison Gimbel (880,000) and Eugene Katchalov (680,000) are among the notable names still in. Day 3 starts at 11am today with 424 players. The min-cash is around $2,500 but first place is a life-changer.
Why it matters11,769 entries is a massive number. The Millionaire Maker consistently produces one of the WSOP's largest annual prize pools, and the Day 3 field still has serious players mixed in with the recreational wave. Gimbel winning would be a notable result; Katchalov is a credentialed international name.
The Millionaire Maker does exactly what it says on the tin. Someone in that 424-player Day 3 field is going home with a meaningful life-altering score. The tournament is not deep enough or slow enough for pedigree to matter much from here. Variance is the remaining feature.
Joao Simao claimed the only bracelet on Day 27 (June 21), topping a stacked $50K PLO High Roller final table.
PPC Day 1 counts after Day 27. 87 players survive going into Day 2. Late registration open through approximately 7:30pm today.
Notable eliminations from Day 27 action.
Leads the POY race as of June 18, just ahead of Nick Schulman. Has been one of the most consistent performers of the series. Reportedly in action in the $25K PLO (Event #47) with Foxen in the mix.
Anderson's $10K HORSE win from Day 27 propelled him up the standings. Multiple-bracelet finishes this series have made him a legitimate POY threat.
Three runner-up finishes in 2026, no bracelet. Leads the heartbreak standings. Also now has a $10M exposure via the side bet with Hellmuth on the Main Event. The POY grind continues.
Running 2nd per June 18 standings. Mixed-game specialist who tends to accumulate points steadily through the back half of the series.
Spot a factual error in this brief? Tell us and we'll fix it.