The Muck · WSOP Daily Brief
Day 30
Prashanth Nataraj won his first bracelet in the $500 Salute to Warriors after starting the final day with 10 big blinds, then donated nearly $180,000 to veterans charities in the same motion. Phil Ivey is sitting 5th with 2.4 million chips as 17 players remain in the $50,000 PPC, with Benny Glaser in the lead and the Chip Reese Trophy still unclaimed by either Ivey or Phil Hellmuth (14th). The Millionaire Maker is down to a final table after Seiji Sasaki became poker's most relatable human by high-fiving his rail thinking he won, then slowly realizing he was counterfeited and eliminated in 15th. The WSOP also had to deal with a sex toy card protector in the Super Seniors. Just another Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Story 01 of 4
Prashanth Nataraj won Event #59: $500 Salute to Warriors for $208,800 and his first WSOP bracelet, starting the final day with just 10 big blinds from a field of 35 returning players. His previous career-best cash was $40,000. Once he eclipsed that number, he said he felt compelled to take the whole thing down - and did. He beat Laurance Essak heads up, holding ace-high to clinch the title. Nearly $180,000 from the prize pool was donated to the United Service Organizations (USO) and other charities supporting veterans. Among the day's notable casualties was 2006 WSOP Main Event champion Jamie Gold, who was eliminated in 17th place on the 20th anniversary of his famous Main Event victory after running into a superior hand preflop. Jeevan Lobo went on a one-man elimination run to reduce the final to three, then ran into pocket queens and busted in 3rd. The Salute to Warriors event drew 3,000+ entries and is specifically structured to benefit military veterans. After winning, Nataraj ran into Phil Hellmuth while walking away from the table - Hellmuth fist-bumped him into the bracelet winners club.
Why it mattersThe Salute to Warriors is one of the WSOP's most genuinely meaningful events, with a significant portion of the prize pool going to charity. Nataraj's win is the kind of breakout result that defines a series - he entered with essentially nothing (10 big blinds), ran it up through a day of coolers, and took home 5x his previous career high. The Jamie Gold angle is real: he was eliminated on the exact 20th anniversary of his 2006 Main Event win in an event that felt like it was setting up for a storybook run. It wasn't.
Story 02 of 4
Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship completed Day 3 with 17 players remaining, led by Benny Glaser at 4,300,000. The bubble burst when Bryce Yockey was eliminated in 18th place, locking up minimum cashes of $100,934 for all survivors. Phil Ivey, who entered the PPC having not cashed at the 2026 WSOP, sat 5th with 2,400,000 chips - close enough to the lead to make a deep run Thursday very realistic. Paul Volpe is 2nd (3,760,000) and Kristopher Tong 3rd (3,600,000). Josh Arieh, who won the PPC previously and was the only past champion still alive before the bubble, dropped to 7th (2,175,000). Phil Hellmuth, who entered the PPC after recovering from COVID, sits 14th with 875,000 chips. Matt Glantz - Day 1 chip leader - is 16th at 485,000 and in danger. Day 4 is Thursday, playing toward the final table; the championship is also Thursday. First place: $1,343,764.
Why it mattersIvey has never won the PPC or the Main Event - the two trophies conspicuously absent from the most decorated resume in tournament poker history. He's 5th in chips heading into the final day. The Chip Reese Trophy has similarly eluded Hellmuth; he won the Main Event in 1989 but has never taken the PPC. Both legends are alive and within striking distance. Josh Arieh is the defending PPC champion (or at least a past winner) and is also live in 7th. Glaser, Volpe, and Tong are the immediate threats - all legitimate mixed-game players who know what they're doing.
Story 03 of 4
The $1,500 Millionaire Maker (Event #50) reached its final table Wednesday after Seiji Sasaki was eliminated in 15th place in one of the more painful hands of the series. With 15 players left, Sasaki called all-in on a 10-8-7 club flop holding pocket fives - both he and Michael Monroig had flush draws, with Monroig holding the nut flush draw (ace of clubs). The turn brought the 10 of hearts, pairing the board and giving Monroig additional counterfeiting outs. The 7 of hearts on the river completed the counterfeit: the board played a higher two pair than Sasaki's fives, Monroig won with his ace, and Sasaki - who had walked to his rail expecting to celebrate - high-fived his friends before returning to the table and realizing he was eliminated. He bowed graciously to his opponent. Sasaki earned $75,200, the largest cash of his career. The Millionaire Maker is scheduled to crown its winner Wednesday, with the event promising two separate millionaires (first place plus a mystery bounty payout). PokerNews is live-blogging to the finish.
Why it matters11,769 entries and $15.6 million in the pool. The Millionaire Maker is the WSOP's signature recreational event - the one where one lucky satellite qualifier walks away with a life-changing payday. With only a handful of players remaining at the time of this brief, Wednesday is the day. The Sasaki hand is the kind of thing that goes viral because everyone who has ever played poker understands exactly how it feels to walk back to the table after the rail reacted.
Story 04 of 4
Andrew Martin, a British player competing in Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors (60+) on Day 2, was warned by WSOP floor staff after using what was identified as an anal sex toy as a card protector. Staff cited Rule 40(d) - the civility and courtesy rule - as the basis for the ruling, after finding no explicit WSOP rule prohibiting the item. Martin said he was unaware of any rule against it and couldn't find one in the tournament rulebook either. He noted the item had previously appeared in a ClubWPT Gold skit. Floor staff issued a warning on his player account and told him further use could result in a more serious penalty. Martin kept his chips (300,000+, with ~200 players remaining from the 3,323-entry field) and continued without the card protector. Top prize in the event is $355,263.
Why it mattersThe WSOP's official rules cover card cap size (no larger than two inches in diameter, no more than half an inch deep) and the civility standard, but don't specifically address adult novelties. It falls into the category of rulings the tournament staff never expected to make. The item's apparent connection to a ClubWPT Gold skit adds a layer of irony, given the WSOP's ongoing enforcement actions against that brand's patches.
Prashanth Nataraj wins the Salute to Warriors on June 24, the only confirmed bracelet from Day 30 at time of publication. The Millionaire Maker is expected to crown a winner Wednesday night; result pending.
PPC Day 3 final chip counts late June 24 (17 players remain, Day 4 is Thursday). Millionaire Maker final table chip counts unavailable at press time - event in progress.
Notable eliminations from Day 30 action.
Pocket fives vs. Michael Monroig's nut flush draw on a 10-8-7 club board. Turn paired the board (10), river counterfeited Sasaki's fives with a 7. Sasaki walked to his rail to celebrate the perceived double-up, high-fived his friends, returned to the table to find he was eliminated. Bowed graciously to his opponent. $75,200 is the largest cash of his career.
His elimination burst the PPC money bubble. All 17 remaining players are now guaranteed at least $100,934. Yockey exited just outside the money in one of the summer's premier events.
Eliminated on the 20th anniversary of his 2006 WSOP Main Event victory after running into a superior hand preflop. The storyline was building - 20 years, same summer, Salute to Warriors final. It ended in 17th. Prashanth Nataraj won the bracelet.
Was the Day 1 chip leader in the PPC. Down to 485,000 with 17 players remaining, putting him at risk heading into Thursday. Still alive but needs a big Day 4 session.
Still leads with 2,720 points. The PPC would generate significant POY points for any deep finisher - watch for the race to shift if Ivey, Arieh, or Hellmuth makes the final table.
Schulman is not in the PPC field at this stage. Foxen's lead remains 627 points.
Three runner-up finishes, zero bracelets this series. Still accumulating points. Still sitting on a $10M Hellmuth side-bet exposure on the Main Event.
Two bracelets this series. Not in the PPC. Watching from outside as the PPC race plays out.