WSOP 2026 Highlights: Hellmuth Chases Bracelet 18 While Foxen Reaches Heads-Up Semifinals

Day 6 of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas delivered intense action across multiple formats. High-stakes veterans and emerging contenders pushed through elite fields as several events moved closer to crowning champions. 

From Phil Hellmuth chasing history to tight heads-up battles and massive field cuts, the tournament floors witnessed major shifts on the leaderboards.

Only 14 players remain between Phil Hellmuth and a record-extending 18th WSOP gold bracelet in Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship. 

The 'Poker Brat' navigated a star-studded field, experiencing a volatile day on the leaderboard. After capturing the chip lead with 18 players remaining, Hellmuth suffered a late slump, dropping to sixth in chips by the end of the day.

Meanwhile, Scott Clements secured the lead earlier in the session and maintained his position. Returning as the favorite for Day 3 with nearly 2 million in chips, the three-time bracelet winner faces stiff competition. 

Dylan Weisman holds a nearly identical stack to Clements, with Todd Brunson, Josh Arieh, and James Obst also returning for the split-pot championship. The eventual winner will take home $450,176 along with the WSOP bracelet.

Event #1: $550 Mini Mystery Millions No-Limit Hold'em has reached its final stages, with just 13 players remaining from a massive starting field of 20,488 entries. The tournament generated a total prize pool of $7,747,082, with $4,097,600 allocated specifically for the mystery bounty pool. Andrew Shelton pulled the top bounty prize during the event.

David Prociak ended the penultimate day as the chipleader, bagging a stack of 88,000,000 as he aims to add another WSOP bracelet to his record. Alexander Kaviani sits in second place on the leaderboard, followed by Jurgen Pirgu in third. All 13 returning players have locked up a minimum payout of $21,790, but the final table features a $400,000 top prize.

The final four players are locked in for the conclusion of Event #7: $25,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship following two rounds of play on Day 2. 

High-stakes American professional Alex Foxen advanced to the final day, seeking his fourth career bracelet. Foxen recently won the $100,000 Triton Main Event at the 2024 WSOP Paradise for $3.8 million.

WSOP commentator Joe Stapleton previously predicted a deep run for Foxen, who will face Russia's Nikita Kuznetsov in the semifinals on Monday. The second semifinal match features Bulgarian bracelet winner Dimitar Danchev against Japan's Ryuta Nakai, with both Nakai and Kuznetsov competing for their first career bracelets.

Michael Casella, a high-level chess player who transitioned to poker, secured victory in Event #8: $1,500 Badugi. Prior to this tournament, Casella held just four career WSOP cashes.

The fourth edition of this event attracted 554 entries from across the mixed-game community. Casella outlasted the entire field to capture his first-place prize of $141,963 and achieve WSOP glory.

Day 1 of Event #10: $600 Deepstack No-Limit Hold'em concluded with Adam Cohen claiming the overall chip lead with a stack of 2,300,000.

Among the top stacks is two-time WSOP bracelet winner Marco Johnson, who bagged 1,535,000 to secure a position in the top 10. 

Johnson, a $25K Fantasy Draft pick with more than $5.5 million in live tournament earnings, navigated the budget buy-in field successfully despite normally appearing in events with buy-ins ten times higher than this $600 tournament.