Benny Glaser Leads WSOP $50K PPC Final Table

WSOP 2026 sets up a star-heavy Poker Players’ Championship finale

The 2026 World Series of Poker has reached one of its most anticipated conclusions: the $50,000 Poker Players’ Championship is down to its final six. Benny Glaser will enter the last day as the chip leader, but this is no ordinary heads-up sprint to the finish. In a field packed with mixed-game specialists and Hall of Fame-level talent, every decision will matter.

The PPC has long stood apart from the rest of the WSOP schedule. It is one of the purest tests of all-around poker ability because it forces players to rotate through multiple disciplines instead of relying on one comfort zone. That is why the event carries such weight with professionals, and why fans treat it as a showcase of complete poker skill rather than just another high-stakes title.

The winner will collect $1,343,764, the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy, and a bracelet that means as much for prestige as it does for the payout. For anyone following high-stakes poker, this is the kind of final table that can define a player’s summer.

Benny Glaser holds the edge after a long mixed-game grind

Glaser finished the penultimate day with 8.61 million chips, giving him a clear lead over a group of opponents that would be dangerous even if he had twice as many chips. The rest of the final table is tightly packed, which means the tournament can swing dramatically off a single pot.

• Benny Glaser — 8.61 million
• Maxx Coleman — 5.565 million
• Josh Arieh — 5.265 million
• Kristopher Tong — 5.18 million
• Phil Ivey — 5.135 million
• Paul Volpe — 2.725 million

That lineup tells the whole story. There is no soft spot at the table, no easy target, and no room for complacency. Even Volpe, who comes in as the short stack, is the kind of player who can double once and immediately reshape the entire dynamic. In a mixed-game final, chip counts matter, but format changes matter just as much.

How the final six were formed

The day began with 15 players remaining from a field of 108 entrants, and the action quickly became a test of endurance, adaptability and emotional control. Among the first major storylines was Phil Hellmuth’s run from the short stack. After Maksim Pisarenko was eliminated on the first hand of the day, Hellmuth inherited the role of the shortest stack and spent much of the session trying to survive.

That survival effort ended in Deuce to Seven Lowball Triple Draw, where Hellmuth’s 8-7-6-4-2 was coolered by Glaser’s 8-7-5-3-2. Hellmuth finished 14th for $109,459.

• Roy Thung fell in 13th to Maxx Coleman
• Nick Guagenti knocked out Chris Brewer in 12th place in Limit Hold’em
• Glaser added another big pot by eliminating “Big Huni” in PLO, where his J-T-9-9 flopped a set against Hunichen’s A-A-K-7
• Paul Volpe sent Jesse Lonis out in 10th

This stretch highlighted what makes the PPC so difficult: it is not enough to play one format well. Players must transition smoothly between games, understand each edge case, and avoid bleeding chips in spots that may look small in one variant but huge in another.

From two tables to one final table

Even with ten players left, the mixed-game structure kept the tournament split across two tables until there were enough cards and enough space to merge the field. That transition is always a major checkpoint in the PPC, because once the final table forms, every stack size becomes even more meaningful.

Kristopher Tong made a move during a round of 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw and briefly seized the lead, showing just how quickly the top of the leaderboard can change. Meanwhile, Volpe and Glaser were both active in the race for position, refusing to let the other dictate the pace.

Alex Livingston was the next player to cash, losing a Seven Card Stud battle to Nick Guagenti and taking 9th place for $144,054. Guagenti did not last long after that, however, as Maxx Coleman eliminated him in 8th place.

That brought the field down to seven. Jason Mercier, who arrived at the table as the short stack, managed to double twice and briefly keep his run alive. But Glaser eventually finished him off in Seven Card Stud when Mercier’s pair of tens failed to improve against Glaser’s two pair. That knockout closed the day and pushed Glaser into the overnight lead.

Expert analysis: why this final table matters for poker players

The Poker Players’ Championship is one of the few events that truly rewards breadth of knowledge. In No-Limit Hold’em, a specialist can sometimes ride one strong skill set deep into a tournament. In the PPC, the margin for specialization is far smaller. Players must be comfortable with draw games, Stud variants, split-pot formats and betting structures that punish narrow thinking.

• Mixed-game study is not optional if you want to compete at the highest levels.
• Chip leadership is valuable, but format rotation can erase it quickly.
• Short stacks still have leverage when they are skilled enough to exploit game-specific edges.
• Mental stamina matters as much as technical skill in multi-day mixed events.

That is why players who want to build a more complete game should pay attention not only to live events but also to structured learning through a [poker school]( /en/pokerschool ) and the broader ecosystem of [poker rooms]( /en/pokerrooms ) and [poker clubs]( /en/pokerclubs ). The more formats you understand, the more opportunities you can identify when the structure changes.

What to watch when play resumes

The final table resumes at 1:30 PM Pacific Time, with the remaining action set to appear in the evening WSOP YouTube broadcasts. That gives fans a prime chance to see whether Glaser can convert his two-day lead into the title, or whether the chasing pack can close the gap.

• Can Phil Ivey use his experience to apply pressure at the right moments?
• Will Josh Arieh or Kristopher Tong seize control if the deck turns volatile?
• Can Paul Volpe turn a short stack into a late-stage surge?
• Will Glaser remain composed under the weight of the chip lead?

There is no simple path to victory here. A single big pot in the wrong variant can flip the entire table dynamic, and that is exactly what makes PPC final tables so compelling. For players who study the game seriously, this is also a reminder that even off-table tools like [promotions & bonuses]( /en/blog/promotions ) can matter when you are building volume and bankroll for long-term growth.

Final thoughts on the WSOP 2026 showdown

Benny Glaser enters the last day in front, but nothing about this lineup suggests a safe ride. Phil Ivey, Josh Arieh, Maxx Coleman, Kristopher Tong and Paul Volpe all have the kind of experience and skill set that can punish even the smallest mistake.

That is why the 2026 $50,000 Poker Players’ Championship is shaping up as one of the defining mixed-game battles of the summer. The bracelet, the trophy and the seven-figure payday are all on the line, but so is a place in the history of one of poker’s most respected events.

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