News

Taylor von Kriegenbergh Takes Lead in Main Event Day 1d at 2026 WSOP

By Mrinal Gujare

06 Jul 2026

Mrinal Gujare 06 Jul 2026

Share this article

Taylor von Kriegenbergh leads after record Main Event Day 1d turnout.
Zixuan Liu claims first bracelet and $219,391 in Event #85.
Ultra Stack kicks off, with 98 advancing from 1,366 entries.

Image by Eloy Cabacas / Pokernews

Day 41 of the 2026 WSOP saw 4,694 entries in Main Event Day 1d, with Taylor von Kriegenbergh taking the chip lead. Zixuan Liu won Event #85, while 98 players advanced in the $600 Ultra Stack opening flight.

The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) moved through its 41st day of competition with three scheduled tournaments.

While the daily schedule featured fewer events than usual, the physical venues at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas remained heavily crowded due to a massive turnout for the fourth starting flight of the flagship championship event.

Away from the marquee tournament, exactly one gold bracelet was awarded on July 5. Zixuan Liu emerged victorious in Event #85: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em, capturing his first career bracelet along with a top prize of $219,391.

Following his victory, Liu told PokerNews that he plans to use a portion of his winnings to purchase a new car for his supportive wife.

Taylor von Kriegenbergh Leads Massive Main Event Day 1d Flight

Day 1d of Event #82: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship drew a massive field of 4,694 entrants. The blind structure of this tournament allowed 3,638 of those players to survive the day and pack up chips for the next phase of play.

Taylor von Kriegenbergh accumulated the largest stack of the flight, bagging up 312,800 in chips. The Massachusetts native has established a notable poker track record but is still seeking his first official WSOP gold bracelet.

A total of 11 former Main Event champions successfully navigated their way through the Day 1d field to keep their hopes of joining an exclusive club of two-time winners alive.

Max Neugebauer finished as the best-placed former champion of the flight with a stack of 1,987,000 chips. The other past champions who advanced include:

Stoyan Madanzhiev (121,000)
Jonathan Tamayo (109,300)
Ryan Riess (1,068,000)
Scott Blumstein (105,600)
Simone Andrian (97,200)
Joe McKeehen (75,000)
Hossein Ensan (50,000)
Chris Moneymaker (39,500)
Alexandros Kolonias (36,700)
Robert Varkonyi (33,100)

The survivors from Day 1d will have a rest day before returning to action on July 7 at 11:00 a.m. local time.

Meanwhile, Day 2abc will shuffle up and deal at 11:00 a.m. local time on July 6, welcoming back 2,468 returning players.

Ultra Stack Kicks Off First Starting Flight

Running alongside the Main Event championship, Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold'em held the first of its three scheduled starting flights.

The opening flight drew 1,366 entrants. After the completion of 22 levels of play, only 98 players managed to advance, with Ryan Bambrick, Naoya Kihara, and Ian Simpson among those successfully bagging stacks.

July 6 marks the 42nd day of the 2026 WSOP, with only two events on the active schedule. Day 1b of Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold'em will kick things off, with Day 2abc of Event #82: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship shuffling up and dealing an hour later.

When the Day 2abc field resumes play, Ryuta Nakai of Japan will hold the overall chip lead with 323,000. He is closely followed at the top of the standings by Yulian Bogdanov with 315,000 and Igor Pansovoi with 300,300.

News WSOP ME Gets Fiery