The 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event is underway in Las Vegas, and ESPN has assumed command of the broadcasting duties. Day 1B is currently ongoing and, harkening back to the past in poker, how about a live blog for the proceedings? Over the next couple of hours, we’ll give you a feel for what is going on in the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas as we work our way to poker’s next World Champion.
First Hour…Catching Up on the Action
The broadcast started on ESPN+ at promptly 8 PM, and we were immediately thrust into the action. Defending World Champion Michael Mizrachi was holding court on the Featured Table. With Ali Nejad and Nick Schulman on the broadcasting duties, we could be assured that we would have a well-broadcast show.
A nice touch in the early going was actually putting Lon McEachern and Norman Chad to work early. They have not been a part of the WSOP YouTube broadcasts, as some of the other folks such as Maria Ho (excellent as always), David Williams (some solid commentary), Jeff Platt (giving solid coverage as he ran around the different playing arenas), Jared Bleznick (always controversial with his commentary), and Joe Stapleton (for some reason). So it was good to see Lon and Norm stepping up to offer some of their commentary, even if they weren’t actually on the tables calling the action.
Back in a bit…
One of the things that I remember from watching Michael Mizrachi years ago is that he is a relentless competitor. The first tournament I ever saw Mizrachi at was the 2005 WPT L.A. Poker Classic, where he steamrolled the table on his way to his first major title. What is worse with Mizrachi today is that he has added “table talk” to his game.
In a hand at the Featured Table, he basically talked one of his opponents out of a call, which was detrimental to Mizrachi’s cause because he actually had the goods. But it is another dimension that Mizrachi can employ on the table…
Just as a quick aside: the players are starting with 60,000 in chips, and they are to play five 120 minute levels on this day. Day 1A proved to be a bit disappointing, only bringing in 772 players. Of the Day 1A field, only 543 players have booked their passage to Day 2A on Monday.
One of the things about watching Mizrachi play is…how much does winning the Main Event (and $10 million) loosen up your action? In a particular hand against an unfortunate opponent, Mizrachi stuck around until he got a Broadway straight on the river against a turned two pair to win a hand. Is that the same play that a player who HASN’T earned over $30 million in career earnings could pull off? There is that old line attributed to Doyle Brunson, about having a disregard for money, that might come into play.
Antonio Esfandiari makes a BIG mistake. With a flush draw, he pushes all in against a flopped set. He didn’t get it, falling down to around 10K in chips…might not be a long night for ‘The Magician.”
Second Hour…Settling in For the Grind
One thing that the WSOP has to be given kudos for this year is the expanded Featured Table(s) arena. Instead of just one or two tables as in the past, the WSOP has expanded it to where coverage of a dozen tables is possible. Of course, they have three primary featured tables, but the expansive area allows for the cameras to catch a lot of the action going on in the battlezone. Kudos for WSOP for this improvement.
Something that ESPN has always done well is build the “human interest” stories around the WSOP. This year is no different as they have shown a quick blurb about the struggles of Mike Matusow over the past decade, which was well done. Platt also got a chance to relieve the 2004 WSOP with Justin Young, who talked about how it was his first WSOP and he kept the lanyard because “I thought I wouldn never play another one.” It’s good to hear these stories to space out the cardplaying…
As they have reached roughly the midpoint of the Day 1B action, they have yet to crack 1000 players for the day. At this mark, 974 players have registered for the Day 1B play, and 888 players are left. Expect the field to crack the 1000 mark at some point after the dinner break.
As the players go to the second break of the day, we’re going to choose this point to encourage you to pick up your own viewing of the 2026 WSOP Main Event. ESPN+ will be airing coverage of the tournament at 8PM on Saturday and Sunday, which will conclude the opening flights. The target is the record of 10,112, which was set in 2023. It is also fun to be able to see the proceedings live, and for free (ESPN+ is a part of the Disney+ package, which is available through many cable companies), unlike in years past.
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