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WSOP Event 49: UK Player Thomas Hall Bags Third Largest Stack on Day 1

By Mrinal Gujare

2 hours ago

Mrinal Gujare 2 hours ago

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James Goldblatt leads Day 1 with 780,000 chips.
UK's Thomas Hall bags third largest stack (635,000).
274 players from 1,561 entries advance to a competitive Day 2.

Image Credit: Luther Redd / Pokernews

Event #49: $2,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em at the 2026 WSOP saw 274 players from a 1,561-entry field survive Day 1. James Goldblatt holds the chip lead, while UK player Thomas Hall bagged the third largest stack with 635,000.

The opening day of Event #49: $2,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has officially concluded, leaving a highly competitive field in its wake.

Out of the 1,561 entries who started the tournament, only 274 players managed to navigate their way through the initial flights to secure a spot on Day 2.

James Goldblatt established a commanding lead over the field, wrapping up the night as the clear chip leader with a massive stack of 780,000.

Right behind the leader pace, UK player Thomas Hall put together a stellar performance to finish within the top five stacks. Hall will enter the second day of play with 635,000 chips, positioned cleanly as the third highest stack overall.

The top 10 chip counts are heavily populated with established poker talent, featuring five former WSOP bracelet winners.

Alongside Tom Hall, notable top 10 stacks include Faraz Jaka with 482,000 chips. The top tier of the leaderboard also features prominent 25k Fantasy Draft selections, with Marco Johnson bagging 490,000 and Christian Roberts advancing with 452,000.

The momentum extends just outside the top 10 leaderboard, where defending WSOP Main Event champion Michael Mizrachi enjoyed a strong start to his tournament run.

Mizrachi ended Day 1 with 437,000 chips. He is one of three former Main Event champions to successfully navigate the opening day. Joining him on Day 2 are Joe McKeehen, who bagged a healthy 425,000, and Jonathan Tamayo, who remains in contention with a stack of 156,000.

A diverse line-up of notable players also advanced through the extensive field. Fans and spectators can look forward to seeing three-time WSOP bracelet winner Naoya Kihara back at the felt.

Additionally, PokerStars Ambassador Maria Konnikova and PokerNews podcast host Mike Holtz have both punched their tickets to the second day of action.

The remaining 274 players will return to the tournament floor to resume action at 1 p.m. local time. The structure for Day 2 introduces longer blind levels, which will increase to 60 minutes in duration.

The official schedule dictates a grueling ten levels of play for the day. To accommodate the players, a 15-minute break is scheduled after every two levels of play, alongside a 60-minute dinner break which will take place after the completion of Level 21.