2026 WSOP Day 48: Alex Foxen Chases Fifth WSOP Bracelet

By Mrinal Gujare

1 hour ago

Mrinal Gujare 1 hour ago

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Sterling Lopez wins $3K T.O.R.S.E. for $247,842.
Malcolm Trayner leads Main Event final 21.
Foxen, Saliba & Mustafov push ahead in key events.

Image by Jess Beck / Pokernews

Sterling Lopez won the $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. bracelet on Day 48 of the 2026 WSOP. Meanwhile, Malcolm Trayner leads the Main Event top 21, Alex Foxen surges in Pot-Limit Omaha, and Fahredin Mustafov tops the $10K 6-Max Championship.

The 48th day of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) featured seven events filling the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas as the series approached its finale. While only one champion emerged on July 12, several tournaments reduced their fields significantly, setting up a day where four gold bracelets were awarded.

Sterling Lopez secured the solitary bracelet of the day by winning Event #92: $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. The victory earned Lopez a top prize of $247,842. Lopez defeated two-time bracelet winner Jesse Lonis during heads-up play, leaving Lonis with a consolation prize of $160,862.

The historic WSOP Main Event continued its deep run on July 12. Day 7 concluded with the field whittled down to just 21 remaining players. Malcolm Trayner, the 2026 Aussie Millions Main Event champion, bagged the overnight chip lead.

Several high-profile poker superstars remain in contention for the title, including Shaun Deeb, Hossein Ensan, and Todd Brunson.

Event #96: $3,000 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha kicked off with 892 entrants, which wrapped up Day 1 with 158 players moving forward. Stanislav Halatenko of Ukraine claimed the top spot with 950,000 chips.

Right behind the leader, 888poker ambassador Vivian Saliba bagged 788,000 chips to secure the second-largest stack.

Saliba previously won a €2,000 PLO event at the 2024 WSOP Europe festival. Four-time bracelet winner Alex Foxen also built a substantial stack, bagging 588,000 chips to put himself in prime position to contend for a fifth career bracelet over the coming days.

Event #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker advanced to its third and final day. From a massive starting field of 11,185 players, only 12 contenders remain.

A first-time champion is guaranteed, as none of the returning players have previously won a WSOP gold bracelet. Luis Genel holds the chip lead with 61,800,000, followed by Johnny Oshana with 51,600,000 and Kenneth Baime with 40,500,000.

Yanting Jiang celebrated her birthday by opening up a massive lead on the penultimate day of Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold'em.

Only 16 players survived the flight to reach the fourth and final day. Jiang bagged an impressive stack that measures nearly twice the size of her nearest competitor, holding 30,925,000 chips.

The second flight of Event #93: $1,500 The Closer No-Limit Hold'em drew 2,646 entrants to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas properties. By the end of play, just 292 players secured a spot for Day 2.

Nick Guagenti, following a deep run in the $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. event, concluded Day 1b with 1,400,000 chips. This places him fourth overall in the flight chips counts as he chases his fourth career bracelet.

Late registrants pushed the total Day 2 field of Event #94: $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em Championship to 331 players. The session concluded with only 33 players booking a spot for Day 3.

Fahredin Mustafov of Bulgaria, who won a bracelet at a recent WSOP Europe festival, holds the overnight chip lead with 2,800,000 chips.

Mustafov maintains a 35 big blind advantage over second-placed Justin Liberto, who bagged 2,100,000 chips. Jamie "Boz" O'Connor from the United Kingdom rounds out the top three stacks with 1,935,000 chips.

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