Canada's Ari Engel Bags Fifth Largest Stack Following Day 2 of WSOP $25K H.O.R.S.E.

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By Mrinal Gujare
2 hours ago
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  • Ari Engel among top 5 stacks in Event 97
  • 16 player will battle on final day
  • French player Julien Sitbon is chip leader
Ari Engel
Image by Regina Cortina / Pokernews
Day 2 of the 2026 WSOP $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. concluded with 16 players remaining. Julien Sitbon leads the field, while Canada's Ari Engel bagged the fifth-highest chip stack ahead of the final day of play.

The 2026 World Series of Poker is rapidly approaching its conclusion at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, with only one day of regular summer action remaining. Among the final events distributing gold hardware is Event #97: the $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. championship. 

Following the completion of Day 2, a star-studded lineup of 16 players successfully advanced to the final day of play scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, 2026, all competing for the first-place prize of $872,052.

The high-stakes mixed-game tournament attracted a total field of 148 entries, nearly matching the attendance numbers of the previous year's edition. This turnout generated an overall prize pool of $3,478,000, which will be distributed among the top 23 finishers. 

Day 2 concluded after nine 60-minute levels of play, narrowing the field down to the final 16 survivors who will return to the tournament floor to crown a champion on the final day of the Las Vegas summer series, outside of the upcoming delayed Main Event final table.

Canadian poker professional Ari Engel positioned himself prominently in the standings for the final stretch. 

Engel successfully bagged a stack of 1,860,000 chips, which places him fifth in the overall chip counts heading into the final day. He sits just a single big bet behind fourth-placed Walter Chambers.
At the top of the leaderboard, French player Julien Sitbon occupies the leading position with 3,800,000 chips, followed closely by Russia's Alexander Kostritsyn with 3,205,000 chips. 

The top two stacks have established a significant lead over the rest of the field, with Ali Eslami sitting in a distinct third place holding ,1,990,000 chips.

The remaining field features several prominent players who are actively involved in the WSOP Player of the Year race. 

Fellow survivors Naoya Kihara with 1,060,000 chips, Alex Foxen with 930,000 chips, and Shaun Deeb with 550,000 chips have all secured crucial points to impact the ongoing Player of the Year leaderboard. The remaining 16 contenders will return on Wednesday to play down to a winner.
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