$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $1,578,390  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 30:  75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining:  11 of 4,783

Sebastian Toro Henao raised from the hijack to 250,000, and John Howe called from the button.

Both players checked to the turn on a board of , Henao bet 500,000, and Howe called. There was 1,825,000 in the pot at this point.

The river card was the , Henao checked, and Howe quickly moved all in for 6,200,000. Henao thought for a while, saying, “That’s a big bet.”

Henao thought for a little longer before he asked for an exact count, and it was 6,200,000. Henao asked if Howe would show his cards if Henao folded, but Howe didn’t seem to give a solid answer.

Henao went into the tank for a very long time. Several minutes at least. Henao counted out enough chips to call the 6.2 million, and if he called and lost, he still would have had a nice stack of about 12.55 million.

Henao eventually seemed to apologize for taking so long, but Howe didn’t seem concerned, saying, “It’s a big decision.”

A short while after that, Henao folded, and Howe immediately showed his for an ace-high bluff.

“Let’s go!” said Howe. “Power poker, baby.”

John Howe  –  8,025,000  (64 bb)
Sebastian Toro Henao  –  18,750,000  (150 bb)

With 11 players remaining from a field of 4,783, the average chip stack is around 8,700,000 (70 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $15,900 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $1,578,390  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 30:  75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining:  11 of 4,783

Milan Gurung moved all in from the cutoff for 1,450,000, and Mike Hager called from the small blind with .

Gurung turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Hager flopped a set of sixes, Gurung turned a gutshot straight draw, and the river card missed. Hager won the pot with his set of sixes to eliminate Gurung in 12th place.

Mike Hager  –  12,600,000  (101 bb)
Milan Gurung  –  Eliminated in 12th Place  ($15,900)

The action has been coming fast today, as the field has lost nine of 20 players (45% of the field) in just the first 50 minutes of the day.

With 11 players remaining from a field of 4,783, the average chip stack is around 8,700,000 (70 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $15,900 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $1,578,390  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 30:  75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining:  12 of 4,783

John Ghosn was all in from the big blind for about 500,000 with , and he needed to improve to stay alive against the of Vu Dang in the cutoff.

The board came , and Dang won the pot with ten high to eliminate Ghosn in 14th place.

Vu Dang  –  5,900,000  (47 bb)
John Ghosn  –  Eliminated in 14th Place  ($12,600)

Shortly after that, David Nathaniel was eliminated in 13th place. We’ve lost eight players in the first half hour of play, and here are all of the eliminations so far:

13th:  David Nathaniel  –  $12,600
14th:  John Ghosn  –  $12,600
15th:  Christopher Walters  –  $12,600

16th:  Chase Hounshell  –  $10,000
17th:  Otis James  –  $10,000
18th:  Jose Rivero  –  $10,000
19th:  Tal Rothman  –  $10,000

20th:  Dyanna Lopez  –  $8,100

With 12 players remaining from a field of 4,783, the average chip stack is around 7,975,000 (64 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $15,900 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $1,578,390  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 30:  75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining:  15 of 4,783

After losing two players in quick succession, the final 15 players are down to the final two tables. Here is the lineup:

TABLE 7
Seat 1.  
Seat 2.  Brad Butcher
Seat 3.  Mike Hager
Seat 4.  Alejandro Exposito
Seat 5.  Christopher Walters
Seat 6.  Yilmaz Yosul
Seat 7.  Milan Gurung
Seat 8.  John Howe

TABLE 8
Seat 1.  Vu Dang
Seat 2.  Sebastian Toro Henao
Seat 3.  Corey Dunbar
Seat 4.  Jorge Gomez
Seat 5.  John Ghosn
Seat 6.  Dejan Petkovic
Seat 7.  Brendan Feinberg
Seat 8.  David Nathaniel

And here are the remaining payouts, followed by today’s eliminations:

1st:  $201,030 + Showdown Trophy
2nd:  $134,000
3rd:  $99,000
4th:  $74,000
5th:  $56,000
6th:  $43,000
7th:  $33,000
8th:  $25,500
9th-10th:  $20,100
11th-12th:  $15,900
13th-15th:  $12,600

16th:  Chase Hounshell  –  $10,000
17th:  Otis James  –  $10,000
18th:  Jose Rivero  –  $10,000
19th:  Tal Rothman  –  $10,000

20th:  Dyanna Lopez  –  $8,100

With 15 players remaining from a field of 4,783, the average chip stack is around 6,375,000 (51 big blinds).

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $1,578,390  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 29:  50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining:  19 of 4,783

In the first hand of the day, Dyanna Lopez was all in from the cutoff for 1,375,000 with , and she needed it to hold to stay alive against the of Brad Butcher in the big blind.

The board came , and Butcher paired his jack on the flop and his ace on the turn to win the pot with two pair, eliminating Lopez in 20th place.

Brad Butcher  –  7,625,000  (76 bb)
Dyanna Lopez  –  Eliminated in 20th Place  ($8,100)

With 19 players remaining from a field of 4,783, the average chip stack is around 5,025,000 (50 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $10,000 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $1,578,390  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 29:  50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining:  20 of 4,783

There are about 22 minutes remaining in Level 29, with blinds at 50,000-100,000 and a big blind ante of 100,000. The field will play as many one-hour levels as it takes today to reach a winner.

Everything is set and ready to go, so it’s time to shuffle up and deal!

With 20 players remaining from a field of 4,783, the average chip stack is around 4,775,000 (48 big blinds), and here are the remaining payouts at stake:

1st:  $201,030 + Showdown Trophy
2nd:  $134,000
3rd:  $99,000
4th:  $74,000
5th:  $56,000
6th:  $43,000
7th:  $33,000
8th:  $25,500
9th-10th:  $20,100
11th-12th:  $15,900
13th-15th:  $12,600
16th-19th:  $10,000
20th:  $8,100

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $1,578,390  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 29:  50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining:  20 of 4,783

The 2026 Poker Showdown opener drew a huge crowd of 4,783 entries and we are down to the last 20 players with a shot at more than $200,000 for first place.

Sebastian Toro Henao leads the field coming back but it’s still anyone’s game with a long Day 3 set to go at 1 pm.

TABLE 7
Seat 1.  Chase Hounshell  –  2,150,000  (22 bb)
Seat 2.  Brad Butcher  –  6,200,000  (62 bb)
Seat 3.
Seat 4.  Tal Rothman  – 1,075,000  (11 bb)
Seat 5.  Christopher Walters  –  2,100,000  (21 bb)
Seat 6.  Yilmaz Yosul  –  4,150,000  (42 bb)
Seat 7.  Dyanna Lopez  –  1,375,000  (14 bb)
Seat 8.  John Howe  –  9,875,000  (99 bb)

TABLE 8
Seat 1.  Vu Dang  –  4,300,000  (43 bb)
Seat 2.  Jose Rivero  –  2,100,000  (21 bb)
Seat 3.  Corey Dunbar  –  4,600,000  (46 bb)
Seat 4.
Seat 5.  John Ghosn  –  6,550,000  (66 bb)
Seat 6.  Dejan Petkovic  –  5,075,000  (51 bb)
Seat 7.
Seat 8.  David Nathaniel  –  1,700,000  (17 bb)

TABLE 16
Seat 1.  Jorge Gomez  –  1,975,000  (20 bb)
Seat 2.  Milan Gurung  –  2,525,000  (25 bb)
Seat 3.  Mike Hager  –  8,425,000  (84 bb)
Seat 4.  Brendan Feinberg  –  1,900,000  (19 bb)
Seat 5.
Seat 6.  Otis James  –  3,775,000  (38 bb)
Seat 7.  Alejandro Exposito  –  10,000,000  (100 bb)
Seat 8.  Sebastian Toro Henao  –  15,530,000  (155 bb)

1st:  $201,030 + Showdown Trophy
2nd:  $134,000
3rd:  $99,000
4th:  $74,000
5th:  $56,000
6th:  $43,000
7th:  $33,000
8th:  $25,500
9th-10th:  $20,100
11th-12th:  $15,900
13th-15th:  $12,600
16th-19th:  $10,000
20th:  $8,100

Primary Event Schedule

11AM: Event 18 Day 1A – $200 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

• $100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 15,000 in chips
• Levels last 30 minutes
• Late registration until start of Level 7 (2:30pm)
• Day 1 will end when field reaches 10%
• Event 18 Structure Sheet

12PM: Event 15 Day 1B – $1,700 Purple Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry)

• $200,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 25,000 in chips
• Day 1 levels last 30 minutes; Day 2 levels last 40 minutes
• Levels 24+ last 60 minutes
• Late registration until start of Level 9 (4:30pm)
• Day 1 will end when field reaches 12.5%
• Event 15 Structure Sheet

12PM: Event 19 – $400 T.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)

• Players begin with 25,000 in chips
• Levels last 30 minutes
• Late registration until start of Level 9 (4:30pm)
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 19 Structure Sheet

1PM: Event 1 Day 3 – $400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

• Event 1 Day 3 Seats and Counts
• Event 1 Payouts

3PM: Event 18 Day 1A – $200 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

• $100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 15,000 in chips
• Levels last 30 minutes
• Late registration until start of Level 7 (6:30pm)
• Day 1 will end when field reaches 10%
• Event 18 Structure Sheet

4PM: Event 16 Day 1B – $400 Deep Stack PLO (Re-Entry)

• $50,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 25,000 in chips
• Levels last 30 minutes
• Late registration until start of Level 9 (8:30pm)
• Day 1 will end when field reaches 12.5%
• Event 16 Structure Sheet

5PM: Event 15 Turbo – $1,700 Purple Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry)

• $200,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 25,000 in chips
• Day 1 levels last 20 minutes; Day 2 levels last 40 minutes
• Levels 24+ last 60 minutes
• Late registration until start of Level 9 (8:10pm)
• Day 1 will end when field reaches 12.5%
• Event 15 Structure Sheet

6PM: Event 20 – $300 Quad Stack Black Chip Bounty Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)

• Players begin with 40,000 in chips
• Levels last 20 minutes
• Late registration until start of Level 10 (9:30pm)
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 20 Structure Sheet

7PM: Event 18 Day 1C – $200 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

• $100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 15,000 in chips
• Levels last 30 minutes
• Late registration until start of Level 7 (10:30pm)
• Day 1 will end when field reaches 10%
• Event 18 Structure Sheet

Secondary and Satellite Schedule

8PM: $550 Championship Turbo Satellite (1-in-7)

• Two seats guaranteed into $3,500 Showdown Championship
• Players begin with 10,000 in chips
• Levels last 15 minutes
• Late registration until start of Level 9 (10:15pm)
• Structure Sheet

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $1,578,390  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 29:  50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining:  20 of 4,783

Day 3 begins Monday at 1 p.m.

TABLE 7
Seat 1.  Chase Hounshell  –  2,150,000  (22 bb)
Seat 2.  Brad Butcher  –  6,200,000  (62 bb)
Seat 3.
Seat 4.  Tal Rothman  – 1,075,000  (11 bb)
Seat 5.  Christopher Walters  –  2,100,000  (21 bb)
Seat 6.  Yilmaz Yosul  –  4,150,000  (42 bb)
Seat 7.  Dyanna Lopez  –  1,375,000  (14 bb)
Seat 8.  John Howe  –  9,875,000  (99 bb)

TABLE 8
Seat 1.  Vu Dang  –  4,300,000  (43 bb)
Seat 2.  Jose Rivero  –  2,100,000  (21 bb)
Seat 3.  Corey Dunbar  –  4,600,000  (46 bb)
Seat 4.
Seat 5.  John Ghosn  –  6,550,000  (66 bb)
Seat 6.  Dejan Petkovic  –  5,075,000  (51 bb)
Seat 7.
Seat 8.  David Nathaniel  –  1,700,000  (17 bb)

TABLE 16
Seat 1.  Jorge Gomez  –  1,975,000  (20 bb)
Seat 2.  Milan Gurung  –  2,525,000  (25 bb)
Seat 3.  Mike Hager  –  8,425,000  (84 bb)
Seat 4.  Brendan Feinberg  –  1,900,000  (19 bb)
Seat 5.
Seat 6.  Otis James  –  3,775,000  (38 bb)
Seat 7.  Alejandro Exposito  –  10,000,000  (100 bb)
Seat 8.  Sebastian Toro Henao  –  15,530,000  (155 bb)

1st:  $201,030 + Showdown Trophy
2nd:  $134,000
3rd:  $99,000
4th:  $74,000
5th:  $56,000
6th:  $43,000
7th:  $33,000
8th:  $25,500
9th-10th:  $20,100
11th-12th:  $15,900
13th-15th:  $12,600
16th-19th:  $10,000
20th:  $8,100

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $1,578,390  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 29:  50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining:  20 of 4,783

On the river of a board with about 1,800,000 in the pot, Rafael Reis moved all in for about 2,020,000 in the small blind. John Ghosn thought briefly in the big blind before he called.

“You win,” said Reis.

Ghosn showed for kings and tens, besting Reis’ to end Reis’ tournament in 21st place.

John Ghosn  –  6,500,000  (65 bb)
Rafael Reis  –  Eliminated in 21st Place  ($8,100)

With 20 players remaining from a field of 4,783, the average chip stack is around 4,785,000 (48 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $8,100 each.

There will be a hard stop tonight at 2:00 am, and Day 3 begins tomorrow (Monday) at 1:00 pm, when they will play down to a winner.