Table of Contents
Why Day 1B Is the Sweet Spot for Pick 3
- •Field full of unknowns
- •No chip data yet
- •Picks are pure guesswork
- •Survived the early blind levels
- •Stack sizes are visible
- •Clear signal of upside
The short answer: Day 1B survivors give you the first real data of the WSOP Main Event. When play begins, the field is a sea of unknowns; by the end of Day 1B, players who navigated the first two blind levels have proven they can handle the early chaos, and their chip stacks become a clear indicator of upside. For Pick 3 fantasy managers, those stacks are the gold mine that can lift a roster from average to championship-ready.
What Is Pick 3?
Pick 3 is a free-to-play fantasy contest from PokerOrg. You select three Main Event participants, and the combined cashes of those players determine your score. Whoever posts the highest total at the end of the tournament wins a $5,000 prize package for the Moneymaker Tour Main Event in Aruba.
The contest stays open until July 6 at 11 a.m. PT, so you have a full week to adjust your lineup as the tournament unfolds.
Top Picks After Day 1B
Five players emerged from Day 1B with the biggest stacks and the strongest case for a Pick 3 roster. Each has a track record of deep runs and the ability to convert a strong start into a final-table appearance.
| Player | Day 1B stack | Why he belongs on your roster |
|---|---|---|
| Ali Eslami | 256,200 | 2025 bracelet winner with $2.58 million in career earnings. His stack is more than four times the starting stack — a comfortable cushion to survive the mid-stage and push for a deep run. |
| João Simao | 134,000 | Four-time bracelet holder with over $20 million in winnings. Sits in the upper tier of Day 1B survivors, and his aggressive style often turns modest stacks into massive piles. |
| Josh Reichard | 81,400 | Recent bracelet winner with ten cashes already at the 2026 WSOP, ranked seventh on the Player-of-the-Year leaderboard. A reliable pick for steady points in large fields. |
| Nicholas Rigby | 75,700 | Entertaining, high-variance player with deep runs in 2021 and 2023. Enough chips to maneuver, and a genuine breakout candidate. |
| Michael Mizrachi | 73,200 | The 2025 Main Event champion, back to defend his title. A low-risk, high-reward pick with championship pedigree and consistent point potential. |
- •Eslami: 4x his starting stack
- •Reichard: 10 cashes at the 2026 WSOP
- •Mizrachi: 2025 Main Event champion
- •Simao: aggressive 4-time bracelet winner
- •Rigby: deep runs in 2021 and 2023
Balancing Risk and Reward
- •Eslami + Simao + Reichard
- •Weathers early volatility
- •Keeps deep-run upside
- •Rigby + Simao + Mizrachi
- •Huge ceiling if stacks grow
- •Real risk of early eliminations
A winning Pick 3 lineup usually blends one high-stack, low-variance player with one or two high-variance, high-potential names. Pairing Ali Eslami's solid stack with João Simao's aggression and Josh Reichard's consistency creates a trio that can weather early volatility while keeping the upside of a deep finish.
An all-high-variance lineup — Rigby, Simao, and Mizrachi, for example — could produce spectacular points if their stacks grow, but it also carries a real risk of early elimination. The key is to assess each player's chip cushion relative to the blind structure and to consider how many levels remain before the blinds reach 1,000-level territory. For a broader look at surviving the Main Event grind, see our guide to WSOP Main Event marathon strategy.
Timing Is Everything
The Pick 3 deadline is July 6 at 11 a.m. PT — the same day Day 2 of the Main Event begins. That schedule lets you watch the first two flights, see which players survive, and lock in your lineup before the blinds accelerate. Wait until the last minute, though, and you risk missing a player who busts early or a stack that shrinks dramatically.
Because entry is free, you can experiment with different lineups on the PokerOrg platform. Many managers use the edit feature to swap a player out if a new chip leader emerges on Day 1C. Staying flexible until the deadline is a genuine competitive edge.
Leveraging the Day 1B Chip Leaders
Beyond the five highlighted picks, Day 1B leaders such as Osmar Rockenbach (286,900 chips), Michael Stembera (270,300), and Damarjai Davenport (263,000) also deserve consideration — full counts are in our Day 1B results report. These players hold the largest stacks and the best chance of surviving the mid-stage, but massive chip counts can also make them targets for aggressive opponents, which raises the risk of an early exit.
When weighing a top stack, compare the player's style against the field's aggression. A conservative, tight player with a huge stack may be a safer bet than an aggressive player who could bleed blinds early.
Key Takeaways
- Pick 3 is a free contest: choose three Main Event players, and the highest combined cashes win the $5,000 Aruba package.
- Day 1B survivors are the most reliable early indicator of future performance.
- Blend a solid big stack, an aggressive high-variance player, and a proven deep-runner for the best score potential.
- Watch the blinds and stay flexible — the lineup can be edited until July 6 at 11 a.m. PT.