Tyler Willse Leads the Final Nine in the $1,100 H.O.R.S.E. Mega Satellite

Tyler Willse stacked 100,000 chips to lead the final nine in the $1,100 H.O.R.S.E. Landmark Mega Satellite at the 2026 WSOP, a mixed-game grinder with one Circuit ring and six career final tables playing for something that doesn't come with hardware but might matter more: a Landmark bracelet-event seat worth more than a third of his lifetime earnings.

Willse's $252,096 in career cashes tells the story of a player who has ground mixed games for years without a single breakout score. Winning this satellite changes that math overnight. The seat he's chasing would represent his largest single-event value by a wide margin. For a guy who has built his bankroll one stud round and one Omaha Hi-Lo split at a time, the final table of Event #271 is the biggest stage he's sat on.

Willse's $252,096 in career cashes tells the story of a player who has ground mixed games for years without a single breakout score.

The Table He Has to Beat

Willse holds the chip lead, but the résumés across the felt make this anything but a coronation.

Michael Matusow is at the final table. Four WSOP bracelets. Twenty-nine career final tables. $5.31M in lifetime earnings. Matusow built his reputation in mixed games decades ago, and the H.O.R.S.E. rotation is native territory for him. His chip count isn't public, but his presence alone warps the table dynamic. Every player at the final nine knows who he is and what he's capable of when the game rotates to Stud or Razz.

Then there's Jerry Wong. One bracelet, one Circuit ring, 24 final tables, $5.31M in lifetime earnings. Wong is the kind of player who shows up in satellites not because he needs the seat but because he treats every edge as worth capturing. He sat fifth in the chip counts when the final table formed.

Vladas Tamasauskas, a Lithuanian pro with $1.88M in career earnings and seven final tables, adds international firepower. Peter Dirksen rounds out the named contingent with $42,450 in lifetime cashes and five final tables, a lower-profile grinder whose path to this seat mirrors Willse's own.

How the Field Collapsed

The satellite started with a full field and shed players fast. By the time the tournament hit 23 remaining, the leaderboard featured Long Tran ($474,354 lifetime, five final tables) and Jay Hong ($153,832, three final tables), both of whom busted before the final table formed.

At two tables, Mark Gregorich appeared on the chip-count report. Gregorich's $1.78M in lifetime earnings and 15 final tables made him one of the more decorated players in the field. He didn't survive to the final nine either.

Matthew Kaplan, who carries one Circuit ring, $241,467 in earnings, and six final tables on his ledger, was also named at the 17-player mark. Kaplan's profile is strikingly similar to Willse's: a ring winner, a mid-five-figure grinder, a mixed-game regular. Whether Kaplan is among the final nine remains unconfirmed by the chip report, but his presence at two tables underscores the point: this satellite attracted serious mixed-game players, not tourists looking for a cheap sweat.

What the Seat Means

The Landmark bracelet event carries a buy-in that dwarfs anything Willse has entered through the front door. Winning this satellite doesn't just save him money. It puts him in a field where a deep run could double or triple his career earnings in a single event.

That's the real tension at this final table. Matusow and Wong have the résumés and the bankrolls to absorb a satellite bust. For Willse, the seat itself is the score. One hundred thousand chips and eight opponents stand between him and the biggest opportunity of his career.

The H.O.R.S.E. rotation will keep cycling. The games will keep changing. Willse needs his whole bag to hold up across all five disciplines against players who have been doing this longer and for higher numbers. But he has the chips. And in a satellite where survival is everything, chips are the only argument that matters.