WSOP Ladies Championship Day 2 with a Top Stack: How to Abuse the Money Bubble

I started Day 2 of the record 1,475-entry 2026 WSOP Ladies Championship with 205,000 chips, 17th of 338 players. With a table full of short stacks near the bubble, I played almost every hand, chipped up past 700,000, played the main-stage feature table on the live stream, and bagged about 1.17 million for Day 3 with 48 players left.

Day 2 of a record Ladies Championship

The 2026 WSOP Ladies Championship broke the record, with 1,475 entries and about $194,000 for first. I bagged 205,000 chips on Day 1, 17th in chips of the 338 players left. With 222 places paid and a $2,000 minimum cash, we were about 100 players from the money.

I have wanted redemption in this event since 2019, when I made the final table and finished sixth.

How to abuse the money bubble

My table draw was lucky. I was the chip leader at a table of short stacks, and on a soft bubble the short and medium stacks are handcuffed. They have to play straightforward to make the money.

So I played a lot of hands, almost every hand at one point. I opened seven-three offsuit on the button and three-bet late-position opens. You can tell who wants to cash: they stall and slow-fold. When I faced real aggression without a hand, I folded.

Read ranges with stack size plus position

A 20 big blind stack raising under the gun has a very strong range. A 200 big blind stack raising under the gun can be much wider. Stack plus position is the quickest way to start narrowing ranges after the flop.

Hand-for-hand and in the money

I honestly did not want the bubble to end because I was chipping up so fast. We went hand-for-hand, and after a couple of all-ins we were in the money. I lost half my stack in one pot when tens lost to eights, but kept building, past 600,000 and then close to 700,000 as the chip leader.

Hand breakdown: six-four of hearts for value

At 3,000-6,000, I opened six-four of hearts in the hijack and the big blind called. The flop came queen of hearts, nine of clubs, jack of hearts. I had six-high with a flush draw and bet small, 13,000. She called. The nine of hearts turned and gave me the flush, so I bet 38,000 to get called by nines and queens.

The eight of clubs river put four to a straight on board. She checked, and I bet a small 30,000 for thin value. She called with a nine.

The feature table

After dinner, I moved to the live-stream feature table on the main stage. The lights and cameras make everything feel more dramatic. Highlights included trip kings for value with eight-three suited, and a fold with king-seven of diamonds when my opponent led the river into me with a wheel.

I bagged about 1.17 million chips for Day 3 with 48 players left. After 14-hour days three days in a row, I could barely fill in the number on the bag.

Questions viewers asked

How do you abuse the money bubble in a poker tournament?

When you have a big stack and the players around you are short or medium and want to cash, open very wide and three-bet late-position opens. They have to play straightforward, so they fold a lot. If you face real aggression without a hand, fold.

How do stack size and position help you read a range?

A 20 big blind stack raising under the gun has a strong range. A 200 big blind stack raising under the gun can be much wider. Combine stack size and position to narrow ranges after the flop.

How do you rate a WSOP dealer?

In the WSOP app, go to My Info, tap the dealer, choose five stars and submit. Dealers with the most five-star ratings can win a $5,000 bonus.

What was Lexy’s previous best Ladies Championship finish?

Sixth place in 2019. She finished eighth in 2026.

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