How many players will register the Main Event on Day 2?

There has been so much talk about late registration this year that Barry Carter thinks we will see a record-breaking number of Day 2 registrations in the Main Event this year.

The World Series of Poker Main Event starts tomorrow. There is already a lot of talk about whether the Main Event will eclipse 10,000 runners this year, but I think a more interesting question is how many people will late register on Day 2. 

Late registration has been the talk of the 2026 WSOP. On social media, Tombos21 has been sharing just how profitable it is in bracelet events. Perhaps as a direct result, we have seen a lot of events where a significant portion of the field registered on Day 2. 

I still think we're heading towards a smaller field than in the last few years for the Main Event, but I anticipate that the number of people that register on day two will be its biggest ever. People are simply waking up to the incredible value of late registration as well as the time and cost savings that come with it. 

If you recall, it has only been possible to register on Day 2 for a small amount of time, and this is the data for the last few years:

75bbs and a day saved sounds pretty good

Even as the Main Event has gotten smaller in the last couple of years, the number of people who register on Day 2 has increased, both in total and as a percentage of the field. 

It's not even like you're gambling if you register on Day 2 of the Main Event. You will come into 75 bbs and a two-hour clock. When you factor in the ICM boost and the time savings, it seems like a no-brainer. 

So this year I'd set the line at 1,600 late registrations, and I would take the over. In fact, I believe the number of late registrations this year may force tournament directors to rethink their policy on late registration. If the trend carries on like this, we may have events that simply don't start because nobody wants to show up on time.