WSOP 2026 Main Event: Schedule, Format and ESPN Final Table

The WSOP 2026 Main Event (Event #82) was a $10,000 freezeout with four Day 1 flights running July 2 to 5. Players got one shot: no re-entries. Lucas Jumalon won it on August 5, beating Lauri Saaskilahti heads-up for $10,000,000.

The 2026 edition brought the biggest format change since the November Nine era ended in 2016. The final nine players were determined on July 13, and returned 20 days later for a live ESPN finale running August 3 to 5. Famous faces joined the fields too: see the WSOP 2026 celebrity appearances round-up.

Jumalon led every hand of the final table and closed it out in 17 hands of heads-up play. Every bracelet winner of the summer sits on our WSOP 2026 results tracker.

Event #82 | $10,000 Freezeout | 9,208 entries | $85.6M prize pool | Champion: Lucas Jumalon, $10,000,000

Final Table Day 3: Jumalon Closes It Out in 17 Hands

Lucas Jumalon won the 2026 Main Event on Wednesday night, beating Lauri Saaskilahti heads-up for the world championship and the last bracelet of the series. The 22-year-old from Spokane, Washington needed 17 hands to finish a run he had led since Day 8.

He is the second-youngest world champion in the tournament's history, a year older than Joe Cada was in 2009, and the fourth American in a row to take the title. ESPN called it a wire-to-wire performance: Jumalon took the chip lead with 13 players left and never gave it back.

WSOP chief executive Ty Stewart called it “one of the most spirited final tables of all time”.

Hand 166: Saaskilahti Runs It Down

The closest Jumalon came to losing the lead arrived on hand 166. Saaskilahti raised to 10,000,000 with A♥ 10♦, Jumalon jammed with A♠ 9♣, and the call came.

The A♦ Q♦ 4♠ flop left Saaskilahti in front and the 9♦ turn put Jumalon one card from the bracelet. Then the 6♦ river filled the Finn's flush and doubled him to 266,000,000 against 287,000,000, the tightest the match ever got.

Hand 167: The Hero Call

The very next hand undid all of it. Jumalon raised the button with Q♠ 5♦, Saaskilahti defended with J♦ 3♦, and the board ran 4♣ K♠ A♠ J♠ 6♠.

Jumalon made the spade flush on the river and bet 180,000,000 into a pot of 100,000,000. Saaskilahti tanked, talked himself into the call with a jack and dropped to 34,000,000.

Hand 169: The Hand That Ended It

Two hands later Jumalon jammed the button with K♠ 6♦ and Saaskilahti called off with A♠ 7♦. The 6♠ 8♦ J♠ flop paired Jumalon, the 6♣ turn made trips, and the Finn was drawing dead before the 4♦ river landed.

Saaskilahti's Record Finish

Saaskilahti's $6,000,000 is the biggest score by a Finnish player in Main Event history and lifts him to fifth on Finland's all-time money list, according to The Hendon Mob. His previous best cash was under $90,000.

He trailed from the first hand of the night to the last and never once held the lead. The runner-up prize is more than 60 times anything he had won before.

Final Table Payouts

The full final table payouts, from Jumalon's $10,000,000 down to the $1,000,000 guaranteed to ninth place.

Final Table Day 2: Jumalon and Saaskilahti Reach Heads-Up

Five players busted in six hours on Tuesday, taking the final table from seven to two. Lucas Jumalon bagged 328,000,000 and Lauri Saaskilahti 225,000,000, setting up the Wednesday finish.

Jumalon has never surrendered the lead since the final table began and now holds 59.3% of the 553,000,000 in play, up from 38% on Monday. He took out the first two players of the night and at one stage held two-thirds of the chips.

Four-time NBA champion Draymond Green called “Shuffle Up and Deal,” joking that the winner would still sit 16 bracelets behind his friend Phil Hellmuth.

Saaskilahti Cracks Aces and Wins the Biggest Pot

Han Feng was all in for 25,000,000 with pocket aces after Saaskilahti three-bet to 50,000,000 holding pocket nines. Greg Mueller folded pocket jacks in between, having removed his hat and sunglasses to think it over.

The board ran ten-eight-three with three diamonds, then a jack, then a queen. Saaskilahti had one out on the flop and a straight by the river, and Feng went out fifth for $2,250,000.

With four left, Saaskilahti called off 61,000,000 on a nine-four-two-five board holding pocket tens against the four-three of Jumalon. The 188,500,000 pot was the biggest of the tournament and took him from 17% of the chips to 34%.

Saaskilahti went into the final night chasing Finland's first Main Event title. The businessman plays the European circuit from a base in Spain, and WSOP.com credits him with the deepest run and biggest score by a Finn in Main Event history.

Five Fall as Jumalon Passes 300 Million

Jamie Shaevel was the first out, jamming a seven-four-three flop with king-six into the king-ten of Jumalon and bricking twice. He collected $1,500,000 for seventh inside the opening hour.

Rami Hammoud went sixth for $1,750,000, getting the last 4,000,000 of a short stack in on a three-spade flop with queen-jack against ace-five.

Michael Gagliano got his last 9,500,000 in from the button with king-queen, ahead of the king-jack of Jumalon until the turn paired the jack. The three-time bracelet winner banked $2,750,000 for fourth.

Two hands into three-handed play, Saaskilahti limped the small blind, checked an ace-ace-four flop, bet the jack turn and asked for the rest on a three river. Greg Mueller called with ten-four for a pair of fours, ran into pocket kings and took $3,750,000 for third.

Heads-Up Chip Counts

Jumalon carried 109 big blinds into heads-up against 75, a 3-2 lead with 553,000,000 in play.

Final Table Day 1: Two Out, Jumalon Takes the Lead Overnight

Play resumed at Level 39 on Monday night at the Horseshoe Events Center, blinds at 1,000,000/1,500,000 with 56:40 left on the clock. Six hours later only seven players remained and the blinds had climbed to 1,000,000/2,500,000.

Lucas Jumalon ended the session on 212,000,000, 38% of the 553,000,000 in play and double the stack of his nearest rival. The 22-year-old from Spokane, Washington added only 18,000,000 to the stack he arrived with, but nobody landed a blow on him either.

His one real setback came against Michael Gagliano, who called two streets with ace-high and took a sizeable pot when Jumalon could not fire a third barrel holding six-high. Jumalon tightened up for the next couple of hours.

Han Feng Climbs From Eighth to Second

Han Feng started the day eighth of nine in chips and finished second on 106,500,000, the biggest mover of the session. He arrived in full cosplay as Donquixote Doflamingo from the anime One Piece, an outfit he put at $200.

Feng was down to a handful of big blinds twice and survived both. He doubled through Mario Boos with ace-four when a four landed on the turn, then doubled again through Jumalon holding pocket kings.

He closed the night by three-betting Lauri Saaskilahti off a large pot with pocket queens. Saaskilahti had started the final table seventh in chips and still finished the day third on 84,500,000.

Evagorou and Boos Bank Seven Figures

Evagoras Evagorou went out ninth for $1,000,000 after almost three hours of play, his pocket jacks losing a race to Jamie Shaevel‘s ace-queen when an ace landed on the flop. He is the first player from Cyprus to reach a Main Event final table.

Mario Boos followed in eighth for $1,250,000, his pocket eights out-flopped by the king-nine of Saaskilahti. The Frenchman had never cashed the Main Event before this year and normally plays events below $1,000.

Hammoud Rehearsed Against Cardboard Cut-Outs

Rami Hammoud spent the three-week break preparing against cardboard cut-outs of his eight opponents, playing out hands with the noise of Jumalon's rail in his headphones so the moment would not feel unfamiliar. He sat down wearing sunglasses borrowed from 2004 world champion Greg Raymer.

The WSOP also removed the shot clock for the final table, three weeks after introducing it on Day 7 for the first time in the tournament's history. Play still ran six hours for two eliminations.

End of Day 1 Chip Counts

Four of the seven returned with under 20 big blinds. The average stack was 79,000,000, a shade over 31 big blinds.

Day 8: Jumalon Leads the Final Nine Into the ESPN Finale

Day 8 played from 21 down to the final nine, each guaranteed $1,000,000. The 22-year-old Lucas Jumalon bagged 194,000,000, more than a third of the chips in play and 115 million clear of the field.

Jumalon, a business and data analytics graduate whose best previous score was $23,000, turned a set of jacks into a 35,000,000 river call from Malcolm Trayner to become the first player past 100,000,000.

“It still hasn't sunk in, and I don't know if it ever will,” Jumalon said after his elimination of Trayner ended the night.

Trayner Falls One Short

Overnight leader Malcolm Trayner bubbled the final table in 10th for $750,000, his two pair counterfeited by running nines on the last hand of the night. The Aussie Millions champion had doubled up Evagoras Evagorou on the first hand of the unofficial final table.

Hammoud and Shaevel Lead the Chase

Rami Hammoud (79,000,000) sat second, a Playground Poker Club regular whose best previous score came in a $1,150 event. Cash-game specialist Jamie Shaevel (56,000,000) was third in his eighth Main Event cash, never previously finishing better than 100th.

Michael Gagliano and Greg Mueller arrived as the most decorated players at the table, three bracelets each. Gagliano started fifth on 46,500,000 after losing a 26,500,000 flip to Mueller's queens holding ace-king, leaving Mueller fourth on 48,500,000.

Deeb, Ensan and Brunson Fall

Shaun Deeb exited in 15th for $410,475, shoving a straight draw into Hammoud's top pair, and fired the $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. High Roller and the $500 Summer Saver within minutes. Hossein Ensan‘s bid for a second title ended in 13th for $510,000 when his ace-queen ran into Gagliano's kings.

Todd Brunson‘s pursuit of the family double ended in 20th for $325,000, his aces rivered by a Trayner flush.

Final Table Starting Stacks

Day 7 Recap

Day 7 cut the field from 62 to 21, each guaranteed $325,000. Malcolm Trayner bagged a towering 63,200,000, chasing an Aussie Millions and Main Event double in the same year.

Day 6 leader Tyler Gaston fell in 36th, and a shot clock featured deep in the Main Event for the first time in the event's 57-year history.

Day 6 Recap

Day 6 cut the field from 174 to 62, each guaranteed $150,000. Tyler Gaston bagged the lead at 21,000,000, with Todd Brunson and 2019 champion Hossein Ensan both inside the top ten.

Sean Winter, Dutch Boyd and Japanese vlogger Masato Yokosawa hit the rail, while Cash game star Wesley Fei watched his kings fall to ace-seven suited.

Day 5 Recap

Day 5 cut the field from 533 to 174, ending Michael Mizrachi's title defence in 241st when his king-queen fell to Hossein Ensan's aces. Zhao Liu bagged the only eight-figure stack at 10,150,000.

Player of the Year front-runner Alex Foxen exited in 263rd, his cash still nudging his lead higher. Greg Raymer and Ryan Riess also cashed for $50,000 each.

Day 4 Recap

Day 4 sliced the field from 1,389 to 533, with the bubble bursting on three simultaneous eliminations. Every survivor locked up at least $32,500.

2003 world champion Chris Moneymaker bubbled by calling off his last chips playing the board against aces. Sam Sweilem bagged the lead at 3,800,000, and a record 431 women entered the field.

Day 3 Recap

Day 3 cut the field from 3,294 to 1,389, with the bubble surviving into Thursday. PLO cash game specialist Sasha Liu bagged the lead at 2,364,000.

Phil Hellmuth exited when his flush draw missed, while 2015 champion Joe McKeehen and Benjamin Pollak, whose aces full ran into quad sixes, also fell short of the money.

Day 2 Recap

Two Day 2s locked the final field at 9,208 entries and an $85,634,400 prize pool, with $10,000,000 for the winner. Michael Rossitto led Day 2d at 770,500, ahead of late-entering entrepreneur Jeff Fenster (747,000).

Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, 2024 champion Jonathan Tamayo and Gus Hansen all fell across the two days. Argentina's Gaspar Fernandez led Day 2abc at 754,000.

Day 1 Recap: 8,077 Entries Across Four Flights

The four starting flights ran July 2 to 5, drawing 8,077 entries with 6,107 bagging chips. Japan's Ryuta Nakai topped Day 1a at 323,000.

Day 1d dwarfed the other flights with 4,694 entries after UFC star Sean O'Malley called “Shuffle Up and Deal.” Doug Polk endured a wild ride before busting when his kings could not hold against jacks.

The $10,000 Main Event carries the deepest structure of the summer. Every entrant starts with 60,000 chips and plays 120-minute levels. It is a freezeout: one entry per player, with no re-entries.

The Main Event runs across the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, the modern home of the WSOP, with the final table staged at the Horseshoe Events Center. First-time visitors can map the casinos and tournament rooms with our WSOP 2026 Las Vegas venue guide.

The final field reached 9,208 entries, the fourth-largest in WSOP history. Day 1d alone drew 4,694, the largest single flight by far. The 2024 record of 10,112 stands.

The defining change for 2026 was the delayed final table. The final nine were set on July 13 but did not return until August 3, reviving the November Nine format last used in 2016. Our WSOP 2026 schedule and reference pages cover the full series.

Most of the field reached the $10,000 buy-in for far less through online satellites. Our WSOP 2026 satellite qualification guide covers the GGPoker and WSOP Online routes.

Michael Mizrachi entered as defending champion after winning the 2025 Main Event for $10,000,000, his first world title and eighth bracelet. He also won the $50,000 Poker Players Championship and entered the Poker Hall of Fame. No player has won back-to-back Main Events since Johnny Chan in 1988.

He arrived red-hot after winning the $10,000 PLO Championship for his ninth bracelet just days earlier, but his title defence ended in 241st on Day 5. His earnings, titles and high-stakes history sit in Michael Mizrachi's career and bracelet record.

The chasing pack was stacked with legends. Phil Hellmuth brought a record 17 bracelets and a 37-year wait for a second Main Event title, but fell short of the money on Day 3. We break it all down in Phil Hellmuth's WSOP bracelet history.

Daniel Negreanu arrived with a fresh eighth bracelet after winning the $100,000 PLO High Roller on the eve of the Main Event, though his run ended on Day 2, the latest chapter in Daniel Negreanu's results and earnings.

Phil Ivey owns 11 bracelets but has never won the Main Event, his best a 7th in 2009, told in Phil Ivey's high-stakes career story.

Niklas Astedt, third in 2024 for $4,000,000, recorded no cash here. The biggest tracked online tournament winner in the game had made the deepest run of any pure online specialist two years earlier, as covered in Niklas “Lena900” Astedt's career record.

The women's game has its own headline. Leo Margets finished 7th in 2025, the deepest run by a woman in the Main Event since Barbara Enright's 5th place in 1995.

The Main Event carries one of the biggest points hauls in the WSOP 2026 Player of the Year race. Its vast field and $10,000 buy-in make it the highest-value stop on the calendar. Defending winner Shaun Deeb made the deepest Main Event run of his career, finishing 15th.

Many reached their seat through online satellites, not the full buy-in. GGPoker's WSOP Express path starts at just $0.50 and has awarded more than 1,000 Main Event seats for 2026. They add first-timers chasing poker's biggest title.

ESPN holds the Main Event broadcast rights under a new multi-year deal. Daily play streamed on the ESPN app from July 2 to 13, by subscription. The final nine then moved to ESPN2 on August 3, before ESPN took over for August 4 and 5.

Outside the US, the Main Event reaches viewers through Eurosport, TNT Sports and HBO Max under the WSOP's Warner Bros Discovery deal. Coverage and start times vary by territory.

The final session ran on ESPN, with cards in the air at 6pm PT on Wednesday and the broadcast from 7:30pm PT. A cable or streaming TV subscription is needed for the linear channels. For every Main Event option, including international broadcasters, see our WSOP 2026 broadcast and viewing guide.

The Main Event has crowned a champion every year since 1970. A handful of records frame the 2026 edition.

The full list of winners from 1970 to today sits on our WSOP Main Event champions page.