Summer in the desert is always hot, but when the action kicks off at the World Series of Poker, the temperature goes nuclear.
As of this writing, all previewed events for the WSOP 2026 have concluded, with the exception of the biggest one of all: the Main Event. The final table will shuffle up and deal from August 3rd to 5th.
Ahead of those dates, we’re looking back at the 2026 WSOP to recap the action (and look ahead to the Main Event).
Record-Setting Summer On the Felt
A staggering $469.9 million was at stake for 2026, spread across 100 bracelet events, making it th
This year, there was a staggering $469.9M at stake across 100 bracelet events (a touch below 2025’s $480M+). Over 250,000 entries were logged for the 57th WSOP, which was a record for the sheer number of competitors buying in.
They stepped into the ring to take on the best in the world at poker and chase a chance at glory in a huge variety of games.
Events for All
Players were able to join events spanning buy-ins from $300 all the way up to $250,000. New additions to the lineup included the $550 Mini Mystery Millions, a series opener with a half-size buy-in compared to the classic Mystery Millions, while still guaranteeing a $1 million top bounty prize.
There was also the $10,000 GGMillion$ High Roller game and the $1,700 U.S. Circuit Championship, which let WSOP Circuit grinders chase a gold bracelet in Las Vegas, rather than the usual ring.
The $500 Summer Saver rounded out the additions with another lower-stakes game that pretty much any player could take a crack at. Returning staple events like the Colossus and Monster Stack games drew some of the largest fields of the summer (as they usually do).
Omaha Games
Omaha players got two new options this year: the $1,500 Five-Card Pot-Limit Omaha in June and “Pick Your PLO” in July. The latter was a dealer’s-choice game that rotated through PLO, PLO8, Five-Card PLO, and Big O.
Countries Represented
The United States sent the largest contingent of players, followed by sizable percentages coming from Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan. In total, 111 countries were represented, with Brazil, China, Israel, Spain, and Germany rounding out the top ten. As for U.S. players, California, Nevada, and Florida sent the most of any state, with Texas and New York not far behind.
WSOP 2026 Bracelet Winners and Moments to Remember
Big Names
This year, Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu added an eighth bracelet to his resume by winning the $100,000 PLO High Roller event. He took out Artur Martirosian heads-up, sealing his victory with a couple of very nice river bluffs, for a payout of $2,257,718.
Another legend, Benny Glaser, claimed his ninth career bracelet in the Poker Players Championship. This win got him well over a million dollars in prize money and helped him secure the bag in one of the largest paydays outside the Main Event.
Phil Hellmuth came very close to extending his all-time bracelet record to 18, only to fall short in event #99. He was heads-up against Darren Rabinowitz, and at one point, Hellmuth had a 4-to-1 chip lead. The decisive hand occurred when Rabinowitz shoved with top pair and a mid kicker. Hellmuth, thinking Rabinowitz was on a draw, called with bottom pair and was bounced in second place.
One of the most memorable hands of the closing stretch belonged to Dimitar Danchev. He won the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship by making a full house on the river against an opponent holding trips. It was a sickening suckout that instantly became a WSOP 2026 viral moment.
Newbies
WSOP 2026 action saw a few newcomers emerge as competitive threats. Software engineer Zixuan Liu, playing in just his second-ever WSOP tournament, took down a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event for a career-best cash of $219,391. It was much more impressive because, at one point, an ineffective bluff had left him with just four big blinds.
Twenty-one-year-old Adriaan Jacobs fared even better, turning a chip lead on the final day into his first bracelet. Five-time bracelet winner Kristen Foxen also mentored her student, Philip Chun, to a championship win of his own. He took first in the $550 Mini Mystery Millions, the series opener, and turned his buy-in into $400,622 and a shiny bracelet.
On the mixed-game side, Michelle Chin became the first woman to win a mixed-game bracelet since 2015 by winning the $1,500 2-7 Triple Draw event, taking home $161,313. After that, Skye Chen captured the Ladies Championship in her first-ever tournament – a genuinely rare feat at any level of poker, let alone the WSOP.
The Main Event
As for the Main Event itself, the final table won’t start to play out until August 3rd, but the run-up was full of excitement. Nine-time bracelet winner and 2026 Poker Hall of Fame finalist Shaun Deeb made a deep run and ultimately was knocked out in 15th place.
Todd Brunson, son of the late Doyle Brunson, carried the family legacy deep into the tournament and finished respectably in 20th place.
Reigning champion Michael Mizrachi busted on Day 5 in 241st place (which still carries a payout of $50,000). This ended his bid to become the first back-to-back Main Event winner since Johnny Chan did it in 1988. 2003 champion Chris Moneymaker also made a notable cameo, busting out right on the bubble when he lost on Day 4.
When the dust finally settled on Day 8, a nine-handed final table was set. Each player is guaranteed to win over a million dollars.
Main Event Contenders
1. Lucas Jumalon (194,000,000 chips). A 22-year-old from Spokane who recently graduated from Grand Canyon University with a degree in business administration and data analytics. His previous best result? A cash of $22,945.
2. Rami Hammoud (79,000,000 chips). A 36-year-old from Montreal who works as an analytics manager for Voldex Games (a company known for Roblox Studio).
3. Jamie Shaevel (56,000,000 chips). A 39-year-old cash-game specialist and father of two from Santa Monica who owns an LED lighting company. This is his eighth Main Event cash since 2011.
4. Greg Mueller (48,500,000 chips). A three-time WSOP bracelet winner from Canada, known by the nickname “FBT” (“Full Blown Tilt”).
5. Michael Gagliano (46,500,000 chips). A four-time bracelet winner from the United States.
6. Mario Boos (44,000,000 chips). A player from France.
7. Lauri Saaskilahti (37,500,000 chips). A player from Finland.
8. Han Feng (25,000,000 chips). A player from the United States.
9. Evagoras Evagorou (22,500,000 chips). An amateur from Cyprus playing in his first-ever Main Event.
With 99 of 100 bracelets handed out and the Main Event final table locked in, the last piece of this year’s puzzle plays out August 3rd through 5th. The nine players listed above will return to chase a $10 million top prize on ESPN, and one of them will win the cash of a lifetime and instantly become poker’s biggest superstar, if only for the moment.
Team Ignition Pro Xuan Liu’s Hot Poker Summer
Xuan Liu has been tearing up the felt all around the world. If you want to go along for the ride, check out her YouTube channel, where she posts about her travels in detail.
She kicked things off with a return trip to Montenegro’s Triton Series, fresh on the heels of her 2025 championship win. Three high-stakes buy-ins (two $25Ks and a $30K) yielded some brutal cooler hands, but sadly no cashes.
After that, she joined a Poker Night in America session at Phil Hellmuth’s home game. There, she came out decently ahead thanks to a gutsy river bluff and some well-timed folds.
After going head-to-head with the Poker Brat, she flew to Prague for WSOP Europe (while recovering from a recent health scare). She pushed through a rough Main Event bust-out on Day 1 and returned for a stronger Day 2 run that carried her deep. At the featured table, she was knocked out just shy of the money.
Back stateside, she returned to Hellmuth’s home game one more time. This time she was at the Grand Sierra in Reno. She took a big early pot against Hellmuth’s son, and later stacked Hellmuth himself in one of the session’s viral hands. It was a good grind this year and good practice for this summer’s Main Event.
How did Xuan Liu do at the WSOP?
Even in such a crowded event, Liu managed to make some waves.
In Event #26 (a $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em tournament), Liu was eliminated at 26th place, earning $9,733 in winnings. Later, in Event #16 (the $1,700 U.S. Circuit Championship No-Limit Hold’em game), she took home $4,150 after an early elimination.
Xuan Liu made a greater impact in the Main Event, taking home $27,500 and placing 634th out of over 9,000 competitors.
For a player as active as Liu, it’s only a matter of time before that next eye-popping score.
