2026 WSOP Main Event

Daniel Negreanu has a message for the WSOP Main Event final nine.

It’s a big moment for all of them, of course, but Daniel underlines that this is also an opportunity for them to show to the world how fun and exciting live poker can be!

The numbers for the WSOP ESPN coverage are in, and they’re not great.

Main Event episodes that aired on ESPN over the last few days did not smash it in terms of viewer numbers.

What is the extra value of winning the WSOP Main Event in 2026?

Once upon a time, winning the Main Event also meant heaps of opportunities for the winner to get sponsorship deals, invitations to special events, and much more. What’s the situation like in 2026 in this regard and what is the extra value of winning the Main these days? Opinions seem to differ greatly.

The Main Event final table is approaching.

The nine players are coming back with a dream. Some already have experience on the big stage, and for some, including the 22-year-old chip leader, this is already the biggest and most significant moment of their careers. Who will become the next poker world champion?

Check out Faraz Jaka’s Main Event run.

The latest vlog from Faraz Jaka brings the breakdown of his 2026 WSOP Main Event run, highlighting some of the most important hands and explaining the logic behind his decisions.

Pick your favorite to win the Main Event & get a signed copy of Gus Hansen’s poker book.

Who do you think wins the Main Event. Will Lucas manage to turn his massive lead into a victory, or will it be someone else? Throw your picks out there and you might get a signed copy of Gus Hansen’s “Every Hand Revealed” book.

Introducing Han Feng, one of the Main Event final nine players.

Learn more about Han Feng, one of the nine players who’ll be coming to the Main Event final table at the start of August. Making the final table did disrupt his plans for the year, but we’re sure he doesn’t mind!

The ultimate cooler at the Main Event.

With just 17 players left, Romain Lewis picks up pocket kings, and things are looking good. Until Greg Mueller delivers the bad news…

Who is Luke Jumalon, the 22-year old with a big stack in the Main Event?

Jeff Platt caught up with Luke’s father to find out more about his poker background and what he is like away from the table. The 22-year old built up quite a stack and he is in a great position to lock up one of the spots at the final table.

Will Givens show is over.

He certainly brought some flare to the table, but, unfortunately, Will Givens’ run in the Main Event is over.

The 2026 Main Event is down to two tables.

Three players have already been eliminated, and the remaining 18 have come together to form the final two tables. Hossein Ensan, the 2019 champion, is still in the running.

Todd Brunson in a huge spot in the Main Event.

It’s a big cooler on Day 8 of the Main Event for Todd. Can he find the card he needs to stay around?

If you missed the WSOP Main Event Day 7 action, here’s a free way to catch up.

Looking for the WSOP 2026 Main Event Day 7 highlights but don’t have ESPN or ESPN+? WSOP has uploaded the official highlights, and they’re available to watch for everyone, including viewers in the US.

Watch and catch up on all the key moments.

If you’re following the WSOP Main Event Day 8, here’s the latest ICM value breakdown.

Here’s the WSOP Main Event Day 8 ICM value based on the current stack sizes.

Also, give Derek Wolters a follow; he’s been doing a brilliant job calculating and sharing the ICM values throughout the Main Event. As a bonus, he believes his stack counts are more accurate than those shown in the WSOP Live app.

The Main Event introduces shot clocks for the final stretch?

It seems that the decision was made to introduce 20-second shot clocks for the final stretch of the WSOP Main Event (30-second post flop). This came as a surprise, and the general opinion seems to be that this will give a big edge to the pros who are used to high roller events and shot clocks, while putting pressure on all the recs still in the field.

Only a few dozen players left in the Main Event, but so many cool stories.

This year’s Main Event is certainly shaping up to be the one that we’ll be talking about for a while.

Aaron Barone sharing his thought after busting the Main Event.

Barone made a very deep run in the tournament, eventually busting in 65th place and pocketing $125,000. It was the biggest score of his career, but, like all poker players, he felt the sting of busting so close to the final table.

Yet, he’s grateful for the experience and for all the people in his life who helped make his Main Event run that much more special.

Congya Zhang carrying the banner for the ladies in the 2026 WSOP Main Event.

Four ladies returned for Day 6 action, but only one managed to bag chips by the end of the last level. Zhang will be coming back today to continue her Main Event journey, albeit her stack could do with a double-up or two.

Ten big blinds and a dream!

The 2026 WSOP Main Event is down to just 62 players.

From well over 9,000, we are now down to two digits. Only a handful of players will be coming back today to continue their journey to the Main Event title, and one of them, Hossein Ensan, knows exactly what that path looks like, having walked it all the way back in 2019.

Fun with straddles in the Main Event.

There is a first for everything. You can’t actually straddle in tournaments, but why not give it your best shot in the biggest one of the year, with fewer than 200 players left? It certainly helps spice things up.

Caitlin Comeskey Main Event dream is still alive!

Caitlin made it through yet another day of the Main Event and she’ll be coming back for Day 6 action with 1.4 million in chips. There are fewer than 200 players remaining!

Is this a tell or a mind game from Mizrachi?

'The Grinder’ just plays this game differently.

Anuj brings some interesting stats for the 533 players who made it through to Day 5 of the Main Event.

It’s really interesting to see how the remaining field breaks down by countries/regions, and how many different countries remain represented deep in the tournament.

Day 5 is looming, and the defending champion Michael Mizrachi is still in the hunt.

Just over 500 players are left in the 2026 WSOP Main Event from the starting field of over 9,200. One of those who will be coming today is Michael 'The Grinder’ Mizrachi, last year’s winner. It’s a long shot, but Mizrachi still has a shot at defending his title.

Check out all the biggest stories from the 2026 WSOP Main Event so far.

Doug Polk brings you a quick recap of some of the biggest stories from this year’s Main Event, including Mike Matusow’s exposed card controversy, the hand that ended Polk’s run in the big one, and more.

No Day 2 entrant has ever won the WSOP Main Event… but that streak may not last much longer.

More players than ever are choosing to max late register on Day 2, a trend that’s accelerated dramatically over the past few years. If it continues, it may only be a matter of time before the first Day 2 entrant wins poker’s biggest title.

Here’s a look at how Day 2 late registration has grown over the years.

What would the 2006 WSOP Main Event look like in today’s money?

I shared this on X yesterday, and it’s a fun one to look back at.

The 2006 WSOP Main Event generated an $82.5 million prize pool. Adjusted for inflation, that would be worth roughly $130 million today, the equivalent of nearly 14,000 entries at the current $10,000 buy-in.

Here’s the WSOP Main Event in graphs and numbers.

If you enjoy digging into the data, I pulled together some of the most interesting stats from this year’s Main Event.

From the tournament’s entry numbers over the years to the day-by-day entry breakdown, first-place prizes dating back to 1970, and the Main Event’s incredible growth, these charts highlight just how much poker’s biggest tournament has evolved.

Ever wondered how much the WSOP makes from the Main Event?

The 9,208-player field generated an $85.63 million prize pool, but that’s not where the WSOP makes its money.

The tournament also brought in $6.45 million in entry fees. Of that, $1.93 million goes to dealers and tournament staff, while WSOP/NSUS keeps the remaining $4.51 million.

Last year, they collected $6.8 million in fees, of which a little over $2 million was paid to staff and dealers, and the remaining $4.7 million by WSOP officials.

The former champ becomes the bubble boy.

As luck would have it, Chris Moneymaker (alongside other two players) gets the dubious honor of bubbling the 2026 WSOP Main Event.

Feel the buzz of the Main Event bubble.

As the bubble of the biggest tournament in all of poker approaches, the excitement is palpable!

The Main Event bubble will burst early today.

There are only seven players remaining in the Main Event who’ll leave the tournament with nothing to show for it. Everyone else will get at least $15,000 for their efforts.

Surprise, surprise: the WSOP Main Event is becoming less American.

Remember when everyone expected the WSOP Main Event to become more American? The numbers continue to tell a different story.

The Main Event has actually gone from 66.7% American to 61.2% American in two years.

Players from outside the US accounted for 38.8% of the field this year, up slightly from 38.6% in 2025 and well above the 33.3% seen in 2024.

WSOP 2026 Main Event sees highest female participation ever.

431 women entered the 2026 WSOP Main Event, the highest in recent years and up from 369 in 2025.

Women’s representation also climbed from 3.79% to 4.68% of the field, another encouraging sign for the game’s biggest tournament.

Here are some interesting statistics as WSOP Main Event Day 4 gets underway.

Day 4 resumes in just a few minutes with 1,389 players still in the hunt. They’re just seven eliminations away from the money, with 1,382nd place guaranteed a minimum cash of $15,000.

Of the 1,389 remaining players, 786 are from the United States, representing about 57% of the field. The UK has 67 players remaining, while France and Canada are tied with 58 each. Japan, which saw a huge turnout at this year’s WSOP, still has 36 players in contention.

Stay tuned for more interesting statistics.

The Main Event winner will pick up $10,000,000.

All the numbers are in, and we know that the eventual Main Event winner will walk away $10,000,000 richer. Everyone making it to the final table of nine will pick up seven figures, and the min-cash for this year’s Main is $15,000.

Is this one of the most epic celebrations in the Main Event?

It certainly has to be up there among the best ones, right?

Hellmuth trio is coming back for Day 3 of the Main!

Phil Hellmuth and both of his sons made it through to Day 3 of the 2026 WSOP Main Event. It must be a very proud moment for Phil!

Josh Arieh’s update ahead of Day 3 of the Main Event.

Josh made it through to Day 3 of the Main, and he took to X to share his thoughts and reflect on past Main Events.

The 2026 WSOP Main Event is officially fourth-largest in history.

The tournament ended up attracting 9,208 players and generating the prize pool in excess of $85,000,000!

Unbagging chips for Day 2 of the Main is always a good feeling, no matter the count.

And having an average stack to start the day is certainly nothing to sneeze at!

Aaron Barone on max late registering the Main Event.

Some may not agree, but for a true poker fan or a young kid who fell in love with the game, this really rings true. Who wants to skip through so much of the Main Event just to gain a little bit of theoretical edge? If there is one tournament to play from the very first hand, it has to be the Main!

Phil Hellmuth finds himself all in on Day 2 of the Main Event.

It’s a proper cooler scenario, but this time around, The Poker Brat finds himself on the right side of variance.

Kassouf is back – he’s playing the Main Event and sharing his thoughts.

Last year, Kassouf had a bit of infamous exit from the Main Event. It seems he was able to iron things out, and now he’s back in the mix and ready to do his thing, although his motto this year is “less drama, more action.” Let’s see how that plays out.

You’re playing your first Main Event, and you’re seated next to the legend!

Negreanu isn’t the opponent you want to have sitting next to you, but it’s a pretty cool experience for someone playing the Main Event for the first time. Just another reason why this tournament is different from all other tournaments out there.

Doug Polk going for it in the Main Event.

Polk came to play and build a stack. This pot went his way but, unfortunately, he couldn’t find the bag for Day 2.

Seven former Main Event winners are coming back today to continue their journey.

With the first Day 2 flight starting today, the likes of Michael 'The Grinder’ Mizrachi, Phil Hellmuth, Greg Merson, Joe Cada, Greg 'Fossilman’ Raymer, and Daniel Weinman will be taking their seats as the battle to crown the 2026 Main Event champion continues.

The total number of Main Event entries exceeds 8,000.

All the starting flights are now finished, but players can still register for both Day 2 flights, as the registration will remain open through the first two levels. The total is looking to be around 9,000, but we’ll know the exact number soon enough.

We are now up to 7,000 entries in the Main.

And the registration remains open for quite a while still.

Doug Polk joins the Main Event, and you can get a 5% sweat.

Polk only plays a handful of WSOP events, but even he turned up for the Main, and one lucky fan will get 5% sweat. That’s one way to try and attract some good karma.

Check out this cool overview of all the Main Event winners so far.

Whose name and what hand will go up to that wall next?

The Main Event hits different for Aaron Barone, too.

Barone is one of many pros who took to X this week to describe their excitement for the Main Event and how, no matter how long you’ve been playing, it always hits differently.

Main Event entries currently standing at 5,000 mark.

The number is creeping up, but it still has some way to go if we are to reach five figures. Is there any chance the Main breaks that 10k-player mark?

We have a Dan Bilzerian sighting at the WSOP.

The Main Event really brings out everyone. It’s been a moment since we’ve seen Bilzerian at the green felt, but he decided to join the chase for the most coveted bracelet in all of poker.

Brian Hastings joins the Saturday night Main Event fever.

This is his 17th Main Event and still, like most other pros, Hastings can still feel the magic of this tournament.

Another quick Main Event exit.

This year’s Day 1s have been marked by quick exits. For Day 1C, it took only 20 minutes for poker gods and variance to claim their first victim.

A quick update on Main Event numbers.

These don’t tell much of a story as players don’t tend to register early on, but it’s interesting for tracking purposes.

Faraz Jaka is excited about the Main.

Even for the most experienced of pros, there is something magical about the Main Event. There is no other tournament like it out there!

This year, The Grinder had a bit of a Main Entrance of his own.

While grandiose Main Event entrances are Phil Hellmuth’s thing, he doesn’t have monopoly on them. This year, the defending champ Michael 'The Grinder’ Mizrachi decided he’d make some noise and show up in style, too.

Gerard Pique is in the mix!

The former Barcelona star arrived to Las Vegas to try his luck in the Main Event. Pique has been taking poker much more seriously as of late, even appearing on one of the latest seasons of The Big Game.

The first elimination of Day 1B of the Main Event is already here.

It’s no fun to be the first one out in one of the biggest poker tournaments of the year, but somebody has to get this dubious honor.

Check out Main Event Day 1A highlights.

In case you haven’t had the time to tune in for the live stream, here’s the breakdown of some of the most important moments from the very first day of the 2026 WSOP Main Event.

Scott Seiver is through to Day 2 of the Main Event.

Unlike many pros who choose to play in one of the later flights, Seiver joined Day 1A and he managed to build a bit of a stack for the Day 2 action.

WSOP Main Event schedule on ESPN.

More info on the streaming schedule, courtesy of Kevmath.

The 2026 WSOP Main Event Phil Hellmuth entrance is here.

And it’s as cringe as you would expect.

Are you ready for Phil Hellmuth’s big Main Event entrance?

It’s happening tonight. Phil is coming in as Superman, joined by his sons and Dan 'Jungleman’ Cates, all wearing costumes. The tradition continues!

Some useful info for Main Event Landmark satellite winners.

Any tickets won via Landmark satellites can be used to enter any of the starting flights and even exchanged for casino chips, but the latter option is subject to tax.

Scott Seiver off to a hot start in the Main.

Doubling up during the very first orbit of the Main Event must be a pretty good feeling, even for a player of Seiver’s caliber. Especially when you do it based on such a good live read.

Guess the number of Main Event entrants & get a free month of RIO membership.

The Main Event fever is here and everybody’s catching the bug. Run It Once is giving away one month of their Elite poker training to one person who gets the closest guess for the total number of players in this year’s tournament.

The first Main Event elimination is already in!

That was quick…