The WSOP Main Event 2026 final table opened with a slow and careful Day 1 session.
After nearly six hours of play, the field dropped from nine players to seven, and Lucas Jumalon kept the chip lead heading into the next day. Jumalon entered the WSOP Final Table with 194 million chips and finished the day with 212 million.
The 22-year-old from Spokane, Washington showed patience in a session where many hands ended before they became big pots. Most of the early action came from simple raise-and-fold or raise-call spots, with players avoiding major risks.
This is the first time since 2020 that the WSOP Final Table is being aired on ESPN, It was also the first time we got to see the new Main Event stage.
Evagorou Takes Ninth Place at WSOP Final Table
The first player out was Evagoras Evagorou of Cyprus, who finished in ninth place and earned $1,000,000. He started the day as the shortest stack and shoved with pocket jacks, but Jamie Shaevel called with ace-queen. An ace on the flop gave Shaevel the winning hand and ended Evagorou’s run.
Evagorou still made history as the first player from Cyprus to reach a Main Event final table.
Mario Boos of France was the next player to leave, taking eighth place for $1,250,000. His pocket eights ran into Lauri Saaskilahti’s king-nine, and the board brought Saaskilahti the better outcome. The hand pushed the table closer to seven-handed play.
Jumalon Slows After Big Pot
Jumalon built an early lead, but he took a hit in a large hand against Michael Gagliano.
After raising preflop, betting the flop, and firing again on the turn with six-high, Jumalon checked the river and gave up on the bluff. Gagliano’s ace-high won the pot, slowing Jumalon’s momentum for a stretch.
Even so, Jumalon stayed calm and kept a strong stack throughout the session.
Feng and Mueller Make Moves
Han Feng emerged as one of the biggest winners of the day.
The San Antoio native wore a bright pink feather boa, which made him one of the most noticeable players at the table, but his cards did the real work. Feng doubled through Boos with ace-four against ace-queen after hitting a four on the turn. He later won another big pot with pocket queens against Saaskilahti, moving into second place.
Greg Mueller also made an important move when he four-bet with kings and forced a fold from Rami Hammoud’s ace-queen. Hammoud had prepared for the final table by studying opponents with cut-outs, showing how much work the players put into the biggest stage in poker.
Two More Days of WSOP Main Event Action Left
After Day 1, Jumalon led the seven remaining players with 212 million chips. Feng sat in second, while Saaskilahti, Hammoud, Gagliano, Shaevel, and Mueller rounded out the field.
The tournament started with 9,208 entrants—the fourth-largest field in Main Event history
This record-setting field has created a huge prize pool, and the final nine players are all chasing life-changing payouts. Each finalist is locked in for at least $1 million, but the biggest rewards are still ahead for the players who can climb higher.
- 1st: $10,000,000
- 2nd: $6,000,000
- 3rd: $3,750,000
- 4th: $2,750,000
- 5th: $2,250,000
- 6th: $1,750,000
- 7th: $1,500,000
- 8th: $1,250,000
- 9th: $1,000,000
The final table continues today and will end tomorrow, when the next WSOP Main Event champion would win the $10 million first prize.
