The 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event is down to its final seven players after an opening night that delivered two eliminations, plenty of tension, and a leaderboard that still has Lucas Jumalon firmly in control.
Despite entering the final table as the overwhelming chip leader, the 22-year-old American faced his first real challenges under the brightest lights in poker. Yet after six hours of play, he remained exactly where he started: on top.
With a $10 million first prize still up for grabs, the battle resumes today with several players desperately short stacked and one big confrontation likely to reshape the championship race.
Jumalon Survives Early Pressure
Many expected the inexperienced Jumalon to tighten up once the cameras rolled, but instead he continued the fearless style that helped him dominate the latter stages of the tournament.
His biggest setback came against experienced professional Michael Gagliano in one of the night’s defining hands. Jumalon attempted to apply heavy pressure with complete air after betting both the flop and turn, but ultimately chose not to fire a third barrel on the river. Gagliano’s ace-high proved good enough to collect a sizeable pot.
The hand temporarily slowed Jumalon’s aggression, although his enormous stack allowed him to comfortably absorb the loss without surrendering control of the tournament.
By the end of the evening, he still bagged 212 million chips, equivalent to 85 big blinds.
Two Players Eliminated
It took almost three hours before the opening elimination finally arrived.
Cyprus’ Evagoras Evagorou, who began the day as the shortest stack, committed his tournament life with pocket jacks against Jamie Shaevel’s ace-queen. The classic coin flip swung Shaevel’s way after an ace landed on the flop, ending Evagorou’s remarkable run in ninth place.
His $1 million payday also marked the deepest Main Event finish ever achieved by a player from Cyprus.
Later in the session, Germany’s Mario Boos became the second casualty. Holding pocket eights, Boos found himself in trouble against Lauri Saaskilahti’s king-nine after the Finnish player connected with the flop. Unable to recover, Boos exited in eighth place, leaving just seven contenders for poker’s biggest prize.
Han Feng Becomes the Biggest Threat
While Jumalon retained the overall lead, Han Feng enjoyed one of the strongest days at the table.
Earlier in the session Feng survived a huge all-in confrontation when his ace-four improved against Mario Boos’ dominating ace-queen, keeping his championship hopes alive.
He later won one of the biggest pots of the night against Saaskilahti to climb into second place with 106.5 million chips.
Feng also attracted attention away from the felt thanks to his colourful outfit, complete with a bright pink feather boa and open shirt. The unique look quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the ESPN broadcast.
Experience Meets Opportunity
Although the tournament is now dominated by emerging names, several seasoned professionals remain firmly in contention.
Michael Gagliano demonstrated his patience throughout the evening before picking off Jumalon’s ambitious bluff in a confidence-boosting pot.
Canadian veteran Greg Mueller, the most experienced player remaining, adopted an extremely disciplined approach during the opening levels before finally entering the action with pocket kings. Despite surviving the day, Mueller returns with the shortest stack among the remaining players.
Meanwhile, fellow Canadian Rami Hammoud revealed one of the tournament’s more unusual preparation methods. Before the final table, he reportedly created cut-outs of each opponent and rehearsed playing the final table at home to help reduce the nerves once the real event began.
2026 WSOP Main Event Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Jumalon | 212,000,000 | 85 |
| 2 | Han Feng | 106,500,000 | 43 |
| 3 | Lauri Saaskilahti | 84,500,000 | 34 |
| 4 | Rami Hammoud | 45,500,000 | 18 |
| 5 | Michael Gagliano | 42,000,000 | 17 |
| 6 | Jamie Shaevel | 33,000,000 | 13 |
| 7 | Greg Mueller | 29,500,000 | 12 |
Day 2 Promises Fireworks
While Jumalon still enjoys a commanding advantage, the structure has reached the stage where every all-in confrontation could dramatically reshape the leaderboard.
Four of the remaining seven players return with fewer than 20 big blinds, meaning aggressive moves and tournament-defining decisions are almost guaranteed from the opening hands.
With only seven players left standing, the race to become the 2026 WSOP Main Event champion enters its most dramatic phase today, as poker’s biggest title moves another step closer to finding its next winner.
