LAS VEGAS - The Event Center at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas was quiet Thursday morning save for a few workers carefully deconstructing the stage that hosted the final table of the 2026 World Series of Poker main event over three eventful days.
Nine players -- four Americans, two Canadians, a Frenchman, a Finn and a Cypriot -- took to the stage on Monday to play for $10 million and the title of World Series of Poker main event champion, the most coveted bracelet in the game. Ultimately, it was Lucas Jumalon who emerged victorious on Wednesday night to put a bow on the 2026 WSOP. That is the headline, but the 2026 WSOP main event final table should also be remembered for more than just the champ's big moments.
About an hour before any of the nine entered the Event Center for the first night of the three-night event, their friends and family who traveled to Las Vegas had the room buzzing before a single hand was dealt. Each group -- known as a "rail" in poker terms -- brought something different to the mix and made this arguably the most entertaining and watchable final table in years. Going back to the "November Nine" era, main event final table crowds have been hit-or-miss in terms of energy. This year was a home run.
At the table, the players showed the world that poker is a great game that can be social yet competitive, that personalities can be on display without having to resort to attention-grabbing gimmicks, and that people who've said that poker is devoid of the characters of the game's boom era maybe weren't looking hard enough.
None of these nine players tried to throw a playing card through a banana. There wasn't a single instance of one player calling another player an idiot. Nobody relied on "speech play" to grab more TV time. Nobody was running to their rail to check solver outputs on a laptop between hands.They simply played cards and each of them brought something to the mix and played the game at the highest level on the biggest stage.
The 169 hands of poker played was a mix modern-day game-theory optimized strategy and old-school play. Even the final two eliminations, Grag Mueller in third and Lauri Saaskilahti in second, were the result of hero calls gone wrong. Regardless of the outcome, both players showed the guts to make a play based on a read on their opponent on the biggest stage in poker. It wasn't poker-by-the-numbers, it was going-for-the-win, results-be-damned, poker. And it made for great television as the broadcast returned home to ESPN after a five-year hiatus.
Maybe most notable was how each player and their supporters acted upon elimination. In the interviews following their elimination, each player spoke about the experience and the joy they felt from the support of their friends and family and respect they felt from their opponents and their rails.
When Rami Hammoud was eliminated in sixth, he was serenaded by fellow Canadian Greg Mueller's rail -- the largest and most rambunctious of them all -- with the Canadian national anthem. They repeated the gesture when Mueller was eliminated in third place as he met Jumalon's supporters with hugs and high fives.
Even runner-up Lauri Saaskilahti, in a moment that must have been full of disappointment and heartbreak, showed sportsmanship by going person-to-person through Jumalon's supporters and high-fiving each of them after his elimination. In turn each of them offered Saaskilahti a mix of condolences and congratulations.
The players, their play, and their rails showcased the best that poker has to offer.
Big Fight Feel
Han Feng arrived at the final table with the second-shortest stack but may have been leading in aura. Feng came dressed as One Piece character Donquixote Doflamingo, complete with pink feather boa. He also played well on Monday night, moving all the way up to second in chips.
Saaskilahti also came dressed to impress. The 39-year-old Finn wore a blue Gucci blazer, white button-down shirt and tie, and looked like he had just stepped off his luxury yacht to play cards with the boys.
On the first night of action, each of the players was introduced to the audience complete with Las Vegas showgirl accompaniment and a walkout song of their choosing. It gave the start of the final table some big fight energy that was amplified by having legendary ring announcer Bruce Buffer handle the ceremonial "shuffle Up and Deal" duties.
2026 WSOP main event entrance music
Mario Boos - No. 10 (Booba)
Lauri Saaskilahti - Remember the Name (Fort Minor)
Greg Mueller - Thunderstruck (AC/DC)
Jamie Shaevel - Lose Yourself (Eminem)
Han Feng - Doflamingo's Theme (One Piece)
Michael Gagliano - Feelin' Alright? (Joe Cocker)
Lucas Jumalon - Many Men (50 Cent)
Evagoras Evagorou - Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)
Rami Hammoud - Le But (Version CH - Loco Locass)
Worth noting, 50 Cent's "Many Men (Wish Death)" was released in February 2003, a full year before Jumalon was even born. Hammoud's selection of "Le But" was a fan-favourite anthem during the Montreal Canadians' Stanley Cup playoffs run.
Where were the sponsorship patches?
Other than Michael Gagliano, who was already an ambassador for BetMGM Poker, and a patch for crypto-trading app Fomo that Lauri Saaskilahti added for the very last day, the final table players were devoid of sponsor patches. This is vastly different from previous years where multiple players were patched up. When Michael Mizrachi won the 2025 WSOP main event, he represented five different brands.
The lack of branding across all players represents a misstep in this process and is one that may need to be addressed by a re-writing of rules for 2027. In the official rules this year, players need to submit a sponsor for approval 24 hours prior to the tournament starting, which would limit the ability for the final table exposure. While Saaskilahti did have that patch, Fomo is an extension of the official sponsor Solana and was therefore allowed without requiring further approval from WSOP officials.
The Poker Hall Called Just Once
Since 2021, the rules have limited the Poker Hall of Fame to only one inductee per year. However, with players who had cut their teeth during the earliest days of online poker over the last 20 years now 40-years-old and eligible, there appeared to be multiple players worthy of being inducted.
The WSOP addressed this with a new system that would allow up to four finalists to be inducted, thus clearing the backlog over the next few years. When the one member class of 2026 was announced during the main event final table, there was some surprise and disappointment. Jason Koon was the only one of the eight HOF finalists to earn induction this year; a more-than-worthy addition to Hall with a world class resume and an ever better reputation in the poker world. However, it did nothing to clear the aforementioned backlog and sparked social media chatter about potential improvements to the system. It seems like the WSOP, which owns and manages the PHOF, is going to have to go back to the drawing board on this one.
The kid's going to be alright.
Anybody who got to know Jumalon -- in person or through interviews and profiles in the lead-up to the final table -- would likely get the impression that he was a well-grounded individual with a support system that will keep the young champion from letting new-found fame and fortune go to his head. This support system includes his father Butch, whom Jumanlon calls his best friend. As soon as the final card was dealt, Lucas buried his head into Butch's shoulder and let the emotion of the moment hit them both.
In his post-win interviews, Jumalon promised he wouldn't be celebrating at any of the local gentlemen's establishments that may or may not have hosted previous main event championship celebrations. Instead, Jumalon talked about wanting to get dinner with his rail and then maybe enjoy some celebratory drinks with friends and his social media -- and that of his friends -- confirms that's exactly what happened.
Jumalon hasn't cemented what his year as world champion will entail. As the new "face of poker", he's likely to have a few sponsorship opportunities to choose from and, as we saw from Michael Mizrachi after his 2025 victory, the opportunity to travel the world and play poker. A self-described "old soul", Jumalon will likely sort through the predictable onslaught of opportunities and requests with his inner circle. He can't take too much time though, the opportunity to defend the title is just 11 months away.
