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9,208 Players Enter 2026 WSOP Main Event, Fourth-Largest Field in History
The 2026 World Series of Poker main event drew 9208 entrants for a fourth-largest field and an $85.6 million prize pool. The winner receives $10 million with the top 1382 players paid.
Jul 8, 12:10 PM·1m read1 source
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Registration for the 2026 World Series of Poker main event closed with 9208 players entered, the fourth-largest field in the tournament's history. The total prize pool reached $85.6 million with the winner set to receive $10 million, the third consecutive year that first prize has been fixed at that amount.
The top 1382 finishers will receive payouts, with $1 million prizes beginning at ninth place.
The field fell short of the 9735 entrants in 2025 and the record 10112 players in 2024. The main event has now exceeded 9000 players for the fourth straight year after first surpassing that mark in 2023. World Series of Poker CEO Ty Stewart called the entrant number a sign of staying power, though it fell short of last year's 9,735 players.
"The WSOP continues to draw players from around the world for poker's most prestigious event. " Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi returns as defending champion after winning the 2025 main event for $10 million and his eighth WSOP bracelet. Mizrachi captured his ninth bracelet by winning the $10000 pot-limit Omaha championship days before the main event began.
Michael Rossitto leads the chip counts with 770500. Jeff Fenster holds 747000, Yannick Schumacher 738000, Robert Gill 728500 and Joseph Baghdadlian 705000. Benny Glaser sits with 193000 chips and Shaun Deeb with 368500.
"It's the one no-miss tournament of the year," Jack Effel, SVP of poker operations at Caesars Entertainment, which runs the WSOP, told ESPN. " The WSOP main event returns to ESPN platforms for the first time in over a decade. Play resumes Wednesday at 2 p.m.
