2026 World Series of Poker sets several records

(PRESS RELEASE) -- With 51 days of thrilling, high-stakes competition in the bag, the 57th annual World Series of Poker at Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas officially concluded its summer tournament schedule on 15 July 2026. Featuring a massive slate of 100 live gold bracelet events, this year's festival once again demonstrated the unparalleled scale, passion, and global community of live tournament poker.

“The 57th annual World Series of Poker proved that Las Vegas remains the undisputed epicenter of the poker universe,” said Ty Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of the WSOP. “The energy inside Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas was nothing short of electric. What is truly remarkable this year is how our community expanded far beyond the physical walls of the casino floor. Through our newly redesigned final table arena, extensive linear broadcast schedule, and unprecedented digital engagement, we brought the drama, excitement, and glory of winning a WSOP gold bracelet to millions of new fans worldwide. We are incredibly proud of this summer's success and cannot wait to witness the Final Nine battle for the World Championship on ESPN next month.”

Redefining the Live Experience on Poker's Biggest Stage
Throughout the summer, the Las Vegas Strip was the focal point of the poker world as players from around the globe competed for poker's ultimate prize: a WSOP gold bracelet and a place in poker history.

Key milestones from the summer tournament action include:

- Colossal Main Event Field: The legendary $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Championship (the ‘Main Event’) attracted a massive field of 9,208 entrants, creating a colossal prize pool and proving the enduring allure of the world’s premier freezeout tournament

- The New Final Table Arena: WSOP officially unveiled a completely redesigned, state-of-the-art Final Table Arena and broadcast environment. The new stage integrates advanced lighting and large-scale digital displays to elevate the presentation of poker’s most prestigious final tables

- Historic Broadcast Expansion: Live coverage of the Main Event returned to ESPN alongside a new multi-year broadcast agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery to distribute coverage across HBO Max, Eurosport, and TNT Sports globally

- The "Final Nine": The final nine players survived a grueling field to punch their ticket to the historic Main Event Final Table. They will return to Las Vegas from 3-5 August 2026, to play down to a champion live on ESPN

- Summer of Superstars: This year’s event saw an unprecedented number of bracelets won by poker luminaries with impressive records in the game’s history books; Daniel Negreanu won his eight WSOP bracelet by taking down Event #76 $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha for over $2.2M, while reigning WSOP Main Event champion Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi further burnished his reputation by winning Event #70 $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, claiming his ninth WSOP bracelet and a $1.35M prize. The poker world’s undisputed power couple Kristen and Alex Foxen also made history by each claiming a WSOP bracelet in 2026, taking down Event #19 $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em and Event #44 $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em, respectively

- Seamless Player Experience: The WSOP Live mobile app continued to enhance the playing experience, streamlining registration, virtually eliminating cage lines, and providing real-time seat alerts to thousands of players throughout the summer

WSOP 2026 By The Numbers
- 251,899 entries – a new record for the total number of entries in a single WSOP series

- $469,975,059 – total 2026 WSOP gold events prize amount

- 35,157 places paid

- 22,811 entries to Event #63 $1,000 Mystery Millions No-Limit Hold’em – the biggest field in the 2026 series, the largest Mystery Millions event, and the largest $1,000 event in live tournament poker history

- 1,368 entries to Event #68 $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship – the largest Ladies event in live tournament poker history

- 11,933 entries to Event #18 $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em – the largest Monster Stack event in live tournament poker history

- 4,764 entries to Event #87 $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha – the largest Pot-Limit Omaha event in live tournament poker history

- 12,560 entries to Event #72 $1,000 Mini Main Event – the largest Mini Main event in live tournament poker history

- 41 – The number of $1M+ prizes won across the 2026 series

- 57 events exceeded $2+ million prize pools - equalling last year’s record

- 8 events exceeded $10+ million prize pools

- 149 - number of countries represented in the WSOP 2026 playing field

- Top Ten Countries by WSOP 2026 participants: 1 – United States, 2 – Canada, 3 – France, 4 – Great Britain, 5 – Japan, 6 – China, 7 – Israel, 8 – Germany, 9 – Brazil, 10 – Mexico

- 111 – number of countries represented in the WSOP Main Event 2026 playing field, a new record

- Oldest Player – Merle Vangieson, born June 28, 1931

- Youngest Player – Easton Jorgensen, born July 13, 2005

Worldwide Broadcasts Drive Growth Of Game
With thrilling WSOP action broadcast exclusively on ESPN Networks, Eurosport, TNT Sports, Abema Japan, Groupe M6 in France, and other media partners, poker fans had more opportunities than ever to follow their heroes, new and old, at the felt in 2026.

Comprehensive linear and digital coverage, available in more than 300 million homes across 70+ countries, ensured that countless big moments - from calculated bluffs to cunning value bets - were analyzed and enjoyed by enthusiasts on every continent.

Edited WSOP broadcasts will air from 21 July, allowing a worldwide audience to catch up on all the summer’s action.

Explosive Digital Reach: WSOP's Social Media Footprint
A highlight of the 57th annual WSOP was its unprecedented digital growth. While fans packed the physical tournament rooms, millions more watched the action unfold online. Across all major platforms, WSOP social media channels generated an astronomical 378.3 million total views during the 100-bracelet series, adding 222,828 total new followers across its digital ecosystem.

Looking Ahead: A True Global Season
While the Main Event action in Las Vegas has paused until the Final Table resumes in August, the WSOP excitement continues year-round. This year marks the formal rollout of the ambitious, revamped $1 Million Global Player of the Year (POY) race. The new global leaderboard unifies the brand's three flagship festival pillars: WSOP Europe (which completed its historic run in Prague earlier this spring), the Las Vegas summer series, and the upcoming WSOP Paradise winter festival.

The global POY winner will be crowned at the conclusion of WSOP Paradise, hosted at Baha Mar resort in The Bahamas from December 1 to 17, 2026. In the meantime, the WSOP Circuit (WSOP-C) continues its action-packed year, including a special concurrent Circuit run in Las Vegas from 14-25 July 2026.