The 57th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) has officially come to a close after 51 action-packed days in Las Vegas, delivering the biggest summer series in the festival's history. Hosted at Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas, the 2026 edition featured 100 live gold bracelet events, attracted a record 251,899 entries, and awarded nearly $470 million in prize money.
Across the entire schedule, 35,157 players finished in the money, sharing a massive $469.98 million in payouts.
Main Event Final Table Set for August
The prestigious $10,000 WSOP Main Event attracted 9,208 entries, with the final nine players set to return to Las Vegas from August 3-5 to battle for poker's most coveted title. The final table will be broadcast live on ESPN.
WSOP also unveiled a redesigned Final Table Arena, featuring enhanced lighting and digital displays to improve the viewing experience for both live spectators and television audiences.
Expanded Global Broadcast Reach
This year's series marked WSOP's return to ESPN while also launching a new multi-year distribution agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing coverage to platforms including HBO Max, Eurosport, and TNT Sports.
Edited broadcasts began airing on July 21, with coverage reaching more than 300 million households across over 70 countries through broadcast partners including ESPN Networks, Eurosport, TNT Sports, Abema Japan, and Groupe M6 in France.
Poker Stars add More Gold
Several of poker's biggest names added to their already impressive bracelet collections during the summer.
Daniel Negreanu captured his eighth WSOP bracelet by winning the $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha, earning more than $2.2 million.
- Reigning Main Event champion Michael Mizrachi claimed his ninth bracelet after taking down the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for $1.35 million.
- Power couple Kristen Foxen and Alex Foxen also each won bracelets in the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em and $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em, respectively.
Multiple Participation Records Broken
The $1,000 Mystery Millions became the largest tournament of its kind ever held, drawing 22,811 entries. It also set a new record as the biggest $1,000 buy-in live poker tournament in history.
Additional attendance records were established in the:
- Ladies Championship
- Monster Stack
- Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha
- Mini Main Event
Overall, the series awarded:
- 41 prizes worth at least $1 million
- 57 events with prize pools exceeding $2 million
- 8 events generating prize pools of more than $10 million
Players from 149 countries participated throughout the festival, while the Main Event alone welcomed competitors from a record 111 nations.
Massive Digital Audience
Away from the tables, WSOP's global audience continued to grow. During the series, its social media platforms generated 378.3 million views and impressions, while adding 222,828 new followers across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X.
Reflecting on the record-setting summer, WSOP Chief Executive Officer Ty Stewart said:
"The 57th annual World Series of Poker proved that Las Vegas remains the undisputed epicenter of the poker universe. 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."
The 2026 WSOP Player of the Year race will conclude later this year at WSOP Paradise, taking place at Baha Mar in the Bahamas from December 1-17, following qualifying events held in Prague and Las Vegas.
Source: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/07/21/125454-wsop-concludes-57th-annual-series-with-record-251-899-entries
