Can Lauri Saaskilahti complete the mission? WSOP Main Event finalist aims for glory.

Finnish player Lauri Saaskilahti advanced to the final table of the 2026 WSOP Main Event with 37,500,000 chips, aiming to become the country's first champion. He secured a 1-for-4-for-1,000,000 prize after a crucial double-up on Day 8.

Amidst the excitement of Day 8 of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, Finland’s Lauri Saaskilahti calmly and collectedly made his way to the final nine, securing his career-best $1,000,000 prize.

In the process, he broke the previous deepest record for a Finnish player in the tournament—surpassing Matti Kuortti's 25th place in 1997 and Miika Puumalainen's 59th place in 2009. However, after packing up the chips, it was almost impossible to see the weight of history on his shoulders.

Saaskilahti remained calm in the Nevada desert heat, telling PokerNews he was "surprisingly relaxed" heading into the three-week break with 37,500,000 chips. Here's what the number 1 player had to say before the biggest final table of his career.

"Perhaps this was destined."

Saaskilahti, currently residing in Spain, had a deep run in last year's EPT Barcelona Main Event, winning his biggest prize of his career (14th place, €70,900). He highlighted a key moment on Day 7 of the World Series of Poker, believing it was crucial in his run to the final nine.

He went all-in with Ace-high against Brock Wilson's top pair of Kings on the flop, but Saaskilahti hit an Ace on the river and doubled up. He said, "When Barry Greenstein hit that on the river yesterday, it was a very important moment. I felt, yes, maybe it was destiny."

The Finnish athlete added, "I feel surprisingly relaxed. I don't have any particularly strong emotions. I mean, obviously I'm very happy, but there aren't any major emotional fluctuations. Maybe it will come a little later, but yes, I feel very happy."

"I felt surprisingly relaxed. I didn't have any particularly strong emotions."

When asked about preparations for packing up the chips and the big day in August, he said, "I'll be going on vacation with my family, so we'll start in Las Vegas and then head to San Diego. We'll visit Disneyland and Beverly Hills."

"The initial plan was to fly back to Europe on the 25th. It seems we'll be staying here, since going back for only a week wouldn't make sense. So relax and prepare yourself."

Although he lacks a physical support group to witness the biggest moment of his career, Saaskilahti told PokerNews that plans are underway to have a group of Finnish supporters in attendance when the final nine take place. This isn't to say he didn't feel the love from his hometown on the eighth day, he added: "Online, my family, friends, and colleagues have been incredibly supportive, sharing this moment with me. So it's been very interesting for me, and probably very interesting for them too."

Lauri Saaskilahti's Main Event Tour

Saaskilahti's Main Event journey was far from smooth sailing, with a tough third day leaving him 15,000 chips behind his starting stack. However, he bounced back strongly on the fourth day, turning 224,000 chips into 2,100,000, placing himself among the chip leaders with 533 players remaining.

From then on, the Finnish player continued to accumulate chips, doubling his stack again before the end of Day 5, and then steadily climbing in the later stages of the tournament. He entered Day 8 with 15,600,000 chips, one of the fewest among the remaining 21 players.

Saaskilahti saved his biggest breakout for the most important day, nearly doubling his chip stack on Day 8 to finish with 37,500,000 chips, placing him seventh out of the final nine players.

2026 WSOP Main Event Final Table Seating Arrangements

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