A brutal bad beat resulted in Todd Brunson's elimination from the WSOP Main Event despite doubling his win rate.

Todd Brunson went all-in with Aces on Day 8 of the 2026 WSOP Main Event, but was defeated by an opponent's flush on the river, finishing in 20th place and earning $325,000.

Todd Brunson entered Day 8 of the 2026 WSOP Main Event with less than 15 big blinds in chips. He needed to make a quick move, and he did. But a subsequent bad beat sent him out of the tournament.

This Poker Hall of Famer is attempting to win the Main Event 50 years after his father, Doyle Brunson, triumphed in 1976. Doyle, a 10-time bracelet winner and ultimate poker legend, won again in 1977. Todd, owner of the Roma Deli in Las Vegas, had a fantastic start to Monday's event.

Brunson's early actions

Brunson entered the tournament with 7,800,000 chips at the 600,000 blind level, with 21 players remaining. Malcolm Trayner led with over 60,000,000 chips. There were some sparks early in the tournament—Lauri Saaskilahti doubled up his 25 big blinds with AK in a few hands. Shortly after, Brunson encountered a cold hand, but it ultimately worked in his favor.

High-stakes grinder Brock Wilson started pre-flop with a minimum raise of K♥K♣. Holding A♦K♦, Wilson went all-in for 7,800,000. Chip leader Trayner joined with Q♥Q♣, pushing Wilson all-in for 15,400,000. After the call, the three players saw the flop of 8♦2♥2♠, which pleased Wilson greatly—he only needed to avoid Q or A on the turn and river to nearly triple his stack.

But the turn was a 9♦, giving Brunson hope of a flush draw and a high card. He then hit an A♠ on the river, completing a full triple-up. Wilson was roughly even in this hand, while Trayner lost about a quarter of his chips.

Brunson quickly became a key factor in the deeper stages of the WSOP Main Event, attempting to win his first gold bracelet since 2005. If he succeeds, Doyle and Todd will become the first father-son duo to win the Main Event. If you notice the past tense here, there's a reason for that, and that reason is the next hand.

About 30 minutes later, Brunson found himself close to chip lead. He raised pre-flop from the button with A♦A♥, and Trayner in the big blind called with A♣J♣. The flop came 8♦3♣2♣, giving Trayner a flush draw. He checked and called a continuation bet, then improved his hand on the turn with J♠.

Brunson bet 2,300,000, about a third of the pot. Trayner, holding top pair and a nut flush draw, checked and raised to 5,500,000. Brunson then went all-in for 17,100,000 and was quickly called.

The biggest pot in the tournament would have depended on whether pocket aces could hold out or be defeated by a bad beat—and the latter happened, with the river card 4♣ completing a flush. Trayner extended his chip lead, while Brunson was eliminated in 20th place for a $325,000 prize.

The WSOP Main Event will proceed to a nine-player final table before the end of Day 8. Players who finish with their stacks will then take a few weeks off before returning to Paris and Las Vegas from August 3rd to 5th for the final table.

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