WSOP Main Event Final Table Day 1 | Lucas Jumalon remains chip leader, Han Feng moves up to second.

On August 3, 2026, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table, with nine players remaining, began its first day of competition in Las Vegas. After approximately six hours of intense play, seven players remained, all still vying for the $10 million first-place prize.

Despite a major setback during the tournament, 22-year-old Lucas Jumalon ultimately bagged 212,000,000 chips to maintain his chip lead. Han Feng, on the other hand, made a crucial double-up during the short-stack phase and won a large pot before the end of the tournament, moving into second place with 106,500,000 chips.

WSOP Main Event Final Table Day 1 Chip Leaderboard

Jumalon currently leads second-place Han Feng by more than double, but four of the seven players already have less than 20 big blinds. Greg Mueller is currently in last place with 29,500,000 chips and will face significant blind pressure heading into the next day of competition.

Jumalon calmly faced the challenge and steadily extended his lead from the start.

Jumalon entered the final table with a clear chip lead and was the most watched player during the ESPN2 broadcast.

The 22-year-old player, with limited live tournament experience, said before the tournament that he wasn't nervous and was only prepared to focus on every decision at the table. After the tournament started, he continued his aggressive play, and his chip count once surpassed the initial 129 big blinds.

The first two hours of the final table were relatively conservative, with most hands ending immediately after a pre-flop raise or after a continuation bet on the flop. The lack of frequent large pot entries by short-stacked players allowed Jumalon to capitalize on his chip advantage and continue accumulating chips.

The six-high bluff was not completed, and Gagliano won the pot with Ace-high.

Jumalon's biggest setback of the day came from Michael Gagliano.

In a large pot, Jumalon raised pre-flop and continued betting on the flop and turn. Gagliano held the best flush draw, and although he didn't make it, Jumalon didn't launch a third-gun bluff on the river.

Jumalon only had six-high at the time, and Gagliano eventually won the pot with an Ace-high. This hand significantly slowed Jumalon's aggressive pace, and he adopted a more cautious play style for the next few hours.

Despite failing to convert his large lead into a bigger advantage, Jumalon finished the game with a chip count close to his starting position. He stated after the game that the purpose of building a large chip count was to allow himself to withstand such pot losses without immediately facing elimination.

Evagorou's pocket J was defeated, and ninth place earned $1 million.

Nearly three hours into the competition, the final table saw its first eliminated player.

Evagoras Evagorou, starting with the shortest stack of the game, went all-in with pocket Jacks, and Jamie Shaevel called with AQ. The flop came down an Ace, giving Shaevel a bigger pair. Evagorou couldn't recover in the following community cards and was eliminated in ninth place, winning $1,000,000.

Evagorou is the first Cypriot player to reach the final table of the WSOP Main Event. Although he didn't continue his championship run, he hopes his performance will encourage young local players to keep pursuing their goals.

Han Feng hit a 4 on the turn, doubling up from the brink of elimination.

About an hour after Evagorou was eliminated, Han Feng faced a potentially decisive all-in match.

Feng entered his short-stacked chip party with A-4, and Mario Boos called with AQ, giving Feng a clear lead pre-flop. However, the turn brought a 4, allowing Feng to complete a pair and double up, securing his place at the final table.

Besides his performance at the poker table, Feng's appearance in a pink feather scarf and open-front shirt also became a focus of the live broadcast. He revealed after the tournament that he had not expected to accumulate so many chips, and therefore had not prepared a complete look for the three days of competition.

Mueller remained silent for the first 20 hands, then won the pot with four raises using pocket kings.

Three-time WSOP bracelet winner Greg “FBT” Mueller was the most experienced player in live tournaments among the seven, but he adopted a rather cautious strategy early in the final table.

Mueller didn't participate in any pots in the first 20 hands, only taking action after acquiring pocket kings. He raised four times pre-flop, forcing Rami Hammoud, who held AQ, to fold and avoid a board showdown that could have changed the chip count for both players.

Although Mueller ultimately finished with the shortest chip among the remaining players at 12 big blinds, his experience and short chip handling skills will remain a significant variable for the next day of competition.

Hammoud simulated the pressure of the final table using player portraits.

Rami Hammoud employed a special preparation method before the final table.

The Canadian player created life-size cardboard cutouts of each of his final table opponents and placed them around the table to simulate the seating and visual environment of the actual match. He also wore headphones to listen to the cheers of Jumalon supporters to prepare for the potential pressure of the live broadcast stage.

Hammoud said the practice session helped him get used to the tension. After Day 1, he was in fourth place with 45,500,000 chips, but only had 18 big blinds left, and he still needed to find opportunities to accumulate chips in the next stage.

Boos Pocket 8 was defeated by K-9 and finished in eighth place.

After several hours without elimination at the final table, Mario Boos became the second player to leave the table that day.

Boos poured in pocket eights to make his chips, facing Lauri Saaskilahti's K-9. The flop came a K, giving Saaskilahti a bigger pair and eliminating Boos to cheers from his Finnish supporters.

Boos finished the main event in eighth place, while the remaining seven players continued to complete the final stage of the day.

Han Feng won a big pot with pocket queens, moving up to second place on the scoreboard.

As the six-hour competition drew to a close, Han Feng once again became the focus of attention.

Feng, holding pocket queens, contested a large pot against Saaskilahti and re-raised after facing a raise on the flop. Saaskilahti eventually folded, and Feng won the pot, increasing his chip count to 106,500,000.

This hand propelled Feng past Saaskilahti to second place, making him the only player currently holding over 100 million chips and directly challenging Jumalon in terms of numbers.

Seven players competed for the championship, with four players scoring less than 20 big blinds.

After Day 1 of the WSOP Main Event final table, Jumalon still held 85 big blinds, while Han Feng and Saaskilahti held 43 and 34 big blinds respectively.

The other four contestants all had fewer than 20 big blinds:

The final table will resume on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, with ESPN coverage expected to begin at 6 p.m. As average chip depth decreases, all-in and calling decisions by short-stacked players could rapidly shift the standings.

While Jumalon didn't significantly extend his lead on Day 1, he successfully held onto his chip lead; Han Feng, on the other hand, rose from a near-elimination short stack to second place. The focus in the next phase will be on whether Feng can further close the gap, and which of the four players with less than 20 big blinds will be the first to complete a crucial double-up.

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