Last Updated on July 21, 2026 by Bala Kumar
A Historic Run to the Final Nine
While chaos reigned around the tables on Day 8 of the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event, one player stood out for how unbothered he looked. Finland’s Lauri Saaskilahti calmly navigated his way through the day’s carnage to punch his ticket to poker’s most prestigious final table, and in doing so, rewrote his country’s record books.
Saaskilahti’s deep run shattered Finland’s two previous best showings in the WSOP Main Event: Matti Kuortti’s 25th-place finish back in 1997 and Miika Puumalainen’s 59th-place result in 2009. Despite making history, Saaskilahti told PokerNews he felt surprisingly calm heading into the three-week break before the final table, bagging up 37,500,000 chips to close out play.
“Maybe It’s Meant to Be”
Saaskilahti, who now lives in Spain and previously scored his biggest career cash with a 14th-place finish at EPT Barcelona (€70,900), pointed to a pivotal hand from Day 7 as the turning point in his tournament. All in with ace-high against an opponent’s flopped top pair of kings, he spiked an ace on the river to survive and double up, a moment he described as making him feel like the run was simply meant to happen.
Reflecting on the achievement, Saaskilahti kept things grounded, saying: “I feel surprisingly relaxed. I don’t have any super big emotions.” He added that the enormity of the moment might hit him later, but for now, happiness was the dominant feeling.
Vacation Mode Before the Big Stage
With three weeks separating the end of Day 8 play and the resumption of the final table in November, Saaskilahti isn’t sweating his preparation. His original plan to fly home to Europe has been scrapped in favor of a family vacation that starts in Las Vegas and continues on to San Diego, with stops planned for Disneyland and Beverly Hills, before he circles back to get ready for poker’s biggest stage.
While there wasn’t a physical rail cheering him on during Day 8, Saaskilahti confirmed a Finnish contingent is already planning to travel to Las Vegas for the final table. He also noted the outpouring of support he received online from family, friends, and colleagues throughout the day, a virtual rail that made the milestone feel shared, even from a distance.
The Long Road: Lauri Saaskilahti’s Main Event Chip Progression
Saaskilahti’s run to the final nine wasn’t a straight line. A rocky Day 3 saw him bleed chips, ending the day with fewer than he started. He answered immediately, though, turning a short stack into a top-tier position by the end of Day 4 and continuing to build steadily over the following days, before saving his best surge for last, nearly tripling his stack on Day 8 itself.
| Day | Chip Count | Position |
| 1d | 129,700 | 449/3,638 |
| 2d | 239,000 | 406/2,034 |
| 3 | 224,000 | 893/1,389 |
| 4 | 2,100,000 | 38/533 |
| 5 | 4,345,000 | 43/174 |
| 6 | 8,100,000 | 29/62 |
| 7 | 15,600,000 | 17/21 |
| 8 | 37,500,000 | 7/9 |
2026 WSOP Main Event Final Table Seating Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
| 1 | Lauri Saaskilahti | Finland | 37,500,000 | 25 |
| 2 | Michael Gagliano | United States | 46,500,000 | 31 |
| 3 | Mario Boos | France | 44,000,000 | 29 |
| 4 | Greg Mueller | Canada | 48,500,000 | 32 |
| 5 | Jamie Shaevel | United States | 56,000,000 | 37 |
| 6 | Han Feng | United States | 25,000,000 | 17 |
| 7 | Rami Hammoud | Canada | 79,000,000 | 53 |
| 8 | Evagoras Evagorou | Cyprus | 22,500,000 | 15 |
| 9 | Lucas Jumalon | United States | 194,000,000 | 129 |
Remaining WSOP Main Event Payouts
| Place | Prize |
| 1 | $10,000,000 |
| 2 | $6,000,000 |
| 3 | $3,750,000 |
| 4 | $2,750,000 |
| 5 | $2,250,000 |
| 6 | $1,750,000 |
| 7 | $1,500,000 |
| 8 | $1,250,000 |
| 9 | $1,000,000 |
Chasing Finland’s First WSOP Main Event Title
With $1 million already secured and three weeks to sharpen his game, Saaskilahti heads back to Las Vegas with a shot at something no Finnish player has ever done: winning the WSOP Main Event outright. He arrives at the final table as the short stack in Seat 1, but as his chip history shows, Saaskilahti has made a habit of building from behind and Finland will be watching closely to see if he can finish the job.
FAQs
1. Who is Lauri Saaskilahti?
Lauri Saaskilahti is a Finnish professional poker player who reached the final table of the 2026 WSOP Main Event, becoming the deepest-finishing Finnish player in the tournament’s history.
2. How many chips does Lauri Saaskilahti have at the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table?
Saaskilahti enters the final table with 37,500,000 chips, equivalent to 25 big blinds, placing him seventh in the chip counts among the final nine players.
3. How much prize money is guaranteed for the 2026 WSOP Main Event finalists?
Every finalist has already locked up at least $1,000,000, while the eventual champion will take home the $10,000,000 first-place prize.
4. What is Lauri Saaskilahti’s best previous live tournament result?
Before his historic WSOP Main Event run, Saaskilahti’s biggest recorded live cash was a 14th-place finish at EPT Barcelona, earning €70,900.
5. Why is Lauri Saaskilahti’s 2026 WSOP Main Event run historic?
His final table appearance is the best-ever WSOP Main Event finish by a Finnish player, surpassing Matti Kuortti’s 25th-place finish in 1997 and Miika Puumalainen’s 59th-place result in 2009.
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