Last Updated on August 5, 2026 by Bala Kumar
Day 1 of the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table crept along, six hours, two eliminations, and a lot of patient folding. Day 2 flipped the switch. Between double-ups, coolers, and one especially cruel river card, the seven survivors of Monday’s session were whittled down to just two by the time the night ended: Lucas Jumalon and Lauri Saaskilahti, who now play for $10,000,000 and the Main Event gold bracelet.
Jumalon, the 22-year-old from Washington state, is still the man to beat, he hasn’t given up the chip lead once since Day 8. But Saaskilahti isn’t just along for the ride. The Finn is chasing history of his own, and he got a massive boost late in the day when he cracked the pocket aces of fifth-place finisher Han Feng to take control of second place.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank/Place | Player | Country | Chip Count/Prize | Big Blinds |
| 1 | Lucas Jumalon | United States | 328,000,000 | 109 |
| 2 | Lauri Saaskilahti | Finland | 225,000,000 | 75 |
| 3 | Greg Mueller | Canada | $3,750,000 | N/A |
| 4 | Michael Gagliano | United States | $2,750,000 | N/A |
| 5 | Han Feng | United States | $2,250,000 | N/A |
| 6 | Rami Hammoud | Canada | $1,750,000 | N/A |
| 7 | Jamie Shaevel | United States | $1,500,000 | N/A |
| 8 | Mario Boos | France | $1,250,000 | N/A |
| 9 | Evagoras Evagorou | Cyprus | $1,000,000 | N/A |
Battle of the Rails
Play got underway with basketball star Draymond Green delivering the ceremonial “Shuffle Up and Deal,” joking that even the eventual champion would still be a long way from matching bracelet counts with his friend Phil Hellmuth.
Outside the ropes, the real spectacle was happening in the stands. Each remaining player had their own dedicated rail, color-coded by t-shirt and competing to out-cheer one another for the loudest reaction of the night.
Nobody topped Greg Mueller’s crew. Packed into red “Shadow” hats, they turned every hand into an event, and their volume hit a peak when Mueller’s king-jack flopped ahead of Saaskilahti’s ace-king en route to a double-up.
Commentators Nick Schulman and Ali Nejad couldn’t help but comment on the scene from the booth, joking that surviving that rail’s energy would take more than a strong stomach.
Han Feng’s section was a close second in volume, at least until the hand that ended his tournament. Feng, who’d traded Day 1’s pink feather boa for a more understated look, watched his pocket aces get run down by a runner-runner straight from Saaskilahti. His rail went silent almost instantly, and Feng exited in fifth place for $2,250,000.
Feng’s bust-out came shortly after two other eliminations. Jamie Shaevel, a respected cash-game player picking up his eighth career Main Event cash, fell in seventh at Jumalon’s hands, his missed flopped straight draw bringing an end to a run made a little more memorable by the Kobe Bryant jersey he wore to the felt.
Rami Hammoud went out next in sixth, his queen-jack no match for Jumalon’s ace-five.
Across the board, Jumalon hasn’t just been winning pots, he’s been the one initiating them. He’s entered final-table play with extra preparation too, having worked with poker streamer Patrick Leonard ahead of the event. Leonard, who made his own run to a 32nd-place finish this year, said afterward that some of Jumalon’s decisions were sharper than he’d expected from a player this inexperienced.
Down to Two
The pace never let up. Four-time bracelet winner Michael Gagliano had spent most of Day 2 nursing a short stack before finally finding room to double up. It wasn’t enough to save him, his king-queen ran into Jumalon’s king-jack, a jack landed on the turn, and Gagliano was eliminated in fourth for $2,750,000.
Not long after, Mueller made his own stand. He reached the river holding a pair of fours against Jumalon’s pocket kings and had to commit the rest of his stack. The kings held, and Mueller was out in third. His rail, the loudest in the building all night , stayed with him to the end.
“The energy they brought me… I can’t even describe it,” Mueller said afterward, reflecting on the support that carried him through the day.
Jumalon has controlled this final table from the first hand to the last, but heads-up brings a different kind of test. Asked how he expects his game to hold up one-on-one, he kept things characteristically brief, saying the answer would have to wait until Day 3.
Heads-up play begins August 5, with cards in the air at 6 p.m. local time. Jumalon looks to protect a chip lead he’s never once surrendered, while Saaskilahti, backed by a blue-and-white rail hoping to see Finland’s flag raised for the first time at a Main Event, looks to complete the upset.
FAQs
Who is playing heads-up in the WSOP Main Event 2026?
Lucas Jumalon of the United States and Lauri Saaskilahti of Finland will play heads-up on August 5 for the $10,000,000 first prize and the Main Event gold bracelet.
What is the chip count heading into WSOP Main Event heads-up?
Lucas Jumalon leads with 328,000,000 chips (109 big blinds) to Lauri Saaskilahti’s 225,000,000 (75 big blinds).
Who busted out on Day 2 of the WSOP Main Event 2026 final table?
In order: Jamie Shaevel (7th, $1,500,000), Rami Hammoud (6th, $1,750,000), Han Feng (5th, $2,250,000), Michael Gagliano (4th, $2,750,000), and Greg Mueller (3rd, $3,750,000).
Has Lucas Jumalon ever lost the chip lead at this final table?
No. Jumalon has held the chip lead continuously since Day 8 of the Main Event and remained in front through both days of final-table play.
When does WSOP Main Event heads-up start and where can I watch?
Heads-up begins at 6 p.m. local Las Vegas time on August 5. The broadcast airs live on ESPN starting at 10:30 p.m. ET, with international coverage on Eurosport and TNT Sports.
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