Which Players Have the Best Shot at Winning a WSOP Bracelet This Year?

Last Updated on July 10, 2026 by Bala Kumar

The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is in its final stretch, and the numbers so far tell a wild story: 85 of the 100 scheduled WSOP bracelets have already been awarded, the $10,000 WSOP Main Event has drawn its fourth-largest field ever, and a handful of players are putting together summers that could define their careers. If you’ve been searching for WSOP odds, WSOP 2026 updates, World Series of Poker results, WSOP Main Event odds, WSOP bracelet winners, or wondering who’s favored to win a WSOP bracelet this year, here’s everything you need to know, backed by real, current tournament data. 

Quick Facts: 2026 WSOP at a Glance

Detail	Information
Location	Horseshoe & Paris Las Vegas, Nevada
Dates	May 26 – July 15, 2026
Total Bracelet Events	100 (85 awarded as of July 9)
Main Event Field Size	9,208 entries (4th-largest in WSOP history)
Main Event Prize Pool	$85,634,400
Main Event Champion Payout	$10,000,000
Main Event Final Table	August 3–5, 2026 (live on ESPN)
Countries Represented	111

Who’s Leading the Race for Player of the Year?

If you want a real answer to “who has the best shot at a bracelet this year,” the WSOP’s own Player of the Year (POY) leaderboard is the clearest signal available, since it rewards consistent deep runs across the entire summer, not just one lucky week.

As of the most recent standings, Alex Foxen sits atop the leaderboard with 3,004 points, having overtaken longtime rival Shaun Deeb for the top spot. Foxen has been one of the most consistent performers of the summer, cashing repeatedly and bagging a strong stack heading into the Main Event’s business days.

Right behind him is Naoya Kihara in second place with 2,863 points. The Japanese pro has already won two bracelets this summer, Event #17 ($10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship) and Event #23 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship), making him one of the sharpest mixed-game players at this year’s series.

In third is Shaun Deeb with 2,817 points, himself a bracelet winner this summer (Event #74, $1,500 8-Game Mixed) and a perennial POY threat. All three of these players sit in position to add another bracelet before the series wraps on July 15, and the top three on the leaderboard also lock in $100,000 WSOP Paradise packages regardless of what happens next.

The 2026 Bracelet Count So Far

A few names have separated themselves from the pack entirely this summer:

• Eelis Parssinen — two bracelets this summer, including a massive $2,161,056 score in the $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha
• Calvin Anderson — two bracelets (Razz Championship and H.O.R.S.E. Championship)
• Naoya Kihara — two bracelets, detailed above
• Benny Glaser — won the prestigious $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $1,343,764, earning the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy and tying Johnny Moss for career bracelet wins
• Daniel Negreanu — won the $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha for $2,257,718, his eighth career WSOP bracelet

Negreanu’s win is particularly notable for WSOP bracelet odds watchers, since it puts him within striking distance of poker’s most exclusive club,  the handful of players with ten or more career bracelets, a list that includes Phil Hellmuth (17), Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Johnny Moss.

Who’s Chasing History in the Main Event?

The 2026 Main Event field includes a stacked group of former champions, several of whom are still alive as of Day 3. Twelve former Main Event winners advanced through Day 2, including defending champion Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi,  fresh off his ninth career WSOP bracelet,  along with 17-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, 2004 champion Greg Raymer, 1996 champion Huck Seed, and 2012 champion Greg Merson.

A win by Mizrachi would make him just the second player since 1997 to capture multiple Main Event titles, joining an incredibly short list in WSOP history. Only four players have ever won the Main Event more than once, Stu Ungar and Johnny Moss (three times each), and Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan (twice each).

As of the Day 3 recap, Sasha Liu holds the overall Main Event chip lead with 2,364,000, followed by Martin Zamani (1,963,000), Levon Khachatryan (1,745,000), Robert Gill (1,604,000), and Zdenek Zizka (1,576,000), though with over a thousand players still alive heading toward the money, this leaderboard will shift dramatically before the money bubble bursts and the field narrows toward August’s final table.

2026 WSOP Main Event Payout Structure

For context on what’s actually at stake heading toward the final table:

Place	Payout
1st	$10,000,000
2nd	$6,000,000
3rd	$3,750,000
4th	$2,750,000
5th	$2,250,000
6th	$1,750,000
7th	$1,500,000
8th	$1,250,000
9th	$1,000,000

Full Remaining WSOP 2026 Schedule (July 7–15)

With 15 bracelet events still to be played, here’s exactly what’s left on the calendar:

Event #	Tournament	Buy-In	Dates
#87	Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha	$1,000	Jul 7–9
#88	Gladiators of Poker	$300	Jul 8–13
#89	Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold’em	$3,000	Jul 8–13
#90	High Roller No-Limit Hold’em	$50,000	Jul 9–11
#91	Pick Your PLO	$1,500	Jul 9–11
#92	T.O.R.S.E.	$3,000	Jul 10–12
#93	The Closer No-Limit Hold’em	$1,500	Jul 11–13
#94	6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship	$10,000	Jul 11–13
#95	Summer Saver No-Limit Hold’em	$500	Jul 12–14
#96	6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha	$3,000	Jul 12–14
#97	High Roller H.O.R.S.E.	$25,000	Jul 13–15
#98	Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em	$800	Jul 14–15
#99	8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em	$5,000	Jul 14–15
#100	Super Turbo No-Limit Hold’em	$1,000	Jul 15
Main Event Final Table	9 players → Champion	—	Aug 3–5

Event #97, the $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E., is the final high-stakes mixed-game event of the summer and one to watch for players like Kihara, Anderson, and Deeb looking to pad their POY totals before the series closes.

Why WSOP Bracelet Odds Are So Hard to Predict

Unlike single-elimination sports brackets, WSOP bracelet odds are inherently volatile because tournament poker rewards short-term variance as much as long-term skill. A field of even a few hundred players makes any single outcome mathematically unlikely for any one competitor, which is exactly why the POY race, not any individual event, is the best real-time indicator of who’s actually playing the best poker this summer.

That said, certain patterns are worth watching. Players with multiple bracelets already this summer, Kihara, Anderson, Parssinen, have demonstrated an edge in the exact game types still remaining on the schedule, particularly the mixed-game and high-roller formats concentrated in the final two weeks.

Final Thoughts

With 15 bracelet events remaining and the Main Event still deep into its business days, the 2026 WSOP is far from finished. Alex Foxen holds the overall POY edge, Naoya Kihara and Shaun Deeb are within striking distance, and a strong group of past champions,  led by defending titlist Michael Mizrachi, are still alive in the Main Event chasing the $10 million top prize and a shot at poker immortality.

Whether it’s the mixed-game specialists targeting the $25,000 H.O.R.S.E., or the survivors grinding toward the August 3–5 final table, the next two weeks will decide who walks away as this year’s biggest story. Bookmark this page, we’ll keep it updated as new bracelets are won and the Main Event field narrows toward its champion.

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