World Champion Lucas Jumalon Starts Hunt for a WSOP Academy Protégé

The newest world champion of poker wants to help create the next one. Lucas Jumalon, who won the 2026 WSOP Main Event in August, has signed on as the brand ambassador for the World Series of Poker’s new WSOP Academy app. His first assignment is a big one: find a protégé and get that player a seat at the WSOP 2027 Main Event.

A New Kind of Poker Classroom

WSOP Academy is pitched as the opposite of old-school poker study. There are no thick strategy books and no hours of lecture videos. Instead, the app breaks professional concepts into short, game-style lessons that you can finish on your phone during a coffee break or a commute.

New users start with a Poker IQ test that sets their level. From there they work through ten training units, take on challengers, earn XP and compare their progress on leaderboards. The app is free on iOS and Android. Optional WSOP+ memberships cost $9.99 and $49.99 a month and add extra challenges and live-event perks.

To spread the word, the WSOP turned to the one player everyone in poker is talking about this year. Over the next few months, Jumalon will visit several WSOP Circuit festivals to meet Academy users and look for someone worth backing.

From Dreamer to Mentor

For Jumalon, the role feels personal. Not long ago, he was the one watching the Main Event and picturing himself at the final table. Now that he has lived that dream, he wants to give someone else the same shot. He plans to travel the circuit, meet up-and-coming players and maybe spot a future final tablist along the way.

His own story makes him an easy fit:

• He is a 22-year-old from Spokane, Washington.
• He outlasted 9,208 entries to win $10,000,000, beating Finland’s Lauri Saaskilahti heads-up.
• Only Joe Cada, who won at 21 in 2009, has taken the title at a younger age.
• He nearly didn’t make it past the first day. He bagged just 7,400 chips at the end of Day 1b, about 12 big blinds, then turned that short stack into a wire-to-wire final table win.

How Players Can Get Involved

The protégé search runs through special meet-up games for WSOP Academy users at selected WSOP Circuit stops. It works in three steps:

1. Win a meet-up game. The winner earns a seat in that festival’s WSOP Circuit Main Event.
2. Get chosen. Near the end of the season, Jumalon will pick one protégé from all the meet-up winners.
3. Head to Vegas. The chosen player travels to Las Vegas next summer to play the $10,000 Main Event at WSOP 2027.

The WSOP has not yet published the full list of stops or the detailed entry rules. Check the terms inside the app before you plan any travel.

At a Glance

Detail	What we know
Ambassador	Lucas Jumalon, 2026 WSOP Main Event champion
App	WSOP Academy (free, iOS and Android)
Meet-up prize	A seat in that stop’s WSOP Circuit Main Event
Grand prize	A $10,000 WSOP 2027 Main Event seat
First stop	WSOP Circuit UK, Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham (November 6–15, 2026)
Docuseries	YouTube, first episode expected late November

First Stop: WSOP Circuit UK at Dusk Till Dawn

Academy users in the UK and Europe get the first chance to meet Jumalon. The WSOP Circuit UK festival runs from November 6 to 15, 2026 at Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham, often called the home of British poker. For the full festival line-up, plus the Christmas Cup and UKPC Grand Final dates, see our complete Dusk Till Dawn Winter Schedule.

The festival has 13 ring events. The headline event is a £1,500 Main Event with a £1,000,000 guarantee. Every player at this festival needs a verified WSOP+ app, so Academy users are already a step ahead.

WSOPC UK Main Event Schedule (£1,500 buy-in, £1,000,000 guaranteed)

Flight	Date
Day 1A	Sunday, November 8
Day 1B	Wednesday, November 11
Day 1C	Thursday, November 12
Day 1D	Friday, November 13
Last Chance flight	Saturday, November 14 (morning)
Final day	Sunday, November 15

Other Key Events at the Festival

Event	Buy-in	Guarantee
Mini Main (Day 1A, 1B, 1C)	£300	£250,000
Colossus (Day 1A, 1B, Last Chance, Final Day)	£300	£100,000
7-Max	£300	£25,000
Seniors	£300	£25,000
Pot Limit Omaha	£300	£25,000
Monster Stack	£300	£25,000
6-Max	£300	£25,000
Bounty	£300	£25,000

Live Main Event Satellites

• £60 satellite: 5 Main Event seats guaranteed
• £90 satellite: 10 Main Event seats guaranteed
• 10-seat and 20-seat satellites run on November 7, 10, 11, 12 and 13.

The exact time of Jumalon’s Academy meet-up game has not been announced yet. Watch the WSOP Academy app for updates, and check the full Dusk Till Dawn WSOP Circuit schedule on PokerClubGames.

Cameras Will Follow the Journey

Fans won’t have to wait for the final pick to see how it unfolds. A production crew will travel with Jumalon and film the whole search. There is no fixed release schedule yet, but the first episode is expected on YouTube at the end of November.

WSOP Backs Its Young Champion

WSOP CEO Ty Stewart praised Jumalon’s maturity and his wish to pay his success forward. He added that the WSOP is excited to work with him as the Academy grows.

Why This Matters for Everyday Players

Most recreational players will never pay $10,000 for a single tournament. This program gives them a free way in. Download the app and win a meet-up, and you already have a Circuit Main Event seat, even before the final selection. With a champion who came back from 12 big blinds leading the search, the message is simple: the next Main Event story could start anywhere.

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