Last Updated on August 5, 2026 by Bala Kumar
Every WSOP Main Event final table has a hand people are still talking about the next day. On Day 2 of the 2026 WSOP Main Event, that hand belonged to Han Feng, and it ended his tournament in about as unlucky a way as poker allows.
Feng had the best hand for most of the way. He lost anyway. Here’s exactly how it happened, why it mattered, and what it says about just how thin the margin is between a deep Main Event run and a min-cash.
The Setup: Five Players Left, Feng Running Low
By the time this hand came up, the WSOP Main Event 2026 final table had already lost two players on Day 2. Jamie Shaevel, a well-regarded Southern California cash-game pro, had just busted in seventh place courtesy of chip leader Lucas Jumalon, trimming the field to five.
Feng, one of the more tournament-tested players remaining, he came in with roughly $3.5 million in career live cashes, was down to around eight big blinds. Short-stacked and looking for a spot, he found about the best one poker can offer: pocket aces.
Aces Get Action, Then the Board Turns
Feng shoved. Greg “FBT” Mueller, holding pocket jacks, made what turned out to be a sharp fold. Lauri Saaskilahti, sitting on a much healthier stack, made the call with pocket nines.
At this point, it looked like exactly the double-up Feng needed to get back in the fight. The flop came 10♦-3♦-8♦, and since one of Feng’s aces was the ace of diamonds, he wasn’t just ahead on the hand, he had backup outs to a flush if he needed them.
Then the turn hit: J♥. That single card gave Saaskilahti’s pocket nines an open-ended straight draw, suddenly putting him back in range to win the pot. Feng was still favored, but the comfortable lead had shrunk in a hurry.
The dealer paused for the TV cameras before turning over the river: Q♠. It completed Saaskilahti’s straight and ended Feng’s tournament on the spot, sending him to the rail in fifth place for $2,250,000.
Why This Hand Mattered
Context matters here. Day 1 of this final table had drawn some criticism online for being slow, just two eliminations across six full hours of play. Day 2 flipped that completely, with multiple significant pots and two bustouts inside the first two hours alone. Feng’s elimination was the headline moment of that shift.
It’s also a useful reminder for anyone newer to tournament poker of just how often “the best hand” doesn’t hold. An overpair losing to a runner-runner straight is a genuinely rare outcome, the kind of thing that happens far less often than most players intuitively think, which is exactly what makes it feel so brutal when it does.
Feng had entered Day 1 as one of the shorter stacks at the table, clawed his way into a share of the chip lead through a run of gutsy all-ins, and looked like a real threat to go the distance. One card changed all of that.
With his elimination, the field moved one step closer to a champion, with Lucas Jumalon and Lauri Saaskilahti eventually squaring off in heads-up play to decide who would take home the $10,000,000 top prize and the Main Event gold bracelet.
FAQs
How did Han Feng get eliminated from the WSOP Main Event 2026 final table?
Feng moved all-in with pocket aces and was called by Lauri Saaskilahti’s pocket nines. Feng was ahead through the flop, but a jack on the turn gave Saaskilahti an open-ended straight draw, and a queen on the river completed the straight, eliminating Feng in fifth place.
What did Han Feng win for finishing fifth at the WSOP Main Event 2026?
Feng earned $2,250,000 for his fifth-place finish.
Why did Greg Mueller fold pocket jacks in that hand?
Mueller was also involved in the pot with pocket jacks and chose to fold rather than risk his stack against two players both willing to commit their chips — a read that proved correct once the cards were revealed.
What is a runner-runner straight in poker?
A runner-runner straight happens when a player needs both the turn and river cards to complete a straight that wasn’t there after the flop. It’s a low-probability outcome, which is part of what made Feng’s elimination especially painful.
Was Day 2 of the WSOP Main Event 2026 final table faster than Day 1?
Yes. Day 1 produced only two eliminations across six hours of play, while Day 2 delivered two bustouts within the first two hours alone, including Feng’s, as the pace of the final table picked up significantly.
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