Lucas Jumalon Wins WSOP Main Event
The 22-year-old Spokane player beat Lauri Saaskilahti heads-up for $10 million.
As covered in August, Jumalon won the 2026 WSOP Main Event, beating Lauri Saaskilahti heads-up for $10 million and his first WSOP bracelet.
He won the $10,000 no-limit hold’em World Championship in a field of 9,208 entrants at the Horseshoe Events Center. The 22-year-old Spokane resident led from start to finish at the three-day final table, and the heads-up match lasted a little over an hour. Saaskilahti earned $6 million for second place.
The finish came down to a big river spot. Jumalon overbet 40 million chips on a four-ace-king-jack board with three spades, then fired 180 million after the river brought the queen-high flush. Saaskilahti said he thought the turn bet represented a strong hand and that the river spade meant either the nuts or complete air.
A separate profile added some of the background behind the run. It said Jumalon was hospitalized for nearly three months after birth, was the youngest of five brothers, and began taking poker seriously around age 14 or 15. He later said he got very into the game, studied hard, and felt ready to play with the big boys by 18. The profile also said his father ran Bulldog Rooter and worked two full-time jobs, while his mother went back to school at 36 to become a registered nurse.
