WSOP Closes 57th Series With Record 251,899 Entries
The Las Vegas festival paid out nearly $470 million, collected $47.3 million in tournament fees and sent 35,157 players into the money.
The 57th World Series of Poker closed after 51 days in Las Vegas with a record 251,899 entries spread across 100 live gold bracelet events at Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas. The festival paid out $469.98 million in prize money, and 35,157 players finished in the money.
An analysis published by pokerfuse said players put just over $517 million into the live series through buy-ins. That left $47.3 million in tournament fees, of which about $33.1 million stayed with WSOP and $14.2 million went to dealers and tournament staff. By prize money, 2026 was the second-largest WSOP ever, behind last year’s $481 million total. Around 40% of tournaments drew bigger fields than in 2025, while about 60% declined.
The $10,000 Main Event drew 9,208 players and generated an $85.6 million prize pool. PokerStrategy, citing a referenced analysis, said it was the fourth biggest Main Event in WSOP history. The last nine players will return to Las Vegas from August 3-5 for the final table, which will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Pokerfuse’s international participation analysis said it was also the fourth straight year the Main Event topped 9,000 entries, and that competitors came from a record 111 countries. International players filled 3,574 seats, or 38.8% of the field, while U.S. participation slipped to 5,634 from 5,978 in 2025. The analysis noted that 2024 comparisons are imperfect because that year used residence, not passport nationality.
Female turnout also hit another modern-era high at 431 women, or 4.68% of the field, up from 369 and 3.79% last year. That was still a small share of the field, but it marked another step up from 2025.
Several events also set field marks. The $1,000 Mystery Millions drew 22,811 entries and became the largest Mystery Millions tournament and the biggest $1,000 buy-in event in live poker history. The Ladies Championship reached 1,368 entries, and the $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha drew 4,764 to become the largest live PLO tournament ever held.
At the high-roller end, Rakerace said most buy-ins of $25,000 or more drew smaller fields than in 2025, with only the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller increasing participation. It pointed to weaker crypto markets, the U.S. tax limit on gambling-loss deductions and higher fees in some premium events as possible drags.
The festival handed out 41 prizes worth at least $1 million. Fifty-seven events generated prize pools above $2 million, and eight cleared $10 million. Among the headline winners, Daniel Negreanu captured his eighth WSOP bracelet in the $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha event for more than $2.2 million, Michael Mizrachi won his ninth bracelet in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for $1.35 million, Kristen Foxen took the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em event and Alex Foxen won the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em event.
Coverage was available in more than 300 million homes across more than 70 countries through ESPN Networks, Eurosport, TNT Sports, Abema Japan and Groupe M6 in France. WSOP also introduced a redesigned Final Table Arena with upgraded lighting and digital displays, returned to ESPN and signed a new multi-year distribution agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery covering HBO Max, Eurosport and TNT Sports. Edited broadcasts began airing on July 21, and WSOP social platforms generated 378.3 million views and impressions while adding 222,828 new followers across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.
On the online side, Rakerace said the bracelet schedule produced $24.5 million in prize pools from 43,263 entries. It said average online prize pools fell below $820,000, participation dropped for a second straight year and only eight online events topped $1 million.
Ty Stewart said the series showed Las Vegas remains the 'undisputed epicenter of the poker universe’ and that the community expanded beyond the casino floor through the redesigned final table arena, linear broadcasts and digital engagement. The global player of the year race will conclude at WSOP Paradise at Baha Mar in The Bahamas from December 1-17, after earlier events in Prague and Las Vegas.
