Greg Mueller Says 100-Strong WSOP Rail Brought Pressure With $3.75 Million Score
The former hockey pro climbed from last in chips with seven left to third place in the 2026 Main Event.
Greg Mueller’s third-place finish in the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event came with a $3.75 million payout and a rail of more than 100 supporters. The 55-year-old Vancouver player outlasted a 9,208-entry field in the $10,000 championship at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, which generated an $85.6 million prize pool.
Lucas Jumalon won the title and $10 million, defeating Lauri Saaskilahti heads-up. Saaskilahti earned $6 million, while Mueller’s $3.75 million marked the biggest result of his career. As we reported in July, Mueller entered the delayed final-table return fourth in chips.
A new Card Player profile says Mueller’s supporters included family, hockey friends, poker players and other friends, many wearing matching hats and shirts bearing his picture. He called it the “best, biggest, loudest rail in WSOP history,” but said the desire not to disappoint that group added to the pressure he felt at the final table.
Mueller was last in chips with seven players remaining on Day 9, but climbed four places to finish third, adding $2.25 million in payout value from that position. The final table had been paused for almost three weeks, and he used the break for training, healthier eating, sleep and study of tournament charts, ICM, stack sizes and positions.
The result had particular weight for a player whose poker career dates to 2003. Mueller has three WSOP bracelets, 73 WSOP cashes and $7.3 million in live tournament winnings. His first bracelet came in the 2009 $10,000 limit hold’em event, followed by a $1,500 limit hold’em shootout win a week later; his third arrived in the 2019 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. event.
Before poker, Mueller spent eight years playing professional hockey in Germany after arriving there at 19. He learned poker during bus trips between games, won a German hockey championship and played in the 1992 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland. He retired from hockey early after his mother died and he lost his passion for the sport.
Mueller said the Main Event run stood alone above his earlier poker achievements, even without the bracelet. He does not plan to return to a full tournament schedule, saying he prefers to choose events while making time for golf, walking, training, family and friends. He still plays hockey two or three times a week and takes part in Canucks alumni and charity games.
