WSOP Main Event winners
By All In Central · Updated
Lucas Jumalon won the 2026 WSOP Main Event, beating 9,208 players for $10,000,000. Below is every World Series of Poker Main Event champion since 1970 — 57 tournaments, from a vote among seven players at Binion's Horseshoe to fields of more than ten thousand in Las Vegas — with the field size, first prize and runner-up for every year.
Every Main Event champion
Prizes are in US dollars as paid at the time. The Main Event is the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Championship — the tournament whose winner is called the world champion of poker.
- 2026$10,000,000United States: Lucas Jumalon9,208 players · runner-up Lauri Saaskilahti
At 22, the second-youngest champion.
- 2025$10,000,000United States: Michael Mizrachi9,735 players · runner-up John Wasnock
- 2024$10,000,000United States: Jonathan Tamayo10,112 players · runner-up Jordan Griff
The largest field ever.
- 2023$12,100,000United States: Daniel Weinman10,043 players · runner-up Steven Jones
The first field over 10,000 and the biggest first prize in Main Event history.
- 2022$10,000,000Norway: Espen Jørstad8,663 players · runner-up Adrian Attenborough
- 2021$8,000,000Germany: Koray Aldemir6,650 players · runner-up George Holmes
- 2020$2,550,969Argentina: Damian Salas1,379 players · runner-up Joseph Hebert
A pandemic-year hybrid: Salas won the international event online (674 players, $1,550,969), then beat the US winner heads-up for another $1,000,000.
- 2019$10,000,000Germany: Hossein Ensan8,569 players · runner-up Dario Sammartino
Born in Iran.
- 2018$8,800,000United States: John Cynn7,874 players · runner-up Tony Miles
- 2017$8,150,000United States: Scott Blumstein7,221 players · runner-up Dan Ott
- 2016$8,005,310United States: Qui Nguyen6,737 players · runner-up Gordon Vayo
- 2015$7,683,346United States: Joe McKeehen6,420 players · runner-up Josh Beckley
- 2014$10,000,000Sweden: Martin Jacobson6,683 players · runner-up Felix Stephensen
- 2013$8,361,570United States: Ryan Riess6,352 players · runner-up Jay Farber
- 2012$8,531,853United States: Greg Merson6,598 players · runner-up Jesse Sylvia
- 2011$8,715,638Germany: Pius Heinz6,865 players · runner-up Martin Staszko
- 2010$8,944,310Canada: Jonathan Duhamel7,319 players · runner-up John Racener
- 2009$8,547,042United States: Joe Cada6,494 players · runner-up Darvin Moon
At 21, the youngest champion ever.
- 2008$9,152,416Denmark: Peter Eastgate6,844 players · runner-up Ivan Demidov
The first final table played months later, in November.
- 2007$8,250,000United States: Jerry Yang6,358 players · runner-up Tuan Lam
Born in Laos.
- 2006$12,000,000United States: Jamie Gold8,773 players · runner-up Paul Wasicka
- 2005$7,500,000Australia: Joe Hachem5,619 players · runner-up Steve Dannenmann
- 2004$5,000,000United States: Greg Raymer2,576 players · runner-up David Williams
- 2003$2,500,000United States: Chris Moneymaker839 players · runner-up Sam Farha
An amateur who qualified online — the win that set off the poker boom.
- 2002$2,000,000United States: Robert Varkonyi631 players · runner-up Julian Gardner
- 2001$1,500,000Spain: Carlos Mortensen613 players · runner-up Dewey Tomko
Born in Ecuador.
- 2000$1,500,000United States: Chris Ferguson512 players · runner-up T.J. Cloutier
- 1999$1,000,000Ireland: Noel Furlong393 players · runner-up Alan Goehring
- 1998$1,000,000United States: Scotty Nguyen350 players · runner-up Kevin McBride
Born in Vietnam.
- 1997$1,000,000United States: Stu Ungar312 players · runner-up John Strzemp
Ungar's third title, 16 years after his second.
- 1996$1,000,000United States: Huck Seed295 players · runner-up Bruce Van Horn
- 1995$1,000,000United States: Dan Harrington273 players · runner-up Howard Goldfarb
- 1994$1,000,000United States: Russ Hamilton268 players · runner-up Hugh Vincent
- 1993$1,000,000United States: Jim Bechtel220 players · runner-up Glenn Cozen
- 1992$1,000,000United States: Hamid Dastmalchi201 players · runner-up Tom Jacobs
Born in Iran.
- 1991$1,000,000United States: Brad Daugherty215 players · runner-up Don Holt
The first $1,000,000 first prize.
- 1990$835,000United Kingdom: Mansour Matloubi194 players · runner-up Hans Lund
The first non-American champion — born in Iran, living in Wales.
- 1989$755,000United States: Phil Hellmuth178 players · runner-up Johnny Chan
Stopped Chan's bid for a third straight title.
- 1988$700,000United States: Johnny Chan167 players · runner-up Erik Seidel
The final hand was later made famous by the film Rounders.
- 1987$625,000United States: Johnny Chan152 players · runner-up Frank Henderson
- 1986$570,000United States: Berry Johnston141 players · runner-up Mike Harthcock
- 1985$700,000United States: Bill Smith140 players · runner-up T.J. Cloutier
- 1984$660,000United States: Jack Keller132 players · runner-up Byron Wolford
- 1983$540,000United States: Tom McEvoy108 players · runner-up Rod Peate
The first champion to qualify through a satellite.
- 1982$520,000United States: Jack Straus104 players · runner-up Dewey Tomko
Came back from a single chip — the origin of "a chip and a chair".
- 1981$375,000United States: Stu Ungar75 players · runner-up Perry Green
- 1980$385,000United States: Stu Ungar73 players · runner-up Doyle Brunson
- 1979$270,000United States: Hal Fowler54 players · runner-up Bobby Hoff
The first amateur to win the Main Event.
- 1978$210,000United States: Bobby Baldwin42 players · runner-up Crandell Addington
The first year the prize pool was split among several places.
- 1977$340,000United States: Doyle Brunson34 players · runner-up Gary Berland
Won holding 10-2 both years — the hand still carries his name.
- 1976$220,000United States: Doyle Brunson22 players · runner-up Jesse Alto
- 1975$210,000United States: Sailor Roberts21 players · runner-up Bob Hooks
- 1974$160,000United States: Johnny Moss16 players · runner-up Crandell Addington
Moss's third title — still the record, shared with Stu Ungar.
- 1973$130,000United States: Puggy Pearson13 players · runner-up Johnny Moss
- 1972$80,000United States: Amarillo Slim Preston8 players · runner-up Puggy Pearson
- 1971$30,000United States: Johnny Moss6 players · runner-up Puggy Pearson
- 1970—United States: Johnny Moss7 players
Voted champion by his fellow players — no tournament was played; the prize was a silver cup.
How the field grew
For thirty years the Main Event was a few hundred players at most. Then Chris Moneymaker, an amateur who qualified online, won in 2003 — and the field went from 839 that year to 8,773 three years later. It crossed 10,000 for the first time in 2023.
Players per year. 2020 was played largely online during the pandemic (1,379 players across two events).
Champions by country
- United States45
- Germany3
- Argentina1
- Australia1
- Canada1
- Denmark1
- Spain1
- United Kingdom1
- Ireland1
- Norway1
- Sweden1
Multiple champions
- Johnny Moss3× · 1970, 1971, 1974
- Stu Ungar3× · 1980, 1981, 1997
- Doyle Brunson2× · 1976, 1977
- Johnny Chan2× · 1987, 1988
Johnny Moss's 1970 title came from a vote among the players, not a tournament.
Common questions
- Who won the 2026 WSOP Main Event?
- Lucas Jumalon, a 22-year-old from Spokane, Washington, won the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event. He beat a field of 9,208 players and took $10,000,000, defeating Finland's Lauri Saaskilahti heads-up.
- Who has won the WSOP Main Event the most times?
- Johnny Moss and Stu Ungar have three titles each. Moss was voted champion in 1970 and won the tournament in 1971 and 1974; Ungar won in 1980, 1981 and 1997. Doyle Brunson (1976–77) and Johnny Chan (1987–88) both won it twice in a row.
- What is the biggest first prize in WSOP Main Event history?
- $12,100,000, won by Daniel Weinman in 2023. The previous record was Jamie Gold's $12,000,000 in 2006. Every champion from 2022 to 2026 won at least $10,000,000.
- What was the largest WSOP Main Event field?
- 10,112 players in 2024, when Jonathan Tamayo won. The 2023 Main Event was the first to pass 10,000 players (10,043).
- Who was the first non-American to win the Main Event?
- Mansour Matloubi in 1990. Born in Iran and living in Wales, he won a field of 194 and defeated Hans Lund heads-up. Since then champions have come from Ireland, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Argentina and Norway.
- Who is the youngest WSOP Main Event champion?
- Joe Cada, who was 21 when he won in 2009. Lucas Jumalon became the second-youngest in 2026, at 22.
- Has a Norwegian ever won the WSOP Main Event?
- Yes — Espen Jørstad won in 2022, beating 8,663 players for $10,000,000. He was the first Norwegian champion.
- How much does it cost to play the WSOP Main Event?
- The Main Event buy-in is $10,000. Many players win their seat for far less through satellites — cheaper qualifying tournaments — which is how Chris Moneymaker got in for 2003.
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Open the timerSources: the World Series of Poker's own history, and the PokerNews and Card Player results archives. Checked against each other in September 2026; where they disagreed, the WSOP and PokerNews figures are used. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.