button in SafariEvagoras Evagorou Looks to Become Cyprus' First-Ever WSOP Main Event Champion
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The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event was one of firsts for Cyprus' Evagoras Evagorou. It was the longtime Mediterranean grinder's first-time playing the $10,000 championship event, and he became the first Cypriot to reach the final table.
Evagorou sits last in chips with just 15 big blinds. But he's already locked up a career-best score of $1 million as he adds to his $253,488 in Hendon Mob earnings. A victory or second-place finish would put him first on the Cyprus all-time money list.
"I Was Dreaming of This Moment"
"I was dreaming of this moment. This is my first Main Event that I played, and it’s a great feeling. I feel so happy. I cannot describe with words."
Evagorou, whose first poker cash dates back to 2009, comes to poker from a sports betting background. He got into online poker and said that "I'm not a professional, but I am playing a lot."
"I was gambling with football bets and then started the online poker, so I started playing myself," Evagorou told PokerNews. "And then when I went back home, we started making home games and playing with friends, and then I continued."
Evagorou, who sports a beard and ponytail that he paired with sunglasses and a blue "No Gamble, No Future" hoodie on Day 8, he said that it was a "dream come true" to reach the final table in his first-ever Main Event.
"I was dreaming of this moment," Evagorou said. "This is my first Main Event that I played, and it’s a great feeling. I feel so happy. I cannot describe with words."
Like others in the playing new Mothership, Evagorou received an onslaught of support on Day 8 as he reached the final table, including from his girlfriend and daughter.
“My phone doesn’t stop," he said. "They send me messages, they take my picture, everybody is happy for me.”
Evagorou's only live tournament victory took place more than a decade ago right here in Las Vegas. In 2014, he won a Caesars Palace $100 daily tournament for $1,324. Since then, he's had success on the Merit Poker and Lebanese Poker Tour in the Mediterranean.
Evagorou's biggest career cash came in 2022 as he finished sixth in the $3,000 Merit Poker Retro Series Main Event in Kyrenia for $45,490.
He's going to take some time to go back to Cyprus before the final table kicks off, but he'll be ready to go come Aug. 3.
"I'll have to go back home for a few days," he said. "I have to sort some business there and bring my family also here with me at the beginning of August."
Evagoras Evagorou's Main Event Journey
Evagorou ended Day 1d with a little above starting stack, and his stack grew steadily across the next several days of play.
The real turnaround for Evagorou came on Day 6. He started the day with 2,260,000 but tripled that to end the day with 7,475,000. He then ended Day 7 with more than five times that to be fourth in chips among the 21 remaining players.
After a tumultuous Day 8, Evagorou entered the unofficial final table last in chips with a stack of just 13 big blinds. But he received help in the very first hand as he doubled up through Malcolm Trayner, who ended up going out in tenth place on the final table bubble.
Evagorou finds himself at the bottom of the counts with a stack of 22,500,000. But if the official final table goes as well for him as the final hour of Day 8, he may just be able to make a run at Main Event glory.
Evagorou would be the first player from Cyprus to win the Main Event. Charis Anastasiou, who finished 92nd in the 2007 Main Event for $67,535, is the only other player from Cyprus to finish in the top 100.
Evagoras Evagorou's Main Event Stack
| Day | Chip Count | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1d | 83,000 | 1,399/3,638 |
| 2d | 198,000 | 600/2,034 |
| 3 | 546,000 | 355/1,389 |
| 4 | 1,565,000 | 101/533 |
| 5 | 2,260,000 | 101/174 |
| 6 | 7,475,000 | 31/62 |
| 7 | 38,200,000 | 4/21 |
| 8 | 22,500,000 | 9/9 |
2026 WSOP Main Event Final Table Seating Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lauri Saaskilahti | Finland | 37,500,000 | 25 |
| 2 | Michael Gagliano | United States | 46,500,000 | 31 |
| 3 | Mario Boos | France | 44,000,000 | 29 |
| 4 | Greg Mueller | Canada | 48,500,000 | 32 |
| 5 | Jamie Shaevel | United States | 56,000,000 | 37 |
| 6 | Han Feng | United States | 25,000,000 | 17 |
| 7 | Rami Hammoud | Canada | 79,000,000 | 53 |
| 8 | Evagoras Evagorou | Cyprus | 22,500,000 | 15 |
| 9 | Lucas Jumalon | United States | 194,000,000 | 129 |
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000,000 | ||
| 2 | $6,000,000 | ||
| 3 | $3,750,000 | ||
| 4 | $2,750,000 | ||
| 5 | $2,250,000 | ||
| 6 | $1,750,000 | ||
| 7 | $1,500,000 | ||
| 8 | $1,250,000 | ||
| 9 | $1,000,000 |
