button in Safari'I Chose the Bracelet': How a Big Risk Got Mario Boos to the Main Event Final Table
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His name is Mario Boos, but it was all cheers from his patriotic French rail as Boos reached the final table of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
Boos, who had $239,888 in Hendon Mob earnings heading into poker's biggest event, took a big risk on Day 8 that paid of as he won a six-figure flip against Han Feng.
Boos, whose pocket tens held against the ace-king of Feng, admits he contemplated laying down his pair, but decided that a chance at becoming world champion was more important than the pay jump between tenth place and ninth. The man came to Las Vegas win.
“It was amazing, because (tenth-place finisher) Malcolm (Trayner) was short, I had to make a decision: take a pay jump for $250,000 or play for the win. I chose the bracelet,” Boos told PokerNews.
All My Friends
"It was amazing support. All my friends, everybody ... Without them, I don't know."
Boos had no words after reaching the final table in an event that will award $10 million and poker immortality to the eventual winner. He's already locked up $1 million, nearly 20 times his previous best score of $54,659 from a sixth-place finish in the 2025 €380 Italian Poker Sport Main Event.
"I don't have any answer," Boos said when asked about what emotions he was feeling. "I don't know. I feel nothing. I have to to sleep, get some rest. Fly home, and then I come back for the final table."
Boos had several friends on the rail, and they waved a full-sized French flag proudly when Boos had his crucial double up through Feng. And Boos draped himself in that flag as he posed for final table photos.
"It was amazing support," Boos said. "All my friends, everybody ... Without them, I don't know."
Boos plans to prepare mentally and physically for the final table that kicks off in Las Vegas on Aug. 3.
"I (will) just sleep and go to the gym and for sure study the table," he said. "Yeah. For sure. But after the gym."
Mario Boos' Main Event Journey
Boo has never cashed the Main Event and has a half-dozen WSOP cashes total. Most of his career earnings are from tournaments in France with buy-ins ranging from €100 to €500.
His second-biggest score came earlier this year with a victory in the Swiss Poker Series Main Event for $49,481.
Boos' spin-up in the Main Event was nothing short of spectacular. He ended the Day 1d flight with about a third of a starting stack, which he managed to spin up to 165,500 on Day 2d.
He lost about half of that on Day 4, but this is where things turned around for our French hero. He ran up his stack to 800,000 on Day 4 and had nearly ten times that at the end of Day 5 to be sixth in chips.
Boos continued to climb on Day 6, stumbling a bit on Day 7 before ending Day 8 near the middle of the pack. But Boos' spin-up after a bad Day 1 shows that anything is possible in this event.
Mario Boos' Main Event Stack
| Day | Chip Count | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1d | 27,000 | 2,377/3,638 |
| 2d | 165,500 | 817/2,034 |
| 3 | 91,200 | 96/1,389 |
| 4 | 800,000 | 296/533 |
| 5 | 7,850,000 | 6/174 |
| 6 | 17,950,000 | 4/62 |
| 7 | 24,300,000 | 11/21 |
| 8 | 44,000,000 | 6/9 |
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 |
