button in SafariWhat is Lucas Jumalon's Real Payout for Winning the 2026 WSOP Main Event?
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Lucas Jumalon didn't actually take home $10,000,000 for winning the 2026 WSOP Main Event, and Jamie Shaevel instantly lost more than half his final table winnings.
No, Shaevel didn't punt the money off at the craps table. He lives in California, the state with the highest state income tax. As for the champ, Uncle Sam collected a nice chunk of his check.
Russell Fox, a federal tax professional with Clayton Financial and Tax in Las Vegas, wrote his annual blog post on WSOP Main Event final table taxes. Each year, he reveals the amount each participant will take home after paying local, state, and federal taxes. Mind you, these payouts do not take into account payments to backers.
Shaevel, as Fox explained, will owe just over 10% of his $1,500,000 seventh-place score ($157,127) just to the state in which he resides. He'll then owe $598,373 to the IRS, leaving him with a 50.37% tax burden, the highest at the final table.
Canadians Get the Best of It
No one at the final table made out better than the two Canadians — Rami Hammoud and Greg "FBT" Mueller — when it came to taxes. Mueller, who had a lively rail at the final table, finished in third place for $3,750,000.
The difference between third and second, on the surface, was quite significant with Lauri Saaskilahti, the runner-up, getting $6,000,000, a $2,250,000 gap. But once expected taxes are taken out, Saaskilahti will end up with only about $600,000 more than the player he finished ahead of by one spot.
As Fox wrote, Saaskilahti, a Finnish poker player who resides in Spain, won't have to pay a nickel in U.S. income tax due to the U.S.-Spain Tax Treaty, which prevents double taxation between the countries. But he'll still owe approximately $2,773,000 to Spain's Egencia Tributaria.
Mueller, on the other hand, is reportedly a semi-retired poker player, which is a significant difference for tax purposes compared to an active pro. Given his apparent professional status, "FBT" is looking at paying about 30% of his winnings to the Canada Revenue Agency and will receive $2,628,000 of his $3,750,000 cash.
Hammoud, the other Canadian, finished in sixth place for $1,750,000. He is an amateur poker player working as an analytics manager in Montreal and doesn't owe Canadian income taxes. But he'll still have to pay the IRS 30% of the check he gets from the WSOP, which comes to about $522,000.
Poker Champ Won How Much?
Jumalon, a 22-year-old from Washington state, owes the most money in taxes, which is to be expected given he had the largest score. But his tax rate of 39.91%, per Fox, is only middle of the pack.
The newly minted World Champion owes federal and self-employment taxes for a total of $3,990,826, leaving him $6,009,174 before paying any backers. Jumalon is the second-youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever and the first from the Evergreen State. He wants to be a poker ambassador, so this may not be the only time he'll pay millions to the IRS.
Michael Gagliano, a New Jersey resident and poker pro, is faced with a tax bill similar to Shaevel's. The fourth-place finisher who cashed for $2,750,000 will pay federal, self-employment, and state income taxes totaling $1,330,683, or 48.39% of his winnings, the second-highest at the final table.
In total, of the $30,250,000 awarded to the nine players at the final table, $12,273,963 is expected to be paid in taxes.
*Images courtesy of WSOP/Alicia Skillman.
Total 2026 WSOP Main Event Final Table Payouts After Taxes
*Above figures are estimates based on tax professional Russell Fox.
