Nine Return to Chase Poker's Ultimate Prize at the WSOP Main Event Final Table
An aspiring poker player first picks up the game in a messy college dorm with friends, a smoke-filled card room at a local casino, or under the glare of a computer screen on the virtual felt.
In their wildest dreams, though, they are here, under the bright lights of poker’s biggest stage: the World Series of Poker Main Event final table. For the vast majority, it will always remain just a dream. But for nine fortunate players who defy the odds and make their way through a massive sea of opponents, that fantasy becomes a reality.
The final table is where lives are changed, where unknowns become overnight superstars, where poker stars become poker legends. The world championship bracelet is up for grabs, and the nine who outlasted a field of 9,735 to get here begin the journey at 2 p.m. local time for the biggest day of their poker lives.
A week ago, John Wasnock was simply an investment banker from Seattle with just over $140,000 in career earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. His biggest career score came earlier this year in a $500 event at a casino in Pendleton, Oregon.
From these humble beginnings, though, the 50-year-old has risen to the verge of stardom and begins the final table with 108,100,000 and the chip lead. The Main Event is full of underdog stories, starting with Chris Moneymaker to Steve Dannenmann and, most recently, Jordan Griff last year. Wasnock has a chance to become the latest Cinderella story today.
Final Table Seat Draw and Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leo Margets | Spain | 53,400,000 | 33 |
| 2 | Kenny Hallaert | Belgium | 80,500,000 | 50 |
| 3 | Braxton Dunaway | United States | 91,900,000 | 57 |
| 4 | John Wasnock | United States | 108,100,000 | 68 |
| 5 | Michael Mizrachi | United States | 93,000,000 | 58 |
| 6 | Daehyung Lee | South Korea | 34,900,000 | 22 |
| 7 | Luka Bojovic | Serbia | 51,000,000 | 32 |
| 8 | Adam Hendrix | United States | 48,000,000 | 30 |
| 9 | Jarod Minghini | United States | 23,600,000 | 15 |
Wasnock was a relative unknown at the start of the event. The same can’t be said of the man right behind him on the leaderboard. Michael Mizrachi (93,000,000) has been one of the faces of the game for two decades. “The Grinder’s” poker resume includes seven WSOP bracelets, an unprecedented four PPC titles, a fifth-place finish in the Main Event in 2010, two WPT titles, and nearly $20 million in live earnings.
Mizrachi already cemented his Hall of Fame credentials a few weeks ago when he took home the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy yet again; a Main Event title, which eluded him 15 years ago, would put him in the conversation of the best ever.
"The Grinder" isn’t the only one at this year’s final table who has been here before. Nine years ago, Kenny Hallaert made it all the way to the final six of the Main Event before running into eventual champion Qui Nguyen’s aces. The long-time poker pro, tournament director, and PokerStars ambassador is back for another shot at what will be his sixth WSOP final table, sitting in fourth place with 80,500,000.
Sandwiched in between Mizrachi and Hallaert is Braxton Dunaway (91,900,000). The Texas oil man has already outlasted one massive WSOP field, winning the Monster Stack two years ago out of 8,317 to win more than $1.1 million. He’s made it through an even-bigger field this time and sits in third place to begin the final table.
For all of Mizrachi’s star power and Hallaert’s steady professionalism, though, the eyes of the poker world will be on one player at the final table, and for the first time in 30 years, it’s not a man. Leo Margets is the first woman to make the Main Event final table since Barbara Enright in 1995.
Women have traditionally made up only a small percentage of the Main Event field, but if there is one thing that can provide a spark for another boom just like Moneymaker did in 2003, it’s a woman winning poker’s biggest prize. The Spanish pro, podcast host, and marathon runner is in fifth place with 53,400,000.
Luka Bojovic already has one WSOP Main Event run within the past year: he finished eighth at the WSOP Europe in Rozvadov last October. The Serbian-born doctor has more than $700,000 in live earnings and a WSOP Circuit ring. He starts the final table in sixth place with 51,000,000.
Adam Hendrix is no stranger to WSOP final tables. He’s made 11 of them, along with $2 million in WSOP earnings. But “the Iceman” has yet to capture a WSOP bracelet despite being one of the most steady performers in the past few years. Hendrix, who fully embraced the theatrics of the Main Event when he showed up for Day 1 dressed as Elvis, had many opponents all shook up over the last week on his way to 48,000,000 and seventh place to start the final table, seeking to make his first bracelet the biggest one of all.
While the likes of Johnny Chan, Scotty Nguyen, and Jerry Yang have all been Asian-born Main Event winners, they had all relocated to the United States long before becoming champion. Daehyung Lee (34,900,000) can become the first player based in the Far East to capture the bracelet. The 46-year-old software engineer from Seoul, who only began playing poker in 2021, is already the first Korean to make the Main Event final table, his run only a spark in an already-booming poker market.
Jarod Minghini (23,600,000) rounds out the final table lineup. The 37-year-old former professional snowboarder from Lake Tahoe has five WSOP Circuit rings and nearly $1 million in career earnings, but he’s already surpassed that total with his run to the final table.
The action at the final table picks up with 66:41 remaining in Level 39 with blinds of 800,000/1,600,000 and a 1,600,000 big blind ante. The cards should be in the air around 2 p.m. local time, with action being streamed on PokerGO on an hour delay. Live updates will be provided on a delay to match the stream. The plan is to play down to the final four players today, then return tomorrow to crown a champion. All nine finalists are already guaranteed a $1 million payday, while the champion will earn $10,000,000 and the diamond-encrusted bracelet.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000,000 |
| 2 | $6,000,000 |
| 3 | $4,000,000 |
| 4 | $3,000,000 |
| 5 | $2,400,000 |
| 6 | $1,900,000 |
| 7 | $1,500,000 |
| 8 | $1,250,000 |
| 9 | $1,000,000 |
This is the date that every poker fan has circled on their calendars all year. The Main Event champion will be immortalized in poker history, their banner hanging alongside the great champions of the past inside the Horseshoe Event Center forever. The final nine have already defeated more than 9,000 opponents to reach this point, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most. What started as a sea of hardened pros, grinders looking for the score that would change their lives, and homegame heroes crossing an item off their bucket list has been reduced to just these players, each with their own story to tell and history to make.
PokerNews will be following the action all the way, so stay tuned over the next two days until a new world champion is crowned.