button in SafariDeeb, Ensan and Trayner Chase History in the 2026 WSOP Main Event
At 11 a.m. local time, the final 21 players out of a 9,208-entry strong field return to their seats inside the ESPN feature table set at Paris Hotel Las Vegas to determine who will reach the final table in the 2026 World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event No-Limit Hold'em World Championship. The biggest slices of the $85,634,400 prize pool are still up for grabs in the fourth-largest WSOP Main Event in history, and several of the contenders can further etch their name into the history books among those still in contention.
Leading the way is one of the rising stars in the global poker scene in Malcolm Trayner, who will return with the largest tally of 63,200,000 in chips. Two years ago, he won Event #5: $1,000 Mystery Millions for $1 million and added the Aussie Millions Main Event title to his career resume earlier this year. Trayner has the chance to follow in the footsteps of countryman Joe Hachem who won the title back in 2005.
Another past champion has the chance to double his tally as Hossein Ensan resides inside the top ten on the leaderboard with a stack of 29,700,000. Seven years ago, Ensan became the World Champion and earned $10 million for his efforts, the very same amount which is reserved for this year's champion. Despite admittedly only playing a handful of tournaments a year, the German has racked up more than $15 million in cashes according to The Hendon Mob and also has two EPT Final Table appearances, including one victory to his name.
The most vocal support on the final three tables is perhaps reserved for reigning WSOP Player of the Year Shaun Deeb, who earned his ninth WSOP gold bracelet earlier this summer. While trying to rack up as many points to potentially defend his title, Deeb put himself in prime position to reach the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table with a stack of 31,300,000 for Day 8. Claiming the title would be another cherry on top for his incredible resume and a certain introduction into the WSOP Hall of Fame, for which he is eligible as of this year.
Other notables with big stacks include Rami Hammoud (41,500,000), Will Givens (31,700,000), Thomas Clack (27,500,000) and two-time bracelet winner Antonio Galiana (27,200,000). The latter is one of several Europeans still in contention and could see yet another Spaniard reach the final table after Juan Maceiras only three years ago.
Top 10 Chip Counts for Day 8
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malcolm Trayner | Australia | 63,200,000 | 105 |
| 2 | Rami Hammoud | Canada | 41,500,000 | 69 |
| 3 | Lucas Jumalon | Canada | 40,800,000 | 68 |
| 4 | Evagoras Evagorou | Cyprus | 38,200,000 | 64 |
| 5 | Will Givens | United States | 31,700,000 | 53 |
| 6 | Shaun Deeb | United States | 31,300,000 | 52 |
| 7 | Tolga Karakaya | Germany | 30,000,000 | 50 |
| 8 | Hossein Ensan | Germany | 29,700,000 | 50 |
| 9 | Thomas Clack | United Kingdom | 27,500,000 | 46 |
| 10 | Antonio Galiana | Spain | 27,200,000 | 45 |
Todd Brunson has the rare chance to complete a father and son victory in the WSOP Main Event as the late Doyle Brunson earned back-to-back victories. However, he has his work cut out for him with a stack of just 7,800,000, which is good enough for 13 big blinds when the action resumes.
Other well-known seasoned poker pros such as Michael Gagliano (19,300,000), Romain Lewis (15,800,000) Brock Wilson (13,600,000), and Dylan Smith (9,600,000) all remain in contention as well.
The schedule for Day 8 is rather simple: With 21 players returning, as many two-hour levels as needed will be played to reach the final nine contenders and confirm the final table lineup before taking a break until early August, when the annual live poker crown jewel is set to conclude.
Blinds will be 300,000/600,000 with a big blind ante of 600,000, and the field will be balanced to two tables via random breaking once the field is down to the last 18 (or fewer) contenders. Once they are down to the final ten, there will be a complete redraw to a single table, and play will continue until one more player is eliminated to reach today's target.
All 21 hopefuls have locked up at least $325,000 for their efforts, with the next pay jump at 17 players. Bagging up chips today would secure a payday of at least $1,000,000 and plenty of interviews with the media thereafter.
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 | ||
| 10-11 | $750,000 | ||
| 12-13 | $510,000 | ||
| 14-17 | $410,475 | ||
| 18-21 | $325,000 |
All PokerNews updates will be published on a dynamic delay according to the cards-up coverage on ESPN Plus, and those outside of the United States can follow along on the WSOP YouTube channel as well.