The 2026 WSOP Main Event officially drew 9,208 players, creating an $85,625,100 prize pool as the fourth-largest field ever. Defending champion Michael Mizrachi and late-entrant Phil Ivey are among the star players advancing to Wednesday’s Day 3 session.
Registration has officially closed for the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, locking in another massive attendance figure for poker's most prestigious annual tournament.
The final numbers confirm that the event continues its modern trend of drawing field sizes that consistently outpace historical standards.
From 2006 through 2022, the WSOP Main Event typically attracted between 6,500 and 8,000 players. However, the landscape has shifted significantly in recent years, with the tournament now regularly surpassing the 9,000-entrant milestone.
The all-time attendance record remains at 10,112 players, set in 2024 when Jonathan Tamayo captured the world championship.
Last year, the tournament drew 9,735 entries, marking the third-largest field in history and the first time since 2022 that attendance did not crack the 10,000-player mark.
While the 2026 edition did not break the 2024 record, it securely establishes itself as one of the largest fields ever assembled.
When registration officially closed at approximately 3:45 p.m. PT, the official tournament board displayed a total of 9,208 players.
This turnout generated a massive total prize pool of $85,625,100. With these official metrics locked in, the 2026 Main Event officially ranks as the fourth-largest Main Event in the 57-year history of the World Series of Poker.
The environment at the tables draws clear parallels to last year's tournament, characterized by both an immense field and strong performances from high-profile competitors.
Defending champion Michael Mizrachi is among those making a powerful run. Mizrachi completed his Day 2abc session on Monday by bagging over 200,000 chips, ensuring he will return for Day 3 with an above-average chip stack.
The closing minutes of the registration period saw late entries from some of the industry's most prominent figures.
Phil Ivey, a Poker Hall of Fame member and 11-time WSOP bracelet winner, was among the final participants to enter the field.
Ivey took his seat at Paris Las Vegas with a starting stack of 60,000 chips immediately after the second break of the day, right at the close of registration.
Concurrently, the Day 2d session featured a dense line-up of notable poker pros. Stars like Kathy Liebert, Alex Foxen, and Liv Boeree were actively accumulating chips and working with big stacks.