$10 Million For First Place Again, But WSOP Main Event Trending Downward

Registration closed as the eighth level of play began Tuesday on what is known as “Day 2D” in the World Series of Poker Main Event, with 9,208 entrants officially tallied for the $10,000 buy-in tournament.

Whether that’s a number the poker world should be pleased with and promoting is up for debate.

On the one hand, having 9,208 players makes this the fourth-largest WSOP Main Event in the 56-year history of the tournament. It is more than enough to justify organizers making first place worth an even $10,000,000 and all positions at the TV final table worth at least $1,000,000 (more on those final table payouts shortly).

On the other hand, 9,208 represents a 5.4% decline from the 2025 edition that attracted 9,735, which was itself a 3.7% drop from the record-setting 2024 tournament that drew 10,112 entries. Also, while the 2026 Main Event stands as the fourth biggest ever, it also happens to be only the fourth biggest of the last four years.

Clearly, the upward trajectory that live poker was on post-COVID has leveled off. Speculation as to the reasons varies, but most agree cost-of-living increases that have been particularly pronounced the last two years and make it tougher for the middle class to spare $10,000 are at the heart of it. There is also a line of thinking that the 90% gambling loss deduction rule discouraged some Americans, along with continuing reluctance from some outside the U.S. to travel into the country.

All of which adds up to the poker community being able to make the case that the decline has nothing to do with the popularity of the game.

Whatever the case may be, the 9,208 players translate to an $85,634,400 prize pool once the WSOP takes its 7% rake.

Better late than … early?

One noteworthy sub-angle of the entry numbers is the trend toward late entry on Day 2.

There are four Day 1 flights, which then funnel into two Day 2 flights, and players can wait until Day 2 to buy in, getting the full 60,000-chip starting stack at whatever point they enter the tourney. While the average stack size may be in the neighborhood of 80,000 at the start of Day 2, meaning a late entrant comes in below average, they’re also better rested than everyone who already did a full-day grind. This could prove especially advantageous if they go deep into the tournament, when fatigue becomes a serious factor.

So Day 2 entry has its benefits, and the numbers suggest its popularity is rising. Comparing 2026 with 2025, total Day 1 entries were down 6.8%, from 8,664 to 8,077. But Day 2A/B/C entries rose from 265 to 312 (up 17.7%) and Day 2D entries increased from 776 to 819 (up 5.5%).

Here’s a breakdown of the entry numbers for each starting flight this year:

Show me the money

The whole field combines for the first time Wednesday, with 3,294 of the initial 9,208 players still in the hunt on Day 3. About 42% of those remaining will make the money, a bubble that bursts when 1,382 players remain (which is expected to happen early on Day 4).

The minimum payout is $15,000, gradually increasing the deeper one goes. It reaches $50,000 for 287th place, crosses $100,000 at 80th place, and breaks $500,000 at 13th place. Both 10th and 11th place will take home $750,000 before taxes, setting the stage for the following payouts at the ESPN- and ESPN2-televised final table:

With an average stack size of a little under 168,000 and blinds at 1,000/2,500, with a 2,500 big blind ante when play resumes Wednesday at 11 a.m. local time in Las Vegas, the chip leader is Italian pro Michael Rossitto with 770,500 chips. He has cashed four times so far this summer in other WSOP events.

There are quite a few major names and former world champions still in the field, including, in the top 5% of the chip counts:

• Alex Foxen (493,500 chips), currently leading the WSOP Player of the Year race
• Stephen Song (430,500)
• John Cynn (403,000)
• Ryan Riess (395,000)
• Shaun Deeb (368,500)
• David Peters (364,500)