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The WSOP Main Event is making its return to ESPN this year, and it’s only fitting that a mainstay of the poker boom finds himself at the final table after decades of trying.
Greg Mueller, the Canadian ex-hockey player turned three-time WSOP bracelet winner, is the most experienced player left in the field.
Mueller often seems like the life of the party whenever he’s at a poker table, constantly chatting and telling jokes with his opponents. That didn’t change deep in the Main Event, either during play or after bagging for the final table.
“Let me put on my shades so I look cool,” Mueller said, while preparing for the first of what will likely be many media appearances over the next few weeks.
Battling Self Doubt Over the Years
In 2009, Greg Mueller won his first WSOP bracelet. Fittingly, perhaps, for a player now at the final table of the World Championship of No-Limit Hold’em, his first title came in the World Championship of Limit Hold’em.
A life goal fulfilled for the former professional ice hockey player, but more was yet to come. Victory just under two weeks later in the $1,500 Shootout doubled the Canadian’s bracelet tally in just a short space of time.
And then the waiting. The years of patience. A runner-up finish in 2012. Two third-place finishes in 2013. A trip to the final table of the $50,000 Poker Players Championship in 2018.
The following year, in the lead-up to the 2019 World Series of Poker, Mueller was questioning himself.
“Do I still have it? Has that game passed me by?”
Victory in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. soon put those racing thoughts to bed. Since then, his live cashes have come exclusively at the WSOP in Las Vegas, barring one WSOP online cash two years ago.
Final Table Run Helps Mueller Fall Back in Love With Poker
Earlier in this year’s Main Event, Mueller admitted that his enthusiasm for the game had waned over the years. He was ready to be done with poker for good, but his run here has rekindled his passion, at least for a little while. “For this tournament, absolutely. I don’t know after the tournament if I’m gonna love poker again, but I’ll tell you right now, I love it,” he said.
The Canadian has one guarantee for the final table in August, besides a pledge to lose 20 pounds between now and then: it will be a lot of fun. “10 out of 10. We’re gonna have a rail. All my boys from White Rock and Vancouver. Everybody is coming. Going to be a big party.”
A long career, already filled with numerous highlights, has potentially one more in store for Mueller.
“It feels unbelievable. I mean, it really does. Like, it’s surreal. I keep asking, am I dreaming here?”
Greg Mueller’s 2026 WSOP Main Event
Mueller entered this year’s Main Event on Day 1d, and all but doubled his stack inside of three levels after flopping an early set and eliminating an opponent who turned two pair.
Moving day for Mueller came on Day 3, bagging 41st in chips with 1,389 players still remaining.
Navigating his way to Day 6, Mueller finished comfortably inside the top half, aided by pocket kings, and a timely fold with pocket jacks.
On a 10♦9♦3♠6♥ board, Mueller held JxJx and was facing a bet and a shove from two opponents.
“This is a ridiculous spot,” Mueller said as he tanked for several minutes before folding. The shove was called with the two remaining players revealing J♥10♥ and 10♣10♠. The river bricked, and Mueller celebrated: “Sometimes a fold feels like a win.”
Another timely hand came on Day 7, cracking kings with ace-jack after flopping an ace to eliminate Ori Elul, and although he had dropped near the bottom of the pack by the end of the day, he rallied back on Day 8.
A classic setup hand — aces vs kings — saw him eliminate Romain Lewis, but he would fall back in the counts as the final table drew nearer.
A double with jacks through the pocket nines of Rami Hammoud moved him out of the danger zone. However, a spot at the final table was put in further jeopardy when he was involved in another massive flip, this time against Michael Gagliano.
Mueller’s queens held against the ace-king of Gagliano to earn him the double up, and saw the funny side speaking with PokerNews after bagging ahead of the final table.
“Biggest flip I’ve ever been through,” he said. “And it was nice to be on the right side, I’ll be honest. I wore flip-flops. Sometimes you gotta run in flip-flops.
| Day | Chip Count | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1d | 100,000 | 936/3,638 |
| 2d | 175,000 | 735/2,034 |
| 3 | 1,124,000 | 41/1,389 |
| 4 | 1,500,000 | 118/533 |
| 5 | 4,415,000 | 40/174 |
| 6 | 10,000,000 | 24/62 |
| 7 | 13,200,000 | 19/21 |
| 8 | 48,500,000 | 4/9 |
2026 WSOP Main Event Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Jumalon | United States | 194,000,000 | 129 |
| 2 | Rami Hammoud | Canada | 79,000,000 | 53 |
| 3 | Jamie Shaevel | United States | 56,000,000 | 37 |
| 4 | Greg Mueller | Canada | 48,500,000 | 32 |
| 5 | Michael Gagliano | United States | 46,500,000 | 31 |
| 6 | Mario Boos | France | 44,000,000 | 29 |
| 7 | Lauri Saaskilahti | Finland | 37,500,000 | 25 |
| 8 | Han Feng | United States | 25,000,000 | 17 |
| 9 | Evagoras Evagorou | Cyprus | 22,500,000 | 15 |
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 |
Managing Editor