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Lucas Jumalon Dominates Day 8 to Lead WSOP Main Event Final Table

By Mrinal Gujare

14 Jul 2026

Mrinal Gujare 14 Jul 2026

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Lucas Jumalon leads WSOP Main Event final table with 194M chips.
Nine players remain, each guaranteed $1M; $10M first prize at stake.
Play resumes August 3, with poker legends falling short of the finale.

Image by WSOP

Lucas Jumalon built a massive 194,000,000 chip stack on Day 8 to lead the final nine players into the WSOP Main Event final table. The remaining contenders have guaranteed $1,000,000, while chasing the $10,000,000 first-place prize on August 3.

The final nine players in the World Series of Poker Main Event are officially locked in following an action packed Day 8 session. Leading the charge is 22-year-old Lucas Jumalon, who put on a dominant performance to build a towering stack of 194,000,000 chips.

When play resumes on August 3, Jumalon will sit in pole position, just eight eliminations away from earning the title of poker world champion.

Rounding out the top three chip counts behind Jumalon are Rami Hammoud and Jamie Shaevel. The final line-up features plenty of poker pedigree, highlighted by two heavily decorated players: Canada's Greg Mueller, who holds three WSOP bracelets, and America's Michael Gagliano, a four-time bracelet winner.

Jumalon himself secured the final table line-up by eliminating the reigning Aussie Millions Main Event champion, Malcolm Trayner, in 10th place. The knockout brought a dramatic end to the day, sending a raucous Australian rail into despair.

All nine remaining contenders have now locked up a minimum payout of $1,000,000. However, the ultimate focus remains on the life-altering $10,000,000 first prize and the glittering diamond bracelet waiting at the end of the road when the tournament resumes in exactly three weeks.

While the final nine players earned their time in the spotlight, the start of Day 8 featured a highly competitive field of 21 returning players.

Among the marquee names chasing the final table was nine-time WSOP bracelet winner and reigning Player of the Year Shaun Deeb. Also in contention was Dylan Smith, a tournament crusher who had already captured his first WSOP bracelet earlier this series.

The field also featured high stakes standout Wilson, who has established himself as a top tournament player over the past few years, boasting four tournament victories this year alone alongside $13 million in career earnings.

Meanwhile, Poker Hall of Famer Todd Brunson was putting together his deepest Main Event run in three decades, aiming to join his legendary father Doyle Brunson as only the second father-son duo to reach the iconic final table.

Additionally, 2019 Main Event champion Hossein Ensan was in the mix, attempting to pull off the rare feat of winning a second Main Event title in seven years.

Ultimately, these former champions and seasoned professionals fell short of the final nine. Brunson experienced an early wave of momentum, securing a fortunate triple up when his ace-king rivered a pair of aces in a three-way all-in to crack Wilson's pocket kings and Trayner's pocket queens.

The cards turned against Brunson later in the session when Trayner rivered a flush to beat Brunson's aces, sending the Hall of Famer to the rail in 20th place.

The championship action will pick up on August 3 in Level 39, with exactly 56 minutes and 40 seconds remaining on the tournament clock.

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