A big deal. In poker, it’s the biggest deal. No matter the level of poker you play or the company you work for within the poker sphere, no matter where you play poker throughout the year, there is no denying that the WSOP Main Event is a big deal. Its integral part of poker history is fact. The money at stake and the scope of the experience are life-changing.
This year, a total of 9,208 players entered the freezeout tournament – no reentries, no rebuys. The $10,000 buy-in for all of those players came together to create a prize pool of $85,634,400.
After eight full days of play for each person who survived all of the ups and downs and the long days of poker, there were just nine at this latest of tournament stages. The group of nine included a range of ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, careers, and poker experiences.
Once in a Lifetime Experience at WSOP
One of those nine final tablists had been in poker for two decades, growing with the game and rising through the ranks. A player and coach in both live and online poker realms, Mike Gagliano has built a life in the New Jersey suburbs with his wife, children, and pets. But no matter the millions he has won in poker through the years, making the final table of the WSOP Main Event meant life-changing money.
In fact, the money guaranteed for ninth place – a cool million dollars – was already the highest score of his poker career for a single event. But there was a $10,000,000 first-place prize and a $6,000,000 second-place prize up for grabs as well. Life-changing money was on the line for his family – the center of his world – and the title of world champion, the ultimate career achievement by any poker standards.
Through the years, he has earned the respect of his peers, and his passion for the game of poker remained strong. His passion and ethical principles led to sponsorships over time, including his current as an ambassador with BetMGM Poker. So when the player most people know by his online screen name – Gags30 – made the WSOP Main final table, BetMGM was there to support him and his family, proud that he wore the BetMGM Poker patch throughout his Main Event journey and on poker’s biggest stage.
Monday Night Poker
The ESPN2 broadcast started with a “Shuffle Up and Deal!” announcement from none other than Bruce Buffer, and the stage showed nine poker players focusing on their chips. There was little table talk as play got underway, though the supporters in the audience made up for that with their very vocal shouts of encouragement.
The first night of the final table action on August 3 brought nine players to the stage. BetMGM Poker Ambassador Michael “Gags30” Gagliano was in Seat 2 with his 31 big blinds, and the full table was set up as follows:
- Seat 1: Lauri Saaskilahti (Finland) 37,500,000
- Seat 2: Michael Gagliano (USA) 46,500,000
- Seat 3: Mario Boos (France) 44,000,000
- Seat 4: Greg Mueller (Canada) 48,500,000
- Seat 5: Jamie Shaevel (USA) 56,000,000
- Seat 6: Han Feng (USA) 25,000,000
- Seat 7: Rami Hammoud (Canada) 79,000,000
- Seat 8: Evagoras Evagorou (Cyprus) 22,500,000
- Seat 9: Lucas Jumalon (USA) 194,000,000
Chipping Up
It only took Gagliano two hands to make a move, as he raised from early position with K-Q. Jumalon called in the big blind but folded to Gagliano’s bet on the Q-J-7 flop. A few hands later, however, Boos took a few of those chips from Gagliano. But the latter later shoved all-in with A-K suited, and the two previous bettors folded to allow Gagliano to pull in some chips. He did it again versus Jumalon, as he took A-6 suited into a hand with the nut flush draw on the flop, while Jumalon tried to hang on with 6-4 off. They took it to the river, and Gagliano took the pot and climbed to 70,000,000.
On the 40th hand of the night, Shaevel eliminated Evagorou in ninth place for $1,000,000.
Maintaining Position
Gagliano made a few moves here and there, losing a few chips in the process. Ever the professional, he maintained his composure and remained patient.
As Hammoud doubled through Shaevel and Saaskilahti accumulated chips, Gagliano dipped a bit before taking a solid pot from Mueller. The latter raised preflop with A-J suited, but Gagliano had Q-J in the big blind and flopped two pair, with which he check-raised Mueller out. Feng was in trouble but doubled through Boos and then through Jumalon.
On the 95th hand, Saaskilahti eliminated Boos in eighth place for $1,250,000.
After 108 hands, play stopped for the night with Feng having moved up to second behind the ever-dominating Jumalon. Mueller and Shaevel had the shortest stacks, and Gagliano hung in there with 17 big blinds.
Tuesday Night Poker
The seven remaining players took their seats on August 4 to play on with these starting stacks:
- Seat 1: Lauri Saaskilahti (Finland) 84,500,000
- Seat 2: Michael Gagliano (USA) 42,000,000
- Seat 4: Greg Mueller (Canada) 29,500,000
- Seat 5: Jamie Shaevel (USA) 33,000,000
- Seat 6: Han Feng (USA) 106,500,000
- Seat 7: Rami Hammoud (Canada) 45,500,000
- Seat 9: Lucas Jumalon (USA) 212,000,000
With four players holding fewer than 20 big blinds each, there was bound to be action. And NBA star Draymond Green got it underway with a “shuffle up and deal!”
Looking for Spots
Gagliano tried to get involved in the very first hand of the night, but an unhelpful flop forced him to fold to Jumalon’s bet. Two hands later, he moved all-in with J-T suited, but he found no callers. He proceeded to implement a cautious plan as the others got involved.
On the 121st hand of the final table, Jumalon eliminated Shaevel in seventh place for $1,500,000.
Mueller doubled through Saaskilahti, and a few hands later, he did the same through Hammoud. The latter was left with just a few big blinds.
On the 137th hand, Jumalon eliminated Hammoud in sixth place for $1,750,000.
As Gagliano continued to nurse his ever-shortening stack, Feng got into a big pot with Mueller and Jumalon. Mueller folded out after the flop, but Jumalon won the massive pot with a full house, soaring to nearly 365 million chips. Feng was fairly short-stacked.
On the 141st hand, Saaskilahti eliminated Feng in fifth place for $2,250,000.
Saaskilahti scored a huge double-up through Jumalon to near the 200 million mark, though Jumalon was still closer to 300 million. And as the two big stacks battled in hand after hand, Gagliano looked down at bad cards after bad cards.
Gagliano Out in Fourth Place
Gagliano was down to fewer than 10 million chips and finally woke up with a hand. On the button, he saw K-Q suited and put the last of his chips all-in. Mueller called with pocket fours, but Jumalon three-bet all-in, prompting Mueller to fold. Gagliano dominated the K-J offsuit of Jumalon, and the K-8-5 on the flop looked good for a lifesaver. But a jack on the turn gave the advantage to Jumalon, a bad beat for the BetMGM hero, and the blank on the river ended it.
On the 150th hand of the final table, Jumalon eliminated Gagliano in fourth place for $2,750,000.
Mueller was the short stack, and he moved all-in two hands later.
On the 152nd hand, Saaskilahti eliminated Mueller in third place for $3,750,000.
Wednesday Night Finale
The 2025 Main Event champion, Michael Mizrachi, said the words: “Shuffle up and deal!” And the dealer obliged. The final two players started their heads-up poker match on August 5 with the following chip counts:
- Lucas Jumalon (USA) 328,000,000
- Lauri Saaskilahti (Finland) 225,000,000
It started innocently enough, with Saaskilahti taking a small pot and Jumalon taking a bigger one. Ten hands in, Saaskilahti had lost nearly 100 million chips, though he did secure a double-up a few hands later to nearly even the stacks. That didn’t last long, however, as Saaskilahti made what he thought was a hero call with a turned pair of jacks, only to find out that Jumalon had rivered a flush. That left the Finn with fewer than ten big blinds.
Two hands later, on the 17th hand of the night, Jumalon shoved, and Saaskilahti called for his tournament life with A-7. He was ahead of Jumalon’s K-6 but he continued to run smooth when he caught a six on the flop and another on the turn.
On the 169th hand of the final table, Jumalon eliminated Saaskilahti in second place for $6,000,000.
Lucas Jumalon of Spokane, Washington, at just 22 years old, won the 2026 WSOP Main Event for $10,000,000.
Congratulations to Gags30 from BetMGM
From everyone at BetMGM, we congratulate Gagliano on his epic run, utter calm in a wild environment, and a poker performance we will always remember. It’s been fun to be on this rail for a unique poker experience.
Playing Online Poker at BetMGM
The commentators said it, fellow final table players knew it, and his play showed it – Gagliano had experience on his side, and his years at the tables were a huge advantage no matter his stack size. And he earned much of that experience through online poker play.
Practice, play more hands, study the hand histories, and improve your strategy over time – standard but the best advice for poker players who want to improve their game. You can do all of that through playing real-money online poker at BetMGM online. And by using an online poker welcome bonus when making your initial deposit, you might earn a little extra money to pad your starting bankroll.
