The World Series of Poker 2026 has been underway since May 26 and will keep us occupied until July 15. After just over a week, 15 bracelet events are already in the books. It’s time for a first look at Las Vegas.
The most important news upfront: The WSOP is alive. And quite healthy, I might add. Those who feared that participant numbers would decline after the record years can breathe a sigh of relief after week one. Comparing the tournaments played so far with the corresponding events from 2025, this year’s edition is even slightly ahead of last year. We shouldn’t speak of euphoria just yet, but there’s certainly no reason for panic.So far, the WSOP 2026 appears stable to slightly positive. The true judgment will, however, come in the following weeks. The Monster Stack, Colossus, Millionaire Maker, Seniors Event, Gladiators of Poker, and, of course, the Main Event will show whether the record set in 2025 is truly at risk or not.
Until then, let’s focus on the really important things. For example, Phil Hellmuth. The “Poker Brat” made it to the final table in Event #9, the $1,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship, and already had his eyes set on bracelet number 18. However, he ended up in 7th place. The poker world will have to wait a little longer for the next chapter in the bracelet chase.
The mood at the Foxen household is likely much more relaxed. The most successful poker couple in the world got off to a great start. Alex Foxen finished third at the $1,000 Heads-Up Championship and took home around $1,000 in prize money. His wife, Kristen Foxen, is still waiting for her first WSOP cash in Las Vegas, but her year in 2026 has been a dream so far. She has already racked up over $1.6 million in winnings this year, which is more than the entire top 10 of the women’s leaderboard combined. Overall, she has now amassed over $1 million in tournament winnings. Not bad for someone who supposedly just plays cards.And the DACH community? So far, they’ve been surprisingly reserved. However, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. Many of the well-known German-speaking pros were still at the Triton Series in Montenegro just a few days ago. Anyone competing against the world’s strongest players for several weeks probably deserves a little vacation before the WSOP marathon begins.One of the most impressive performances so far has been that of Christian Harder. The American has played six tournaments and cashed in all six. A spotless cash rate of 100 percent. Even German tax offices rarely operate that reliably.Even crazier was the performance of Stephen Hubbard. The American initially placed fifth in the $1,000 PLO event with 716 entrants. Then he practically jumped straight into the next tournament, the $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw event, and won it against another 626 players. Quite the streak.
Daniel Negreanu also made headlines in the first week, but not at the poker table. He and his wife, Amanda, are expecting a child. Speculation is already swirling on social media about the first name, with “Ace” currently leading the pack. After all, with poker professionals, you never know where marketing ends and family planning begins.Alan Keating was once again responsible for one of the quirkier stories. The cash game star signed up for the $1,000 Heads-Up Championship, paid the buy-in, and then simply didn’t show up. Apparently, he had won enough money days earlier during a livestream at The Lodge Card Club to not have much interest in risking another $1,000. His opponent advanced to the next round without a fight. What a way to take it easy.
Good news for fans of great poker entertainment, however. Joe Stapleton is new to the WSOP team. The comedian and commentator has been one of the most beloved voices in the field for years and will accompany the long tournament days with a healthy mix of expertise, self-ironies, and complete silliness. Those who want to see Stapleton live can find free livestreams from Las Vegas almost daily on the
official WSOP YouTube channel.Of course, we can’t forget about Shaun Deeb’s story. When the former WSOP Player of the Year sat down at the table, the dealer asked for his ID. However, Shaun didn’t have one. The dealer called in the floor manager. This manager briefly glanced at the giant banner directly over the table depicting Shaun Deeb and deemed the identity sufficiently verified. Sometimes, being famous has its perks.And me? I genuinely miss Mike “Timex” McDonald. Not necessarily the Canadian himself, but rather his former betting platform PokerShares. There, I made the same bet year after year: Germany wins at least three bracelets at the WSOP. The odds were usually around 3 to 1. Sometimes, it got close. Very close indeed. But in the end, it always made for some nice vacation money.Once again this year, I’m going to call it: Germany will take home at least three bracelets at WSOP 2026. Whether that’s a well-founded analysis or nostalgic wishful thinking, we will know by mid-July. So far, nothing speaks against it after week one. Except perhaps the fact that most of the top German players haven’t really arrived yet.The good news is: The WSOP is on. The big tournaments are still to come. Most of the top German players are still on their way as well. And we’ve already received the first wacky stories. The odds are looking excellent that the next six weeks will be even better.
The most important news upfront: The WSOP is alive. And quite healthy, I might add. Those who feared that participant numbers would decline after the record years can breathe a sigh of relief after week one. Comparing the tournaments played so far with the corresponding events from 2025, this year’s edition is even slightly ahead of last year. We shouldn’t speak of euphoria just yet, but there’s certainly no reason for panic.So far, the WSOP 2026 appears stable to slightly positive. The true judgment will, however, come in the following weeks. The Monster Stack, Colossus, Millionaire Maker, Seniors Event, Gladiators of Poker, and, of course, the Main Event will show whether the record set in 2025 is truly at risk or not.
Until then, let’s focus on the really important things. For example, Phil Hellmuth. The “Poker Brat” made it to the final table in Event #9, the $1,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship, and already had his eyes set on bracelet number 18. However, he ended up in 7th place. The poker world will have to wait a little longer for the next chapter in the bracelet chase.
The mood at the Foxen household is likely much more relaxed. The most successful poker couple in the world got off to a great start. Alex Foxen finished third at the $1,000 Heads-Up Championship and took home around $1,000 in prize money. His wife, Kristen Foxen, is still waiting for her first WSOP cash in Las Vegas, but her year in 2026 has been a dream so far. She has already racked up over $1.6 million in winnings this year, which is more than the entire top 10 of the women’s leaderboard combined. Overall, she has now amassed over $1 million in tournament winnings. Not bad for someone who supposedly just plays cards.And the DACH community? So far, they’ve been surprisingly reserved. However, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. Many of the well-known German-speaking pros were still at the Triton Series in Montenegro just a few days ago. Anyone competing against the world’s strongest players for several weeks probably deserves a little vacation before the WSOP marathon begins.One of the most impressive performances so far has been that of Christian Harder. The American has played six tournaments and cashed in all six. A spotless cash rate of 100 percent. Even German tax offices rarely operate that reliably.Even crazier was the performance of Stephen Hubbard. The American initially placed fifth in the $1,000 PLO event with 716 entrants. Then he practically jumped straight into the next tournament, the $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw event, and won it against another 626 players. Quite the streak.
Daniel Negreanu also made headlines in the first week, but not at the poker table. He and his wife, Amanda, are expecting a child. Speculation is already swirling on social media about the first name, with “Ace” currently leading the pack. After all, with poker professionals, you never know where marketing ends and family planning begins.Alan Keating was once again responsible for one of the quirkier stories. The cash game star signed up for the $1,000 Heads-Up Championship, paid the buy-in, and then simply didn’t show up. Apparently, he had won enough money days earlier during a livestream at The Lodge Card Club to not have much interest in risking another $1,000. His opponent advanced to the next round without a fight. What a way to take it easy.
Good news for fans of great poker entertainment, however. Joe Stapleton is new to the WSOP team. The comedian and commentator has been one of the most beloved voices in the field for years and will accompany the long tournament days with a healthy mix of expertise, self-ironies, and complete silliness. Those who want to see Stapleton live can find free livestreams from Las Vegas almost daily on the official WSOP YouTube channel.Of course, we can’t forget about Shaun Deeb’s story. When the former WSOP Player of the Year sat down at the table, the dealer asked for his ID. However, Shaun didn’t have one. The dealer called in the floor manager. This manager briefly glanced at the giant banner directly over the table depicting Shaun Deeb and deemed the identity sufficiently verified. Sometimes, being famous has its perks.And me? I genuinely miss Mike “Timex” McDonald. Not necessarily the Canadian himself, but rather his former betting platform PokerShares. There, I made the same bet year after year: Germany wins at least three bracelets at the WSOP. The odds were usually around 3 to 1. Sometimes, it got close. Very close indeed. But in the end, it always made for some nice vacation money.Once again this year, I’m going to call it: Germany will take home at least three bracelets at WSOP 2026. Whether that’s a well-founded analysis or nostalgic wishful thinking, we will know by mid-July. So far, nothing speaks against it after week one. Except perhaps the fact that most of the top German players haven’t really arrived yet.The good news is: The WSOP is on. The big tournaments are still to come. Most of the top German players are still on their way as well. And we’ve already received the first wacky stories. The odds are looking excellent that the next six weeks will be even better.