Lucas Jumalon had just $180,888 in career earnings when the WSOP Main Event started on July 2.
One month later, he’s poker’s newest world champion.
The 2026 WSOP Main Event was a "slog" and a "grind," according to Jumalon, but there's no better tournament on earth. The 22-year-old from Spokane is now the second-youngest player to win the WSOP Main Event, behind Joe Cada, and the first from Washington state.
Jumalon is also the first player to close out an opening chip lead at the final table since Koray Aldemir did it in 2021. His heads-up opponent, Finland's Lauri Saaskilahti, was the only one to put up a fight.
Otherwise, his toughest battle was internal – and he had to learn how to beat this during the 11 days of high-pressure play.
"I think people underestimate, from an outsider's point of view, what I've actually been through," Jumalon told us afterward. "There were some dark spots, not only in life but in poker too."
Jumalon is the second-youngest player to win The Big One. The turning point
Jumalon had to battle back from a near-meltdown during the last break on Day 7, but his family and friends rallied around him, and he returned to finish the evening on a card rush to set up a run to the chip lead on Day 8.
"I'll get some hate for that comment, but when that happens continuously over and over again, you don't know if you're going to ever reach the precipice of this. Obviously I ran really well, but I think I played out of my mind too."
Saaskilahti returned for the final day within spitting distance, and the two traded a few early pots before Jumalon extended his lead with big stack pressure. Only 14 hands after the start of play, both players stood up for the first time.
Saaskilahti had raised to 10M from the button with 
, and Jumalon shoved with 
. It took a moment, but Saaskilahti looked at his rail and put the chips in.
The flop of 
suggested a simple double, but the rail roared when the 
fell on the turn. Jumalon had the lead, just one card away from $10 million, but a 
on the river made a flush and returned the pot to Saaskilahti.
It was a brand new ballgame after that, and Saaskilahti was finally within just a few big blinds after Jumalon towered over the final table all week. The moment, however, was fleeting, and Jumalon was ready to get his chips back.
Saaskilahti was the only one to put up a fight, but it wasn't enough. 
Hero call backfires
On the next hand, Jumalon raised to 8M with 
and Saaskilahti called with 
. The flop was 
, and Jumalon continued for 4M. Saaskilahti check-called, setting up a 
on the turn.
Jumalon fired 40M, more than twice the pot, with the queen-high flush draw. Saaskilahti called, and the river was bad news – a 
to make flush for Jumalon. The Finn checked and went deep into the tank when Jumalon presented 180M, but he couldn't resist.
The hero call was misguided, and it left Saaskilahti with less than ten big blinds. It all went in a few hands later, and Jumalon's beat 
when the board brought two more sixes.
Jumalon's rail, which had grown on each of the three days, was ungovernable. Their guy, a 22-year-old from Washington, is poker's newest World Champion.
And if he has his way, he's just getting started.
"I really do believe I was built for this. I was built to be an ambassador to the sport."
The final two put on a quick show for ESPN on Wednesday night. 2026 WSOP Main Event final table results
- Lucas Jumalon - $10,000,000
- Lauri Saaskilahti - $6,000,000
- Greg Mueller - $3,750,000
- Michael Gagliano - $2,750,000
- Han Feng - $2,250,000
- Rami Hammoud - $1,750,000
- Jamie Shaevel - $1,500,000
- Mario Boos - $1,250,000
- Evagoras Evagorou - $1,000,000
