With the conclusion to the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event inching ever-closer, we're taking a look back on a few of the key hands that dictated the runs of the nine players who reached the final table.
When Lucas Jumalon returns to poker's biggest stage on August 3, he'll have a commanding chip lead to wield as he sees fit in pursuit of the 2026 WSOP Main Event title.
With more than double the chips of his closest competitor, the 22-year-old from Spokane, Washington is living every poker player's dream right now.
And yet, Jumalon's once-in-a-lifetime run nearly turned into a nightmare on Day 8.
In a blind versus blind clash with Will Givens that saw the two play for a pot of nearly 100 big blinds, Jumalon was at-risk and way behind.
Sometimes, however, the poker gods intervene – to one player's benefit and another's heartbreak.
Divine intervention
The livestream coverage picked up the action as the players awaited a runout, but we can fill you in on the preflop action.
With just shy of 50 big blinds in front of him, Jumalon peeled 
in the small blind and raised to 1.9M. Givens looked down at a dominating 
and three-bet to 5.8M from a covering stack.
Jumalon swung for the fences with a four-bet jam, but Givens had the goods and made the call to put the youngster's tournament life on the line – roll the tape below to see the carnage.
The 
flop smashed Jumalon to give him trips and left Givens drawing incredibly thin. With his rail of friends and supporters at his back – literally – the celebrations were biblical.
After embracing his opponent in a somewhat premature fashion, Jumalon realized he was still drawing live.
"He's not dead, he's not dead, he's not dead," Jumalon told himself and his rail. "He's not dead."
But on the 
turn, it was all over.
Jumalon survived with the worst of it and later went on to eliminate Givens from contention before riding his momentum to the final table.
