What If They Won? 7 Dream 2026 WSOP Main Event Champions

Ten 2026 WSOP Main Event Winners That Would Break the Internet

In all likelihood, the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event will be won by someone unknown to the poker community. That’s how it goes. One massive field, no second chances, and lots of fresh faces.

But what if we could dream a little bit? Some players would absolutely blow our minds if they won the 2026 Main Event.

This is that list. These are those players.

#1: Chris Moneymaker

Out of everyone on this list, Chris Moneymaker would make the biggest impact winning the Main Event. Recreating history and taking down a second Main Event, over two decades later, would be unbelievable. The man that ignited the poker boom could ignite another one.

The chances of this happening are very slim. He’s not facing the same sized tournament that it was in 2003, and he’s swimming among more sharks these days. He has had other huge scores, like a few million at Triton events and decent runs in other WSOP series. But, the WSOP Main Event is a different beast.

Out of Chris Moneymaker’s top 3 wins, his 2003 Main Event score remains the biggest:

#2: Johnny Chan

Johnny Chan already made history once in 1987 and 1988 by winning consecutive Main Events, but coming back for another almost four decades later? It would be the greatest poker story ever.

He’s another legend of the old-school, even before the time of Chris Moneymaker. He’s an icon of our sport, not just being involved with the movie Rounders, but also for his back-to-back World Series of Poker Main Event victories.

There’s a sliver of hope. Johnny Chan is still active at the World Series of Poker, and cashed in the 2025 Las Vegas series.

He’s only beaten the prizes of his two Main Event wins once, in 2005:

#3: Scotty Nguyen

Scotty Nguyen, from the same era as Moneymaker and Chan, would be just as historic. He’s responsible for giving us one of the greatest speech play moments ever, in the final hand of the 1998 Main Event.

The board showed a full house on the river, eights full of nines. Johnny was all-in. He told Kevin McBride, “You call, it’s gonna be all over baby!” He sipped his drink, and Kevin called. He wasn't lying. It was all over. Without a doubt, one of the most entertaining poker moments we’ve ever witnessed.

Watch the final hand here

Scotty showed up to last year’s WSOP, and cashed in every single year since 1995, except for 2019 and 2020 (probably because of COVID-19)

Here are Scotty’s top three scores:

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#4: Erik Seidel

Erik Seidel has the utmost respect from the poker community, the kind it takes decades to earn. And it has taken decades, almost four, to be exact.

But with almost $49 million in live earnings, and ten bracelets, the Main Event is the one accolade Erik is missing. He’d be one of the most fitting players in the entire world to win it. He came runner-up in 1988, losing to the great Johnny Chan. The next two years, he didn’t cash, but he hasn’t missed cashing for a year since.

But as we write this, Erik Seidel is 15th on the All Time Money List, a huge achievement on its own. Even if the Main Event eludes him, Erik will certainly go down as a legend in the poker history books.

Out of his several scores over a million dollars, here are the largest three:

#5: Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth is usually brought up in the same sentence as the World Series of Poker. 17 bracelets. The all-time record. The youngest Main Event winner ever, until his record was broken by Peter Eastgate in 2008.

Back in 1989, Phil was just 24 years old. Fields were tiny in these earlier years, and the competition is a different beast these days.

A second Main Event title would be the perfect capstone to the greatest tournament career ever assembled. He’s been talking a big talk lately, referring to himself as one of the best players alive.

“I thought that the greatest poker player of all time was the one who was going to win the most bracelets. That's what I set out to do.”

His claim of being the greatest is highly debated online. Another Main Event win 37 years after the first would back up his statements, and break the internet.

He's still showing up every summer without fail, cashing consistently deep into his 60s.

Here are Phil's top three scores:

#6: Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is poker's most recognizable face, not just because it's plastered across the world’s biggest poker site (GGPoker). He’s got a magnetic personality, spot-on reads, and over $57 million in live earnings. Let’s not forget his seven WSOP bracelets either.

He came close in 2015 with an 11th-place Main Event finish. He was all-in against Joe McKeehen, but his top pair fell to his opponent's combo draw. He still doesn’t have a Main Event win, but nobody doubts he is capable.

Some players might still dislike Daniel for his “more rake is better” saga in 2016. Some might feel like he’s sold out, others might not like his vlogs, but Daniel Negreanu is still one of the most respected players in the game. Winning the 2026 Main Event would just add to his mythical status.

He's still grinding in Las Vegas every summer, publishing wins and losses publicly in his WSOP vlogs.

Here are Daniel's top three scores:

#7: Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey is widely considered the greatest all-around poker player who has ever lived (unless you ask Phil Hellmuth, who has his doubts). He’s comparable to Daniel Negreanu, with about the same earnings, but more bracelets, holding a total of 11. His legacy is already solidified, but there isn’t a poker player or fan alive who wouldn’t love to see him win the Main Event.

His best finish was seventh in 2009, as part of the famous November Nine. He busted when his lost to Darvin Moon's , which found a pair on the flop. That feels like a long time ago.

He’s still very much active in the annual WSOP series, and he’s definitely playing in 2026. Let’s hope he goes deep and overcomes the sheer numbers of such an improbable victory in the Main Event.

Here are Phil's top three scores:

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