Poker Writer
The 2026 WSOP ended with several big storylines on the felt, while the series received a largely lukewarm reception after all the changes made this year. The WSOP made a lot of big changes ahead of 2026 and most of the series was defined by the players reacting to these changes.
We explore four of the most prominent stories of the series that made the most headlines.
WSOP on ESPN
One of the main storylines of the entire summer was the WSOP returning to ESPN. It was greeted with great enthusiasm after a seven-year hiatus from the sports media giant. As the WSOP wore on, though, the enthusiasm faded. Many players began to complain that the streaming on WatchESPN was not as good as it had been in previous years on PokerGO.
WatchESPN required an ESPN+ subscription to watch the WSOP Main Event, so it was no different than paying for a PokerGO stream. It was also inaccessible to watchers outside the USA who were forced to watch a French Winamax stream.
Before the Main Event, many people complained about the new streaming on GGPoker YouTube. The main issue for most people is the multiple-hour delay from real time.
But the real point of ESPN regaining the WSOP rights has yet to be demonstrated. The WSOP Main Event final table will be shown live on ESPN on the nights of August 3rd-5th. Getting the WSOP back on the mainstream radar was the entire goal, and it will likely quell any complaints from before once the WSOP starts reaching casual fans again.
Main Event Dip in Numbers
One of the key things poker people watch each year is the number of entries to the WSOP Main Event. Being the most popular and prominent tournament of the year, it is often seen as a good barometer for the health and economy of the game.
This year’s field was 9,208 entries. Even though it marks the fourth-largest field in history, it was also the second straight year of decline after the record peak field of 10,112 in 2024. Last year’s field dipped by 377 entries to 9,735, and this year it dipped again, by even more this time, with 527 fewer entries.
This was largely expected, driven by several factors, including reduced Las Vegas travel, political tensions toward international travelers in the USA, the World Cup, and a weaker economy in the poker industry.
If the numbers decline again in 2027, it will signal more than a momentary blip and warrant greater concern.
Team Negreanu Wins 25K Fantasy
Team Negreanu won the 2026 25K Fantasy competition after an impressive showing. The team crushed the field, beating second-place Team Banana by almost 300 points. Josh Arieh led the team with an impressive 356 points, including two runner-up finishes and a 3rd-place finish. Negreanu himself chipped in 294 points, with most of those points coming from his eighth career bracelet.
This is the first time that Negreanu, the commissioner of the league, has won the 25K fantasy competition in its 15-year history.
Nick Pupillo, Bryn Kenney and Dong Chen contributed over 150 points each. The team was so successful even without Ben Lamb, who grabbed 0 points due to a light schedule.
In the individual standings, Naoya Kihara led the way with 510 fantasy points. He sits in second place in the WSOP Player of the Year Race behind Shaun Deeb heading into WSOP Paradise in December.
Deeb Aims For Hellmuth’s Mark
Deeb won his ninth career bracelet in Eight-Game Mix. The win put him at nine bracelets just shortly after his 40th birthday earlier this year. Deeb has been very outspoken about his eventual goal of being the all-time winningest WSOP bracelet winner.
He told PokerNews following his win that there is no doubt in his mind that he is going to pass Phil Hellmuth’s mark of 17 one day. He could have been a lot closer to Hellmuth at WSOP Europe, as he finished runner-up in back-to-back events at WSOP Europe at the start of April.
Hellmuth clearly heard Deeb’s claims as he nearly put another on the board for himself at the very end of the series. In one of the final events in $5,000 NLH 8-Max, Hellmuth made the final table away from the spotlight as the WSOP streaming equipment had already been packed up.
Darren Rabinowitz ultimately denied Hellmuth his 18th bracelet, winning a lengthy heads-up battle to capture a second bracelet of his own.
Deeb certainly has the time advantage over Hellmuth, as he is 22 years his junior. Deeb’s desire to play every single event possible, which he intends to do for the rest of his career, will give him plentiful chances to win bracelets through the years. Add that to the fact that there is no other challenger right now who exhibits the same desire as Deeb at a younger age. Barring a multi-year drought, there is a high likelihood that Deeb finishes his career as the all-time bracelet leader.
Photo credit: Monique Marestein / WSOP
