We are less than a week from the resumption of the 2026 World Series of Poker $10,000 Championship Event – the “Main Event,” as it has become known. Nine men will return to Paris Las Vegas on August 3 to battle it out for the coveted World Championship of poker. Alas, some of these competitors have more of a chance than the others. In a three-part series, we are going to talk about these competitors, break down how they got to this ethereal plane, and what their chances are of winning the $10 million first-place prize. In Part I, we examined the three men who might have to make some big moves early. In Part II, we are going to look at the three men who might be sitting in the driver’s seat for the run to the title – France’s Mario Boos and the two notable names of the final table, Michael Gagliano and Greg Mueller of the U.S.
Mario Boos – 44 million chips
It is a close race between Boos and one of the top three players, Jamie Shaevel, as to who had the quieter approach to the 2026 WSOP Main Event. Other than a pivotal moment when he was all-in against Han Feng in a race situation that he won, Boos has laid low during the run to the final table. This approach has served him well in the 2026 WSOP overall and particularly in the Main Event.
Before the 2026 WSOP, Boos had only accumulated about $200,000 in career earnings from poker, making the million dollars he has locked up for making the final table his biggest tournament score ever. This does NOT mean that he lacks experience, however; in his tournament poker career dating back to 2018, he earned three victories and 67 cashes, so he has been able to garner experience. Can that experience carry him to the World Championship?
Day 1D: 27,000
Day 2B: 165,500
Day Three: 91,200
Day Four: 800,000
Day Five: 7.85 million (broke into Top Ten)
Day Six: 17.95 million
Day Seven: 24.3 million
Day Eight: 44 million (sixth)
Michael Gagliano – 46.5 million
Arguably one of the most experienced players at the final table would be Michael Gagliano. With tournament results that date back to 2008, and three WSOP bracelets already to his credit, Gagliano has been able to rack up over $3 million in career earnings on the felt. Much like Boos, Gagliano has kept his head below the parapet, which has served him well in pursuit of the World Championship.
About the only misstep for Gagliano came on Day Four. Gagliano would start that day with a big stack, 736,000 in chips, but see that chopped by more than half by the end of the Day Four festivities. Gagliano then did what he always does: he knuckled down and ground his chip stack back up the leaderboard. It is that same “nose to the grindstone” style of attack that might earn Gagliano the World Championship bracelet.
Day 1B: 93,000
Day 2A: 135,000
Day Three: 736,000
Day Four: 300,000
Day Five: 5.215 million
Day Six: 11.675 million
Day Seven: 19.3 million
Day Eight: 46.5 million (fifth)
Greg Mueller – 48.5 million
The most recognizable of all the players at the table is Greg Mueller. The Canadian pro has long been a part of the poker world, garnering his first attention on the virtual tables at Full Tilt Poker back in the mid-Aughts. But the player who has reached the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table is a much different player than back in those days.
Known as “FBT” for “Full Blown Tilt,” Mueller has calmed remarkably from his early days on the felt (a former hockey player, Mueller brought that aggression to poker). He also has stepped away from the game in recent years, with most of his poker resume consisting of his work at the WSOP (including three bracelet wins). Of his 84 official tournament cashes, only about a quarter of them (22) have come in tournaments outside of the WSOP – Mueller is ready for the challenge of the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table.
Day 1D: 100,000
Day 2B: 175,000
Day Three: 1.124 million
Day Four: 1.5 million
Day Five: 4.415 million
Day Six: 10 million
Day Seven: 13.2 million
Day Eight: 48.5 million (fourth)
These three men are arguably in a surprisingly comfortable place on the WSOP Main Event final table. They are not among the upper echelon, which means that they will not have to face the attacks from those looking to ladder up. They also are not in the basement and being forced to make problematic decisions potentially for their tournament lives. Perhaps the most interesting thing about these three is that they are sitting next to each other (Gagliano in the two seat, Boos in the three, and Mueller in the four); whoever emerges from this trio may have an inside track to winning the World Championship of poker.
In our final part of this three-part series, we are going to examine the three men at the top of the standings. The best part for them is they are not going to be forced into action, as they have stacks that can withstand some pressure. The worst part? The only way they have to go…is down the leaderboard.
