Nine await final table for WSOP Main Event

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The World Series of Poker $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Championship, better known to poker fans as the Main Event, wrapped the WSOP.com - New Jersey and WSOP.com - Nevada online portion of its domestic leg on Monday, 14 December as the 705-field of players was narrowed down to the final nine spots, which includes a mix of former bracelet winners and new faces. These final nine players will now travel to Las Vegas to battle live on Monday, 28 December at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The winner of that final domestic table will then go head-to-head against the newly-crowned international table winner, Damian Salas of Argentina, on Wednesday, 30 December for title of World Champion, an additional $1 million on top of their already more than $1 million first place prize payouts and the most valuable trophy in the world, the 2020 diamond and gold encrusted WSOP Main Event bracelet.

Each player is guaranteed $98,813 in prize money, but each has their eye on the $1,553,256 top prize. The runner-up will also become a poker millionaire as $1,002,340 is set aside for second place.

2020 WSOP Main Event Domestic Final Table Chip Counts

Joseph "kolebear" Hebert/13,052,534

Shawn "shades927" Stroke/5,252,000

Ryan "Hagzzz021" Hagerty/5,071,572

Ye "YUAN365" Yuan/4,829,459

Michael "geNet1x_" Cannon/4,408,847

Gershon "jets613" Distenfeld/3,475,481

Ron "Samthedog76" Jenkins/2,476,746

Upeshka "gomezhamburg" De Silva/2,151,969

Harrison "Harrisond33" Dobin/1,581,392

International winner and WSOP Main Event veteran, Salas, returns to the Rio after winning GGPoker’s leg of the tournament, with the live final table taking place at the King's Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. Eight of the nine finalists, out of a field of 674 entries, made the trip to the Czech Republic to battle for the lion's share of the $6,470,400 prize pool. Ultimately, the two finalists with the longest travels battled for the victory-- Argentina's Salas defeated Brazil's Brunno Botteon in heads-up to claim the top prize of $1,550,969.

The 2020 Main Event established a new benchmark for prizepool in U.S. regulated markets, easily eclipsing the $2.019 million achieved for the 2020 WSOP Online championship in July 2020. Also of note, since regulations began for online poker in 2014, never had a player won $1 million or greater on a U.S. licensed poker site. The 2020 Main Event made millionaires of both first and second place for the domestic field, and when combined with first and second place payouts for the international bracket, saw four players hitting the millionaire mark from the tournament.

Key Upcoming Dates:

Domestic Final Table – Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Monday, 28 December – Play from 9 down to a winner

Heads-Up Championship of Domestic Winner vs. International Winner:
Wednesday, 30 December
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas