The World Series of Poker has changed its mind. Days after putting an action clock on the Main Event for the first time in the tournament's 57-year history, officials confirmed that the nine finalists will play out the biggest final table in poker without one.
- No shot clock at the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table, reversing the rule used on Days 7 and 8.
- The clock was introduced after Loren Klein took roughly 15 minutes over a single decision on Day 6.
- Players can still call the clock on opponents, and staff may step in in exceptional cases.
- The final table runs August 3-5 at Horseshoe Las Vegas, with $10,000,000 for the winner.
- 22-year-old Lucas Jumalon returns as the runaway chip leader with 194,000,000.
A clock that lasted two days
The action clock arrived late and left quickly. Following Day 6, WSOP officials moved to impose a shot clock for Days 7 and 8 after a lengthy tank by Loren Klein - reportedly around 15 minutes on a decision tied to a pay jump - became the talking point of the tournament. It was the first time in the Main Event's history that players had been put on a timer, and the decision split the poker world immediately.
On Thursday, with the field trimmed to the final nine, the WSOP walked it back. "After discussions with players and tournament staff, we've made the collective decision not to use a shot clock at next week's WSOP Main Event Final Table," the organization said in a statement.
"Our goal is to create the most natural playing environment possible, giving players the time they need to make the biggest decisions of the tournament."
- WSOP statement
The safety valve remains the traditional one. Players keep the right to call the clock on an opponent who is taking an unreasonable amount of time, and tournament staff reserve the ability to intervene in exceptional circumstances. In other words, the Main Event final table goes back to the way it has always been played.
Mixed reactions from the poker world
The reversal drew applause from players who felt a timer had no place in the sport's biggest event. Veteran pro Barny Boatman was among them, writing simply: "Congratulations on a very good decision."
Others were less impressed - not necessarily with the rule itself, but with the whiplash of changing it mid-tournament. Harry Gandia hit the point hardest.
"So just changing the goalposts as we go along? Not a good look for one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world."
- Harry Gandia
Both camps have a case. The clock was introduced reactively after a single incident, and it was removed just as quickly once the players who would actually be affected had their say. What is not in dispute is that the nine men who sit down at Horseshoe Las Vegas will do so under the rules the Main Event has used for more than half a century.
The 2026 final table chip counts
Play resumes August 3 at Horseshoe Las Vegas and runs through August 5. Every remaining player has locked up at least $1,000,000, and the champion walks away with $10,000,000 and the most coveted bracelet in poker.
| Seat | Player | Country | Chips | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Jumalon | United States | 194,000,000 | 129 |
| 2 | Rami Hammoud | Canada | 79,000,000 | 53 |
| 3 | Jamie Shaevel | United States | 56,000,000 | 37 |
| 4 | Greg Mueller | Canada | 48,500,000 | 32 |
| 5 | Michael Gagliano | United States | 46,500,000 | 31 |
| 6 | Mario Boos | France | 44,000,000 | 29 |
| 7 | Lauri Saaskilahti | Finland | 37,500,000 | 25 |
| 8 | Han Feng | United States | 25,000,000 | 17 |
| 9 | Evagoras Evagorou | Cyprus | 22,500,000 | 15 |
Youth versus experience
At the top of the counts sits Lucas Jumalon, a 22-year-old American with 194,000,000 chips - roughly 129 big blinds and more than double the stack of his nearest rival, Canada's Rami Hammoud. It is the kind of lead that lets a player dictate terms, and without a clock ticking, Jumalon will be free to take his time in the spots that matter.
He will need to be careful who he takes on. Greg Mueller, a three-time WSOP bracelet winner, and Michael Gagliano, who owns four bracelets, bring by far the deepest resumes to the table - and both sit in the middle of the pack, deep enough to apply pressure. Europe is represented by France's Mario Boos, Finland's Lauri Saaskilahti and Cyprus' Evagoras Evagorou, the short stack with 15 big blinds and everything to gain from one good run of cards.
Whatever happens over the next three days, it will happen at the players' own pace. That, in the end, is what the WSOP decided mattered most.
