Updated on 22 Feb 26 by
Barry carter
Poker Expert

The 2nd biggest WSOP Main Event in history

The biggest starting day ever and a classic Phil Hellmuth entrance have made for a historic WSOP Main Event.





Americans celebrated the 4th of July by making the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event the biggest one in recent memory and 2nd only to the 2006 event won by Jamie Gold. 

4,571 players made for the biggest Day 1C in the history of the event, beatingthe 4,262 set last year. With 925 runners on Day 1A and 2,378 on Day 1B (also the largest Day 1B ever for the event) a total of 7,874 players entered this year's Main Event, a field only beaten by the 8,773 of 2006.

1,182 players will make the money (a mincash being worth $15,000) but the final table is worth at least a million to everybody at it:

There have been several higher paying first place prizes than this, but over the years the payouts have been flattened and more payouts added:

Hellmuth makes an entrance

It wouldn't be the Main Event without the trademark Phil Hellmuth entrance and this year he went as Thor, curiously with 14 Wonder Women (Phil is clearly not aware of the Marvel vs DC paradox this creates):

Negreanu makes an exit

One of the first big names to fall on Day 1C was KidPoker himself, who couldn't even summon up some Asgardian rungood from his friend the Poker Brat on the rail:

What do you think is the reason for the impressive attendance? Let us know in the comments:


Barry carter
Poker Expert

Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2, Poker Satellite Strategy, PKO Poker Strategy, Endgame Poker Strategy, GTO Poker Simplified, Mystery Bounty Poker Strategy and Beyond GTO. In 2025, he won the Global Poker Awards for Best Book and Twitter Personality of the Year.