Updated on 22 Feb 26 by
Barry Carter
Poker Expert

Tanking an issue at the Main Event final table

Complaints of tanking dominate the first day of the final table as Joseph McKeehen establishes a huge chip lead.

WSOP leader Joe McKeehen
Joe McKeehen

It looked like it was going to be a fast paced affair when Patrick Chan was eliminated after just two hands, when his King-Queen was no match for the Ace-Four of chip leader McKeehen. 

However, it was not to be, as after five hours of play, just 72 hands have been played so far at the final table. This has led to numerous viewer complaints on social media that the game finally needs a shot clock. 

The original plan was to play down to four players today, but with only Pierre Neuville and Federico Butteroni falling in the allotted time, play was halted, and six players remain, looking to make the heads-up stage tomorrow. 

Everyone remaining is guaranteed at least $1,426,283 when they return this evening.

WSOP Main Event Final Table
Position Player Chips/Prize
1st Joseph McKeehen 91,450,000
2nd Zvi Stern 32,400,000
3rd Neil Blumenfield 31,500,000
4th Max Steinberg 16,000,000
5th Joshua Beckley 10,875,000
6th Thomas Cannuli 10,425,000
 
7th Pierre Neuville $1,203,293
8th Federico Butteroni $1,097,056
9th Patrick Chan $1,001,020
Number of entrants: 6 (6,420)

Play resumes today at 4:30 PST. If you want to watch the action you can see the full broadcast schedule here

Here is a reminder what they are still playing for: 

2015 WSOP Main Event Payouts
1st $7,683,346
2nd $4,470,896
3rd $3,398,298
4th $2,615,361
5th $1,911,423
6th $1,426,283

Who are you cheering for? Let us know in the comments.  

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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.