The 2026 World Series of Poker has now reached its halfway point.
We are 26 days into the 51-day summer grind at poker’s biggest festival (not including the much-anticipated return for the final stages of the Main Event in August), and a clearer picture is beginning to emerge of who has made the most of the early volume.
Some names are very much expected, others less so, but thanks to the WSOP livestream, here are your 20 biggest money earners of the series so far.
Who Has Made the Most Money at the 2026 WSOP So Far?
Poker is a game measured in green (and gold), and these 20 players have captured the lion’s share of it at the series so far:
| Rank | Player | Country | Events | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | 3 | $4,466,161 |
| 2 | Yuri Dzivielevski | Brazil | 6 | $2,889,773 |
| 3 | Bryn Kenney | United States | 1 | $2,776,634 |
| 4 | Eelis Parssinen | Finland | 2 | $2,261,056 |
| 5 | Sean Winter | United States | 3 | $2,111,426 |
| 6 | Teun Mulder | Netherlands | 3 | $2,034,247 |
| 7 | Santhosh Suvarna | India | 2 | $1,975,839 |
| 8 | David Einhorn | United States | 1 | $1,862,941 |
| 9 | Alex Foxen | United States | 7 | $1,822,696 |
| 10 | Kristen Foxen | Canada | 3 | $1,819,062 |
| 11 | Biao Ding | China | 6 | $1,595,959 |
| 12 | Levon Khachatryan | United States | 1 | $1,440,680 |
| 13 | Artur Martirosian | Russia | 2 | $1,355,816 |
| 14 | Jack Lee | South Korea | 2 | $1,350,083 |
| 15 | Alex Kulev | Bulgaria | 1 | $1,326,537 |
| 16 | Richard Alsup | United States | 1 | $1,302,125 |
| 17 | Brandon Wilson | United States | 4 | $1,232,056 |
| 18 | Galen Hall | United States | 1 | $1,182,050 |
| 19 | Sergio Gonzalez | Spain | 3 | $1,097,987 |
| 20 | Christopher Brewer | United States | 5 | $1,091,255 |
Mateos Making History
It’ll come as little surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention to see Adrian Mateos topping the list.
The Spaniard’s $4,466,161 haul is anchored by his stunning victory in the $250,000 Super High Roller, where he defeated none other than all-time money leader Bryn Kenney heads-up to secure his sixth WSOP bracelet.
At just 31 years old, Mateos became the youngest player ever to win six WSOP bracelets, continuing a pattern that’s become familiar throughout his career. He also became the youngest player to win three bracelets back in 2017, doing so at just 22.
Fittingly, the $250K Super High Roller has become something of a signature event for him, after he took it down in 2021 for $3,265,362 and his fourth bracelet.
As per The Hendon Mob, the Spanish star has moved from ninth to fifth on poker’s all-time money list in the last six months alone. That surge has come in no small part thanks to his sensational first half of the 2026 WSOP, and there’s little reason to think he won’t climb even higher before the summer is out.
Best in the World? Mateos Makes History as Youngest Ever Six-Time WSOP Champ
It’s a Good Summer to Be a Foxen
It’s hard to think of a storyline that’s run hotter through the first half of this summer than the remarkable Alex and Kristen Foxen, with poker’s power couple serendipitously sitting side by side in 9th and 10th on the list.
Kristen was the first to strike, taking down a stacked 345-entry field in the $25,000 High Roller for $1,773,083 and her sixth career bracelet, before Alex answered just days later with his own bracelet success in the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty for $594,246.
The dual wins made them just the second husband-and-wife pair in history to both win individual WSOP bracelets in the same summer (after Max and Maria Stern in 1997, if you’re interested).
But the bracelets don’t tell the full story, especially for Alex, who has already cashed seven events, more than anyone else in the top 20, in what is shaping up to be an incredible summer for one of poker’s best tournament talents.
All told, the Foxens have cashed for $3.3 million in the opening weeks of the series, and while it would already be a pretty amazing summer even if they packed up and went home now, it hardly seems likely.
Kristen Foxen’s Heater Is Even More Remarkable Than You Think
Who Needs Volume?
Six players have cracked the current Top 20 from a single cash, and nowhere is the power of a WSOP high roller event more obvious than with Bryn Kenney.
Kenney’s deep run to heads-up in the $250,000 Super High Roller was worth $2,776,634, more money from one tournament than some players on this list have assembled across six or seven cashes combined. His appearances have been limited so far this summer, but when poker’s all-time money leader does take a seat, it tends to end with a seven-figure result.
It’s a similar story for David Einhorn in 8th, who finished third in the WSOP’s biggest buy-in event. From a field of just 56 entries, his $1,862,941 score is the entirety of his Top 20 total — proof that one deep run in the right field can be worth more than a whole summer of grinding.
Levon Khachatryan (12th), Alex Kulev (15th), Richard Alsup (16th), and Galen Hall (18th) round out the single-cash club, each owing their entire spot on the leaderboard to a single result.
Eliot Thomas
Editor, Poker & Casino