The World Series of Poker has a new Main Event champion after Atlanta’s Daniel Weinman topped a record field of 10,043 players to claim the title and US$12.1 million in prize money.
Coming into the final day’s play sitting second in chips of the three remaining players, the 35-year-old wasted no time cementing his place in the history books, sending Adam Walton to the rail after a huge pre-flop clash holding AA against Walton’s 88, then taking just 24 hands to put an end to heads-up play against overnight chip leader Steven Jones.
His Main Event victory in the 54th year of the WSOP eclipses the record held by Jamie Gold, who outlasted the previous highest field of 8,733 starters back in 2006.
“I’ve always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible,” Weinman said in an interview with PokerNews shortly after his victory. “And to win this Main Event, it doesn’t feel real. I mean, (there’s) so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well, but so many hands that (I got) incredibly lucky for the situations to arise.
“Final tables can go so many different ways. You need some cards to get chips, there were a lot of good players left with a lot more tournament experience than me. But when we got down to three, I did feel like I was the best player of the three. And a couple good hands at the right time; it all came together.”
With a price of US$10,000 for each entry, the 10,043 players to take part in the 2023 WSOP Main Event paid a combined US$100.4 million paid in entry and registration fees, creating a US$93.4 million prize pool withheld some US$7 million for fees and staff costs.
The WSOP was first held at Binion’s Horseshoe in 1970 when owner Benny Binion invited seven of the world’s best poker players to compete in a series of cash games, with the winner decided by vote.
Since then, the WSOP has grown into the largest and most prestigious poker series on the planet with the 2023 WSOP featuring 95 separate bracelet events – highlighted by the Main Event itself.
This year represents the second year the WSOP has been held at Las Vegas Strip property Horseshoe Las Vegas, formerly known as Bally’s, after relocating from its home of the past 17 years at the Rio.
WSOP MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE PLACINGS:
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (US$) |
| 1 | Daniel Weinman | United States | $12,100,000 |
| 2 | Steven Jones | United States | $6,500,000 |
| 3 | Adam Walton | United States | $4,000,000 |
| 4 | Jan-Peter Jachtmann | Germany | $3,000,000 |
| 5 | Ruslan Prydryk | Ukraine | $2,400,000 |
| 6 | Dean Hutchison | Scotland | $1,850,000 |
| 7 | Toby Lewis | England | $1,425,000 |
| 8 | Juan Maceiras | Spain | $1,125,000 |
| 9 | Daniel Holzner | Italy | $900,000 |
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