How Much Is Winning the WSOP Main Event Really Worth?

^{Michael Mizrachi won $10 million and a massive diamond-studded bracelet at the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event. Poker players currently are debating whether or not winning poker's most prestigious prize is worth more than that. (Photo: courtesy of WSOP)}

LAS VEGAS – The WSOP Main Event will hold its final table next week, August 3-5, at the Paris Hotel and Casino, where the first place is a staggering $10 million. Each final table player is guaranteed at least $1 million.

Rob Kuhn, an ACR Team Pro best known for his online poker play, sparked a big conversation on X recently by asking the poker community about the true value of a Main Event champion beyond what they cash at the final table. His guess was over $5 million over a lifetime. This is if they “capitalize on the opportunity,” he said.

Kuhn's question sparked debate among current and former champions on X, with some guesses ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars to well over $5 million, depending on who you ask. Even Joseph Cada, who was 21 when he became the youngest Main Event champion in history back in 2009, weighed in with a much lower number than Kuhn's original guess. Some believe the value of the Main Event title ends with the winner's payout, while others believe it grows through sponsorships, business opportunities, and the legacy someone builds up afterward.

Poker Community Weighs in on X

David Baker, poker pro and four-time WSOP bracelet winner with over $9.5 million in live earnings, believes it’s worth more and was baffled by some of the responses, thinking it was worth a lot less.

Aaron Barone is a poker player and 888poker Main Event Co-Host who won $125,000 in the Main Event this year after finishing in 65 place. He vehemently disagrees with the $5 million and thinks it would be way less. He mentions that poker doesn’t have as many ambassador deals and as much money as in the past.

"I’ll take the wayyyyyyy under," Barone said. "How would you capitalize to get remotely close to $5M? Limited number of ambassador deals, obviously the most recent Main Event Champ would be prioritized but what’s the staying power?  Outside of poker sites who else is throwing."

Matt Berkey, founder of the Solve for Why poker training company and former host of the extremely popular Only Friends podcast, is also skeptical of the $5 million figure. 

The King of Main Event Capitalization

Chris Moneymaker is a prime example of a Main Event champion capitalizing on his success. He’s still in the poker industry with a Tournament Series all his own, the Moneymaker Tour, whose next stop is in Aruba from Sept. 17 to 27. He bubbled the main event this year in 1,383rd place, the last player to not cash in the tournament.

Chris Moneymaker, the 2003 WSOP Main Event champion, is one of poker's most recognizable ambassadors more than two decades after launching the "Moneymaker Effect." (Photo: Chris Moneymaker/Instagram @cmoneym21)

Moneymaker is credited with starting the poker boom in 2003, when he won the main event over 836 players for a hefty $2.5 million. He’d gotten into the tournament with an online $86 satellite, a smaller-buy-in event where he won a seat in the series. 

Thus, the “Moneymaker Effect” was born, inspiring recreational players to try their luck playing online poker. Moneymaker currently has $8.6 million in live earnings. This includes another $2 million score for fifth place at the August 2023 $262,500 Luxon Invitational held in London.

Youngest Main Event Winner Speaks Out 

Joseph Cada, one of the youngest winners of the WSOP Main Event, also joined the conversation on X. As someone who’s won, he agrees with Barone that the amount would be way less, maybe $250,000.

Regardless of the conversation, the main event is already life-changing money at $10 million. Next week will bring us nine new millionaires and one potential icon, depending on how they play it.