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Finland’s Lauri Saaskilahti delivered a composed performance on Day 8 of the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event, securing his spot at the final table of nine and locking up a career-best $1 million payday.
His deep run surpasses the country’s previous best Main Event finishes, eclipsing Matti Kuortti’s 25th-place result from 1997 and Miika Puumalainen’s 59th-place finish in 2009.
Despite the magnitude of the achievement, Saaskilahti described himself to PokerNews as “surprisingly relaxed” heading into the three-week break before the final table, carrying 37,500,000 chips into the November-style pause.
The Spain-based player, whose previous best result came from a 14th-place finish at last year’s EPT Barcelona Main Event for €70,900, pointed to a pivotal all-in hand on Day 7 as a turning point. Holding ace-high against Brock Wilson’s flopped top pair of kings, Saaskilahti rivered an ace to double up, a moment he said made him feel destiny was on his side.
His path to the final table included plenty of turbulence. A rough Day 3 saw him lose chips, but he rebounded sharply on Day 4, growing his stack nearly tenfold. He kept building steadily through Day 5 and beyond, entering the final two tables as one of the shorter stacks before nearly tripling up during Day 8 to finish seventh in chips among the remaining nine.
Saaskilahti plans to spend the break vacationing in the United States with his family, visiting San Diego and Southern California, before returning to Las Vegas to compete for the title and a chance to become Finland’s first WSOP Main Event champion.
