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Michael “Gags30” Gagliano has secured a spot at the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table, capping an eight-day battle through one of poker’s toughest fields. The New Jersey pro, a BetMGM Ambassador, bagged 46,500,000 chips heading into the finale, placing him fifth among the remaining nine players.
Gagliano’s live poker career stretches back to 2008, and his Hendon Mob record now shows 155 cashes worth $3.3 million along with three recorded WSOP bracelets, though he says a fourth online title has been lost to record-keeping gaps over the years.
This marked his third Main Event cash, following a 842nd-place finish in 2016 and a 148th-place result in 2025. Speaking to PokerNews after bagging his chips, Gagliano compared the marathon event to the film Groundhog Day, noting how the player count seemed to barely shrink despite constant eliminations.
His run through the tournament included a rocky Day 4, where his stack dwindled to just 12 big blinds, before a dramatic Day 5 surge pushed him to 5,215,000 chips and 29th overall. At the final table bubble stages, Gagliano scored key eliminations, including sending 2019 champion Hossein Ensan to the rail with pocket kings and later busting Antonio Galiana to crack the 100-million-chip mark.
Away from the tables, Gagliano created the free Summer Poker Calendar app this year, offering structures and details for every Las Vegas tournament during the series. The app is expected to return for next year’s WSOP.
