Biggest WPT® Final Tables Ever: The Largest Prize Pools, Fields, and Champion Payouts
A WPT® final table is the concluding stage of a WPT®-branded live tournament where the remaining players compete down to a champion, and the biggest WPT® final tables are defined by three numbers: total prize pool, total entries, and the size of first prize.
In recent years, those numbers have reached record levels. The WPT® World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas produced a $40 million prize pool. The WPT® Prime Championship broke the five-figure mark in entries. And individual champions have earned more than $5 million for a single victory!
In this article, you’ll find the largest WPT®-branded live events by prize pool, field size, and champion payout using officially published figures, so you can compare and see just how big the game of poker has become.
Definitions That Prevent Confusion
WPT® Main Tour
The WPT Main Tour is the flagship live tour. Many historic “big” WPT® moments came from Main Tour stops where buy-ins were higher and fields were smaller than today’s mega-events, yet prize pools and first prizes were significant for their era.
WPT® World Championship at Wynn
The modern record era is led by the WPT® World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. These editions produced the largest WPT® prize pools on record, driven by large guarantees, festival scheduling, and strong international participation.
WPT® Prime Championship
WPT® Prime events consistently generate the largest live fields. Prime tournaments are designed to scale, with accessible buy-ins, multi-flight structures, and high participation.
WPT® World Online
Online WPT®-branded events can generate extremely large entry counts. Because online formats are structurally different from live championship events, online records are kept separate from the live leaderboards in this article.
Leaderboard 1: Biggest WPT® Prize Pools Ever
These are the largest published WPT®-branded live prize pools, ranked by total prize pool.
Rank | Event | Year | Entries | Total Prize Pool | Champion Payout |
| 1 | WPT® World Championship at Wynn | 2023 | 3,835 | $40,000,000 | $5,282,954* |
| 2 | WPT® World Championship at Wynn | 2022 | 2,960 | $29,008,000 | $4,146,400* |
| 3 | WPT® World Championship at Wynn | 2024 | 2,392 | $23,441,600 | $2,563,900* |
| 4 | WPT® Championship (Bellagio) | 2007 | 639 | $15,495,750 | $3,970,415 |
Seat note: amounts marked with an asterisk were published with “includes seat” language where applicable.
Context on the #1 Record
The 2023 WPT® World Championship reached a $40,000,000 prize pool with an overlay reported at just over $2.4 million. That guarantee-driven structure played a significant role in producing the largest WPT® prize pool to date.
Leaderboard 2: Biggest Live WPT® Fields Ever
This ranking is based on total entries. Entries reflect total buy-ins across flights and re-entries, not unique players.
Rank | Event | Year | Entries | Total Prize Pool | Champion Payout |
| 1 | WPT® Prime Championship | 2023 | 10,516 | $10,196,640 | $1,386,280 |
| 2 | WPT® Prime Championship | 2024 | 9,670 | $9,379,900 | $1,162,350* |
Seat note: the 2024 Prime winner’s published first prize includes seat language where applicable.
Entries vs Unique Players
A field size of 10,516 refers to total entries, not necessarily 10,516 individual players. Multi-flight formats and re-entry options increase total entries. When referencing “largest WPT® field,” it is more accurate to say “largest by entries” unless verified unique-player figures are available.
Leaderboard 3: Biggest WPT® Champion Payouts Ever
This ranking is based strictly on published first-prize payouts.
Rank | Champion | Event | Year | First Prize |
| 1 | Dan Sepiol | WPT® World Championship at Wynn | 2023 | $5,282,954* |
| 2 | Eliot Hudon | WPT® World Championship at Wynn | 2022 | $4,146,400* |
| 3 | Carlos Mortensen | WPT® Championship (Bellagio) | 2007 | $3,970,415 |
| 4 | Scott Stewart | WPT® World Championship at Wynn | 2024 | $2,563,900* |
Seat note: Some published first prizes include a championship seat. That detail should remain attached when comparing first prizes across events.
Why Modern “Biggest” Numbers Happen
Guarantees and Overlay Strategy
Large guarantees can produce record prize pools even if the field falls short of the guarantee number. In those cases, the shortfall becomes an overlay value added to the prize pool. This structure can drive the largest WPT® prize pools in modern events.
Multi-Flight Structures
Multiple starting flights allow players greater flexibility and increase total entries. This format is one of the main drivers behind record-breaking field sizes.
Re-Entry and Late Registration
Re-entry options and extended late registration periods increase total entries and keep fields larger, deeper into the event schedule. This is another reason entries should not be treated as identical to unique players.
The Vegas Festival Model at Wynn
Festival scheduling concentrates player traffic into a single venue and timeframe. Large guarantees within a full series encourage satellite participation and multiple event entries, increasing overall field size and prize pool potential.
Event Design vs Pure Demand
Some record-breaking numbers reflect structural design decisions such as guarantees, re-entry formats, and scheduling strategy. That is part of the modern tournament model and does not necessarily reflect organic demand alone.
How to Quote These Numbers Safely
Entries vs Unique Players
Specify “entries” unless verified unique-player data is available.
Buy-In vs Prize Pool
Not all of a buy-in contributes directly to the prize pool. Use officially published prize pool figures rather than estimating from buy-in multiplied by entries.
First Prize Including a Seat
If a first prize includes a seat, that detail should remain attached when making comparisons across events.
“Largest Ever” Claims
Records change. When writing evergreen content, anchor “largest ever” claims to a specific year or use phrasing such as “among the largest” where appropriate.
Online Sidebar
WPT® World Online events have historically produced very large entry counts. Because online tournament structures differ significantly from live championship events, online “biggest” records are kept separate from the live leaderboards above.
So if you’re planning a Wynn season trip or tracking upcoming events, use the WPT® Global schedule and Wynn hub pages to see what is currently live and what is scheduled next.
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