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Poker Pros to Watch at 2026 WSOP: Part 1

Poker Pros to Watch at 2026 WSOP: Part 1
Chris Robinson the Author
Chris Robinson Hand Analysis
Fact Checked: PokerListings
  • Updated: May 17, 2026
  • Read time: 4 min

With the 2026 World Series of Poker only a few weeks away, we want to look at poker players who hit the ground running in 2026 and who’ve set themselves up for a potentially big summer at the 2026 WSOP.

Today, we’re looking at some of the top poker earners who aren’t quite household names yet, but who are in the top ten this year. You may not know them yet, but there’s a good chance that at least one of them will make a big splash this summer in Vegas.

Brandon Wilson: #1 on List of Top Earners 2026

We start at the very top of the 2026 Money List with Brandon Wilson, the Chicago native, who is anything but a rookie when it comes to success on the tables. He surpassed $15 million in lifetime earnings this year. In just four months this year, Wilson padded his bankroll with over $5 million, thanks to the PokerGo Cup in Las Vegas, the Triton High Roller Series in South Korea, and the US Poker Open.

Brandon Wilson
PokerGo – Brandon Wilson

In the span of seven weeks, Wilson notched these cashes:

DatePlaceEventSeriesPayout
March 107th$10,100 NLHEPokerGO Cup Event #6$28,000
March 118th$10,100 NLHEPokerGO Cup Event #7$26,800
March 1210th$10,100 NLHEPokerGO Cup Event #8$21,000
March 135th$10,100 NLHEPokerGO Cup Event #9$52,500
March 188th$31,800 NLHETriton SHRS Jeju Event #3$139,000
March 2013th$63,000 NLHETriton SHRS Jeju Event #6$142,000
March 212nd$53,000 NLHETriton SHRS Jeju Event #7$948,000
March 262nd$157,500 NLHETriton SHRS Jeju Event #12$2,241,000
April 146th$10,100 NLHEUS Poker Open Event #4$36,300
April 154th$10,100 NLHEUS Poker Open Event #5$76,000
April 202nd$15,100 NLHEUS Poker Open Event #9$183,000

Nine major final tables and cashes exceeding $5 million has thrust Wilson into the spotlight and one to watch going into the 2026 WSOP.

Alex Kulev: #3 on List of Top Earners 2026

Not far behind Wilson is Alex Kulev, originally of Bulgaria. He caught fire this year but is he’s also no stranger to the nosebleed stakes of poker, having surpassed $20 million in lifetime earnings this year.

The $4.5 million he’s added to his total is thanks in large part to the EPT Monte-Carlo Super High Roller title he added to his resume on May 4th, winning €2.7 Million in Event #25. Kulev also padded his stats earlier this year winning over $625k in Cyprus at the Onyx High Roller Series, capturing the opening $10k event and Event #8 – the $25,500 NLHE Bounty event, and then lost heads-up in the $55k NLHE Finale.

Alex Kulev
Alex Kulev

He kept that momentum going by cashing four times at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in South Korea, with his best result there coming in the $53k NLHE 7-handed event where his fourth place finish netted him over half a million dollars, part of the $640k he won on Jeju Island.

Bulgaria’s top poker earner all time is on the right path heading to Las Vegas, hoping this hot streak continues to a 2026 WSOP bracelet this summer.

Aleksejs Ponakovs: #7 on List of Top Earners 2026

Another poker player who’s #1 on their country’s all time money list is Aleksejs Ponakovs. He’s had a banner 2026 so far, although we have to note that he also ended 2025 with a major bang, winning the $100KTriton NLHE Main Event at WSOP Paradise series in December, padding his stats with $4.75 million.

Aleksejs Ponakovs
Aleksejs Ponakovs

This year, Ponakovs has almost surpassed that win with two cashes in February at EPT Paris, a fourth and a second-place finish, followed up in March with three Triton cashes in South Korea. His May was massive, winning event #51 for €839k and placing fourth in Event #25: the €250k Super High Roller for just over a million euros.

With huge wins recently on both sides of the Atlantic, Ponakovs will be one to watch in Vegas this summer.

Wai Kiat Lee: #8 on List of Top Earners 2026

Number two all time on Malaysia’s money list sits Wai Kiat Lee, who in 2026 has pushed his lifetime winnings towards $25 million.

Wai Kiat Lee
Wai Kiat Lee

So far, he has eight significant cashes this year, and while he started the year in Vegas, making the final table of the PGT Last Chance Series in January, finishing eight in Event #4 for $50k, he rested up to make a run at the Triton Event in Jeju Island, and did he ever make his presence felt. Lee cashed 4 times in South Korea, including a first, second, third and fourth place finish, and netting himself over $3.5 million in the process.

Given he enjoys playing poker in Las Vegas, and the fact that he has a huge boost to his bankroll from the Triton Series, one should expect Lee to take a shot at 2026 WSOP glory this summer.

Punnat Punsri: #10 on List of Top Earners 2026

It’s hard to imagine a poker player in the top 30 on the all-time money list who isn’t a household name. However, Punnat Punsri is still not as well known as the Hellmuths, Iveys, Negreanus of the poker world — but this could change very soon.

Punnat Punsri
Punnat Punsri

While the others on our list have been selective when it comes to their tournaments, Punsri already has 25 recorded cashes this year so far, averaging $144k per cash. He notched five cashes at the APT Jeju Classic in February, followed up with three more at the EPT Paris series which set himself up for a huge Triton Series in March.

Four cashes in the Triton One event, and then four more at the Super High Roller series added just under $2 million to his career earnings, including a fifth in the $100k Main Event and winning the $31,200 PLO/NLHE Mix event. Three more cashes came his way at the WSOP Europe, four at the APT Taipei stop and two in May at the Poker Dream 22 series have all set Punsri up to win big at the 2026 WSOP in Las Vegas.

Make note of these names now — you’re going to hear at least one of them again once the 2026 WSOP gets going later. The only question that remains is — who will make the most noise and who will strike first?

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