WSOP 2025 – Last 5 Main Event Champs and Where Are They Now

WSOP 2020 – Damian Salas

The strangest WSOP Main Event final table took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and was delayed when Salas was initially restricted entering the US. After winning the $10k International WSOP Main Event on GG Poker, he defeated Joseph Hebert, who won the $10k Domestic WSOP Main Event on WSOP.com. 

Damian won $1.5 million for his efforts which just surpassed his 7^th place finish and $1.425 million he won from the 2017 WSOP Main Event.  Just for fun, Damian ran deep in the main again in 2022, finishing 27^th for $262k, and has had 5 six-figure wins since his epic WSOP bracelet win, including a $166k score in January at the Wynn. Damian is clearly focused on making a run in the Main Event again but looking to score much more than $1.5 million this time.

WSOP 2021 – Koray Aldemir

The Austrian pro took down the 2021 WSOP Main Event, winning $8 million for his efforts.  Now living in Germany, Koray is also in the top 10 all time for German poker winnings, his over $13 million in lifetime WSOP winnings is more than half of his total career totals, and he has found his way to the final table 10 times at WSOP Events, cashing 86 individual times. 

His win in 2021 has only strengthened his desire to dominate at the WSOP, cashing 16 times in last year’s series.  He has won six figures nine times since his world championship and expect Koray to do nothing but to try and cash even more times at this year’s WSOP.

WSOP 2022 – Espen Jorstad

The most successful poker player to ever come out of Norway, Espen Jorstad took 2 bracelets in 2022 – the first being the Tag Team $1,000 bracelet with partner Patrick Leonard, and the second being the biggest main event in history – to that point. Winning $10 million, beating over 8,600 poker players certainly put Espen’s initial focus in poker – grinding cash games online – to the back burner. 

Unlike some former champs, he continued to stay in the limelight, cashing 4 times at the 2023 Triton Series in London for over $3.7 million in cashes – including winning the $42,400 Mystery Bounty 7 handed event for a cool $639k.  He had 8 cashes at last year’s series and built momentum at the Montenegro Triton event a few weeks before the WSOP started, cashing 3 times. 

Safe to say, Espen has used his winnings from 2022 to propel his professional poker career and expect him to cash multiple times again this year.

WSOP 2023 – Daniel Weinman

The 2023 was Daniel Weinman’s coming out party to poker – the start to his summer was slow, cashing 4 times in the earlier events in the series for around $16k. 

Entering the biggest main event ever, Daniel caught fire and kept hot through the entire tournament, especially on day 8 when he hit a two-outer to stay alive in the main and eventually take victory, winning over $12 million in the process. 

The final table was the shortest in history, lasting only 164 hands – some heads-up battles lasted longer than that!  And while 2023 finished on a high – a second place in the Cherokee Circuit Main Event for another $215k, Daniel cooled off in 2024 and has not recorded a cash at all in 2025 to date. 

He did have 4 cashes during last year’s series, but has the Georgia pro’s luck ran out?  Or is he doing to be a dark horse at this year’s series?

WSOP 2024 – Jonathan Tamayo

Considering the controversary that surrounded Jonathan Tamayo’s run to the 2024 World Series title, one would not have been shocked if he laid low for a while and let the dust settled from all the talk about the support his rail gave him. Instead, Jonathan recorded 16 cashes on his Hendon Mob since that magical run last July for the World Championship and a $10 million pay day. His 6 cashes of five figures at series all over the United States would suggest that Jonathan is not backing down and ready to shake the rumors that his rail won him the title last year. 

It’s worth noting that his only other recent cash greater than $100k came months before his WSOP run in Houston – but he does have 4 circuit rings to his credit from WSOP events dating back to 2012.  While his win prompted rule changes at this year’s event, don’t expect Jonathan to shy away from the spotlight – he very well just might find his way to another final table in Las Vegas this June or July.

WSOP 2025

The WSOP Main Event has helped poker players launch and bankroll their professional careers, allowing them to travel the world and play the game they love, while others can be viewed as a one-hit wonder, fading into the shadows they were in prior to their 15 mins of fame and fortune, becoming a WSOP Main Event Champion. 

One thing we all can agree on is that the stories that come out of the Main every year will never be forgotten – and we all are looking forward to the stories we’ll learn through this year’s event.