Michael Gagliano, known as Gags throughout the poker community, has showcased his unique strategic ability by teaching our Fearless River members how to think through hands since joining in 2021. This summer, he showed the world how he navigates some of the most pressure-packed spots on poker's biggest stage.

Michael is one of the final 9 players left in the 57th annual 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event, poker's biggest and most prestigious tournament. He'll return to the felt on August 3 to play for the $10,000,000 first prize, live on ESPN.

Out of a field of 9,208 entrants, the 4th largest WSOP Main Event ever held, Gags is still in contention for poker’s most coveted title. We couldn't be prouder, and we wanted to celebrate it with everyone who's learned from him.

The Road to the Final Table

Michael is already a 4x WSOP bracelet winner, and he's no stranger to the Main Event either. He's cashed it twice before: in 2016 he finished 842nd out of 6,737 entrants, and in 2025 he made an even deeper run, finishing 148th out of 9,735. This year, he made it all the way to the final table.

Gags stayed patient and mixed in expertly timed aggression through eight grueling, 12-hour days, and it paid off. Here's what that run looked like:

Along the way, he ended Hossein Ensan's historic bid for a second Main Event title, sending the 2019 champion to the rail in 13th place. Talking to PokerNews after bagging up for the final table, Michael put the grind in perspective:

"I've been saying for many days that it feels like Groundhog Day. Like, the more people that bust, it just feels like the number just doesn't go down... I feel like it's finally done."

This is the kind of sentiment that's earned Gags a reputation as one of the game's most genuine advocates: fully focused on winning, but just as invested in the players around him and the growth of the game.

Gags' Championship Resume

• 4x WSOP Gold Bracelet winner:
  2016 WSOP Event #25: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em (Live)
  2022 WSOP Online Event #18: $1,000 NLHE Turbo Deepstack
  2023 WSOP Online Event #8: $500 NLHE 6-Max
  2025 WSOP Online Fall Event #27: $250 NLH Mystery Bounty
• WSOP Circuit Ring winner
• BetMGM Poker Ambassador
• Over $8 million in combined live & online tournament earnings
• Coaching since 2010, including a student who went on to win the WSOP Main Event

How to Watch

In the United States and over 70 countries worldwide, ESPN Networks will carry the exclusive live coverage over three nights:

➧ August 3: 9:00 PM – Midnight ET, ESPN2
➧ August 4: 9:00 PM – Midnight ET, ESPN
➧ August 5: 10:30 PM – 1:30 AM ET, ESPN

Michael sits fifth in chips with 46,500,000, going up against 8 other players including chip leader Lucas Jumalon (194,000,000).

Giving Back, Even Mid-Grind

While preparing for his own grueling summer at the tables, Gags still found time to build something for the rest of the community: a free Summer Poker Calendar app for iOS and Android, featuring structures and info for every tournament running in Vegas this series.

Gags said the calendar will be back and fully operational for next summer. Players can download the calendar app on iOS or Android and see the new schedules as they are released.

Michael at Fearless River

Gags joined Fearless River in July 2021 and has been showcasing his ability to help others play better poker ever since. If you've spent time joining our Study Sessions or watching videos in the Episodes library, there's a good chance you've learned from him already:

• 19 Strategy Episodes
• 9 Live webinars and study sessions
• More than 17 hours of strategy content
• The Turn & River Play session in our Launch Tournament course

See Gags in action: watch this Fearless River strategy episode as he reviews key decisions on the way to winning his 3rd WSOP Bracelet.

He's known for detailed hand analysis and for genuinely caring how a student's thinking develops, not just what they do in one hand. On his own coaching page, Gags puts it this way: "learning poker is a lot like learning an instrument. Foundations first, tactics second."

No matter how this incredible journey ends, Michael's run this summer is the kind of story that reminds us why we love this game. We'll be rooting for him from August 3–5, and we hope you'll join us in cheering him on.

Good luck, Gags.