Old School Comes Out on Top: Andrii Novak, 2026 WSOP Online Main Event Champion

WSOP bracelet in 23 hours of play

The largest online tournament of the year, the 2026 WSOP Online Main Event, attracted 6,008 entries and generated $28,538,000 in prize money. This is the third-highest figure in the event’s history, which began in 2020. For the first time, a Ukrainian player won the tournament.

Andrii  "STiger" Novak finished first in the 2026 WSOP Online Main Event, earning the unofficial title of World Champion of Poker, a WSOP gold bracelet, $3,931,259, and a $30,000 Super Pass for WSOP Paradise.

In total, the Ukrainian spent 23 hours, 3 minutes, and 57 seconds at the tournament tables.

Andrii is a highly experienced player. He first appeared in the poker community under the nickname "STiger" back in 2008. His total career online earnings now exceed  $15M. He initially played mainly on PokerStars, where his biggest achievement was a 2nd-place finish in a 2015 WCOOP event, earning Novak $309,000.

In recent years, the Ukrainian has worked as a poker coach while playing high-stakes tournaments on GGPoker. In 2022, he finished runner-up in the Super Millions Week Main Event, earning more than $900,000.

Interestingly, in 2018, Andrii announced that he was tired of playing constantly and wanted to take a break. However, the break didn’t last long: just six months later, he returned to online poker, saying that he simply loved the game too much.

Final table

Phil Hellmuth provided commentary for the English-language broadcast.

Andrii started the top-9 game as the chip leader, with Simon Beckmann, a young, aggressive regular player from Germany, as his closest pursuer. These two players would go on to become the main protagonists of the final table; the German was responsible for three of the eliminations.

Their positions swapped before the second break. Novak flopped the nut flush against two pair, but the German player hit one of his four outs on the river to complete a full house.

Beckmann briefly lost the lead after doubling up a Chinese opponent (trips losing to a full house), but he soon reclaimed the top spot by hitting quads eights after Spanish player Fernando Liaño fired  large double-barrel  bluffs  into him.

Andrii’s stack, meanwhile, twice dipped to the 20–22 BB. He first doubled up through Boissonnière in an all-in showdown with 3♦3♣ against A♣J♣, and later, his K♠K♥ held in a preflop all-in against Simon’s A♠4♣. 

Following that, the German eliminated two opponents, setting the stage for heads-up play.

Heads-up

The heads-up match began with Beckmann holding a significant lead (71 BB to 30 BB).

The turning point came when Simon limp-pushed with Q♦5♦ in response to his opponent's re-raise, and Novak’s A♣K♦ held up.

Subsequently, Beckmann played another unsuccessful hand, firing a small triple-barrel bluff with 6♦2♦, and losing his final 7 BB in an all-in with Q♥7♥ against A♦J♥.

WSOP Online Main Event 2026 Final Table Results:

1. Andrii Novak (Ukraine): $3,931,259
2. Simon Beckmann (Austria): $3,030,486
3. Moyan Chen (China): $2,336,938
4. Fernando José Liaño (Austria): $1,802,141
5. Charles La Boissonière (Canada): $1,389,754
6. Pavel Yakovlev (Ukraine): $1,071,761
7. Arian Hassankashani (Hong Kong): $826,555
8. Yuri Nadinsky-Artamonov (Kazakhstan): $637,476
9. Pablo Silva (Brazil): $491,676

The winner's reaction

Andrii Novak said that he received more than 20 messages from friends and acquaintances that morning and appreciated the genuine support from his friends and fellow players.

Novak started Day 2 with a stack of around 520K chips and adopted a tight strategy. According to him, he managed to win several key pots without having to take significant risks, as his opponents gave away the chips themselves.

After reaching the final table, Andrii got some sleep, visited a hookah lounge, and even finished 10th in a WCOOP tournament.

Novak described his performance as follows:

"I’d give myself a 'B+' for the tournament, but a 'B-' for the heads-up."

In the heads-up, Novak had a large time bank remaining, unlike his opponent, which he considered a major advantage since he doesn’t consider himself a heads-up specialist.  This was particularly significant since the heads-up phase began with Beckmann holding a massive chip lead.

Andrii was surprised by Simon’s poor play at the tournament's most crucial moment, such as when he pushed 35 BB with Q♦5♦ or fired  the small triple-barrel bluff  with 6♦2♦, even though the German played very well throughout the final table. 

Novak isn't sure yet what he’ll do next:

"I don't feel like playing right now; I need to switch gears, though that’s just for today. Maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and think about what I can play using my own bankroll and where I might succeed."