Our WSOP Main Event simulations are underway. As the analysis continues, we’re turning our attention to three more players with very different backgrounds, experience levels, and approaches to the game.
Meet Greg Mueller, Michael Gagliano and Mario Boos.
Greg Mueller
Chip Count: 48.5M · 4th of 9
Age: 55
Residence: Canada — born in Switzerland
Live Tournament Winnings Before the Final Table: $3,540,270
Previous Largest Cash: $460,841 — 1st place in a $10,000 WSOP Limit Hold’em event in 2009
WSOP Experience: Three bracelets and dozens of WSOP cashes
Other Notable Results: Multiple WPT cashes and televised WPT final-table appearances
BACKGROUND
Greg Mueller is the most accomplished and recognizable player at this final table. He clearly has the most experience of the group.
Before becoming a professional poker player, Mueller played professional hockey in Germany.
His recorded live tournament results date back to 2003, with more than $3.5 million in winnings before reaching this final table.
Mueller has won three WSOP bracelets across several poker formats. He captured two in 2009—a $10,000 Limit Hold’em event and a $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout—before adding a $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. title in 2019.
He has also made several WPT appearances, including televised final tables, and has accumulated dozens of WSOP cashes during approximately 25 years of tournament play. His previous best Main Event finish came in 2017, when he placed 191st for $46,096.
Although Mueller has admitted that his enthusiasm and focus had faded during parts of his career, this Main Event run appears to have rekindled his competitive drive. He also expects to have a large group of friends from Canada supporting him at the final table.
KEY HAND — MAKING THE RIVER CALL
Level 33 — Blinds 200,000/400,000 with a 400,000 ante
Mueller min-raised to 800,000, and Brock Wilson defended from the big blind.
The flop came K♣7♣3♥.
Wilson checked, Mueller bet 800,000, and Wilson called.
Both players checked the 8♠ turn.
After the 8♥ landed on the river, Wilson led for 600,000. Mueller called with 9♥9♠ and won the pot against Wilson’s smaller pair.
What this hand shows: Mueller is capable of making a river call with a medium pocket pair on a paired board, even when an overcard is present.
STRENGTHS
Mueller has more experience than anyone else at the final table. He has won three WSOP bracelets and has appeared at televised WPT final tables.
He has tremendous depth and breadth of poker experience, having played no-limit hold’em tournaments in various formats as well as several other games. There is not much he hasn’t seen during approximately 25 years of playing.
He is also a competitive person in general, having previously played professional hockey in Germany.
At approximately 6’5″ with a large build, Mueller can cut an intimidating figure at the table. He has also said he intends to improve his fitness before the final table.
His experience and live-reading ability may give him an advantage against younger opponents whose games are built more heavily around mathematical and GTO study.
WEAKNESSES
Mueller has described himself as having a history of losing focus during tournaments.
He has also acknowledged that he lost his love of poker for a period and began doubting himself because he was not putting in enough effort or enjoying the game. At one point, a friend challenged him not to play unless he was prepared to take the competition seriously.
One commentator described Mueller as someone who can play solidly for a long time before suddenly going off the rails. His nickname—“FBT,” for “Full Blown Tilt”—reflects that reputation.
Mueller appears emotional in interviews and does not consider himself primarily a mathematical or GTO-based player.
He is also planning to bring a large, loud rail of friends from Canada to the final table. Will the stable, focused Mueller show up, or will the atmosphere and emotion become a distraction?
Michael Gagliano
Chip Count: 46.5M · 5th of 9
Age: 41
Residence: New Jersey, USA
Live Tournament Winnings Before the Final Table: $2,293,939
Previous Largest Cash: $448,463 — 1st place in a $2,500 WSOP No-Limit Hold’em event in 2016
WSOP Experience: Three bracelets and dozens of WSOP cashes
Other Notable Results: Won a $1,200 event at Parx in 2016 for approximately $105,000
BACKGROUND
Michael “Gags30” Gagliano is highly respected within poker circles and may be one of the strongest players remaining in the field.
The 41-year-old professional from New Jersey has recorded live tournament results dating back to 2008, with more than $2.29 million in winnings before reaching this final table.
Gagliano has won three WSOP bracelets, all in no-limit hold’em. His first came in the 2016 $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em event, where he earned a career-best $448,463.
He later added two online bracelets: the 2022 $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Deepstack and the 2023 $500 Six-Max No-Limit Hold’em event.
Along with dozens of other WSOP cashes, Gagliano won a $1,200 tournament at Parx in 2016 for approximately $105,000.
Gagliano has also been coaching poker since 2010 and has said that one of his students went on to win the WSOP Main Event.
Earlier this summer, he created the free Summer Poker Calendar app, which organized information about tournaments taking place throughout Las Vegas during the series.
KEY HAND — CONTINUING THE PRESSURE ON THE TURN
Level 38 — Blinds 600,000/1,200,000 with a 1,200,000 ante
Gagliano opened to 2,500,000 with Q♣J♠, and Lauri Saaskilahti called from the big blind with 9♠9♦.
The flop came 8♠7♣4♣.
Saaskilahti checked, Gagliano bet 2,500,000, and Saaskilahti called.
After the 9♥ landed on the turn, giving Saaskilahti a set, he checked again.
Gagliano continued for 7,000,000 into a pot of 11,800,000.
Saaskilahti then check-shoved for 24,900,000, and Gagliano folded.
What this hand shows: Gagliano is willing to maintain his aggression across multiple streets, although his larger turn sizing may occasionally lead him to overcommit chips in unfavorable situations.
STRENGTHS
Gagliano may not be a household name, but some experts have suggested that he may be the best overall player remaining in the field.
As mentioned above, he has won three WSOP bracelets and has accumulated extensive experience across many years of high-level tournament play.
He is clearly a knowledgeable and experienced player with a strong understanding of both poker theory and the practical demands of tournament play.
WEAKNESSES
There are not many obvious weaknesses in Gagliano’s game. Along with Mueller, he is one of the most experienced major-tournament players remaining in the field.
He may be somewhat overaggressive at times, particularly with his bet sizing.
As a middle stack, he will need to choose carefully when and against whom to apply that aggression. Picking the wrong opponent or situation could put a significant portion of his stack at risk.
Mario Boos
Chip Count: 44M · 6th of 9
Age: 32
Residence: Las Vegas, USA — originally from France
Live Tournament Winnings Before the Final Table: $239,888
Previous Largest Cash: $54,659 — 6th place in the 2025 Italian Sport Open
WSOP Experience: Seven cashes, all in no-limit hold’em
Other Notable Results: Won the 2026 Swiss Poker Series $500 Main Event for $49,481
BACKGROUND
Mario Boos may be the hardest player at the final table to evaluate because his recorded tournament history is relatively limited.
The 32-year-old professional is originally from France but now lives in Las Vegas.
His live tournament results date back to 2018, although most of his cashes have come since 2022. Before reaching this final table, he had recorded $239,888 in live tournament winnings.
His two largest previous results account for nearly half of that total. Boos earned $54,659 for finishing sixth in the 2025 Italian Sport Open and followed that by winning the 2026 Swiss Poker Series $500 Main Event for $49,481.
He has seven previous WSOP cashes, all in no-limit hold’em, but little experience playing this deep in a tournament of this magnitude.
Boos showed his willingness to prioritize winning over simply moving up the payout ladder at the unofficial final table. With pocket tens against Han Feng’s ace-king, he considered folding and waiting for a shorter stack to be eliminated. Instead, he accepted the race, later explaining that he chose to play for the bracelet rather than protect the next pay jump.
His tens held, helping him secure his place among the Final Nine.
KEY HAND — BLUFFING A MISSED STRAIGHT DRAW
Level 37 — Blinds 500,000/1,000,000 with a 1,000,000 ante
Tolga Karakaya raised to 2,000,000 from under the gun, and Boos called from the big blind with 5♣4♥.
Boos checked the 3♠Q♥6♥ flop. Karakaya bet 2,800,000, and Boos called with his straight draw.
Both players checked the 8♥ turn.
After the J♣ landed on the river, Boos bet 4,700,000 with his missed draw.
Karakaya called with A♥Q♣ and won the pot with top pair.
What this hand shows: Boos is willing to bluff the river when a draw misses. However, it is unclear whether his earlier actions told a convincing enough story to make the river bet succeed.
STRENGTHS
Boos has shown that he is capable of making big calls, including calling a shove of approximately 12 big blinds with A4o. He was also willing to race with pocket tens against ace-king with only 12 players remaining.
Those decisions suggest that he does not play with much fear and is prepared to take risks when he believes the potential reward justifies them.
Boos has reached a couple of final tables in Europe and has recorded two previous scores of around $50,000.
Living in Las Vegas, he will not have to deal with extensive travel before the final table.
WEAKNESSES
Boos does not have much experience playing the late stages of major tournaments, at least not on the scale of the WSOP Main Event.
He has shown an ability and willingness to be aggressive, but will he recognize when to apply that aggression and when to back off against more experienced or skilled opponents?
He is not afraid to take risks or trust his judgment. The question is whether those judgments will be correct often enough for him to survive at the final table.
That’s six of the Final Nine.
Next, we’ll profile the final three players before revealing the results of our APT simulations.
Hand histories based on live reporting from PokerNews. APT assessments and player analysis are original.
