"If I Die, I Die": Han Feng Embraces Grinder Mentality en Route to WSOP Main Event FT

Will Shillibier
Managing Editor
3 min read
Han Feng

Han Feng will represent the tournament grinders in the biggest tournament of them all. Feng was the shortest stack left in the 2026 WSOP Main Event coming back from the extended dinner break and came to terms with the fact that, if his run should end here just short of the final table, he would still be content.

But he then found a double up when his king-high beat Lucas Jumalon's jack-high, and Feng suddenly found himself back in contention. He sits eighth in chips, with 25,000,000 but will be looking to continue his deep run when the tournament resumes on August 3.

Holiday Plans Cut Short for Feng

The 2024 GPI Mid-Major Player of the Year said he felt like he was looking down the barrel, facing Jumalon for his tournament life, the first time he was in such a position.

"I was on the dinner break and kind of just, like, accepting, okay, if I die, I die"

“I was on the dinner break and kind of just, like, accepting, okay, if I die, I die," the Texas native said after reaching the final table. "And that king-six versus the jack-eight hand, that was the first time I was all in for my tournament life, actually, this tournament, which was pretty crazy."

Making it to the final table did, however, disrupt his plans for the remainder of the year.

“It’s funny, because after WSOP, I was just kind of planning a one-way trip to Europe and was probably going to spend, like, the rest of the year abroad playing or just travelling around. But, well, now it’s cut short."

Han Feng

Han Feng's 2026 WSOP Main Event

Feng made a quiet but steady start to the 2026 WSOP Main Event, before soaring up the counts to end Day 4 inside the top 5%, sitting 24th of 533 players remaining.

The following day, he continued his journey, flopping sets and extracting value. He entered eight-figure stack territory on Day 6.

Like many players, Feng's large stack allowed him to weather setbacks, like when his pocket nines were cracked to allow Matthew Lapossie a sizeable double. Or when an ace on the river saw his sixes fail to hold up.

Han Feng

But some all-ins did go his way, like on Day 6 when pocket tens held to eliminate Sean Winter, and Day 7 when sending David Kluchman to the rail.

Feng was table chip leader on Day 7, putting his big stack to good use with some well-timed shoves, but was helpless as his stack gradually dwindled to less than ten big blinds.

However, the crucial double through Jumalon shortly before the ten-handed final table redraw breathed new life into Feng.

"But from then on, once I had 20 blinds and some breathing room, I was pretty confident,” he told PokerNews.

He might not quite have 20 big blinds still, sitting with 17 to start the final table come August 3, but he's not the shortest stack. An early double could reinvigorate Feng once more and throw the mid-stakes grinder back into the mix.

DayChip CountPosition
1b73,400380/759
2abc172,000526/1,260
3419,000514/1,389
42,550,00024/533
56,565,00011/174
612,850,00017/62
724,000,00012/21
825,000,0008/9

2026 WSOP Main Event Final Table Seating Draw

SeatPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Lauri SaaskilahtiFinland37,500,00025
2Michael GaglianoUnited States46,500,00031
3Mario BoosFrance44,000,00029
4Greg MuellerCanada48,500,00032
5Jamie ShaevelUnited States56,000,00037
6Han FengUnited States25,000,00017
7Rami HammoudCanada79,000,00053
8Evagoras EvagorouCyprus22,500,00015
9Lucas JumalonUnited States194,000,000129

Remaining Payouts

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1  $10,000,000
2  $6,000,000
3  $3,750,000
4  $2,750,000
5  $2,250,000
6  $1,750,000
7  $1,500,000
8  $1,250,000
9  $1,000,000
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Will Shillibier
Managing Editor

Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He now works as Managing Editor. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.

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