Who Beat the Taxman at the WSOP Main Event Final Table?

The Main Event final table is a legendary place to be. Millions of dollars are paid out to virtually every player, with the winner taking home $10 million in 2022. But, with the tax regulations for each player different in their home countries, some players take home a much bigger percentage of their winnings than anyone else.

Who beat the taxman in 2022 and proved that they were better than the rest in part due to where they reside?

What Did the 2022 WSOP World Champion Win?

Norwegian player Espen Jørstad did better than anyone at the final table, winning the $10 million top prize and the bracelet everyone wants to claim. But how much of the money did he get to keep? Well, all of it. Should he have been a Norwegian resident at the time of his success, he would have paid 28% of his winnings to the taxman in his home country, but instead of cashing out for $7.2 million, he won the lot thanks to the fact that he lives in the United Kingdom.

The reverse situation impacted hugely on the runner-up’s profits from making it to the heads-up battle. Australian Adrian Attenborough wouldn’t have paid a penny in taxes if he’d remained an Aussie resident. But having moved to Las Vegas and set himself up as a professional in Sin City, he paid out for being a self-employed poker player and paid out tax at a rate of 24% too.

All in all, Attenborough made $3.6 million instead of the $6 million he was listed as winning on his The Hendon Mob page. He wasn’t the only one to pay heavily for his location. Argentinian player Michael Duek cashed for $4 million in third place. But due to his move to Fort Lauderdale, the adopted Floridian lost around 40% of his winnings, meaning that his take-home score after the IRS had collected their share was around $2.45 million.

Eames Wins More in Fourth

“English player John Eames won more for coming fourth than Duek did for finishing third.”

What will be even more frustrating for Duek – or not, he’s a multi-millionaire, after all – is that British-based English player John Eames won more for coming fourth than Duek did for finishing third. Eames won $3 million when his run was halted one place short of the final day, but he gets to keep every penny thanks to the special agreement that is in place between America and the United Kingdom.

The amount Eames won is almost double that of the man who finished one place behind him. Matija Dobric, one of the most colorful characters at the final table felt, banked $2.25m according to the list of winners upon the completion of the final table. But after paying 30% tax in his home country of Croatia, the actual amount Dobric will take home is close to $1.57 million instead.

The same approximate loss of earnings due to taxation is true of American Jeffrey Farnes, with the hometown native of Blackfoot, Idaho with around $1.075 million instead of the $1.75 million that his place paid out upon his exit in sixth place. That’s due to him avoiding self-employment tax, accepting the tax situation in Oregon state where he resides.

Souki Scores in Eighth Place

While the highest-placed Canadian player, Aaron Duczak, had an incredible Main Event, his prize of $1.3 million lost over $400,000 after tax, meaning that he walked away with around $950,000. That’s a lot less than Philippe Souki’s eighth place prize in its entirety ($1,075,000) which he took home in full thanks to being from the United Kingdom.

Finally, and almost sadly, it transpires that Matthew Su, who lost out in ninth place despite co-leading the final day’s play, missed out not only on the $10 million top prize by sliding out of contention, but a large chunk of the for $850,675 he won for coming ninth. Due to the money he owes being taken away, Su only won around $520,000 for his run to the final nine.

All told, from $30.2 million that was won at the final table of this year’s WSOP Main Event, only around $24.1 million actually made it into the accounts of the lucky winners. Will that put players off attending the 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event? Don’t bet on that for a second. It’s in line already to be the biggest in the tournament’s glittering history.

Who won Events #66-#70 at the 2022 WSOP, including the Main Event?