The early episodes of ESPN’s 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event coverage gave poker fans plenty to talk about, and ACR Poker had two very different storylines in the mix.
Alex Foxen was featured in a high-pressure decision that showed off his table awareness, while Chris Moneymaker appeared in one of the tournament’s most dramatic bubble moments.
Together, they gave ACR Poker strong visibility during the early stages of poker’s biggest annual event.
Foxen Finds the Call
Foxen’s featured moment came in a tricky all-in spot against Vinh Nguyen.
Holding ace-jack, Foxen faced a shove of more than 50 big blinds after Nguyen had raised and another player put in a small three-bet. It was not a snap decision. Foxen took his time, studied the action, replayed Nguyen’s earlier behavior, and listened closely to his table talk.
Then he made the call.
Nguyen turned over jack-ten, leaving Foxen ahead. The board ran clean, and Foxen eliminated Nguyen while collecting a 142,500-chip pot.
It was the kind of hand that makes good television because the drama was not just in the cards. It was in the process. Foxen explained afterward that Nguyen’s behavior during the hand suggested weakness, giving viewers a closer look at the composure and live-read ability that have helped make him one of the top tournament players in the game.
Moneymaker Lands on the Bubble
Moneymaker’s ESPN moment came with a much different feeling.
The 2003 WSOP Main Event champion was eliminated during hand-for-hand play after running into Antonio Vargas’ pocket aces. Three players were knocked out at the same time, with only two minimum-cash positions remaining.
That meant the available $30,000 was split evenly among Moneymaker, Stoyan Madanzhiev, and Zhaken Seitbekov, giving each player $10,000. Even with the split, Moneymaker became one of the players whose elimination officially burst the Main Event money bubble.
It was a tough finish, especially given Moneymaker’s place in poker history. His 2003 Main Event win helped spark the poker boom and showed a generation of players what could happen when an online qualifier caught fire on the biggest stage.
More than two decades later, ESPN captured him on the other side of tournament poker’s most painful line.
Two ACR Poker Storylines, Two Very Different Moments
Foxen and Moneymaker gave ACR Poker two distinct kinds of Main Event exposure.
Foxen’s hand was a modern strategy moment, built around patience, pressure, and a difficult call. Moneymaker’s bubble exit carried more history, connecting the current broadcast to one of the most influential stories poker has ever seen.
The Main Event eventually drew 9,208 players, generated an $85,634,400 prize pool, and played down toward a $10 million first-place prize. But even before the final table was set, ACR Poker Pros had already made their mark on ESPN’s early coverage.
A full recap of Foxen and Moneymaker’s featured moments from ESPN’s early 2026 WSOP Main Event coverage is available on the ACR Poker blog.