The countdown to the 2026 WSOP starts here. 100 bracelets. The world's best players. And PokerOrg will be on the floor from start to finish.
Stephen Chidwick is one of the most accomplished players in the game today. He is second on the all-time career earnings list with $78,718,448.
What's your prep for the last few weeks before the World Series begins?
The WSOP has become less of a focus for me. I'm going to be coming into the series straight from playing Monaco and Montenegro back-to-back. That’s a full month of super high stakes.
I’ll try to play when I feel like it at the WSOP and not put too much pressure on myself.
What events are you most looking forward to at the series?
I enjoy big buy-in PLOs, especially the $100K PLO. They're a nice change and have great fields.
You’re one of the founders of the innovative poker training site Octopi Poker. Which section of Octopi should players seek out to prepare for the WSOP this year?
I love using The Trainer. I think that's great practice. You can get lots of hands in and real-time feedback on your mistakes. That's been my number one study method over my whole career.
The Trainer lets me play a lot of hands against the AI and look into various spots when I do something wrong. It helps me figure out the why and deepen my understanding overall. That’s my best advice for using Octopi’s Trainer.
Do you place much value on keeping up with where you are on the all-time career earnings list?
I used to care a lot. I made it a goal to care less. And that's what I have achieved to some extent. As time goes on, I place less importance on it and pay less attention to it.
As of late, I am more motivated by non-external things.
What kinds of practices do you commit to daily to stay grounded and maintain a strong mindset?
I’m very consistent with doing some kind of breath work and meditation. But I always recommend that people do what works for them. I've gotten a lot out of different introspective practices, whether that's journaling, working with a performance coach, or meditation.
If I can get exercise in every day, that tends to help me, too. But usually, the last thing I do before I go play is some form of breathing exercise or meditation.
Do you have any tips for people who don’t know how to start a meditation practice?
I would recommend that you just sit and observe your thoughts and sensations, and do your best to stay detached from them.
When your mind gets caught up in a thought, which it inevitably will, ask a few questions. You can label the thoughts: Am I remembering something? Am I fantasizing? Am I anticipating worrying, etc? Whatever it is, note it, and then go back to the thing you're focusing on, such as your breath.
ESPN has partnered with WSOP this year. What kind of impact do you think that will have on viewership and the excitement of the upcoming series?
Obviously, GGPoker owns the WSOP fully now. I'm sure they're looking to make innovative changes to a product that's largely stayed the same for a long time. Hopefully, with ESPN attached, it will attract more people to the game and draw more attention to it.
The series was already a lot better last year with the buy-in protocols; the WSOP+ app was so much easier than standing in a giant line every time you wanted to rebuy.
Stephen Chidwick - The quickfire round
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The 2026 WSOP starts on May 26 and runs through August 5, when the Main Event champion will be crowned.
