Espen Jorstad, the new World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion, despite what the listed payouts are, actually received significantly more compared to runner-up Adrian Attenborough than you might think.
Jorstad, who brilliantly dominated the final table on Friday and Saturday, received a base payout of $10 million. After taxes, if he'd remained in his native land of Norway, he'd be taxed at 28% according to the Norwegian Taxation Act Section 5-50 (1). That comes out to $2,800,000, meaning he'd end up with $7,200,000 after taxes.
But the world champion no longer resides in Norway. Instead, he now lives in the United Kingdom where gambling winnings aren't taxed, even for massive scores such as the WSOP Main Event.
How to Legally Avoid Paying Taxes on Gambling Scores
Many high stakes poker players who were born in countries that heavily tax gambling winnings move to places such as England to avoid being fleeced by the local tax collector. Last year's champion, Koray Aldemir, is from Germany but lives in nearby Austria, which doesn't tax gambling scores, so he took home the full $8,000,000 cash.
Runner-up Attenborough is from a country that doesn't tax wins from gambling — Australia. However, he now resides in the United States where they are taxed at a flat 24% rate plus self-employment tax for being a professional poker player. So, he actually received and estimated $3,600,000 after expectedly having an $2,400,000 removed from the $6,000,000 payout.
That's still life-changing money, but a further divide compared to the Main Event champion than you may have previously realized. Fortunately, for him, the tax burden isn't even worse as he lives in a state (Nevada) that doesn't have state income tax.
In third place was Michael Duek, who was born in Argentina but resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which also doesn't have state income tax. Similar to Attenborough, his $4,000,000 cash likely had about 40% total removed for taxes totaling around $1,600,000 withheld for Uncle Sam, and his payout after taxes should be in the ballpark of $2,400,000.
John Eames, the fourth-place finisher, is another lucky one. The British poker pro, thanks to an agreement between the US and England, won't have a penny of his $3,000,000 score withheld.
Matija Dobric, who busted in fifth place, however, owes a significant amount out of the $2,250,000 he earned. Croatia's gambling tax winnings requires a 30% deduction for wins above HRK 500,000 ($67,042 USD). Thus, he'll net about $1,575,000 after the anticipated $675,000 is deducted.
Jeffrey Farnes, another American, should have had approximately $675,000 (35%) for his sixth-place score of $1,750,000, leaving him with about $1,075,000 after Uncle Sam's cut. Although he doesn't have to pay self-employment tax, he'll still owe Oregon state income tax.
Seventh Place Paid Less than Eighth Place?
Aaron Duczak, a Canadian, is one of the most interesting cases at the final table. He finished in seventh place but will technically receive less than the eighth-place finisher, Philippe Souki. American casinos are instructed to deduct 30% of jackpots exceeding $1,200 won by Canadian residents. As such, Duczak's payout of $1,350,000 should have then had $405,000 deducted for a net payout of $945,000.
Souki, on the other hand, lives in the United Kingdom. As mentioned, US casinos aren't required to tax the Brit winnings, so he should be permitted to keep that entire $1,075,000 check, meaning he technically won more than Duczak.
The first to bust at the official final table was Matthew Su, whose cash for $850,675 was actually far less given the US tax withholding requirement and District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue bill. Instead, he is estimated to receive about $520,000 after around $330,000 is taken away for legal purposes.
In total, the base payout for all nine players at the 2022 WSOP Main Event final table was a combined $30,275,675. After all applicable taxes are withheld, totaling $6,085,000, the table will unevenly split right around $24,000,000.
Chart of 2022 WSOP Main Event Final Table Payouts After Taxes
| Position | Player | Prize | Tax Owed | Prize After Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Espen Jordstad | $10,000,000 | $0 | $10,000,000 |
| 2nd | Adrian Attenborough | $6,000,000 | $2,400,000 | $3,600,000 |
| 3rd | Michael Duek | $4,000,000 | $1,600,000 | $2,400,000 |
| 4th | John Eames | $3,000,000 | $0 | $3,000,000 |
| 5th | Matija Dobric | $2,250,000 | $675,000 | $1,575,000 |
| 6th | Jeffrey Farnes | $1,750,000 | $675,000 | $1,075,000 |
| 7th | Aaron Duczak | $1,350,000 | $405,000 | $945,000 |
| 8th | Philippe Souki | $1,075,000 | $0 | $1,075,000 |
| 9th | Matthew Su | $850,675 | $330,000 | $520,000 |
*All figures are estimates and not guaranteed tax payments.
Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2022 WSOP is here.
In this Series
- 1 Officials Offer First Look at 2022 WSOP; Answer Several Lingering Questions
- 2 Bally's & Paris: Your Guide to the New Home of the World Series of Poker (WSOP)
- 3 Negreanu, Deeb (as Expected) Highest Bids in $25k WSOP Fantasy Draft
- 4 WSOP Transportation Guide: Riding the Las Vegas Strip Monorail
- 5 Let the Games Begin: 2022 WSOP is Officially Underway
- 6 Phil Hellmuth Misses 2022 WSOP Opener After Bout of Traveler's Diarrhea
- 7 Kenney, Schindler & Imsirovic Arrive at 2022 WSOP Despite Recent Cheating Allegations
- 8 Phil Ivey is Back! Poker G.O.A.T. Cashes First 2022 WSOP Event
- 9 Baltimore Raven Calais Campbell at WSOP: "We Have Super Bowl Potential"
- 10 2022 WSOP Featured Females: Katie Kopp Becomes Bally's First-Ever Bracelet Winner
- 11 WSOP Player of the Year Race One Week In: Defending Champ Arieh Off and Running
- 12 ClubGG Offers Bubble Protection For Eight 2022 WSOP Events
- 13 Doyle Brunson Skipping 2022 WSOP Due to COVID-19 Concerns
- 14 Retired NBA Star Paul Pierce Allegedly Won't Pay His Poker Debts
- 15 Scott Seiver Pays $43k to Enter $1k WSOP Event, Fails to Cash
- 16 2022 WSOP Featured Females: Lara Eisenberg Talks Poker's Impact on Dementia
- 17 2022 WSOP Hands of the Week: Depaulo vs. Hellmuth, a Pure One Outer & a Royal Flush
- 18 Reigning World Champ Koray Aldemir Quietly Crushing it at 2022 WSOP
- 19 2022 WSOP Player of the Week 2: Jeremy Ausmus Wins Third Bracelet in 9 Months
- 20 Hellmuth Controversy at WSOP: Poker Brat's Chips Swiped on Break
- 21 Security Mistakenly Tries to Kick Out Neymar Jr. After He Cashes First WSOP Event
- 22 Breaking News: Phil Ivey Closing in on Elusive 11th WSOP Bracelet Tonight
- 23 Doyle Brunson Becomes a WPT Ambassador, Might Play WSOP Main Event
- 24 World Series of Daniel's? Zack, Weinman (But Not Negreanu) Lead POY Race
- 25 WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller Kicks Off; Ivey, Negreanu and Kenney All Enter
- 26 Ali Imsirovic Busts WSOP $250K Super High Roller on Brutal Cooler
- 27 Cruising in the $250k, Is 2022 One of Phil Ivey's Best WSOP's Ever?
- 28 Runner-Runner Bad Beat Tilts Negreanu; Poker Star Out of WSOP $250k
- 29 Navy Vet Reps Military Charity During WSOP Salute to Warriors Event
- 30 2022 WSOP Featured Females: Meet Wendeen Eolis, 1st Woman to Ever Cash Main Event
- 31 Dan Zack Still Leads WSOP POY Race; Ivey, Deeb within Striking Distance
- 32 888poker Pro Ian Simpson Gears Up for 2022 WSOP Main Event
- 33 Poker Players Who Have Defended Their WSOP Bracelet
- 34 How to Make Day 2 of the Million Dollar Bounty
- 35 Poker Player Wins WSOP Main Event Satty in His Sleep...Literally
- 36 Josh Arieh Flushed Out of WSOP Main Event Early; Four Past Champs in Day 1a
- 37 2022 WSOP Hands of the Week: Yuvee Loses $50K to Pair of Deuces; Ivey Hits Ace from Space
- 38 BREAKING: Phil Hellmuth at 2022 WSOP $3,000 NLH Final Table, Chasing 17th Bracelet
- 39 Will the 2022 WSOP Main Event Smash the Attendance Record?
- 40 Barstool Sports' Cracking Aces Podcast Hosts Crush it on Main Event Day 1
- 41 WSOP Main Event Railbird Pays Back Daniel Negreanu Four-Year "Debt"
- 42 Matt Glantz Finds the $1 Million WSOP Bounty
- 43 BREAKING: WSOP Main Event Day 2 Schedule Altered
- 44 Aces Bust Kings 15 Minutes into Day 1b of WSOP Main Event
- 45 The Muck: Ike Haxton Takes on Barstool Sports' Poker Invasion
- 46 2022 WSOP Player of the Week 5: Jessica Teusl Wins First Bracelet at First WSOP
- 47 2022 WSOP Main Event Draws Massive Field, Almost Breaks All-Time Record
- 48 Phil Hellmuth's World Series of Poker Entrance Met w/ a Chorus of Boos
- 49 Robert Lipkin is the 2022 WSOP Main Event Bubble
- 50 SO SICK! Kings vs. Kings Cooler Busts 888poker's Sam Abernathy from the WSOP Main Event
- 51 Koray Aldemir: Back-to-Back WSOP Main Event Runs "A Privilege"
- 52 Brutal River! Aces, Queens, & Jacks All In Preflop in WSOP Main Event
- 53 Former World Champ Tom McEvoy Shares his Poker Samadhi Wisdom
- 54 Did Alejandro Lococo Pull Off Best WSOP Main Event Bluff Since Moneymaker?
- 55 The Muck: Did Mike Matusow Really Have a Blow Up in the WSOP Main Event?
- 56 Dan Zack Claims 2022 WSOP Player of the Year Honors
- 57 How Much Money Players at 2022 WSOP Main Event Final Table Really Made
- 58 Espen Jorstad Wins 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event for $10,000,000
- 59 Las Vegas Active Shooter Rumors Spark Panic; WSOP Impacted, Negreanu Injured
- 60 Quads Dooms Asher Conniff at WSOP Main Event Final Table
- 61 Aces Cracked! Souki Busts from WSOP Main Event Final Table
- 62 Espen Jorstad Holds Commanding Lead in Pursuit of WSOP Main Event Title
- 63 Not Su's Day: From Chip Leader to Out in 9th Place
- 64 A Look at All the 2022 WSOP Online Michigan Bracelet Winners
- 65 Five Memorable Hands from the 2021 WSOP Main Event Final Table
- 66 Where Are They Now: Ron “The Carolina Express” Stanley Battled Stu Ungar at 1997 WSOP
- 67 WATCH: One of the Best Folds in WSOP Main Event History?
- 68 Adrian Attenborough Just Made Two of the Gutsiest Plays of the 2022 WSOP
- 69 Can Karim Rebei Click his Way to a WSOP Main Event Title?
- 70 Cool, Calm & Collected Efthymia Litsou is WSOP Main Event's Last Woman Standing
- 71 2022 WSOP Hands of the Week: Quads, Quads, Quads, Quads!
- 72 Brutal River! Aces, Queens, & Jacks All In Preflop in WSOP Main Event
- 73 Daniel Negreanu Wraps 2022 World Series of Poker Down $1.1 Million
- 74 How the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Will Be Remembered
- 75 PN Podcast: 2022 WSOP Main Event Final Thoughts; Interviews w/ Main Event Final Three
