Benjamin Pollak: French High Roller and 2017 WSOP Main Event Finalist
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Benjamin Pollak is a French professional poker player best known for finishing third in the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event and developing into a successful regular on the international high roller circuit.
His 2017 Main Event run produced a $3.5 million payday, the largest recorded live tournament cash of his career. Pollak followed that breakthrough with major victories at the U.S. Poker Open and European Poker Tour, including a €979,000 win in the 2018 EPT Barcelona €50,000 Single-Day High Roller and a €705,840 victory in the 2019 EPT Monte Carlo €25,000 High Roller.
As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Pollak with $13,320,554 in live tournament earnings, placing him third on France's all-time money list. His results include recorded cashes during 2026, showing that he remains active in live tournament poker.
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Who Is Benjamin Pollak?
Benjamin Pollak is a French professional poker player from Paris who has competed internationally in major live tournaments for more than a decade.
The Hendon Mob lists his birthplace as Paris, France, and his residence as London, England. PokerNews has reported that Pollak began playing poker in 2006 before progressing through the stakes and establishing himself on the European tournament circuit.
His career eventually expanded well beyond traditional European events. Pollak became a regular in high buy-in tournaments in Las Vegas, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, the Bahamas and other major poker destinations, building a résumé that includes deep World Series of Poker runs and several significant high roller victories.
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Benjamin Pollak's 2017 WSOP Main Event Run
Pollak's defining tournament result came in the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event.
The $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Championship attracted 7,221 entries, making it the largest WSOP Main Event since 2010 at the time. Pollak survived the field to reach the nine-player final table with 35,175,000 chips.
His run ultimately ended in third place.
During three-handed play, Pollak moved all in with queen-ten in a three-way confrontation against Daniel Ott and Scott Blumstein. Ott held king-nine, while Blumstein had ace-queen. A king on the flop gave Ott the winning hand, eliminating Pollak.
Pollak earned $3.5 million for third place, while Blumstein went on to defeat Ott heads-up for the championship.
The result remains Pollak's largest recorded tournament score and transformed his standing in the international poker scene.
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Pollak's Move Into High Roller Poker
Pollak converted the momentum from his WSOP Main Event performance into a series of results against high-stakes tournament fields.
One of his most important victories came at the inaugural U.S. Poker Open in February 2018. Pollak won Event #6, a $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament, defeating Jason Koon heads-up and earning $416,500.
The tournament attracted 49 entries and generated a $1.225 million prize pool.
Pollak's victory placed him among a group of prominent champions at the inaugural series, which also included Justin Bonomo, Stephen Chidwick, David Peters and Keith Tilston.
Later that year, Pollak produced an even larger high roller victory in Europe.
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EPT Barcelona €50,000 High Roller Victory
Pollak won the €50,000 Single-Day High Roller at the 2018 European Poker Tour Barcelona festival.
The tournament attracted 69 entries and created a €3,347,190 prize pool. Pollak defeated fellow French player Jean-Noel Thorel heads-up to secure the title and €979,000.
The win came during an especially productive stretch in Barcelona. Pollak had finished fifth in the €100,000 Super High Roller immediately before winning the €50,000 event, earning another €445,300.
His Barcelona victory remains one of the largest first-place payouts of his career outside the 2017 WSOP Main Event.
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EPT Monte Carlo High Roller Championship
Pollak added another major European Poker Tour title in 2019 when he won the €25,000 EPT High Roller at Monte Carlo.
The event drew 142 entries and generated a prize pool of €3,374,630.
Pollak faced Koray Aldemir heads-up. The two eventually reached a deal that guaranteed each player €655,840 while leaving an additional €50,000 for the winner.
Pollak won the final confrontation to claim the title and a total payout of €705,840.
The result gave him another substantial victory against a final table that also included Michael Addamo and Daniel Dvoress.
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How Many WSOP Bracelets Does Benjamin Pollak Have?
Benjamin Pollak has not won a World Series of Poker bracelet.
As of September 5, 2026, the WSOP player database lists Pollak with:
0 WSOP bracelets
0 WSOP Circuit rings
9 final tables
48 cashes
$6,203,570 in total earnings recorded on his WSOP profile
Despite not having a bracelet, Pollak's WSOP record includes one of poker's most recognizable achievements: reaching the final three of the Main Event.
His $3.5 million third-place finish in 2017 accounts for the largest individual tournament cash of his career.
Pollak has also continued cashing at the series. At the 2026 WSOP, he finished 24th in the $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em bracelet event for $37,196.
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Benjamin Pollak's Live Tournament Earnings
Pollak has accumulated more than $13 million in recorded live tournament earnings.
As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists his career total at $13,320,554 and his largest recorded cash at $3.5 million.
That total places Pollak third on the France all-time money list in the database.
His career earnings were built from far more than the 2017 Main Event result. Major scores include:
$3,500,000 for third place in the 2017 WSOP Main Event
€979,000 for winning the 2018 EPT Barcelona €50,000 Single-Day High Roller
€705,840 for winning the 2019 EPT Monte Carlo €25,000 High Roller
$416,500 for winning a $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em event at the 2018 U.S. Poker Open
€445,300 for fifth place in the 2018 EPT Barcelona €100,000 Super High Roller
Those results illustrate the progression of Pollak's career from European tournament regular to a player capable of competing successfully in some of poker's most expensive events.
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Benjamin Pollak's Recent Poker Results
Pollak remained active on the live tournament circuit during 2026.
The Hendon Mob records several cashes during the year, including a third-place finish in a €10,200 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Max event at EPT Paris in February. Pollak earned €82,800, listed at approximately $97,551.
He followed that result with two cashes at EPT Monte Carlo in May.
Pollak finished 39th in the €5,300 EPT Main Event for €18,500 and later placed third in a €2,100 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em event for €26,820.
His summer included a 24th-place finish in the 2026 WSOP $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em event for $37,196 and a cash in the $2,200 No-Limit Hold'em event at the Wynn Summer Classic in July.
The variety of those results also shows that Pollak continues to compete beyond the very highest buy-in tournaments that defined much of his post-2017 résumé.
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Why Benjamin Pollak Matters in Modern Poker
Pollak's place in modern tournament poker rests on both his Main Event performance and what followed it.
Reaching third place in a 7,221-entry WSOP Main Event would have been a career-defining result on its own. Pollak reinforced that performance by winning major high roller tournaments over the next several years.
His victories at the U.S. Poker Open, EPT Barcelona and EPT Monte Carlo demonstrated that the Main Event finish was not an isolated breakthrough.
Pollak also belongs to a strong generation of French tournament players who have competed successfully at poker's highest levels. His more than $13.3 million in recorded live earnings places him among the most successful French players measured by tournament cashes.
Unlike players whose tournament records are defined primarily by one enormous score, Pollak has combined a multimillion-dollar Main Event finish with repeated results across European Poker Tour, WSOP and high roller events.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much has Benjamin Pollak won in live poker tournaments?
As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Benjamin Pollak with $13,320,554 in live tournament earnings. His largest recorded cash is the $3.5 million he earned for finishing third in the 2017 WSOP Main Event.
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Has Benjamin Pollak won a WSOP bracelet?
No. As of September 5, 2026, the World Series of Poker lists Benjamin Pollak with zero WSOP bracelets.
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Does Benjamin Pollak have a WSOP Circuit ring?
No. The WSOP player database lists Pollak with zero Circuit rings as of September 5, 2026.
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How did Benjamin Pollak finish in the WSOP Main Event?
Benjamin Pollak finished third in the 2017 WSOP Main Event. He earned $3.5 million after advancing through a field of 7,221 entries.
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What is Benjamin Pollak's biggest poker win?
Pollak's largest recorded live tournament cash is $3.5 million for third place in the 2017 WSOP Main Event. His largest notable first-place score came at the 2018 EPT Barcelona €50,000 Single-Day High Roller, where he won €979,000.
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Has Benjamin Pollak won an EPT high roller?
Yes. Pollak won the €50,000 Single-Day High Roller at EPT Barcelona in 2018 for €979,000 and the €25,000 EPT High Roller at Monte Carlo in 2019 for €705,840.
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Where is Benjamin Pollak from?
Benjamin Pollak is French. The Hendon Mob lists Paris, France, as his birthplace and London, England, as his residence.
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Is Benjamin Pollak still active in poker?
Yes. Tournament databases record multiple live cashes for Pollak in 2026, including results at EPT Paris, EPT Monte Carlo, the World Series of Poker and the Wynn Summer Classic.