Damian Salas: 2020 WSOP Main Event Champion and Circuit Ring Winner
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Damian Salas is an Argentine poker player and practicing lawyer whose career is defined by two exceptional runs in the World Series of Poker Main Event. He finished seventh in the 2017 Main Event before returning three years later to become the 2020 WSOP Main Event world champion.
His championship came through an unusual hybrid format created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Salas first won the international portion of the $10,000 Main Event, collecting $1,550,969, before defeating U.S. champion Joseph Hebert in a separate heads-up match in Las Vegas for another $1 million and the WSOP bracelet.
Salas has remained active well beyond that championship. In May 2026, he won the $1,700 WSOP Circuit Casino Carrasco Montevideo Main Event for $142,692 and his first Circuit ring. PokerNews, using data supplied by The Hendon Mob, listed him with more than $4.6 million in live tournament earnings as of August 2026.
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Who Is Damian Salas?
Damian Salas is an Argentine poker player who built his tournament career while also working as a lawyer. He developed much of his early live record on the South American tournament circuit before becoming internationally recognized through repeated success at the World Series of Poker.
Salas competed in live tournaments across Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Panama during the earlier stages of his career. He also traveled to Las Vegas for the WSOP, gradually establishing a record that extended beyond regional events.
His rise was not based on a single breakthrough. Salas had already accumulated years of tournament experience before making the 2017 WSOP Main Event final table, and his later world championship reinforced a reputation for performing particularly well in large-field no-limit hold'em events.
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Damian Salas and the 2017 WSOP Main Event
Salas's first major breakthrough on the global poker stage came in the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event.
The $10,000 championship attracted 7,221 entries, and Salas advanced all the way to the final table. According to the World Series of Poker, he became the first Argentine player to reach a WSOP Main Event final table.
Salas entered the final stage of the tournament among the shorter stacks and was eliminated in seventh place. The finish earned him $1,425,000, which remains his largest individual live tournament cash as listed by The Hendon Mob.
Reaching one Main Event final table is a career-defining accomplishment for most tournament players. Salas would eventually do something even rarer by returning to the championship stage and winning the title three years later.
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Winning the 2020 WSOP Main Event
The 2020 WSOP Main Event was unlike any previous edition because international travel restrictions and the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the traditional Las Vegas tournament from being held in its normal format.
WSOP instead organized separate $10,000 Main Events for international and U.S.-based players. The international tournament began online on GGPoker before its final table was played live at King's Resort in Rozvadov, Czech Republic.
Salas emerged from 674 entries in the international portion and defeated Brazil's Brunno Botteon heads-up to win $1,550,969. That victory earned him the right to face Joseph Hebert, winner of the U.S. portion, in a separate match to determine the official 2020 world champion.
The WSOP's account of the championship records a 173-hand heads-up contest at the Rio in Las Vegas. Hebert at one stage built a substantial advantage, but Salas recovered and eventually took control.
On the final hand, Hebert moved all in with ace-queen and Salas called with king-jack. A king on the flop moved Salas ahead, and another king on the river completed a full house.
The victory earned Salas an additional $1 million and his first WSOP bracelet. Combined with the prize for winning the international leg, his 2020 Main Event run produced $2,550,969 in tournament winnings.
More importantly, it made him the official 2020 WSOP Main Event champion.
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Why Damian Salas's Main Event Record Stands Out
Salas's Main Event career is significant because his 2020 championship followed a seventh-place finish only three years earlier.
The Main Event routinely attracts thousands of players, making deep repeat runs difficult even for elite tournament professionals. Salas reached the final table in 2017 and then returned to the championship stage in 2020, ultimately winning the bracelet.
His two results also represent important milestones for Argentine poker. WSOP identified Salas as the first Argentine player to reach the Main Event final table in 2017 and later described him as the first Latin American Main Event champion after his 2020 victory.
The unusual structure of the 2020 tournament does not change his status as the WSOP-recognized Main Event world champion. Salas had to win the international portion and then defeat the U.S. winner heads-up to secure the bracelet.
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Other Major Tournament Results
Salas's tournament record extends beyond his WSOP Main Event performances.
In September 2020, only a few months before his WSOP championship, he reached the final three of the $10,300 WPT World Online Championship Main Event on partypoker.
The World Poker Tour lists Salas in third place for $814,663. Phillip Mighall eventually won the tournament, with Teun Mulder finishing second.
Salas has also produced substantial results in high-stakes events. At the 2023 WSOP Paradise festival, he finished fourth in the $25,000 GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship for $856,800.
Those results reinforce that his tournament résumé is broader than his world championship. He has reached major final tables in live and online environments while competing across several poker markets.
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Damian Salas Wins His First WSOP Circuit Ring
Salas added another WSOP title in May 2026 when he won the $1,700 WSOP Circuit Main Event at Casino Carrasco in Montevideo, Uruguay.
The tournament drew 533 entries and created a $743,002 prize pool. Salas defeated fellow Argentine Lucas Cortijo heads-up and earned $142,692 for first place.
The victory gave Salas his first WSOP Circuit ring.
It also provided a meaningful update to his career more than five years after his Main Event championship. Rather than disappearing from tournament poker after his biggest victory, Salas continued competing and added another major WSOP-branded title.
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Damian Salas's WSOP Record
As of August 2026, the WSOP player database lists Damian Andres Salas with:
One WSOP bracelet
One WSOP Circuit ring
Two WSOP-listed wins
13 final tables
211 cashes
More than $7.2 million in WSOP-listed total earnings
WSOP statistics and Hendon Mob live tournament earnings measure different sets of results, so the totals should not be treated as interchangeable.
PokerNews, using Hendon Mob data, listed Salas with $4,606,589 in live tournament earnings as of August 2026. Hendon Mob-style live earnings generally exclude online tournament results, while WSOP's current player database can include a broader collection of results within its ecosystem.
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Damian Salas's Recent Poker Results
Salas remained active on the tournament circuit in 2026.
His biggest result of the year through August was the $142,692 victory in the WSOP Circuit Casino Carrasco Montevideo Main Event. He followed that performance by cashing four times during the 2026 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
Those WSOP cashes included results in:
The $10,000 Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold'em event
The $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em event
The $5,000 six-handed No-Limit Hold'em event
The $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship
His continued participation in both international Circuit stops and the Las Vegas WSOP shows that Salas remains an active tournament player rather than a champion known only for past results.
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Damian Salas's Place in Poker
Salas occupies a distinctive place in modern tournament poker because few players have produced two separate runs as deep as his in the WSOP Main Event within such a short period.
His seventh-place finish in 2017 established him on poker's biggest stage. Winning the championship in 2020 transformed that deep run into part of a much larger career story.
He has also demonstrated longevity. His recorded tournament history extends across many years and multiple regions, while results such as his 2023 WSOP Paradise high-roller final table and 2026 Circuit Main Event victory show continued success after becoming world champion.
For Argentine and Latin American poker, his championship carries additional significance. Salas became the first Latin American player recognized by the WSOP as Main Event world champion, giving him a permanent place in the tournament's history.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Damian Salas have?
Damian Salas has one WSOP bracelet as of August 2026. He won it by defeating Joseph Hebert in the final heads-up match that determined the 2020 WSOP Main Event world champion.
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Did Damian Salas win the WSOP Main Event?
Yes. Damian Salas is the official 2020 WSOP Main Event champion. He won the international portion of the tournament and then defeated U.S. winner Joseph Hebert heads-up in Las Vegas for the bracelet and an additional $1 million.
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How much did Damian Salas win in the 2020 WSOP Main Event?
Salas earned $1,550,969 for winning the international portion and another $1 million for defeating Joseph Hebert in the championship match, for a combined $2,550,969 from the 2020 Main Event format.
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How many times has Damian Salas reached the WSOP Main Event final table?
Salas made major championship-stage runs in both 2017 and 2020. He finished seventh in the 2017 WSOP Main Event for $1,425,000 before winning the 2020 championship.
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How many WSOP Circuit rings does Damian Salas have?
Damian Salas has one WSOP Circuit ring as of August 2026. He won it in May 2026 by capturing the $1,700 Casino Carrasco Montevideo Main Event for $142,692.
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How much has Damian Salas won in live poker tournaments?
As of August 2026, PokerNews lists Damian Salas with $4,606,589 in live tournament earnings using data supplied by The Hendon Mob. Tournament earnings databases are updated as players record new results, so that figure can change.
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Is Damian Salas still playing poker?
Yes. Salas remained active in 2026, winning a WSOP Circuit Main Event in Montevideo in May and recording multiple cashes at the 2026 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
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What is Damian Salas known for?
Salas is best known for winning the 2020 WSOP Main Event after previously finishing seventh in the same championship in 2017. He is also a WPT World Online Championship final tablist, a WSOP Circuit ring winner and one of Argentina's most accomplished tournament players.