Galen Hall: PCA Champion, WSOP Bracelet Winner and High-Roller Contender
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Galen Hall is an American tournament poker player whose career includes one of the defining victories of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure era, a World Series of Poker bracelet and continued success in major high-roller events.
Hall broke through internationally by winning the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event for $2.3 million. Seven years later, he captured his first World Series of Poker bracelet in the $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold'em event. His tournament record has remained relevant well beyond those victories: in June 2026, Hall finished runner-up in a $25,000 WSOP High Roller for more than $1.18 million and then won the opening event of the PokerGO Tour Summer Series four days later.
As of September 15, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Hall with $8,471,588 in live tournament earnings and a career-best cash of $2.3 million. Tournament earnings and rankings change as new results are recorded.
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Who Is Galen Hall?
Galen Hall is an American poker player with a tournament career dating to at least 2009. The Global Poker Index lists his residence as New York, while earlier tournament coverage identified him with California, including San Francisco.
Hall developed his poker career alongside interests outside the game. The World Series of Poker described him in 2018 as a Stanford University graduate who worked full time as a hedge-fund manager while playing poker professionally on a part-time basis.
His tournament record is centered primarily on no-limit hold'em, but it also shows experience across several other formats. Hall has recorded results in games including no-limit 2-7 single draw, triple draw lowball and other mixed-game events, giving his résumé more range than that of a player focused exclusively on hold'em.
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Galen Hall's 2011 PCA Main Event Championship
Hall's career changed dramatically at the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event in the Bahamas.
The $10,000 Main Event attracted 1,560 entries and generated a prize pool of more than $15.1 million. Hall reached the final table and eventually defeated Chris Oliver heads-up to win the championship and $2.3 million.
PokerNews' final report from the 2011 PCA Main Event records Hall as the winner, with Oliver receiving $1.8 million for second place.
One of the tournament's most remembered moments came during heads-up play. Hall made a major river fold with a straight when Oliver had made a full house. Hall survived the hand despite being well behind in chips, later mounted a comeback and eventually won the tournament.
The PCA victory remains Hall's largest recorded live tournament cash. Because the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure was part of the European Poker Tour at the time, the championship also gave Hall an EPT Main Event title.
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Hall's Strong 2011 Tournament Season
The PCA championship was not Hall's only major result in 2011.
Later that year, Hall reached the final table of the $25,000 World Poker Tour Championship at Bellagio. He finished third for $589,355, behind eventual champion Scott Seiver and runner-up Farzad Bonyadi.
That result reinforced that the PCA victory was not an isolated tournament breakthrough. Hall finished 2011 with several major results and established himself as a player capable of competing deep into some of poker's strongest championship fields.
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Galen Hall's WSOP Bracelet
Hall won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 2018.
He captured Event #62, the $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed tournament, after navigating a field of 8,598 entries. According to the official WSOP tournament report, Hall earned $888,888 for the victory.
The win added an important championship to a résumé that already included the PCA Main Event title and several deep finishes at major tournaments.
Hall entered the tournament's additional fourth day with the chip lead and completed the victory by defeating Eduards Kudrjavcevs heads-up. The bracelet came after numerous previous deep WSOP runs and represented his first victory at the series.
As of September 2026, the World Series of Poker player database lists Hall with:
One WSOP bracelet
Zero WSOP Circuit rings
More than 80 WSOP cashes
More than $7 million in recorded WSOP earnings
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Hall's Other Major Tournament Results
Hall's career extends well beyond his two best-known championships.
Among his more significant results, he finished third in the $100,000 Super High Roller at the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $470,400. He has also produced a long series of deep runs at the World Series of Poker.
In 2022, Hall reached the final stages of the $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller at the WSOP and finished third for $625,941. That result became one of the largest tournament scores of his career.
His results in lowball and mixed-game events are also notable because they demonstrate competitive experience beyond no-limit hold'em. Hall has made deep runs in high-buy-in no-limit 2-7 single draw events and has cashed in triple draw tournaments at the WSOP.
That range supports his reputation as an experienced tournament player rather than a specialist limited to a single format.
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Galen Hall's 2026 WSOP High-Roller Run
Hall produced one of the biggest results of his career during the 2026 World Series of Poker.
He reached heads-up play in Event #19, the $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller. The tournament attracted 345 entries and generated a prize pool of $8,107,500.
Hall ultimately finished second to Kristen Foxen, earning $1,182,050. The official WSOP report confirmed the result, which became Hall's second-largest recorded live cash behind his 2011 PCA championship.
The performance was especially significant because it came 15 years after his PCA breakthrough and eight years after his bracelet victory. Rather than existing only as a player associated with an earlier poker era, Hall was again competing for a bracelet in one of the WSOP's more expensive and competitive no-limit hold'em events.
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Hall Wins on the PokerGO Tour in 2026
Hall followed the WSOP runner-up finish with another victory almost immediately.
On June 11, 2026, he won the opening event of the PokerGO Tour Summer Series at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. Hall topped 27 entries in the $15,700 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller and earned $182,250.
According to the PokerGO Tour's tournament recap, it was Hall's first PGT victory.
The timing made the result particularly notable. Hall's runner-up finish in the $25,000 WSOP High Roller had come only days earlier, giving him more than $1.36 million in prize money from the two performances combined.
He continued playing at the 2026 WSOP afterward, adding cashes in a $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball event and the $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout.
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How Much Has Galen Hall Won in Poker?
As of September 15, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Galen Hall with $8,471,588 in live tournament earnings.
His largest recorded live cash is the $2.3 million prize from his 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event victory.
Other seven-figure and major career scores include his $1,182,050 runner-up finish in the 2026 WSOP $25,000 High Roller, the $888,888 earned for his 2018 WSOP Crazy Eights bracelet and $625,941 for finishing third in the 2022 WSOP $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller.
Live tournament earnings should be treated as a changing statistic because additional results can increase a player's total over time.
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Galen Hall's Playing Profile
Hall's tournament record shows a player comfortable competing across very different stages of poker competition.
His biggest victories have come in large-field no-limit hold'em tournaments, including the 1,560-entry PCA Main Event and the 8,598-entry WSOP Crazy Eights. At the same time, he has also reached final tables and made deep runs in expensive high-roller events featuring much smaller fields of experienced professionals.
His results also extend into draw and lowball games. That combination of large-field success, high-roller experience and mixed-game participation makes versatility one of the clearest characteristics supported by his tournament record.
Hall's longevity is another important part of the profile. His first recorded WSOP cash came in 2009, while some of his largest career results arrived in 2026.
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Why Galen Hall Matters in Poker
Hall occupies an unusual place in modern tournament poker because his most important results span several distinct periods of the game.
His 2011 PCA Main Event victory came when the Caribbean championship was one of the premier stops on the international tournament calendar. The $2.3 million win immediately established him on a global stage.
His 2018 WSOP bracelet demonstrated that he could return years later and defeat one of the largest fields of that year's series.
Then, in 2026, Hall again reached the highest levels of live tournament poker by finishing second in a $25,000 WSOP High Roller before winning a PokerGO Tour event days later.
Taken together, those results give Hall a résumé built on more than a single championship. He has remained capable of producing major finishes over a live tournament career spanning more than 15 years.
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Is Galen Hall Still Active in Poker?
Yes. Galen Hall remained active in major live poker tournaments during 2026.
His 2026 results included the $1,182,050 runner-up finish in the WSOP $25,000 High Roller, victory in the opening PokerGO Tour Summer Series event and additional WSOP cashes in July.
Those recent results provide clear evidence that Hall continues to compete at both high-roller and major-series levels.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Galen Hall have?
Galen Hall has one World Series of Poker bracelet. He won the 2018 $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold'em event for $888,888.
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Did Galen Hall win the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure?
Yes. Galen Hall won the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event, defeating a field of 1,560 entries and earning $2.3 million.
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How much has Galen Hall won in live poker tournaments?
As of September 15, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Galen Hall with $8,471,588 in live tournament earnings. His largest recorded cash is $2.3 million.
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Does Galen Hall have a WSOP Circuit ring?
No. The World Series of Poker lists Galen Hall with one bracelet and zero WSOP Circuit rings as of September 2026.
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What was Galen Hall's biggest poker win?
Galen Hall's largest recorded live tournament score is $2.3 million for winning the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event.
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Did Galen Hall win an EPT title?
Yes. Hall's 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event victory was part of the European Poker Tour and counts as an EPT Main Event championship.
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What happened to Galen Hall at the 2026 WSOP?
Hall finished runner-up to Kristen Foxen in the 2026 WSOP $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller. He earned $1,182,050, the second-largest recorded live cash of his career.
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Is Galen Hall still playing poker?
Yes. Hall recorded multiple major tournament results in 2026, including a WSOP high-roller runner-up finish and his first PokerGO Tour victory.