Tom Koral Poker News, Results & Career Updates
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Tom Koral has built a long-running tournament career around versatility. The Chicago-area professional is a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner whose résumé spans no-limit hold'em, seven-card stud, H.O.R.S.E., Omaha variants and other mixed games. More than two decades after he began appearing at the WSOP, Koral remains an active tournament player with major results in both traditional hold'em and specialist formats.
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Who Is Tom Koral?
Thomas "Tom" Koral is an American professional poker player associated with Skokie and the Chicago area. Hendon Mob lists his residence as Skokie-Chicago, Illinois, while his tournament record stretches back to the mid-2000s.
Koral developed a reputation as an all-around player rather than a specialist in a single format. Mixed games became a particularly important part of his career, and PokerNews has described him as a mixed-game player with extensive experience in games such as H.O.R.S.E. and Omaha eight-or-better.
His results also show considerable no-limit hold'em success. That range is central to Koral's poker résumé: his first WSOP bracelet came in seven-card stud, while his second came in a large-field no-limit hold'em tournament.
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Tom Koral's Early Poker Career
Koral was already competing at the World Series of Poker by 2005. Years before winning a bracelet, he accumulated cashes across major tournaments and established himself as a regular on the live circuit.
A 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure final-table biography reported that Koral began playing online after making a $75 deposit and built that bankroll substantially during his early years. The same profile identified Omaha hi-lo and mixed games as important parts of his play.
One of his early high-profile live results came at the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event in the Bahamas. Koral reached the final table of the 1,529-entry event and finished eighth for $201,300. The result placed him at a televised major final table alongside players including Barry Shulman and Benjamin Zamani.
By the middle of the next decade, Koral's mixed-game results had become an increasingly visible part of his WSOP record. In a 2015 PokerNews strategy interview, he discussed the differences between lower- and higher-buy-in H.O.R.S.E. events and the technical challenges presented by stud variants.
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First WSOP Bracelet in Seven-Card Stud
Koral's breakthrough at the World Series of Poker came in 2017.
He won the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event, defeating a field of 298 entries and earning $96,907. The victory delivered his first WSOP bracelet after more than a decade of competing at the series.
According to the WSOP, Koral had already accumulated more than 50 WSOP cashes and five final tables before finally securing a bracelet. That history made the victory an important career milestone rather than an early-career breakthrough.
The title also reinforced his reputation as a player capable of succeeding in traditional mixed-game disciplines. Seven-card stud requires a different strategic skill set from no-limit hold'em, including close attention to exposed cards, limit betting structures and hand-reading across multiple streets.
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Second WSOP Bracelet in No-Limit Hold'em
Two years later, Koral demonstrated the other side of his game.
At the 2019 World Series of Poker, he won the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack, topping 2,589 entries for $530,164 and his second bracelet. The payday remains his largest recorded live tournament cash according to Hendon Mob.
The victory was significant because Koral had become closely associated with mixed games. After winning, he told WSOP media that capturing a hold'em bracelet mattered because many players primarily viewed him as a mixed-game player.
Koral defeated Freek Scholten heads-up for the title. Barry Shulman finished third.
The result gave Koral bracelets in two distinctly different disciplines: seven-card stud and no-limit hold'em. That combination illustrates the versatility that has defined much of his tournament career.
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Tom Koral's WSOP Record
As of August 31, 2026, the official WSOP player profile lists Koral with:
Two WSOP bracelets
Zero WSOP Circuit rings
17 WSOP final tables
111 WSOP cashes
$2,626,304 in WSOP earnings
His bracelet victories came in the 2017 $1,500 Seven Card Stud event and the 2019 $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack.
Those titles do not tell the entire story of his WSOP career. Koral has cashed extensively across mixed-game formats and has continued reaching deep stages of bracelet events well after his second victory.
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Career Earnings and Major Results
As of August 31, 2026, Hendon Mob lists Tom Koral with $3,277,071 in recorded live tournament earnings. Hendon Mob figures change as new results are added, so that total should be treated as a current snapshot rather than a permanent career figure.
His largest recorded live cash is the $530,164 he earned for winning his second WSOP bracelet in 2019.
Other notable results include his eighth-place finish in the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event for $201,300 and numerous deep runs at the World Series of Poker.
The World Poker Tour's player record shows Koral with multiple WPT cashes but no WPT title. His WPT results include a seventh-place finish at the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship during the 2006-2007 season and a 25th-place finish in the 2023 WPT Prime Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
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Mixed Games and Playing Style
Koral is most strongly associated with mixed games, although describing him only as a mixed-game specialist would overlook a major part of his record.
His results span seven-card stud, H.O.R.S.E., Omaha eight-or-better, Big O, eight-game mixes and no-limit hold'em. PokerNews reported in 2019 that Koral regarded Omaha eight-or-better as his best game and that playing different poker variants helped him think about hold'em situations from different strategic angles.
His own comments also provide a clearer basis for describing his approach than assigning broad labels such as aggressive or conservative. Koral has emphasized self-analysis, reviewing his decisions honestly and discussing hands with experienced players.
That willingness to study several disciplines has helped make versatility one of the defining features of his career.
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Why Tom Koral Matters in Poker
Koral's significance comes from longevity and breadth rather than a single tournament result.
He spent years accumulating WSOP cashes before winning his first bracelet, then added a second title in a completely different form of poker. Few results demonstrate an all-around skill set as clearly as winning one bracelet in seven-card stud and another in a large-field no-limit hold'em event.
His career also reflects the importance of the Chicago mixed-game community. Koral has credited fellow poker professional Brett Richey with helping introduce him to tougher mixed games, an experience that contributed to his development beyond hold'em.
For tournament fans, Koral represents the type of established professional who can contend across a wide range of formats rather than concentrating exclusively on one game.
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Tom Koral's Recent Results and Current Status
Koral remained active during the 2026 tournament season.
In April 2026, he finished fourth in the $1,700 WSOP Circuit Main Event at Grand Victoria Casino in Illinois, earning $54,091. He followed that result during the summer World Series of Poker with a sixth-place finish in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Big O bracelet event for $75,600.
He also cashed in the 2026 WSOP Main Event, the $1,500 8-Game Mixed event and the $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. event.
Those results show that Koral continues to compete in both no-limit hold'em and mixed-game tournaments more than 20 years after his early WSOP appearances. His career remains active, and his two bracelets continue to anchor a résumé built on long-term consistency across multiple poker disciplines.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Tom Koral have?
Tom Koral has two WSOP bracelets as of August 31, 2026. He won his first in the 2017 $1,500 Seven Card Stud event and his second in the 2019 $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack.
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How much has Tom Koral won in live poker tournaments?
Hendon Mob lists Tom Koral with $3,277,071 in live tournament earnings as of August 31, 2026. Tournament databases are updated as new results are recorded, so career totals can change.
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What is Tom Koral's biggest live tournament cash?
Koral's largest recorded live cash is $530,164, earned when he won the 2019 WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack.
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Does Tom Koral have a WSOP Circuit ring?
No. The WSOP lists Koral with zero WSOP Circuit rings as of August 31, 2026.
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Has Tom Koral won a WPT title?
The World Poker Tour lists Koral with no WPT wins. He has recorded multiple WPT cashes during his career.
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What poker games does Tom Koral play?
Koral has tournament results in no-limit hold'em and numerous mixed-game formats, including seven-card stud, H.O.R.S.E., Omaha eight-or-better, Big O and eight-game events. He is particularly well known for his mixed-game experience.
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Is Tom Koral still playing poker?
Yes. Koral recorded multiple tournament cashes in 2026, including fourth place in a WSOP Circuit Main Event and sixth place in a WSOP Big O bracelet event.
