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Unraveling the Most Impressive Prize Pools in Esports History
The eSports world will have its collective eyes focused on Seattle starting on October 27th. This is because the Emerald City will once again be hosting The International. For those who don’t follow eSports, The International is the flagship event for Dota 2 and it has been an annual occurrence since 2011. That year, Ukraine’s Natus Vincere won the event earning a share of the $1.6 million prize pool.
While a $1.6 million prize pool is impressive, it is a mere drop in the bucket compared to some of the cash prizes that have been paid out in more recent eSports competitions. While bettors can earn a nice chunk of money betting on eSports at top Dota 2 betting sites or other top-tier bookmakers specialising on other eSports,, the big money remains in those massive prize pools.
Let’s examine a few of the most popular eSports and find out about the record-breaking prize pools they have offered.
PUBG – $4.13 Million
PUBG launched to much fanfare in 2018, and it didn’t take long to establish itself as a major eSport. By 2020, PUBG competitions were offering millions of dollars in prizes. The Peacekeeper Elite League 2020 season set a new record with its $3.1 million prize pool. New records would be set in 2021 and then again in 2022 when the prize pool for the Peacekeeper Elite League generated $4.1 million in cash prizes.
Just three months after that record-breaking prize pool was disbursed, the Peacekeeper Elite League once again broke records with $4.13 booty. It’s safe to say that this PUBG record will eventually fall, but it currently stands as the biggest prize pool for a PUBG event.
Call of Duty – $4.6 Million
In 2018, the Call of Duty World League Championship offered the biggest prize pool the eSport had ever seen. That record of $1.5 million quickly fell as the 2019 iteration of the CoD World League Championship saw $2 million in cash divided amongst the competitors.
While the 2022 and 2013 Call of Duty League Playoffs both broke the $2 million barrier, neither one really came close to the record-breaking $4.6 million prize pool offered at the 2020 CoD League Finals. That one still reigns supreme.
League of Legends – $5 Million
League of Legends is one of the most popular eSports on the planet. The game was released in 2009 and it quickly became popular among players and viewers. When the first LOL World Championship was held in 2011, the event boasted a prize pool of $100,000.
Things were a lot different at the 2016 World Championship when the prize pool eclipsed the $5 million mark. While the prize pool of the 2017 World Championship rang in at an impressive $4.95 million, subsequent events have seen prize pools average about $2.25 million. As such, that $5 million prize pool offered at the 2016 World Championship stands as the record in the realm of League of Legends.
Fortnite – $30 Million
Fortnite was released in 2017 making it one of the newer eSports to find success in a global market. Two of the earliest Fortnite competitions were the Fortnite Celebrity Pro-Ams in 2018 and 2019. Both had $3 million up for grabs. However, it was the $6 million prize pool at the Fortnite Fall Skirmish in 2018 that set the bar. Albeit temporarily.
The biggest prize pool in Fortnite history was offered less than a year after the record-breaking Fall Skirmish. The Fortnite World Cup Finals 2019 didn’t just break the record, but the $30 million prize pool obliterated the previous record. It wasn’t only a record prize pool for Fortnite, but it stands out as one of the most lucrative prize pools in eSports history.
Dota 2 – $40 Million
When it comes to offering massive prize pools, no eSport does it quite like Dota 2. And when it comes to Dota 2 competitions, the annual International is in a league of its own. The inaugural International was held in 2011 and boasted $1.6 million in cash prizes. The prize pools would exponentially grow over the next decade. The International 2019 had a staggering $34.3 million up for grabs which set an all-time eSports record.
Then came The International 2021. Eighteen of the world’s most talented Dota 2 players gathered in Bucharest with an eye-watering $40 in cash prizes at stake. This was and still is the largest chunk of cash ever awarded in any eSports competition.
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Out of 9,735 total entrants in the third-largest World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in history, only nine players remain as the lineup is set for the 56th annual WSOP Main Event final table.
John Wasnock, Michael Mizrachi, Braxton Dunaway, Kenny Hallaert, Leonor Margets, Luka Bojovic, Adam Hendrix, Daehyung Lee, and Jarod Minghini will return to the Horseshoe and Paris in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Tuesday, July 15, with each player eyeing not only the $10 million top prize and WSOP Main Event bracelet, but a chance at forever solidifying their names in poker history. Duking it out over eight days of poker action, the resilience of the nine remaining players has earned them a seat at poker’s most prestigious final table.
Action at the 2025 WSOP Main Event final table will begin at 1:30 P.M. local time and will play down to four players, with the final day of the tournament set for Wednesday, July 16, starting at 1:30 P.M. local time.
A historic WSOP Main Event final table that includes not only a four-time Poker Players Championship winner but also the first woman since 1995, poker fans around the world look forward to a highly anticipated conclusion to the 2025 WSOP Main Event.
2025 WSOP Main Event Final Table Chip Counts:
John Wasnock (North Bend, Washington, United States) – 108,100,000 Chips
John Wasnock, 50, is a poker player from North Bend, Washington who will be proudly representing the Evergreen state at the WSOP Main Event final table as the overall chip leader. Owning over $143 thousand in live tournament earnings, Wasnock’s largest career cash of $56,330 has been far surpassed with his performance in the Main Event.
Michael Mizrachi (Las Vegas, Nevada, United States) – 93,000,000 Chips
Michael Mizrachi, 44, is the most decorated poker player to reach the 2025 WSOP Main Event final table. A seven-time WSOP bracelet winner, Mizrachi has already had a historic summer, winning his record fourth Poker Players Championship title. On the cusp of adding a WSOP Main Event title to his already long list of poker accolades, taking down the 2025 WSOP Main Event would add $10 million to Mizrachi’s already impressive live tournament earnings total of just over $19 million.
Braxton Dunaway (Midland, Texas, United States) – 91,900,000 Chips
Braxton Dunaway, 42, lives in Midland, Texas, and is a family man who makes his living in the oil and gas industry. Already having a WSOP bracelet to his name, Dunaway won the $1,500 Monster Stack for $1,162,681 during the 2023 WSOP. Dunaway’s $1.5 million in live tournament earnings could increase tenfold by winning the $10 million top prize in the 2025 WSOP Main Event.
Kenny Hallaert (London, England, United Kingdom) – 80,500,000 Chips
Kenny Hallaert, 43, is a Belgian professional poker player residing in London, England. No stranger to success on the felt, Hallaert has racked up a number of poker tournament titles across poker tournament series around Europe, contributing to $5.9 million in live tournament winnings across his career. Still seeking his first career WSOP bracelet, Hallaert’s first title won in the United States could be the biggest one of them all.
Leonor Margets (Barcelona, Spain) – 53,400,000 Chips
Leonor “Leo” Margets, 41, is not only the last woman standing in the 2025 WSOP Main Event but is also the first woman to reach the WSOP Main Event final table since 1995. Hailing from Barcelona, Spain, Margets is not new to success at the WSOP, having won her lone bracelet in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Closer for $376,850 in 2021. With over $2 million in live tournament winnings, Margets looks to not only add $10 million to her career total but also become the first woman to ever win the WSOP Main Event.
Luka Bojovic (Vienna, Austria) – 51,000,000 Chips
Luka Bojovic, 37, is a Serbian doctor and poker player residing in Vienna, Austria. A member of the Pokercode collective, Bojovic’s largest career score of $134,617 came from his eighth place finish in the 2024 WSOP Europe Main Event, contributing to his live tournament career winnings total of over $700 thousand. Winning his lone piece of WSOP hardware by taking down the Monster Stack event at the 2024 WSOP International Circuit series in Marrakech ($45,600), Bojovic is in contention to win the most prestigious poker trophy of them all
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