- Companies mentioned: Americas Cardroom, Winning Poker Network, ESPN, World Series of Poker
- Markets and regions: United States, global online poker
- Americas Cardroom Pros Alex Foxen and Chris Moneymaker appeared throughout ESPN’s opening two episodes of 2026 WSOP Main Event coverage, which premiered July 21 on ESPN2.
Americas Cardroom Pro Alex Foxen was featured throughout ESPN’s opening coverage of the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event, receiving recurring airtime as the network followed the early stages of poker’s biggest tournament.
The first two episodes premiered July 21 on ESPN2, covering the Main Event’s opening flights and Day 2 action.
Foxen appeared throughout the broadcasts as he accumulated chips, applied pressure and worked through several difficult decisions. His Americas Cardroom Pro patch remained clearly visible as ESPN developed his run as part of the early Main Event storyline.
One notable sequence showed Foxen facing an all-in decision against Vinh Nguyen. After taking time to study the situation and listen to Nguyen’s table talk, Foxen made the correct call and added another sizable pot to his stack.
The hand gave viewers a closer look at the composure, observation and decision-making that have helped establish Foxen among the most accomplished tournament poker players of his generation.
Foxen joined the Americas Cardroom Pro roster in May alongside Chance Kornuth and Chris Hunichen. He entered the Main Event following a successful summer that included winning the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em event for $594,246 and earning his fourth WSOP bracelet.
Team Pro Chris Moneymaker also represented Americas Cardroom during the opening episodes, connecting the brand to an earlier chapter of ESPN’s poker coverage.
Moneymaker’s 2003 Main Event victory remains one of the defining moments in televised poker history. His rise from a low-buy-in online qualifier to world champion introduced tournament poker to a wider television audience and inspired a new generation of players.
Together, Foxen and Moneymaker gave Americas Cardroom a visible presence across two distinct eras of the game.
ESPN’s multi-year agreement with the WSOP includes more than 100 hours of coverage, additional Main Event episodes and three nights of live final-table programming.
Further Main Event coverage is scheduled to air on ESPN2, with the three-night final table set for August 3-5 across ESPN and ESPN2.
Full coverage of Foxen and Moneymaker’s appearances in ESPN’s opening WSOP Main Event episodes is available on the Americas Cardroom blog.
About Americas Cardroom
Americas Cardroom joined the Winning Poker Network in 2011. The network has been dealing cards since 2001 and remains one of the most trusted names in online poker. Consistently ranked first in payment processing and cashout reliability, Americas Cardroom provides a world-class online poker experience for players around the world.
Contact
Americas Cardroom Pros Manager
Adam Neal
Americas Cardroom
adamn@winningpokernetwork.com
Editorial Commentary
Sponsorship value in poker is hard to measure, but broadcast minutes are not. ESPN’s multi-year WSOP agreement covers more than 100 hours of programming, and Americas Cardroom placed two patched players inside the first two episodes of the year’s most-watched tournament. Foxen carries current competitive relevance after a $594,246 win and a fourth bracelet this summer. Moneymaker carries recognition that predates most of the audience’s own poker history.
Rights-holder association has become one of the steadier visibility channels for gambling brands as platform advertising rules tighten, a pattern visible in deals such as FanDuel’s odds provider agreement for NBA coverage on Amazon Prime Video and in the wider run of operator announcements tied to media rights this year. Main Event coverage continues on ESPN2 through the three-night final table on August 3-5. How much further airtime the patch gets depends on whether Foxen is still in contention, which is the part of any sponsorship no operator controls.
