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After eight intense days of play in the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event, the final table is officially set. From an original field of 9,735 players, just nine remain, each now guaranteed at least $1 million.
Among them are some of the biggest names in the game, alongside several players writing the poker story of their lives. With $10 million and the coveted WSOP Main Event bracelet on the line, the stage is set for a dramatic and historic finish at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
John Wasnock Leads the Final Nine
At the top of the leaderboard sits John Wasnock of North Bend, Washington, with 108,100,000 chips. The 50-year-old has been a low-profile player throughout the event, entering Day 8 with the shortest stack among the remaining 17 players. But he surged at just the right time.
His run included key eliminations of Ruben Correia and Joseph Ozimok and a final hand showdown where his pocket eights held against ace-king to seal the final table and secure the chip lead.
Wasnock, who had just $143,000 in live earnings before this tournament, is now in a position to change his life forever. “It sounds pretty amazing. Never would have expected it,” Wasnock said after bagging the top stack. Having played the Main Event just once before, a decade ago, Wasnock’s improbable run is the quintessential Main Event fairytale.
Michael Mizrachi Makes Second Final Table
Just behind Wasnock is a name that needs no introduction—Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, whom we covered in last week’s post. The seven-time bracelet winner and only player to win the $50K Poker Players Championship four times, Mizrachi is back at the Main Event final table for the second time, 15 years after finishing fifth in 2010.
Mizrachi’s journey to the final nine was nothing short of legendary. Early on Day 8, he was crippled to under 2 million chips after doubling up Wasnock. But true to his nickname, “The Grinder,” battled back. He doubled through Braxton Dunaway twice—once with ace-king, making a river flush, and again with king-jack against pocket fives for another rivered flush. Mizrachi then sealed his final table seat with queens over nines to knock out Tony Gregg.
“I don’t need preparation. It’s like riding a bike,” Mizrachi said. “I just came back on the scene.” With 93,000,000 chips, he’s in a strong position to finish what he started 15 years ago. If Mizrachi captures the title, it would cap off a remarkable summer that already saw him make history with his fourth PPC win.
Leo Margets Makes History for Women in Poker
Arguably, the biggest story of the 2025 final table belongs to Spain’s Leo Margets. The 41-year-old Barcelona native became the first woman in 30 years to reach the WSOP Main Event final table since Hall of Famer Barbara Enright in 1995. Margets’ journey to the final nine is not just a personal triumph but a landmark moment for women in poker.
Her tournament-defining hand came during Day 8 when she called off her stack with pocket jacks against Sergio Veloso’s ace-king. An ace on the flop put her on the brink of elimination, but a runner-runner flush gave her the hand, the chips, and the momentum she needed. She ended the day with 53,400,000 chips, good for fifth place.
“It’s so unreal, it is a dream,” Margets said. “I’m so glad that I’m cheering with my rail—it means so much. How lucky I am to live this!”
The poker world erupted in support for Margets. Women’s poker icons like Maria Ho, Kristen Foxen, and Jamie Kerstetter praised her as an ambassador for the game. Her presence at the final table represents a 30-year breakthrough, and she now has a chance to become the first woman to ever win the WSOP Main Event.
The Rest of the Final Table Field
Joining Wasnock, Mizrachi, and Margets are six other formidable players, each with their own unique path to poker’s biggest stage.
Braxton Dunaway of Midland, Texas, brings 91,900,000 chips to the final table. The 42-year-old oil and gas industry worker already owns a bracelet from the 2023 Monster Stack event, where he won over $1.1 million. Dunaway has proven himself a big-field tournament threat and will have one of the more enthusiastic rails in the room on Tuesday.
Kenny Hallaert, a PokerStars ambassador and 2016 Main Event finalist, returns to the final table nine years later. Hallaert bagged 80,500,000 chips and sits in fourth. His previous experience in the final table could prove invaluable as he tries to improve on his sixth-place finish from 2016. “To now make it for a second time feels surreal,” Hallaert said.
Adam Hendrix, a seasoned pro from Arlington, Virginia, holds 48,000,000 in chips. With over $8 million in live earnings and multiple high-roller scores, Hendrix is the most accomplished American pro in terms of consistent volume and results outside of Mizrachi.
Luka Bojovic, a Serbian doctor living in Vienna, Austria, bagged 51,000,000 chips. A member of the Pokercode collective, Bojovic has prior Main Event final table experience, having appeared at the WSOP Europe in 2024. His live earnings exceed $700,000, and he’s looking to add a massive title to his resume.
Daehyung Lee of South Korea enters with 34,900,000 chips. With prior cashes totaling just over $148,000, Lee has already locked in a career-best result and is in line to become the first Korean Main Event champion.
Jarod Minghini, the short stack with 23,600,000 chips, is a five-time WSOP Circuit ring winner based out of Lake Tahoe, Nevada. He won the Circuit Main Event in 2022 and now finds himself one final table away from poker immortality.
Final Table Structure and Payouts
The final table resumes on Tuesday, July 15, at 1:30 p.m. local time. Play begins with blinds at 800,000/1,600,000 and a 1,600,000 big blind ante. The field will play down to four before returning on Wednesday for the final push to crown a champion.
Every finalist is already guaranteed at least $1 million. Here are the payouts still up for grabs:
- 1st: $10,000,000
- 2nd: $6,000,000
- 3rd: $4,000,000
- 4th: $3,000,000
- 5th: $2,400,000
- 6th: $1,900,000
- 7th: $1,500,000
- 8th: $1,250,000
- 9th: $1,000,000
