Day 37 of the 2025 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas brought a rush of high drama, bracelet glory, and early Main Event fireworks.
With poker legends like Billy Baxter and Chris Moneymaker in the building and polarizing star Martin Kabrhel winning his first bracelet on U.S. soil, this day proved to be one of the most eventful yet in this year’s series.
Let’s break down everything that happened on this packed day in poker.
Main Event Begins: Billy Baxter Gives the Command
The first flight of the highly anticipated Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event saw 923 players take their shot at poker immortality. The day started with poker Hall of Famer Billy Baxter giving the iconic “shuffle up and deal” call, officially launching the road to a world championship.
Out of the 923 hopefuls, 634 players advanced to Day 2abc, scheduled for July 6. Leading the way was Victor Vo, who bagged 352,000 chips, with Justin Yaker (348,000) and Miguel Coussement (320,200) close behind. Former WSOP Main Event champion Scott Blumstein, along with poker veterans like Adrian Mateos, Bobby Baldwin, and even Billy Baxter himself, survived the day.
Notable casualties included Faraz Jaka, who ran an aggressive bluff with a seven-deuce that backfired, and 2003 champ Chris Moneymaker, whose full house ran into a bigger full house in a brutal cooler that sent him packing early.
Martin Kabrhel Wins Fourth Bracelet in the Mini Main
Czech high-stakes grinder Martin Kabrhel added another chapter to his controversial but undeniably successful poker story. He conquered a field of 10,794 entries in Event #75: $1,000 Mini Main Event, capturing $843,140 and his fourth WSOP bracelet.
What made this victory extra special was that it was his first WSOP bracelet won in Las Vegas, with the previous three coming at WSOP Europe.
Kabrhel defeated Alexander Yen heads-up after a rollercoaster final table filled with speech play, tanking, and constant banter. Yen earned $566,170 as runner-up, while Belarus’ Vadzim Lipauka finished third for $426,550.
This victory vaulted Kabrhel to the top of the WSOP Player of the Year (POY) leaderboard, passing Benny Glaser and solidifying his remarkable summer. Kabrhel now has eight cashes and over $2 million in winnings during the 2025 WSOP alone.
Michael Wang’s PLO Comeback Becomes Legend
One of the most incredible storylines of the day came from Event #74: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, where Michael Wang completed what could go down as one of the greatest comebacks in WSOP history.
After being left with just 65,000 in chips—less than a big blind—Wang managed a miraculous comeback. He doubled up multiple times and entered the final day second in chips before finishing the job with a victory worth $1,394,579. This win marked Wang’s third career bracelet and his biggest career payday.
Heads-up, Wang defeated Michael Zulker, who earned $929,688. Quan Zhou finished third, while elite pros like Alex Foxen and Sean Rafael also made deep runs.
Stud Hi-Lo Championship Needs Extra Day
Event #77: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship didn’t conclude on Day 37. With four players still in contention after a long night, the tournament was paused and will resume on July 3.
Two-time bracelet winner Qinghai Pan leads the final four with 5,265,000 chips. He’s followed by David Lin, Luke Schwartz, and Andrey Zhigalov. They’ll return to battle it out for the bracelet and the $411,051 top prize.
Isaac Haxton Leads $100K PLO High Roller Final Table
Another star-studded final table is set in Event #79: $100,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, where only seven players remain out of a 121-entry field. Isaac Haxton leads the charge with 15.7 million chips and eyes the $2,957,229 top prize.
He’s followed by Shaun Deeb, Lautaro Guerra, Arthur Morris, Alex Foxen, and Phil Ivey, who’s chasing bracelet number 12. Sean Rafael rounds out the table as the short stack.
The final table resumed on July 3 at 1:00 p.m. local time.
Summer Celebration Sees Dutch Dominate Day 1a
Event #80: The $800 Summer Celebration kicked off with 3,054 entrants for its Day 1a flight, with just 168 advancing. The Dutch contingent stole the spotlight, occupying four of the top ten chip counts.
Roelof Pepping led the flight with 2,775,000 chips. He was joined by Johannes Deusing, Thijs Hilberts, and David Peer as standout performers from the Netherlands.
Other notable winners to receive chips included bracelet winners Pei Li, Tom Fuchs, and Arkadiy Tsinis. Day 1b resumes July 3 at 10 a.m.
Qiang Xu Leads $10K Eight Game Mix Championship
Event #82: $10,000 Eight Game Mix Championship attracted 166 players for Day 1. Only 75 moved on, and leading the way is China’s Qiang Xu, who finished the day with 311,000 chips.
He’s narrowly ahead of Jon Turner and Nate Silver, while five-time bracelet winner Brian Yoon also sits near the top. Other high-level pros like Mike Gorodinsky, Dario Sammartino, and Paul Volpe are still in the hunt for this prestigious mixed-game title.
PokerNews Deepstack Championship Down to 55
Event #78: $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship continued with 635 Day 2 players, and by the end of ten levels, only 55 remained. Online grinder Daniel Schill of Michigan leads with 12.4 million chips.
Aditya Sushant, a former bracelet winner, is the only returning player with a WSOP gold bracelet. Play resumes July 3 with the goal of playing down to the final five.
Moneymaker and Jaka Highlight Early Main Busts
Chris Moneymaker and Faraz Jaka both made headlines for their early exits on Main Event Day 1a.
Moneymaker ran a full house into pocket queens for a better boat, busting out in brutal fashion. Meanwhile, Faraz Jaka was sent packing after running a failed bluff with 7-2 against a set of queens. Both exits added early drama and buzz to what’s expected to be the biggest WSOP Main Event in history.
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