2025 WSOP Day 44: Japan's Masashi Oya Leads the $50K High Roller; WSOP Main Reaches Day 5

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Jul 10, 2025 5 min read

July 9 was another day filled with 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) action. The series may be approaching its conclusion, but there are no signs of this juggernaut slowing down. Four bracelet-awarding events were in play at various points in the day, including the massive Main Event, where the money bubble burst and the field was trimmed to 522 from a 1,476-strong crowd.

Harold Lam (4,195,000) claimed the WSOP Main Event Day 4 chip lead. The recreational Florida-based player has his nose in front in the biggest tournament of his career. A plethora of stars punched their Day 5 tickets, including Nick Pupillo (3,150,000), Josh Reichard (3,025,000), Kenny Hallaert (2,805,000), Michael Mizrachi (2,270,000), Stephen Chidwick (1,940,000), and the 2012 champion Greg Merson (1,495,000).

Read all about the WSOP Main Event Day 4 antics right here.

One bracelet was awarded on the 44th Day of the 2025 WSOP, and it was Justin Fawcett who claimed it. Fawcett triumphed in Event #85: $600 Ultra Stack after defeating Vietnam's Thai Dinh heads-up. The champion scooped a career-best $355,110 and his first piece of WSOP hardware.

Masashi Oya Leads an All-Star Cast on Day 1 of the $50,000 High Roller

Japan's Masashi Oya (1,956,000) bagged up the most chips of the 79 survivors at the end of Day 1 of Event #88: $50,000 High Roller. Oya, a regular in Super High Roller events worldwide, has almost $9.6 million in live tournament earnings and earned his chip lead on merit.

The Japanese star leads an all-star cast where almost every one of the 79 players, from 194 starters, is a household name. Brek Schutten (1,762,000), Martin Kabrhel (1,514,000), Sam Soverel (1,504,000), Alex Kulev (1,361,000), and Pavel Plesuv (1,359,000) bagged up enough chips for a place in the overnight top ten.

Elsewhere, Philip Sternheimer (982,000), Kristen Foxen (852,000), Arthur Morris (788,000), Chris Brewer (781,000), Alex Foxen (741,000), Joe Cada (688,000), Sergio Aido (622,000), Daniel Negreanu (532,000), Joao Simao (480,000), Shaun Deeb (374,000), Yuri Dzivielevski (356,000), and Jason Mercier (152,000) remain in contention for what should be a monster-sized top prize.

Day 2 starts at noon local time on July 10, and late registration is open for the first two levels. That means this event is highly likely to see more than 200 players exchange $50,000 for the chance to be this tournament's champion.

Event #88: $50,000 High Roller Top Ten Chip Counts

Pei Li Leads a Host of Stars on Day 1b of the $1,000 PLO Mystery Bounty

Day 1b of Event #86: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha is in the books. The second flight attracted 3,113 players to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, but only 467 of them made it through to Day 2.

China's Pei Li (1,175,000) came out on top on Day 1b. Li has one bracelet to his name, which he won in 2022 when he triumphed in the $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Bounty event. It seems like Li has a penchant for PLO bounty tournaments.

A whole host of stars joined Li in bagging up chips at the end of Day 1b. Pedro Rodriguez (982,000), Ludovic Geilich (918,000), and Rob Wazwaz (858,000) each finished in this flight's top ten.

Others through to Day 2, when mystery bounties are in play from the off, include Lawrence Brandt (830,000), Brandon Cantu (743,000), Erick Lindgren (609,000), Joe Serock (583,000), Ren Lin (523,000), Ryan Hoenig (483,000), Ryan Leng (418,000), Mike Leah (415,000), Michael Wang (403,000), Nick Guagenti (276,000), Max Pescatori (250,000), Phil Hui (208,000), John Monnette (117,000), Barbara Enright (85,000), and Brad Ruben (61,000).

Day 2 starts at 11 a.m. on July 10. Players return to Level 15, meaning blinds are 3,000/5,000 with a big blind ante of 5,000. Only 5:38 of this level remains. Join PokerNews for updates from this exciting format.

Event #86: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts

Alex Keating Bags Big on Day 1a of the $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship

The first of two flights of Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship took place today. It saw 1,215 players enter but only 367 bag chips after ten levels of play. Michael Wilklow topped the counts with 506,500 chips.

If Wilklow's name rings a bell, it's because he won the $1,000 Mystery Millions event that opened the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $1 million. Wilklow evidently has a knack for large-field tournaments and is certainly one to watch as this tournament progresses.

Also finishing in the flight's top ten chip counts was Zdenek Zizka (352,000), the backgammon Grandmaster who recently won the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event for his first bracelet and $232,498.

Alex Keating (338,000) also bagged a top ten stack as he chases down his fourth cash of the summer and his second career bracelet. Keating captured his bracelet two years ago in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em event.

Dozens of elite-level players chose Day 1a of this event to start their quest for yet more glory. Upeshka De Silva (200,000), Nicholas Palma (188,500), Davidi Kitai (185,500), Mike Matusow (175,000), and Robert Wells (175,000) all finished in the top third of the chip counts.

Also through are the likes of Jake Schwartz (154,000), five-time bracelet winner Adrian Mateos (150,500), Czech chatterbox Martin Kabrhel (126,500), former Main Event champions Martin Jacobson (99,500), Huck Seed (93,000), Jonathan Tamayo (85,000), and Stoyan Madanzhiev (58,000), along with Patrick Leonard (87,000), Faraz Jaka (40,000), and Eric Baldwin (29,000).

Day 1b is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. local time on July 10. The flight follows the same structure as Day 1a, except the field is expected to be even larger. PokerNews' traditional coverage starts on Day 2 on July 11.

Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts

What to Expect on Day 45 of the 2025 WSOP

Five tournaments will fill the vast tournament areas of the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas on July 10, the 45th day of the series.

At 11:00 a.m. local time, Day 2 of Event #86: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha shuffles up and deals. Some 792 players return to their seats, and play is meant to continue until a champion is crowned.

Noon sees Day 5 of the Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship begin, with the 522 returning players hoping to keep their Big Dance dreams alive.

As the Main Event resumes, Day 2 of Event #88: $50,000 High Roller kicks off and we will get to see which well-heeled players have decided to buy into this event fashionably late.

Then at 2:00 p.m. local time, Day 1b of Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship gets underway, which could see 2,000 or more players enter the mix.

Two new events enter the arena on July 10, starting with Event #90: $777 Lucky 7's, which kicks off at 10:00 a.m. local time. With a $777,777 top price for a $777 buy-in, this event will prove popular with recreational players and professional grinders alike. This is the first of three starting flights, with PokerNews' traditional live reporting starting from Day 2 on July 13.

Two hours later, at noon local time, Event #91: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha bursts into action. Last year saw Joseph Sanders come out on top of a 1,305-strong field to capture his first bracelet and $269,350.

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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• Tags WSOP25 Adrian Mateos Alex Keating Barbara Enright Chris Brewer Daniel Negreanu Davidi Kitai Faraz Jaka Greg Merson Huck Seed Jason Mercier Joao Simao John Monnette Jonathan Tamayo Michael Mirachi Patrick Leonard Mike Matusow Nick Pupillo Stoyan Madanzhiev
• Related Players Daniel NegreanuMike MatusowJason MercierHuck SeedDavidi KitaiFaraz Jaka