2025 WSOP Day 43: Punnat Punsri Shines in the PLO Mystery Bounty as Main Event Reaches Day 3
The Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas were full to bursting on Day 43 of the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) as the $10,000 Main Event again took center stage. Day 3 of Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship began with 3,453 players hunting down the $10 million top prize. It ended with only 1,476 of those hopefuls bagging up chips.
Japan's Shotaro Kobayashi (1,971,000) has the honor of being Day 3's chip leader. He is closely followed by the 2024 WSOP Europe Main Event champion Max Neugebauer (1,928,000) and Frenchman Sam Jakubowicz (1,800,000).
Catch up with what went down on Day 3 of the Main Event in our detailed recap of the action.
Event #87: $5,000 Super Turbo Bounty crowned its champion just as it seemed like an additional day would be required. This one-day event saw 1,283 players buy in, and with play starting at 2:00 p.m. local time, it was always going to be a tall order to get finished at a reasonable time; perhaps it will have a 10:00 a.m. start in 2026? Regardless, Netanel Stern came out on top for their first bracelet and $618,377, some 16 hours after play began.
Punsri Excels on Day 1a of the $1,000 Mystery Bounty PLO
Day 1a of Event #86: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha attracted 2,171 players to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, but only 325 of those starters bagged chips after the completion of 12 levels. A whole host of stars decided to enter this event deep into the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) schedule, including some of the game's heavy hitters.
Washington State's Casey Wassell (1,135,000) was one of only two players to bag up a seven-figure stack. Igor Zektser (1,087,000), who recently won the $1,500 Big O event, was the other.
Thailand's all-time leader in the money listings, Punnat Punsri (760,000), finished in the top ten of the overnight chip counts. Punsri has more than $25 million in live poker tournament earnings. The $25K Fantasy Draft pick has six cashes this summer, including a third-place finish in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout and the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed events.
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Several high-profile grinders punched their Day 2 tickets and will be looking to add to the collection of bracelets. Michael Moncek (655,000), Brandon Shack-Harris (648,000), Craig Varnell (630,000), Jason Daly (612,000), Mark Radoja (547,000), Richard Alsup (533,000), Sascha Wilhelm (520,000), and Thomas Skaggs (520,000) all finished with a top 40 stack.
Lower down the counts, but by no means out of contention, are such luminaries as Xixiang Luo (401,000), Ryan Hughes (375,000), David Funkhouser (535,000), Yuval Bronshtein (320,000), Shawn Buchanan (262,000), Jason Somerville (234,000), five-time bracelet winner Robert Mizrachi (230,000), Andrew Kelsall (205,000), Patrick Leonard (181,000), and Adam Owen (47,000).
Day 1b shuffles up and deals at 10 a.m. local time on July 9, with those entrants also playing 12 levels. Day 2 begins at 11 a.m. local time on July 10, which is when PokerNews' traditional coverage of this event gets underway. We hope to see you then.
Event #86: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Oaha Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casey Wassell | United States | 1,135,000 | 227 |
| 2 | Igor Zektser | United States | 1,087,000 | 217 |
| 3 | Nelson Braga Chelini Per | United States | 917,000 | 183 |
| 4 | James Cheung | United Kingdom | 831,000 | 166 |
| 5 | Shen Liang | United States | 813,000 | 163 |
| 6 | Jack Moore | United Kingdom | 791,000 | 158 |
| 7 | Mykyta Pohorielov | United States | 774,000 | 155 |
| 8 | Punnat Punsri | Thailand | 760,000 | 152 |
| 9 | George Medrano | United States | 729,000 | 146 |
| 10 | Luis Vargas | Mexico | 713,000 | 143 |
Only 14 Players Remain in the $600 Ultra Stack
After two long days of action, Event #85: $600 Ultra Stack has whittled its 7,057-strong field to only 14. Those 14 survivors returned to their seats on Day 3, knowing they were within touching distance of their first bracelet and a $355,110 top prize.
Eric Rabelas (82,000,000) holds the chip lead and is in pole position going into the final day. Rebelas has 14 big blinds more than Delano Jackson (54,500,000) in second place and 19 more than third-placed Blake Napierala (45,000,000).
All eyes will be on Zhengyu Guan (31,000,000) at the restart. Guan is the last female player n the field. Her 15 big blind stack places her sixth when play resumes.
Day 3 starts at 1:00 p.m. local time on July 9, and everyone is guaranteed $17,760. A final table appearance increases that prize to $35,610, and a six-figure haul awaits anyone finishing in the top five.
Event #85: $600 Ultra Stack Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Rabelas | United States | 82,000,000 | 41 |
| 2 | Delano Jackson | United States | 54,500,000 | 27 |
| 3 | Blake Napierala | United States | 45,000,000 | 22 |
| 4 | Eric Dillon | United States | 39,000,000 | 19 |
| 5 | Thai Dinh | Vietnam | 35,500,000 | 17 |
| 6 | Zhengyu Guan | United States | 31,000,000 | 15 |
| 7 | Riku Mieda | Japan | 25,000,000 | 12 |
| 8 | Justin Fawcett | United States | 21,500,000 | 10 |
| 9 | Jesse Cardoza | United States | 19,000,000 | 9 |
| 10 | Keegan Ripp | United States | 19,000,000 | 9 |
What to Expect on Day 44 of the 2025 WSOP
You'd think it would be all about the Main Event at this stage of the 2025 WSOP, but there are some other exciting events scheduled to play today. Of course, most people's primary focus will be on Day 4 of Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship, where 1,476 players return to their seats at 12:00 p.m. local time. Those returnees are only 15 eliminations away from the money bubble, so expect immediate excitement and drama.
Players in the Main Event will fight it out for another five 120-minute levels, with 20-minute breaks punctuating each level. A 75-minute dinner break is scheduled after Level 23, which should be around 6:40 p.m. local time.
Event #85: $600 Ultra Stack will crown its champion and award the $355,110 top prize. Nine of the remaining 14 players have a bracelet, so there's a lot at stake for them. Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time despite it only being 11 hours since Day 2 concluded.
Day 1b of Event #86: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha kicks things off at 10:00 a.m. local time. The first of this event's two flights saw 2,171 players reduced to a more manageable 325 over the course of 12 levels. Anyone wanting to start Day 2 with a top ten stack will have to accumulate more than 713,000 chips by the end of play.
Two more events kick off on July 9, starting with Event #88: $50,000 High Roller. Expect to see poker royalty enter this event from 12:00 p.m. local time. Last year, 178 players bought in and Jared Bleznick outlasted them all. His reward? $2,037,947 and his first WSOP bracelet.
Later in the afternoon, at 2:00 p.m. local time, the first of two flights in Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold'em begins. Frenchman Clement Richez came out on top in 2024, leaving 3,176 players in his wake as he got his hands on his first bracelet and $1,041,989.
