2025 Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker
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Stephen Godfrey is becoming the defining storyline of the Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker at Planet Hollywood. The Californian grinder added a second trophy to his collection inside Planet Hollywood after triumphing in Event #5: $600 Pot Limit Big O.
Godfrey outlasted an 84 entry field to secure a $12,258 payday from the $43,140 prize pool. The victory comes just days after he won the $600 Limit Omaha 8 or Better and Stud 8 or Better mix, making this his second victory and fourth final table of the series.
With the win, Godfrey surged to 24,719 points at the top of the CMSOP leaderboard. His nearest challenger, Edward Spivack, sits at 12,875, giving Godfrey a lead of more than 10,000 points.
Spivack did add another small result to his total, finishing ninth for $1,302. It marked his third cash of the festival, but it was not enough to keep pace with Godfrey's runaway lead.
Series founder Allen Kessler recorded his second cash of the festival. He finished 13th for $1,225, joining a group of regular mixed game competitors who have been a consistent presence in the money throughout the first week.
Event #1 winner Qinghai Pan also cashed, picking up $1,225 for tenth place. Pan has quietly put together a strong start to the festival with multiple cashes and remains inside the top five of the leaderboard.
Adam Walter and Leonard August — sitting third and fourth on the CMSOP leaderboard — did not add to their totals.
One of the biggest movers of the day was Thomas Taylor, who scored the runner-up finish for $7,856. The Canadian pro enjoyed an outstanding 2025 WSOP, cashing 17 times, and returned to CMSOP action with a performance that pushed him to sixth place on the leaderboard. Taylor now sits at 9,085 points and is within striking distance of the top five.
Event #5 Payouts
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Godfrey | $12,258 |
| 2 | Thomas Taylor | $7,856 |
| 3 | James Matz | $5,256 |
| 4 | Ziad Zebib | $3,677 |
| 5 | John Yu | $2,695 |
| 6 | Alfredo Aguino | $2,072 |
| 7 | Nicolas Milgrom | $1,683 |
| 8 | Anthony Reategui | $1,441 |
| 9 | Edward Spivack | $1,302 |
| 10 | Qinghai Pan | $1,225 |
| 11 | Robert Fisher | $1,225 |
| 12 | Joseph Hallock | $1,225 |
| 13 | Allen Kesler | $1,225 |
Next Up: $600 Mixed Triple Draw
The CMSOP continues on Friday, November 14, with a brand new Mixed Triple Draw event taking center stage. Action begins at 11 a.m. and players start with 40,000 chips and 30 minute levels.
The rotation includes five popular draw variants:
- A-5 Triple Draw
- 2-7 Triple Draw
- Badugi
- Badacey
- Badeucey
Late registration remains open for 12 levels, closing at approximately 6 p.m.
CMSOP Schedule
In the 925th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is once again joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow at Level 9 Studios to talk the latest stories in the poker world. That includes the massive $1.3 million pot from a special episode of High Stakes Poker, one that saw Alan Keating try to execute a huge bluff. Was it a valiant effort or an ill-timed move?
The trio also offers their thoughts on the topic of "Should poker tournaments start earlier?", which was being discussed on social media by Seth Davies and Jason Koon. Speaking of the latter, you'll get to see highlights from 'All In with Jason Koon' from the 2025 PokerStars NAPT, as well as a look at Comedy Night with Joe "Stapes" Stapleton and RunGood Trivia Night with Boston Rob Mariano and Tyson Apostol of Survivor fame. Chad actually caught up with the two reality TV legends for a poker trivia game of his own.
In other NAPT news, Jeremy Ausmus beat quad aces with a Royal Flush, Nikolai Mamut defeated TJ Reid to win the NAPT PokerStars Open, and Stephen Chidwick, Cherish Andrews, and Raena Janes all took down titles. Finally, get a preview of upcoming stops, including the next Hendon Mob Championship in Cape Town and the RGPS Grand Prix San Diego
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With four events now complete, the CMSOP is showing a healthy and consistent buzz for mixed games inside Planet Hollywood. Across the opening stretch, the series has attracted 289 total entries, generating $106,605 in prize pools, with $37,731 paid out to event winners.
Fields have been performing well by Vegas standards and have been reliably strong across every format, with each event drawing between 61 and 82 entries. There's plenty of clear signs that the appetite for mixed games remains alive and well.
Here's a look at the series so far:
- Qinghai Pan opened the series with a $7,380 win in $600 Limit Omaha 8 or Better (68 entries).
- Stephen Godfrey followed with a $7,701 victory in $600 O8/Stud 8 (61 entries).
- Leonard August topped the largest field so far, winning $11,000 in $600 H.O.R.S.E. (82 entries).
- Edward Spivack continued the momentum by claiming $11,650 in $600 T.O.R.S.E. (78 entries).
Steady turnouts and "Chainsaw approved" structures have created a welcoming atmosphere through the first four events.
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $600 Limit Omaha 8 or Better | 68 | $35,020 | Qinghai Pan | $7,380 |
| $600 Limit Omaha 8 or Better / Stud 8 or Better | 61 | $31,415 | Stephen Godfrey | $7,701 |
| $600 Limit H.O.R.S.E. | 82 | $42,230 | Leonard August | $11,000 |
| $600 Limit T.O.R.S.E. | 78 | $40,170 | Edward Spivack | $11,650 |
Edward Spivack is putting together one of the hottest mixed-game run of his career, and it continued on Wednesday as he claimed victory in Event #4: $600 Limit T.O.R.S.E. at the Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker (CMSOP) inside Planet Hollywood.
Spivack picked up a min-cash in Tuesday’s $600 Limit H.O.R.S.E., then returned less than 24 hours later and went the distance in T.O.R.S.E.
His win over a 78-entry field earned him $11,650 from the $40,170 prize pool and vaulted him into the number one spot on the CMSOP leaderboard with 12,875 points.
It’s been a strong stretch for Spivack on the mixed-game scene. Before arriving in Las Vegas, he made three mixed-game final tables at EPT Malta, and now has two CMSOP cashes to take the 2025 total to 12. Spivack notched his second tournament win of the year, with only one of his results coming in No-Limit Hold’em.
Spivack denied Adam Walter the title heads-up, though Walter’s runner-up finish for $7,419 locked up his second straight final table appearance, moving him into third on the CMSOP standings with 11,009 points.
Meanwhile, H.O.R.S.E. winner Leonard August sits fourth with 11,000 points, with Kenneth Mapoy rounding out the top five.
The only notable name missing from the payouts was former leader Stephen Godfrey, whose perfect streak of cashing in every CMSOP event finally came to an end. He now sits second with 12,461 points.
Event #4 Payouts
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edward Spivack | $11,650 |
| 2 | Adam Walter | $7,419 |
| 3 | Jaeli Moron | $4,945 |
| 4 | Kathy Chang | $3,455 |
| 5 | Carol Anderson | $2,535 |
| 6 | Joseph Hallock | $1,960 |
| 7 | Craig Chait | $1,603 |
| 8 | Jose Paz-Gutierrez | $1,386 |
| 9 | Matthew Kohn | $1,386 |
| 10 | Jeff Madsen | $1,277 |
| 11 | Jeanne David | $1,277 |
| 12 | Hami Awad | $1,277 |
CMSOP Player of the Series Leaderboard Prizes
Players who cash in any CMSOP event will earn points toward the CMSOP Player of the Series (CMSOP) Leaderboard. Each dollar won equals one CMSOP point. For example, a $1,000 cash earns 1,000 points.
The top five performers will secure prizes, with the overall CMSOP champion pocketing $3,000 in cash. The runner-up takes home $2,000, while third through fifth place will claim WSOP Circuit entries and additional cash rewards.
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $3,000 Cash |
| 2nd | $2,000 Cash |
| 3rd | 2x $600 WSOP Circuit entries |
| 4th | $600 WSOP Circuit entry and $100 Cash |
| 5th | $600 WSOP Circuit entry |
Next Up: $600 Big O
The CMSOP rolls on Thursday, November 13, with the always-action-packed $600 Pot Limit Big O kicking off at 11 a.m. Players start with 40,000 chips and will navigate 30-minute levels throughout the day.
Late registration remains open for 13 levels, closing at approximately 6:30 p.m.
