Level eight has started for the penultimate flight which currently shows 569 total entries and 450 players remaining. They have now reached blinds of 600-1,200 with a big blind ante 1,200 and the late registration is open for another two levels and following break.
Floor staff announced a few minutes ago that the field size for this flight will be capped at 600 entries.
Level: 8
Blinds: 600/1,200
Ante: 1,200
In the 909th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz wrap up coverage of the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) by highlighting Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, who not only won the 2025 WSOP Main Event for $10 million but was also snap-inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. It was a historic summer for The Grinder, and the crew gave him his just deserts.
They then talk about Shaun Deeb winning the WSOP Player of the Year for a second time, numbers from the summer, and late bracelet winners, including Andrew Ostapchenko, Daniel Zack, and Chad Eveslage. They also share final results from this year's 25K Fantasy Draft as well as the PokerNews Podcast draft involving Christina Gollins and Joey Ingram.
Meanwhile, news out of Las Vegas indicates poker chips can no longer be redeemed across competing properties, and there's a great high hand promotion at the Planet Hollywood Poker Room that players should know about. From there, it's over to the Venetian, including a big hand with Patrick Leonard from Venetian Poker Live, as well as Nico Betbese winning the WPT Venetian for $706K.
Finally, an update of all things PokerStars, including them parting ways with Barny Boatman, Silver Passes, Women's Summer Festival, and a look ahead to the EPT Barcelona.
In the 910th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz discuss the wild hand involving Corey Eyring and Randy "3Coin" Sadler from The Lodge Live Stream in which the former was put to ultimate test on the river for his entire net worth!
They then talk about Ian O'Hara making good and whether or not that should be celebrated, German streamer Jenzoou's extreme reaction to winning a $63k mystery bounty, and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi battling Martin Kabrhel on Venetian Poker Live. Plus, the return of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship and tournament wins by Sasha Sabbaghian in the $600 The Hendon Mob Mid-Major Championship, King at the latest Celebrity Poker Tour, and Mike Estes in the 2026 MSPT Iowa Poker State Championship, a tournament in which Chad took third place for $69k.
The crew also reveals the winner in our Pokerriculum giveaway, and then announces a new giveaway for a Silver Pass to the upcoming PokerStars NAPT in Las Vegas. You'll also get a sneak peek at the latest Life Outside Poker Podcast featuring Abby Merk and see highlights from the 17th Annual Ante 4 Autism charity event.
Finally, Chad and Kyna announce a brand new project - The MSPT Podcast Presented by PokerNews. That's right, the dynamic duo will be cohosting a brand new show that'll debut next week right here on PokerNews.
The inaugural 2025 WPT Prime Thailand Exhibition kicked off on July 31, 2025 on the sixth floor of the Emsphere Mall at UOB LIVE and the first event to get things started was THE OPENER which was held as a Freeroll with a THB 3 Million in Travel Funds sponsored by PokerTalk Thailand. They are hosting the government-approved live series in cooperation with WPTGlobal and provide social media content as well as live stream action in this first live poker event in the Kingdom of Thailand.
After the waiting lines had been solved on the opening day, the tournament attracted a total of 677 entries and it took another two tournament days to crown a champion. While many of the contenders were hailing from countries of the Asia-Pacific region, it was Swiss player Ilja Neuenschwander who overcame a large chip deficit in heads-up play against China's Junhao Jiang to become the first winner in a live poker tournament on Thai soil.
Neuenschwander received 550,000 Thai Baht in Travel Funds while Jiang had to settle for 360,000 THB. Other notables running deep in this event included Nikhil Kedia, Avi Cohen, Pratik Modi, Burin Shinawatra, Weijue Cai, and Vincent Chauve. The final table result can be found below.
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize in Travel Funds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ilja Neuenschwander | Switzerland | THB 550,000 |
| 2 | Junhao Jiang | China | THB 360,000 |
| 3 | Zhang Shaofeng | China | THB 268,000 |
| 4 | Nikhil Kedia | India | THB 200,000 |
| 5 | Bin Wu | China | THB 150,000 |
| 6 | Mikhail Potemkin | Russia | THB 115,000 |
| 7 | Charles Marques | United Kingdom | THB 88,000 |
| 8 | Avi Cohen | Israel | THB 68,000 |
| 9 | Pratik Modi | India | THB 54,000 |
| 10 | Bufan Meng | China | THB 54,000 |
The first-ever government approved major live poker tournament in the Kingdom of Thailand has already attracted 1,188 entries throughout two starting days at UOB LIVE and that attendance figures is expected to be boosted significantly on a sunny Sunday in the bustling metropolis of Bangkok. Many poker enthusiasts from near and far had been waiting for poker to become legal in the travel paradise and the Thai government recognised the card game as a sport a few days prior to the 2025 WPT Prime Thailand Exhibition Championship Event.
With the THB 37 Million guarantee in travel funds already surpassed, the success of the flagship tournament with a entry fee of THB 37,000 has exceeded the expectations and history will be written within the next few days in this special event hosted by PokerTalk Thailand and WPTGold.
At noon local time, the 70 tables of the vast tournament area will be filled to the brim as two starting days get underway. Day 1b will see 154 players out of 663 entries return to their seats for level 16 at blinds of 4,000-8,000 with a big blind ante of 8,000. Only 83 of them will reach the money and then bag up for the the day to return on Monday with a travel fund prize already locked up.
Day 1c kicks off at the same time with all players starting their journey on 40,000 in chips, good enough for 200 big blinds in the opening level. The late registration will be open for the first nine levels and following break with all levels lasting the same 20 minutes in order to comply with the current allowed gaming hours in the brand new legal Thai live poker market.
Last but not least, all those bowing out from Day 1c have one last chance as of 4 p.m. local time with Day 1d and both of the new flights today will conclude once their respective fields have been whittled down to the top 12.5% as well.
The initial PokerNews live updates will focus on the conclusion of Day 1b before switching to Day 1c, with all chip counts from the final flight and the Day 2 seat draw to be published later in the night. There will also be live stream action available on the PokerTalk Thailand social media platforms as well including cards-up coverage and multiple languages.
THB 37,000 Championship
Day 1cd Started
