Cole, Lacoste & Chen Take Down Thursday Deepstacks
As Week 2 of the 2025 PokerNews Deepstack Challenge rolled into Thursday, three more champions were crowned in the $200, $250, and $400 Daily Deepstack events. A combined 942 entries generated $198,800 in prize money, with more than 135 players finishing in the money.
$250 Daily Deepstack
Florida’s Hunter Cole topped a 512-entry field in the $250 event, defeating Sagar Khatri heads-up to earn $17,921. The 25-year-old had just cashed in the $600 WSOP Deepstack Championship earlier this week (778th for $1,200) and followed it up by taking home his first PNDC title.
The prize pool hit $102,400, with 77 players making the money and earning at least the $504 min-cash. Justin Munoz rounded out the podium in third place for $8,757.
Final Table Results – $250 Deepstack
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunter Cole | $17,921 |
| 2 | Sagar Khatri | $12,403 |
| 3 | Justin Munoz | $8,757 |
| 4 | Taha Benhmama | $6,292 |
| 5 | Steven Nooralian | $4,602 |
| 6 | Mark Taylor | $3,428 |
| 7 | Myles Barker | $2,601 |
| 8 | Jonathan Frisch | $2,011 |
| 9 | Ryan Wince | $1,585 |
$400 Daily Deepstack
After finishing runner-up in the May 27 $400 Deepstack, Mark Lacoste returned to the top of the podium on Thursday by defeating a 170-entry field to win $13,327. The event paid 19 spots with a $833 min-cash, and Lacoste added to an already strong summer to push his live earnings near the $300K mark.
Jeremy Geist, former PokerNews live reporter, also made a run in this one—finishing 12th for $874.
Final Table Results – $400 Deepstack
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Lacoste | $13,327 |
| 2 | Joseph Molinari | $8,731 |
| 3 | Mihai Isar | $5,905 |
| 4 | Mackenzie Kraemer | $4,124 |
| 5 | Brian Dube | $2,977 |
| 6 | Andrew Hilliard | $2,224 |
| 7 | Rian Valenti | $1,721 |
| 8 | Carmelo Vasta | $1,382 |
| 9 | Christopher Alcindor | $1,153 |
$200 Daily Deepstack
The day’s closer saw 260 entries for a prize pool of $40,300, and it was 34-year-old Yen-Tuan Chen of Taiwan who secured the win and the $8,542 first-place payout. Chen outlasted a final table that included Rodrigo Gonzalez (2nd – $5,687) and Sandeep Pallampati (3rd – $3,894).
Forty players made the money, with payouts starting at $405.
Final Table Results – $200 Deepstack
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yen-Tuan Chen | $8,542 |
| 2 | Rodrigo Gonzalez | $5,687 |
| 3 | Sandeep Pallampati | $3,894 |
| 4 | Aaron Thomas | $2,737 |
| 5 | Caroline Schallock | $1,977 |
| 6 | Mason Carroll | $1,468 |
| 7 | Michael Eldridge | $1,122 |
| 8 | Steven Christopher | $883 |
| 9 | Ian Cohen | $717 |