2025 WSOP PokerNews Deepstack Challenge

Week 2 of the 2025 PokerNews Deepstack Challenge got underway on Tuesday, June 3, as another trio of Daily Deepstack events took center stage at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The new week opened with 1,524 combined entries across the $200, $250, and $400 tournaments, generating $325,840 in prize pools and paying out more than 230 places.

Three players—Atsushi Mineki, Ryan Flesch, and Eric Tibuni—each booked a win, earning cash, leaderboard points, and momentum as the second weekly sprint toward the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship began.

$250 Daily Deepstack

A total of 961 players packed the $250 event, making it one of the busiest fields so far in the PNDC. The prize pool reached $192,200, and 146 players made the money, with a $500 min-cash awarded.

The title went to Atsushi Mineki, a 54-year-old from Concord, California, who earned $28,124 after topping a deep and competitive final table. He defeated Emil Simonea (2nd – $19,797) and Scott Krentler (3rd – $14,164) to take the top spot, more than doubling his career earnings in the process.

Among the storylines: Robert Speechley and Julio Torres busted simultaneously on the bubble and split the $500 minimum payout. PokerNews alumni Brandon Bloom also made the money with a min-cash.

Final Table Results – $250 Deepstack

$400 Daily Deepstack

The $400 tournament drew 265 entries, generating an $87,450 prize pool with 40 players paid and a $812 min-cash.

The win went to Ryan Flesch, a 31-year-old low-stakes tournament grinder who recorded his 95th career cash and picked up $18,385 for the victory. Flesch defeated Sanjeev Kapoor (2nd – $12,500) and Christopher Robertson (3rd – $8,695) on his way to the title.

Final Table Results – $400 Deepstack

$200 Daily Deepstack

Rounding out the Day 1 schedule for Week 2, the $200 event welcomed 298 entries, creating a $46,190 prize pool with 45 players paid and a $405 min-cash.

The last player standing was Eric Tibuni, a 34-year-old from Las Vegas, who pocketed $9,402 for the win. Tibuni outlasted Dillon Ellis (2nd – $6,363) and Mark Heitz (3rd – $4,413), while also sharing the final table spotlight with Maria Tibuni, who finished 6th for $1,686.

Final Table Results – $200 Deepstack

With the Week 2 leaderboard now live, the race to earn a seat in the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship is officially underway, offering players another shot at points, prizes, and a place in the summer spotlight.

The first week of the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge at the 2025 World Series of Poker is officially in the books, and the leaderboard has been finalized. After seven days of intense daily tournaments, ten players have risen to the top and secured their complimentary seat to the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship bracelet event.

With strong showings across the $200, $250, and $400 Daily Deepstack events, these ten grinders earned the most points between May 27 and June 2 to claim a coveted spot in the championship event later this summer.

James Derosa leads the pack after a standout week, and he's joined by a diverse group of players who all put together consistent results to climb the leaderboard. From deep runs to outright wins, each of these players earned their ticket through steady volume and strong finishes.

PokerNews will contact each of the winners with instructions on how to redeem their seats for the upcoming championship.

Want to join them next week? The PokerNews Deepstack Challenge continues through June 30 with a new leaderboard each week. Play any of the eligible Daily Deepstack events at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., or 8 p.m. in Las Vegas, rack up points, and you could be joining the next group of winners heading to the bracelet event.

Click here to view the current leaderboard.

Week 1 of the 2025 PokerNews Deepstack Challenge wrapped on Monday, June 2, following seven days of steady turnout, competitive final tables, and over $1.89 million in total prize pools. Across 21 one-day tournaments, the series attracted 8,543 entries and awarded $335,069 to event winners.

With three events per day—priced at $200, $250, and $400—players had consistent chances to cash, build momentum, and earn leaderboard points in the first leg of this summer-long promotion.

The leaderboard will be updated later today, with the first ticket winners being announced, so stay tuned.

Standout Performances

• Jack Kizilarslan took down Monday’s $250 Deepstack, which drew 1,222 entries, the largest field of the week. He earned $33,475 after outlasting a deep final table that included Darrell Schauermann and Charles Deatherage.
• Nicholas Murray won the June 1 $400 event, earning $27,839 after topping a 474-player field.
• Jean Lescadres claimed $27,585 in Saturday’s $250 event, which saw 935 entries and a prize pool of $187,000.
• Lucas Jumalon, Marc Doring, and Dylan Mendes were among the players to collect wins on the final day of leaderboard eligibility.

Familiar Faces & Consistent Runs

• Koveh Waysei, who won a $400 event on May 28, added another cash later in the week to stay in the leaderboard conversation.
• James Derosa, a $250 winner early in the series, reached another final table to close out the week.
• Adel Jo, who made waves during the 2024 PNDC, returned with a final table finish in a $400 event on June 1.

Monday, June 2 marked the final day of Week 1 in the 2025 PokerNews Deepstack Challenge, and players turned out in force. Across three events, over 1,950 entries were recorded, more than $420,000 in prize money was distributed, and three new champions walked away with the biggest scores of their careers.

$250 Daily Deepstack — 1,222 Entries | $244,000 Prize Pool

The biggest field of the week came in Monday’s $250 Daily Deepstack, as 1,222 entries packed the tournament area to generate a $244,000 prize pool, with 185 players finishing in the money.

Emerging on top was Jack Kizilarslan, a 40-year-old restaurant owner and part-time poker pro, who earned $33,475 for the win, smashing his previous career-best score. Kizilarslan entered the day with just $9,087 in recorded live earnings, making this a major breakthrough.

$250 Deepstack Final Table Results

$400 Daily Deepstack — 362 Entries | $119,460 Prize Pool

The $400 edition drew another healthy turnout with 362 entries and a $119,460 prize pool. The win went to Lucas Jumalon, a 21-year-old student who earned $22,945, more than eclipsing his previous best live score of $12,620.

$400 Deepstack Final Table Results

$200 Daily Deepstack — 371 Entries | $57,505 Prize Pool

Germany’s Marc Doring, 31, took down the final $200 event of Week 1, defeating a 371-entry field for $11,009. It’s Doring’s first known U.S. tournament win and a strong start to his summer campaign.

$200 Deepstack Final Table Results

The $200 Daily Deepstack on Sunday, June 1 attracted 407 entries, generating a $63,085 prize pool as the 2025 PokerNews Deepstack Challenge neared the close of its opening week. The title went to Xiaoxiao Song, who earned $11,717 for the victory, his seventh recorded cash and one that pushed him over $100,000 in live tournament earnings.

While not his largest result to date, Song is building an impressive tournament résumé. Earlier this year, he finished 5th in a $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event at the 2025 PokerGO Tour PLO Series in Las Vegas for $47,700, and last November, he took 2nd in a $1,100 PLO event at the PGT Texas PLO Roundup in Houston for $35,875.

A total of 64 players made the money, with a rare three-way bubble burst involving Hari Sriniva Kamireddi, Tony Miller, and Daniel Craig. All three exited simultaneously and received $134 each in a split bubble payout.

Final Table Results

With Week 1 of the 2025 PokerNews Deepstack Challenge nearing its conclusion, Sunday’s $250 Daily Deepstack delivered one of the most well-attended events of the series so far. A total of 740 players entered the tournament, generating a $148,000 prize pool, with 111 players finishing in the money and a $504 min-cash.

The title went to Dylan Mendes, a 28-year-old player from France, who collected $23,338, nearly tripling his previous career-best score of $8,240. Coming into the event, Mendes had $31,790 in recorded live earnings, making this result a significant milestone.

Several familiar names made deep runs. James Derosa, who won a $250 Deepstack earlier in the series, added more PNDC leaderboard points with a seventh-place finish, earning $3,454. Koveh Waysei, champion of the May 28 $400 Deepstack, also cashed, finishing 85th to lock up another PNDC result.

The field also featured Maurice Hawkins (pictured), joint all-time WSOP Circuit ring leader (19), who placed 18th for $955.

Final Table Results

The penultimate day of Week 1 in the 2025 PokerNews Deepstack Challenge saw another strong turnout, as 474 players entered the $400 Daily Deepstack on Sunday, June 1. The event generated a $156,420 prize pool, making it one of the largest of the series to date.

Emerging victorious was Nicholas Murray, a 28-year-old poker professional from Belmont, Michigan, who collected $27,839 for the win. The result marks the biggest recorded cash of Murray’s live tournament career.

The final table featured a mix of first-time finalists and returning names, including Adel Jo (pictured), who made headlines during the 2024 series by winning a $250 Daily Deepstack and a PNDC ticket after defeating a 1,014-player field for $29,183. Jo placed sixth on Sunday, earning $5,349.

While the result is unlikely to push him into the top ten of the Week 1 leaderboard, a deep run on Monday, June 2, the final day of the weekly race, could put him back in contention.

Final Table Results

Saturday was another big day for poker in the PokerNews Daily Deepstacks. Large fields, huge payouts, and juicy action transpired at the Horseshoe Las Vegas.

Jean Lescadres, Michael Danley, and Steven Thompson won their respective tournaments and earned some value leaderboard points in the process. Let's take a look at how the action went down on May 31.

Jean Lescadres Wins the $250 Buy-In Daily

The deepstack action began, as always, with a $250 no-limit hold'em tournament. Although it was just the first event of the day, it brought out a massive crowd. How massive, you ask? Exactly 935 entrants, creating a prize pool of $187,000.

There were 141 players paid, but none received more money than the champion — Lescadres — who took home $27,585. He also claimed 811 leaderboard points. Lescadres beat Pierre Lewandowski, who won $19,441, heads-up to finish it off. Branden Miller took third place for $13,927, while Axel Reese got $10,121 for fourth place.

$250 PokerNews Daily Deepstacks Final Table Results

Michael Danley Ships the $400 Event

The second deepstack of the day cost $400 to enter, and it attracted 351 entries, 52 cashed. The pot hit $115,830, one of three six-figure prize pools on the day.

Danley came out victorious late in the night when play concluded. He received $22,486 and 764 leaderboard points for the win. Second place went to Andrew Huey for $15,539. Bahman Ataeianfar finished in third place for $10,946. Aaron Lettieri busted in fourth place for $7,853.

$400 PokerNews Daily Deepstacks Final Table Results

Steven Thompson for the Win in the Nightcap

There's always one final event of the day, and it tends to attract some big fields. The May 31 version of the $200 no-limit hold'em tournament was no different. There were 408 entries in this one, with 62 getting paid at least $400.

Thompson was the final player still standing at the end, and he earned $11,768 and 708 leaderboard points. The victory included a heads-up win over Xinli Ye, who claimed $8,015. Dennis Pratt was in third place for $5,587, and Simon Britton was the fourth place finisher for $3,976.

$200 PokerNews Daily Deepstacks Final Table Results

Congratulations are in order to three skilled poker players — Edgar Propst, Jacob Baumgartner, and Pierre-Alexandre Lessard — who captured PokerNews Daily Deepstacks titles on Friday at the Horseshoe.

The winners all had to weed their way through large fields, and their efforts paid off handsomely.

Edgar Propst Propels His Way to Victory in $250 Tournament

Action began on Friday with a $250 no-limit hold'em tournament that attracted 765 entrants, creating a $153,000 prize pool. When all was said and done, the only player who still had chips was Propst.

The champion took home $23,906 and earned 791 points on the PokerNews Daily Deepstacks leaderboard. Propst beat Raphael Gonzalez heads-up to finish it off. The runner-up received $16,698 as a consolation prize, while Brian Wood earned $11,874 for third place.

$250 PokerNews Daily Deepstacks Final Table Results

Jacob Baumgartner Ships the $400

The second tournament of the day was of the $400 buy-in variety. This was another huge field with 312 entrants, making the prize pool $102,960. Baumgartner came out victorious for a nice cool $20,673 and 753 points.

Liran Betito took second place for $14,345, followed by Yen-Tuan Chen in third place for $10,132.

$400 PokerNews Daily Deepstacks Final Table Results

Pierre-Alexandre Lessard Dominates the $200 Nightcap

The third and final tournament of the day cost $200 to enter. The field reached 317 entrants in this one, creating a prize pool of $49,135.

No one could bust Lessard on this night, and the win was worth $9,815 and 686 leaderboard points. There were some other big winners, including Nicholas Burnett (second place for $6,605), Jian Zhang (third place for $4,557), Katsumoto Sakaguchi (fourth place for $3,220), and Yangsong Kou (fifth place for $2,331).

That's a wrap on the May 30 results in the PokerNews Daily Deepstacks.

$200 PokerNews Daily Deepstacks Final Table Results

Tags: Edgar PropstJacob BaumgartnerPierre-Alexandre Lessard

Ready to show off your skills and compete for amazing prizes? The PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge is here from May 28 to June 24, and it’s your time to shine! Play in daily WSOP deep stack tournaments, earn points, and score fantastic rewards—including seats to the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship and some cool memorabilia.

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