PNDC Updates Week 1 | 2025 WSOP PokerNews Deepstack Challenge

05-31-2025 19:10 UTC-8

May 30 Results: Baumgartner, Lessard, and Probst Score Victories in PokerNews Daily Deepstacks!

Jon Sofen

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

Place	Player	Prize	Points
1	Edgar Propst	$23,906	791
2	Rafael Gonzalez	$16,698	395
3	Brian Wood	$11,874	356
4	Jan Matuny	$8,578	316
5	Donald Taylor	$6,297	297
6	Christopher Davis	$4,698	277
7	Fabian Urias	$3,564	237
8	Filip Rysl	$2,750	217
9	Gary Taylor	$2,158	198

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

Place	Player	Prize	Points
1	Jacob Baumgartner	$20,673	753
2	Liran Betito	$14,345	376
3	Yen-Tuan Chen	$10,132	339
4	Bishop Kennedy	$7,281	301
5	Matjaz Ferk	$5,325	282
6	Niall Duffy	$3,964	263
7	Jason Olenak	$3,006	226
8	Douglas Valenti	$2,321	207
9	Tyler Kolness	$1,827	188

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

Place	Player	Prize	Points
1	Pierre-Alexandre Lessard	$9,815	686
2	Nicholas Burnett	$6,605	343
3	Jian Zhang	$4,557	309
4	Katsumoto Sakaguchi	$3,220	274
5	Yansong Kou	$2,331	257
6	Bryan Frantz	$1,730	240
7	Cuong Ngo	$1,317	206
8	Eita Sakai	$1,029	189
9	Muzaffar Naim	$826	172

Tags: Edgar Propst Jacob Baumgartner Pierre-Alexandre Lessard

05-31-2025 21:00 UTC-8

Meet the PokerNews Deepstack Grinders Who Turned a Seat Into a Score

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Calum Grant

This summer at the WSOP, the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge gives everyday grinders a chance to shine. Play well in the daily $200, $250, $400 Deepstack events, rack up leaderboard points, and you could win a free seat to the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship.

Last year, eight leaderboard qualifiers made it count, not only earning their way into the Championship, but cashing in it too.

From first-timers to bracelet winners, here’s a look at the players who turned a daily grind into a WSOP payday.

Raymond Chiu

Finished 254th for $1,743
Topped the Week 1 leaderboard

Chiu came out swinging, winning back-to-back daily Deepstacks and rode that momentum into the Championship. He was the first qualifier to lock up a seat and one of the first to cash.

William Plitz

Finished 142nd for $2,458
Week 1 – 2nd place on the leaderboard

Plitz’s run started with a win in the May 30 daily, which also happened to be his biggest live score ever ($6,475). He backed it up with another deep run in the Championship. Safe to say he made the most of the PNDC.

Georgios Skarparis

Finished 468th for $1,261
Week 1 – 9th on the leaderboard

With $1.45 million in live earnings and a WSOP Mini Main title to his name, Skarparis is no stranger to success. Even with all that experience, he still came out for the daily Deepstacks and cashed again in the Championship.

Kenny Hsiung

Finished 71st for $4,432
Week 3 – 6th place

Hsiung, who won a WSOP bracelet in 2012, proved he’s still got the chops. He was the highest-finishing leaderboard qualifier in the Championship.

Michael Lin

Finished 673rd for $1,201
Week 3 – 10th on the leaderboard

Lin made the final table of the 2022 Deepstack Championship, and while this year’s run didn’t go quite as far, he still bagged another cash. A quiet, consistent presence on the felt.

Artur Stepanyan

Finished 289th for $1,743
Week 4 – 8th place

A breakout moment for Stepanyan, who turned a top-10 finish in Week 4 into a solid run in the Championship. It was only his second ever WSOP cash, not bad for someone still early in their WSOP journey.

Michael Beattie

Finished 224th for $1,936
Week 4 – 9th place

Beattie has over $300K in live earnings and knows how to find a payday. He added another cash prize to the pile from the PokerNews Deepstack Championship.

Hsing-Hsiung Tai

Finished 464th for $1,261
Week 4 – 10th place

No big headlines or flashy scores, just a solid grind from Tai, who turned his final qualifying spot into a Championship cash.

06-01-2025 10:30 UTC-8

Play the PokerNews WSOP Daily Deepstacks

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Calum Grant

Get ready for some extra excitement leading up to the PokerNews DeepStack Championship with the PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge! Running from May 27 to June 30, this weekly leaderboard promotion rewards players participating in the daily $200, $250, or $400 deepstack tournaments at the WSOP. Rack up points with each game, because points mean prizes!

Every week, the top 10 point earners will win complimentary seats to the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship.

Stay updated and motivated with PokerNews' dedicated hub page for the Daily Deepstacks. Here, we'll highlight all the winners, provide regular leaderboard updates, and ensure every player's journey and achievements are recognized and celebrated.

There's also some cool memorabilia up for grabs for our Deepstack final tablists and winners. Make it to the final table, and you'll receive a special edition card protector. Deepstack winners will get a unique card protector, marking them as champions.

Join the fun, climb the leaderboard, and earn your bragging rights in the PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge!

PokerNews Deepstack Challenge Leaderboard Dates

Date	Week	Prize
May 27 - June 2	1	10 Seats to PokerNews Deepstack Championship
June 3-9	2	10 Seats to PokerNews Deepstack Championship
June 10-16	3	10 Seats to PokerNews Deepstack Championship
June 17-23	4	10 Seats to PokerNews Deepstack Championship
June 24-30	5	10 Seats to PokerNews Deepstack Championship

06-01-2025 11:15 UTC-8

How to Find the PokerNews Daily Deepstacks

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Calum Grant

06-01-2025 11:30 UTC-8

$250 WSOP Daily Deepstack 1 p.m. Info and Structure

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Calum Grant

Kick off your day with some poker excitement! The opening Daily Deepstack of the day starts at 1 p.m. and promises a thrilling single-day event. With a $250 buy-in, you'll get a solid 25,000 starting stack to work with.

For the latecomers, late registration is open until the start of Level 9, and you can jump back in with unlimited reentries. Each level runs for 30 minutes, with 15-minute breaks sprinkled throughout the day, and a longer 30-minute break after Level 12 to recharge.

Blinds start at 100/100, with the big blind ante in play right from the start. Get ready to shuffle up and deal!

Level	BB Ante	Blinds	Breaks
1	100	100-100
2	200	100-200
3	300	200-300
4	400	200-400	15 Minute Break
5	600	300-600
6	800	400-800
7	1,000	500-1,000
8	1,200	600-1,200	Remove 100 Chips (20 Minute Break)
9	1,500	1,000-1,500
10	2,000	1,000-2,000
11	3,000	1,500-3,000
12	4,000	2,000-4,000	Remove 500 Chips (30 Minute Break)
13	6,000	3,000-6,000
14	8,000	4,000-8,000
15	10,000	5,000-10,000
16	16,000	8,000-16,000	Remove 1,000 Chips (15 Minute Break)
17	20,000	10,000-20,000
18	30,000	15,000-30,000
19	40,000	20,000-40,000
20	60,000	30,000-60,000	Break (15 Minute Break)
21	80,000	40,000-80,000
22	100,000	50,000-100,000
23	150,000	100,000-150,000
24	200,000	100,000-200,000	Break (15 Minute Break)
25	300,000	150,000-300,000
26	400,000	200,000-400,000
27	600,000	300,000-600,000
28	800,000	400,000-800,000	Break (15 Minute Break)
29	1,000,000	500,000-1,000,000
30	1,500,000	1,000,000-1,500,000
31	2,000,000	1,000,000-2,000,000
32	3,000,000	1,500,000-3,000,000

06-01-2025 13:00 UTC-8

Responsible Gaming Resources

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Calum Grant

At PokerNews, we're committed to promoting responsible gaming. We encourage all our readers to play responsibly and within their means.
Visit our dedicated safer gaming hub for more information about safe and responsible gaming.

06-01-2025 14:30 UTC-8

Get Ready for the 4 p.m. $400 Daily Deepstack

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Calum Grant

Get ready for some poker action! The second Daily Deepstack of the day shuffles up and deals at 4 p.m. This single-day extravaganza comes with a $400 buy-in, giving you a hefty 30,000 starting stack to play with.

Feeling adventurous? Late registration is open until the start of Level 9, around 7:35 p.m., and you can reenter as many times as you like. Each level is a quick 20 minutes, with plenty of 15- and 20-minute breaks to catch your breath and strategize.

Blinds kick off at 100/100, and the big blind ante is in play from the get-go.

Level	BB Ante	Blinds	Breaks & Notes
1	100	100-100
2	200	100-200
3	300	200-300
4	400	200-400
5	600	300-600
6	800	400-800	Remove 100 Chips (20-Minute Break)
7	1,000	500-1,000
8	1,500	1,000-1,500
9	2,000	1,000-2,000	Remove 500 Chips (15-Minute Break) (Reg. ends)
10	3,000	2,000-3,000
11	4,000	2,000-4,000
12	6,000	3,000-6,000
13	8,000	4,000-8,000
14	10,000	5,000-10,000
15	16,000	8,000-16,000
16	20,000	10,000-20,000	Remove 1,000 Chips (15-Minute Break)
17	30,000	15,000-30,000
18	40,000	20,000-40,000
19	60,000	30,000-60,000
20	80,000	40,000-80,000
21	100,000	50,000-100,000
22	150,000	100,000-150,000	Break (15-Minute Break)
23	200,000	100,000-200,000
24	300,000	150,000-300,000
25	400,000	200,000-400,000
26	600,000	300,000-600,000
27	800,000	400,000-800,000
28	1,000,000	500,000-1,000,000	Break (15-Minute Break)
29	1,500,000	1,000,000-1,500,000
30	2,000,000	1,000,000-2,000,000
31	3,000,000	1,500,000-3,000,000
32	5,000,000	2,000,000-5,000,000

06-01-2025 15:00 UTC-8

Looking for the Best Daily's in Town?

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Calum Grant

06-01-2025 16:30 UTC-8

Join the Fun: PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge Leaderboard

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Calum Grant

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.

Want to see how you’re doing? Track your progress, check out the latest standings, and get all the updates on our leaderboard page. Click the link below to dive into the action!

Check Out the Leaderboard Now!

PokerNews Deepstack Championship FAQs - 6 p.m.

What is the buy-in for the PokerNews Deepstack Championship?

The buy-in for the PokerNews Deepstack Championship event at the 2025 WSOP is $600 - among one of the lowest buy-ins in the Series. We looked to give low-stakes grinders an opportunity to win their way to a coveted WSOP bracelet, and the $600 entry fee is both affordable and offers the chance to win big money from an expected large prize pool.

When is the PokerNews Deepstack Championship?

The PokerNews Deepstack Championship event will be held between July 1-4, 2025. It's the 78th event in the 2025 WSOP.

Where is the PokerNews Deepstack Championship?

The PokerNews Deepstack Championship will be held in a new, vibrant venue near the Horseshoe poker room, Las Vegas.

How Can I Play the PokerNews Deepstack Championship?

Like any other event at the Series, to play the PokerNews Deepstack Championship, simply register from one of the multiple registration desks at the venue.

What is the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge?

The PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge is a leaderboard promotion running from May 27 to June 30. Players participating in the daily $200, $250, or $400 deep stack tournaments at the WSOP will earn points. The top 10 point earners each week will receive complimentary seats for the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship.

What is the leaderboard system?

The leaderboard system will follow the same formula used for the WSOP Player of the Year