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!
Calum GrantDaily DeepstacksWhat 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
Wrap up your day with some thrilling poker action! The final Daily Deepstack of the day kicks off at 8 p.m. as a single-day showdown. With a $200 buy-in, you'll start with a 20,000 stack of chips.
For those who like to make a dramatic entrance, late registration is open until the start of Level 6 (approx 10:20 p.m.), and you can reenter as many times as you want until then. Each level lasts 20 minutes, with plenty of 15-minute breaks throughout the evening.
Blinds start at 100/100, and the big blind ante is in play right from the start. If this event runs long, the tournament director reserves the right to suspend play and resume the following day.
The PokerNews DeepStack Championship returns to the World Series of Poker from July 1–4 at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
If you’re dreaming of winning a WSOP bracelet without a five-figure bankroll, this is your shot. The $600 buy-in event offers a deep 30,000-chip starting stack, a Main Event-style structure, and one re-entry. Day 1 levels are 40 minutes; Days 2–4 move to 60 minutes.
Last year’s event saw 5,110 entries and a $2.6 million prize pool. Hector Berry won the bracelet and $282,876.
Register in person at the WSOP main registration area or skip the lines with the WSOP+ app.
Want to win a seat? Enter the daily $200/$250/$400 DeepStacks between May 27 and June 30. The PokerNews DeepStack Challenge leaderboard awards 10 seats each week—50 in total.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Welcome back to the daily updates from the PokerNews Daily Deepstacks from the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
The latest Daily Deepstack tournaments have crowned their champions, with over $200,000 in prize money awarded across the three. The largest, as normal was the 540-player $250 Daily Deepstack, won by Kevin Iacofano, with Kyle Sullivan and XXX also winning Daily Deepstack titles on Wednesday, June 4.
Event
Field
Prizepool
$250 540 $116,100
$500 126 $44,226
$200 219 $43,800
$250 Daily Deepstack
WSOP Circuit ring-winner and two-time European Poker Tour final tablist Kevin Iacofano has added another accolade to his poker resume: a PokerNews Daily Deepstack title for $18,629.
He defeated Kenneth Rutledge heads-up, with Rutledge having to settle for $12,957. The $250 Daily Deepstack attracted 540 entries and paid out 81 places.
Final Table Results – $250 Deepstack
Place
Player
Country
Payout (USD)
1
Kevin Iacofano
United States
$18,629
2
Kenneth Rutledge
United States
$12,957
3
Senthuran Vijayaratnam
Canada
$9,185
4
Hamid Yasini
United States
$6,620
5
Kevin Kim
United States
$4,852
6
Steffen Bernhardt
Germany
$3,618
7
Tao Chu
Taiwan
$2,745
8
Flavio Guimaraes
Brazil
$2,120
9
Hugo Salayamauti
Brazil
$1,668
$400 Daily Deepstack
Kyle Sullivan came out on top of a 126-player field to win $10,800 in the $400 Daily Deepstack. Just 19 players were paid with Douglas Young picking up a min-cash of $833.
Sullivan defeated Askia Ingram heads-up, with Ingram adding $6,914 to the $9,000 they took home for winning the Orleans SUmemr Open $300 Monster Stack earlier this week.
Finishing third was Santiago Montes who took home $4,602. Montes cashed three times in the PokerNews Daily Deepstacks in 2024, and already has his first for 2025.
Final Table Results – $400 Deepstack
Place
Player
Country
Payout (USD)
1
Kyle Sullivan
United States
$10,800
2
Askia Ingram
United States
$6,914
3
Santiago Montes
United States
$4,602
4
John Feeney
United States
$3,188
5
Adam Greenlee
United States
$2,302
6
Shandy Clark
United States
$1,735
7
Lisa Armstrong
United States
$1,369
8
William Haramija
United States
$1,133
9
Yubin Wang
United States
$985
$200 Daily Deepsatck
The $200 Daily Deepstack didn't finish until gone 4 a.m. local time, but after cashing four times last year, George Vigelette picked up his first PokerNews Daily Deepstack title.
One of those results in 2024 was a runner-up finish for $ 6,886, but he's now surpassed that with the $7,542 he won tonight after outlasting a 219-player field and defeating Nint Hoo heads-up. Hoo is a Daily Deepstack regular, having cashed nine times in 2023 and 2024 combined. However, his $4,946 cash in this event was the largest of all.
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!
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.
PokerNews Prizes
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!
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!
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