2025 WSOP PokerNews Deepstack Challenge
PNDC Updates
Week: 2
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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
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!
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 |
With just two days remaining in Week 2 of the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge, fifteen winners have already secured victories across the $200, $250, and $400 Daily Deepstack events. From established pros to first-time champions, the second week of action has seen 5,331 entries, over $1.1 million in prize money, and several standout performances heading into Monday’s final slate.
The biggest single payout of the week so far belongs to Atsushi Mineki, who won $28,124 on Tuesday in the week’s largest field to date, a 961-entry $250 Deepstack. That same day, Ryan Flesch and Eric Tibuni also grabbed victories to open the week.
Among the other names, Kevin Iacofano and Mark Lacoste both picked up wins later in the week. Lacoste followed up his runner-up finish in Week 1’s opening $400 Deepstack with a first-place result on Thursday. Meanwhile, Zhun Wang, who’s already cashed in two WSOP bracelet events this summer, added a $200 Daily Deepstack title to his Vegas results on Saturday.
| Date | Buy-in | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, June 3 | $250 | 961 | $192,200 | Atsushi Mineki | $28,124 |
| Tue, June 3 | $400 | 265 | $87,450 | Ryan Flesch | $18,385 |
| Tue, June 3 | $200 | 298 | $46,190 | Eric Tibuni | $9,402 |
| Wed, June 4 | $250 | 540 | $116,100 | Kevin Iacofano | $18,629 |
| Wed, June 4 | $400 | 126 | $44,226 | Kyle Sullivan | $10,800 |
| Wed, June 4 | $200 | 219 | $43,800 | George Vigelette | $7,542 |
| Thu, June 5 | $250 | 512 | $102,400 | Hunter Cole | $17,921 |
| Thu, June 5 | $400 | 170 | $56,100 | Mark Lacoste | $13,327 |
| Thu, June 5 | $200 | 260 | $40,300 | Yen-Tuan Chen | $8,542 |
| Fri, June 6 | $250 | 548 | $109,600 | Michael Meza | $18,789 |
| Fri, June 6 | $400 | 149 | $49,170 | John Howe | $12,105 |
| Fri, June 6 | $200 | 284 | $44,020 | Christopher Dixon | $9,073 |
| Sat, June 7 | $250 | 513 | $102,600 | Ryan Weber | $17,951 |
| Sat, June 7 | $400 | 179 | $59,070 | Julien Leideck | $13,884 |
| Sat, June 7 | $200 | 307 | $47,585 | Zhun Wang | $9,564 |
Saturday, June 7 marked Day 5 of Week 2 at the 2025 PokerNews Deepstack Challenge, as three more winners emerged across the $200, $250, and $400 Daily Deepstack events. A combined 999 entries generated $209,255 in prize money, with each event awarding a full set of leaderboard points ahead of Monday’s crucial final push.
Ryan Weber, Julien Leideck, and Zhun Wang each took home first-place honors. For Weber and Wang, the wins add to already-established poker resumes, while Leideck notched what appears to be a breakout live result.
$250 Daily Deepstack
Ryan Weber, a 34-year-old business analyst from Las Vegas, topped a 513-entry field to win $17,951 in Saturday’s $250 Deepstack. The tournament paid 77 spots from a $102,600 prize pool.
Weber, whose career live earnings now exceed $47,000, added to a record that includes a previous best cash of $8,250. He defeated Kenneth Johnson heads-up, with James Macmillan finishing third.
Final Table Results – $250 Deepstack
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Weber | $17,951 |
| 2 | Kenneth Johnson | $12,427 |
| 3 | James Macmillan | $8,774 |
| 4 | Lucas Tae | $6,304 |
| 5 | Joel Gossett | $4,611 |
| 6 | Faizian Imran | $3,434 |
| 7 | Paul Welke | $2,606 |
| 8 | Abraham Pfeffer | $2,015 |
| 9 | Brett Reichard | $1,588 |
$400 Daily Deepstack
In the $400 event, 29-year-old Julien Leideck of France secured a career-best result, claiming $13,884 after outlasting a 179-player field. The engineer earned the win from a $59,070 prize pool, with 27 players making the money.
David Solomon finished runner-up for $9,133, and Sean Gillman placed third for $6,198.
Final Table Results – $400 Deepstack
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julien Leideck | $13,884 |
| 2 | David Solomon | $9,133 |
| 3 | Sean Gillman | $6,198 |
| 4 | Micah Cade | $4,338 |
| 5 | Francisco De La Rosa | $3,134 |
| 6 | Francis Bruce | $2,340 |
| 7 | Rhett Van Leeuwen | $1,807 |
| 8 | Anthony Cerha | $1,445 |
| 9 | Julian Constantin Menhardt | $1,199 |
$200 Daily Deepstack
Zhun Wang, a 36-year-old player from China, added a PNDC title to a growing resume that already includes two WSOP bracelet event cashes this summer in Omaha Hi-Lo and No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw. Wang earned $9,564 after defeating a 307-entry field in the $200 event.
The tournament paid 48 spots from a $47,585 prize pool. Wang now boasts over $66,000 in live earnings, with a previous best of $7,807.
Final Table Results – $200 Deepstack
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhun Wang | $9,564 |
| 2 | Brian Stroh | $6,509 |
| 3 | Caleb Bloomer | $4,531 |
| 4 | Japneet Chawla | $3,221 |
| 5 | Scott Brewis | $2,340 |
| 6 | Richard Gordon | $1,737 |
| 7 | Tanner Martinelli | $1,320 |
| 8 | Svetlana Javakhyan | $1,026 |
| 9 | Cecil Harms | $816 |
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 |
