PNDC Updates Week 2 | 2025 WSOP PokerNews Deepstack Challenge

06-07-2025 19:00 UTC-8

The $600 PokerNews DeepStack Championship Returns to the WSOP

Calum Grant

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.

View the full blind structure here.

06-07-2025 20:00 UTC-8

Top Tips to Crush the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship at the 2025 WSOP

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Calum Grant

Looking for Deepstack Poker tips? PokerNews has got you covered. Evolve your game with the strategy in this article to start your journey to the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship,

06-07-2025 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.

06-08-2025 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

06-08-2025 11:15 UTC-8

How to Find the PokerNews Daily Deepstacks

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Calum Grant

06-08-2025 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

06-08-2025 12:15 UTC-8

Weber, Leideck & Wang Add Wins on Day 5 of PNDC Week 2

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Calum Grant

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

06-08-2025 13:00 UTC-8

Week 2 Winners Take Center Stage at PokerNews Deepstack Challenge

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Calum Grant

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

06-08-2025 14:00 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

06-08-2025 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!