2025 WSOP PokerNews Deepstack Challenge
PNDC Updates
Week: 3
Players Left 218 / 218
Filter
(1)
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!
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
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.
| Level | BB Ante | Blinds | Breaks / Chip Removals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 100-100 | |
| 2 | 200 | 100-200 | |
| 3 | 300 | 100-300 | |
| 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 | 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 | 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 | |
| 33 | 6,000,000 | 3,000,000-6,000,000 | |
| 34 | 8,000,000 | 4,000,000-8,000,000 |
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.
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.
The final day of Week 3 of the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge wrapped in style, delivering the second-largest $250 Daily of the summer and pushing the week’s entry total to 8,485, with $2,101,300 in prize pools and $321,436 awarded to winners.
Monday’s trio of champions included a seasoned grinder, a rising star, and a poker-playing retiree who claimed her biggest score to date.
$250 Daily Deepstack
Highland, Illinois’ Una Kelly topped a 1,149-player field in the $250 Deepstack, earning $32,056, the largest result of her poker career. The 64-year-old retiree picked up her fourth live tournament win and second of 2025, besting a final table that included Ofer Sisso (2nd - $22,684), Joseph Labiosa (3rd - $16,327), and Susan Purdie (5th - $8,810).
Kelly’s win continues a strong run at the WSOP after she placed 17th in the 2024 PokerNews Deepstack Championship.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Una Kelly | $32,056 |
| 2 | Ofer Sisso | $22,684 |
| 3 | Joseph Labiosa | $16,327 |
| 4 | Maksim Chirva | $11,911 |
| 5 | Susan Purdie | $8,810 |
| 6 | Tamer Salama | $6,607 |
| 7 | William Anderson | $5,026 |
| 8 | John Lombardo | $3,878 |
| 9 | Christopher Hall | $3,036 |
$400 Daily Deepstack
Fresh off bracelet success in 2024, Alen Bakovic added another victory to his resume by taking down the $400 Daily for $20,881. The Bosnian-born, Canada-based pro outlasted 317 players to claim his largest score of the 2025 WSOP. He’s already cashed in two bracelet events this summer, the $600 Deepstack and $1,500 Limit Hold’em, but Monday marked his first win of the summer.
Bakovic's career-best came at last year’s WSOP, when he won the $600 NLH/PLO Deepstack for $207,064, and he’ll be a player to watch if he jumps into the PokerNews Championship at the end of the month.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alen Bakovic | $20,881 |
| 2 | Patrick Rogers | $14,274 |
| 3 | Takashi Mizukami | $9,970 |
| 4 | Ronan Sweeney | $7,110 |
| 5 | Arno Thuy | $5,180 |
| 6 | Jonathan Fuhrman | $3,856 |
| 7 | Yuan Yu | $2,936 |
| 8 | Felix Martel | $2,286 |
| 9 | Jair Beltran | $1,822 |
$200 Daily Deepstack
In the final event of the day, 21-year-old crypto professional Garry Gurevich secured his first known tournament victory, taking down the $200 Deepstack for $8,749. Gurevich outlasted a 270-entry field and a final table featuring Matthew Turner (2nd - $5,853), Jose Medina (3rd - $4,023), and Federico Rinaldi (9th - $736).
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garry Gurevich | $8,749 |
| 2 | Matthew Turner | $5,853 |
| 3 | Jose Medina | $4,023 |
| 4 | Fady Khabbaz | $2,836 |
| 5 | Ronnie Tate | $2,051 |
| 6 | Ryu Chaehun | $1,523 |
| 7 | Jorge Galarza | $1,162 |
| 8 | Sergei Saakian | $911 |
| 9 | Federico Rinaldi | $736 |
The third week of the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge concluded in emphatic fashion on Monday, with Dominique Terzian edging out Amanda Soscia in a dramatic final-day finish to claim the top spot on the leaderboard.
With 8,485 total entries and $2,101,300 in prize pools across 21 events, Week 3 officially became the most attended and highest-paying leg of the series so far.
Terzian, a 61-year-old real estate professional from France, picked up a crucial cash in Monday’s $200 event to close the week with 1,133 points and secure his seat in the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship. His week included four standout performances, a victory in Sunday’s $200 event, a third-place finish earlier in the week, and two additional deep runs.
Amanda Soscia finished just 40 points behind on 1,093, capping off an impressive campaign that included four cashes, a win in Sunday’s $400 event, and a second final table appearance. The 24-year-old marketing professional from Tampa, Florida only began recording live results in April but has quickly become one of the breakout stars of this year’s series.
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominique Terzian | 1133 |
| 2 | Amanda Soscia | 1093 |
| 3 | Joshua Feiger | 871 |
| 4 | Dong Ji | 850 |
| 5 | Una Kelly | 832 |
| 6 | Jeffrey Eisenbeis | 819 |
| 7 | Conrad Co | 810 |
| 8 | Simon Fowler | 793 |
| 9 | Alen Bakovic | 790 |
| 10 | Arash Asadabadi | 775 |
Joshua Feiger finished third in the standings after taking down Thursday’s $250 event for $24,858 and adding a second deep run to reach 871 points. Dong Jun Ji placed fourth with 850 points after winning Wednesday’s $250, his first tournament win in over three years. Closing out the top five was Una Kelly, who vaulted up the standings after capturing Monday’s 1,149-entry $250 for $32,056, her largest live score and fourth recorded tournament victory.
Just behind them were Jeffrey Eisenbeis, who topped the 1,015-entry $250 on Saturday; Conrad Co, winner of Friday’s $250; Simon Fowler, who kicked off the week with a win in Tuesday’s $250; and Alen Bakovic, who closed the series with a win in Monday’s $400 event. Bakovic, a Canadian-based Bosnian poker pro, added $20,881 to his resume and wrapped up the week on 790 points. Rounding out the top ten was Arash Asadabadi with 775, thanks to his Saturday win in the $400 event.
Those ten players officially qualify for the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship later this summer. Just outside the cutoff were several notable contenders, including Rebecca Trianosky, Robert Robinson, and David Maerten, who each put in strong performances but fell just short of the leaderboard threshold.
In total, $365,967 in first-place prizes was paid out to the 21 tournament winners, including standout performances from Nicole Schwartz, Garry Gurevich, and Tyler Boyer. But it was the consistent point-grinders—led by Terzian and Soscia—who ultimately defined the story of the week.
| Date | Buy-in | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, June 10 | $250 | 1004 | $200,800 | Simon Fowler | $29,081 |
| Tue, June 10 | $400 | 271 | $59,400 | John Petro | $13,956 |
| Tue, June 10 | $200 | 401 | $55,490 | David Maerten | $10,729 |
| Wed, June 11 | $250 | 914 | $182,800 | Dong Jun Ji | $27,124 |
| Wed, June 11 | $400 | 150 | $49,500 | Brian Mansfield | $12,179 |
| Wed, June 11 | $200 | 303 | $46,965 | Mike Pazuki | $9,504 |
| Thu, June 12 | $250 | 809 | $161,800 | Joshua Feiger | $24,858 |
| Thu, June 12 | $400 | 241 | $79,530 | Robert Robinson | $17,081 |
| Thu, June 12 | $200 | 247 | $38,285 | Tyler Boyer | $8,174 |
| Fri, June 13 | $250 | 931 | $186,200 | Conrad Co | $27,523 |
| Fri, June 13 | $400 | 234 | $77,220 | Scott Isaacs | $16,710 |
| Fri, June 13 | $200 | 260 | $40,300 | Jongju Park | $8,543 |
| Sat, June 14 | $250 | 1,015 | $203,000 | Jeffrey Eisenbeis | $29,300 |
| Sat, June 14 | $400 | 279 | $92,070 | Arash Asadabadi | $19,083 |
| Sat, June 14 | $200 | 221 | $34,255 | Nicole Schwartz | $7,540 |
| Sun, June 15 | $250 | 485 | $99,000 | Rebecca Trianosky | $17,435 |
| Sun, June 15 | $400 | 225 | $74,250 | Amanda Soscia | $16,342 |
| Sun, June 15 | $200 | 495 | $44,175 | Dominique Terzian | $9,119 |
| Mon, June 16 | $250 | 1,149 | $229,800 | Una Kelly | $32,056 |
| Mon, June 16 | $400 | 317 | $104,610 | Alen Bakovic | $20,881 |
| Mon, June 16 | $200 | 270 | $41,850 | Garry Gurevich | $8,749 |
PNDC Updates
Week 3 Completed
