2025 WSOP PokerNews Deepstack Challenge

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2025 WSOP PokerNews Deepstack Challenge
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Time for a Night Cap in the 8 p.m. $200 Daily Deepstack

Calum Grant
Calum Grant
pndc
pndc

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.

LevelBB AnteBlindsBreaks / Chip Removals
1100100-100 
2200100-200 
3300100-300 
4400200-400 
5600300-600 
6800400-800Remove 100 Chips (20 Minute Break)
71,000500-1,000 
81,5001,000-1,500 
92,0001,000-2,000Remove 500 Chips (15 Minute Break) (Reg. ends)
103,0002,000-3,000 
114,0002,000-4,000 
126,0003,000-6,000 
138,0004,000-8,000 
1410,0005,000-10,000 
1516,0008,000-16,000 
1620,00010,000-20,000Remove 1,000 Chips (15 Minute Break)
1730,00015,000-30,000 
1840,00020,000-40,000 
1960,00030,000-60,000 
2080,00040,000-80,000 
21100,00050,000-100,000 
22150,000100,000-150,00015 Minute Break
23200,000100,000-200,000 
24300,000150,000-300,000 
25400,000200,000-400,000 
26600,000300,000-600,000 
27800,000400,000-800,000 
281,000,000500,000-1,000,00015 Minute Break
291,500,0001,000,000-1,500,000 
302,000,0001,000,000-2,000,000 
313,000,0001,500,000-3,000,000 
325,000,0002,000,000-5,000,000 
336,000,0003,000,000-6,000,000 
348,000,0004,000,000-8,000,000 

The $600 PokerNews DeepStack Championship Returns to the WSOP

Calum Grant
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.

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

Calum Grant
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

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
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
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
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
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
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
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.

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

Calum Grant
Calum Grant
pndc
pndc

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!

LevelBB AnteBlindsBreaks
1100100-100 
2200100-200 
3300200-300 
4400200-40015 Minute Break
5600300-600 
6800400-800 
71,000500-1,000 
81,200600-1,200Remove 100 Chips (20 Minute Break)
91,5001,000-1,500 
102,0001,000-2,000 
113,0001,500-3,000 
124,0002,000-4,000Remove 500 Chips (30 Minute Break)
136,0003,000-6,000 
148,0004,000-8,000 
1510,0005,000-10,000 
1616,0008,000-16,000Remove 1,000 Chips (15 Minute Break)
1720,00010,000-20,000 
1830,00015,000-30,000 
1940,00020,000-40,000 
2060,00030,000-60,000Break (15 Minute Break)
2180,00040,000-80,000 
22100,00050,000-100,000 
23150,000100,000-150,000 
24200,000100,000-200,000Break (15 Minute Break)
25300,000150,000-300,000 
26400,000200,000-400,000 
27600,000300,000-600,000 
28800,000400,000-800,000Break (15 Minute Break)
291,000,000500,000-1,000,000 
301,500,0001,000,000-1,500,000 
312,000,0001,000,000-2,000,000 
323,000,0001,500,000-3,000,000 

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

Calum Grant
Calum Grant
Daily Deepstacks
Daily Deepstacks

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.

LevelBB AnteBlindsBreaks & Notes
1100100-100 
2200100-200 
3300200-300 
4400200-400 
5600300-600 
6800400-800Remove 100 Chips (20-Minute Break)
71,000500-1,000 
81,5001,000-1,500 
92,0001,000-2,000Remove 500 Chips (15-Minute Break) (Reg. ends)
103,0002,000-3,000 
114,0002,000-4,000 
126,0003,000-6,000 
138,0004,000-8,000 
1410,0005,000-10,000 
1516,0008,000-16,000 
1620,00010,000-20,000Remove 1,000 Chips (15-Minute Break)
1730,00015,000-30,000 
1840,00020,000-40,000 
1960,00030,000-60,000 
2080,00040,000-80,000 
21100,00050,000-100,000 
22150,000100,000-150,000Break (15-Minute Break)
23200,000100,000-200,000 
24300,000150,000-300,000 
25400,000200,000-400,000 
26600,000300,000-600,000 
27800,000400,000-800,000 
281,000,000500,000-1,000,000Break (15-Minute Break)
291,500,0001,000,000-1,500,000 
302,000,0001,000,000-2,000,000 
313,000,0001,500,000-3,000,000 
325,000,0002,000,000-5,000,000 
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