Five-Time Bracelet Winner Yoon Off to a Flyer in $1,000 Mystery Millions
The first day of the 2025 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas, has officially come to a close, with the summer getting off to a flying start courtesy of the opening starting flight of Event #1: $1,000 Mystery Millions, now in the books.
This marks the fourth edition of the popular Mystery Millions tournament, which debuted in 2022 and has quickly become a fan favorite. Day 1a saw a bumper 1,329 entries, contributing $1,276,904 to the prize pool, with $569,700 earmarked for mystery bounty prizes.
After 22 levels, just 70 players bagged chips, and no one had more than Konstantin Held, who ended the night on top with 2,485,000 (62 big blinds). The German, a one-time bracelet winner, edged out five-time WSOP champion Brian Yoon, who bagged 2,410,000 (60 big blinds).
Rounding out the top five are Romanian grinder Narcis Nedelcu (2,335,000), the Czech Republic’s Zdenek Zizka (1,835,000), and Ryan Otto of New Zealand, another bracelet holder, who ended with 1,780,000.
Reigning champion Malcolm Trayner also managed to survive the flight, though he’ll have work to do with just 545,000 (13 big blinds) heading into Day 2.
A number of other bracelet winners also found a bag, including:
- Georgios Sotiropoulos
- Scott Bohlman
- Maxim Lykov
- Ori Hasson
- Renji Mao
- Darren Rabinowitz
- Weiran Pu
- Kevin Eyster
- Ran Koller
A total of 210 players made the money during Day 1a, with a min-cash worth $1,318. Some big names found a payday but won’t be returning, including 2024 WSOP Main Event Champion Jonathan Tamayo, Poker Hall of Famer John Hennigan, and 2022 WSOP Player of the Year Dan Zack.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Konstantin Held | Germany | 2,485,000 | 62 |
| 2 | Brian Yoon | United States | 2,410,000 | 60 |
| 3 | Narcis Nedelcu | Romania | 2,335,000 | 58 |
| 4 | Zdenek Zizka | Czech Republic | 1,835,000 | 45 |
| 5 | Ryan Otto | New Zealand | 1,780,000 | 44 |
| 6 | Sohale Khalili | United States | 1,755,000 | 43 |
| 7 | Leo Lombardozzi | France | 1,740,000 | 43 |
| 8 | Daniel Pearlman | United States | 1,735,000 | 43 |
| 9 | Jeffrey Extor | United States | 1,655,000 | 41 |
| 10 | Joe Gardenhire | United States | 1,425,000 | 35 |
Those who navigated Day 1a will return for Day 2 on Sunday, June 1, at 11 a.m. local time.
Players still hoping to make it to the mystery bounty stage have four more chances, with Days 1b through 1e running from May 28–31. Each starting flight begins at 10 a.m. and will wrap up after 22 levels.
As always, keep it locked on PokerNews, the official home for live updates, chip counts, and all the can't-miss moments from the 2025 WSOP.