Unknown Trio Tops the Field in $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed Showdown
Welcome back to the PokerNews coverage of Event #13: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed at the 2025 World Series of Poker, held at the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas.
A total of 2,354 entered on Day 1 building a prize pool of $3,124,935. Of those that entered, 354 made it into the money. The remaining 174 players have locked up $3,344, but they all have their eyes on the $414,950 winner's purse and that WSOP bracelet.
Day 2 chip leader is American poker player Forrest Blackwelder. Information about Blackwelder's poker career is limited, with only $525 in reported live tournament earnings. As the event progresses, further details about his playing style and career accomplishments may emerge. He bagged 987,000 chips, narrowly edging out Tetsuma Ishizu from Japan, who finished with 985,000.
Giuseppe Lomuscio sits in third place with 875,000. He's a poker player from Hackensack, New Jersey, who has been making notable strides in the live tournament scene. With total live earnings of $132,650, his most significant cash to date is a $95,256 for a runner-up finish in February 2025.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forrest Blackwelder | United States | 987,000 | 99 |
| 2 | Tetsuma Ishizu | Japan | 985,000 | 99 |
| 3 | Giuseppe Lomuscio | United States | 875,000 | 88 |
| 4 | Johan Schumacher | Belgium | 833,000 | 83 |
| 5 | Leonardo Rizzo | Brazil | 806,000 | 81 |
| 6 | Mikhail Zavoloka | Russian Federation | 799,000 | 80 |
| 7 | Joshua Stewart | United Kingdom | 799,000 | 80 |
| 8 | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | 788,000 | 79 |
| 9 | Shundan Xiao | China | 781,000 | 78 |
| 10 | Eric Firestone | United States | 768,000 | 77 |
Among the notables, Sandeep Pulusani leads this group with 656,000 chips. Uri Reichenstein follows with 490,000. The polarizing Martin Kabrhel is sitting on 278,000. Lastly, 2015 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe McKeehen bagged 151,000 chips.
Action will resume on Day 2 at 11:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, June 3, in the Horseshoe Red Section, where ten 60-minute levels are on the schedule.
The tournament will pick up at Level 18, with blinds at 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante. There will be a 15-minute break every two levels, and a one-hour dinner break will take place after Level 23 at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates and full coverage of this event and all the action from the 2025 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.