Hoenig, Smith, and Sternheimer Return for an Extra Day to Crown $10,000 Dealers Choice Champion
The $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship is one of the toughest, most talent-packed, and prestigious titles on the 2025 World Series of Poker schedule. One of three players will have the honor of making it their first gold bracelet when Event #18 goes to an extra Day 4 at 1 p.m local time.
Ryan Hoenig, Dylan Smith, and Philip Sternheimer couldn’t settle the champion yesterday and will return to battle for the bracelet. Hoenig is the chip leader for the third straight day with 4,995,000 and seeks the rare accomplishment of going wire-to-wire, while Smith is in second place with 2,220,000. Sternheimer follows behind with 1,910,000.
Final Three Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Hoenig | United States | 4,995,000 | 25 |
| 2 | Dylan Smith | United States | 2,220,000 | 11 |
| 3 | Philip Sternheimer | United Kingdom | 1,910,000 | 10 |
The three players have a combined 10 WSOP final tables and nearly $10 million in live earnings between them, but they are all looking to capture WSOP gold for the first time today. Hoenig has come the closest, finishing runner-up in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event in 2023. Smith has never made it this far in a WSOP event before, but he did make the final table of the $50,000 Poker Players Championship last year. Sternheimer was last in the top three of a WSOP event 12 years ago.
Final Table Results/Remaining Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $354,444 | ||
| 2 | $230,374 | ||
| 3 | $154,460 | ||
| 4 | Dario Alioto | Italy | $106,935 |
| 5 | Matthew Vengrin | United States | $76,525 |
| 6 | Brandon Cantu | United States | $56,671 |
The action picks up on Level 25 with no-limit blinds of 25,000/50,000 and limits of 100,000/200,000. A total of 152 of the top names in the poker world began the tournament four days ago, but there can only be one mixed-game master at the end.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the coverage leading up to the crowning of a champion.