Event #2: $500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold'em
Day 1 Started
2025 World Series of Poker
Event #2: $500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 1
Event Info
2025 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
Buy-in
$500
Prize Pool
$379,310
Entries
914
Level
30
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
160,000
Entries
914
Players Left
138
Players Left 1 / 914
Filter
(1)
Welcome back to PokerNews, the official media partner of the 2025 World Series of Poker and home of live updates from all bracelet events.
Today sees the start of Event #2: $500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold'em here at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas. Previously called the Casino Employees event, a name change for 2025 now means that poker bloggers, vloggers and streamers are all eligible to play.
This has caused some controversy in the months leading up to the 2025 WSOP, but that's all in the past now as the series has begun.
This two-day event gets underway at 2 p.m. local time, with late registration open for nine 40-minute levels, and one reentry is allowed. There will be 15-minute breaks every three levels, with a 60-minute dinner break at the end of Level 9 (~8:30 p.m.).
The starting stack is 25,000 chips with the plan for Day 1 to play 15 40-minute levels or down to 15% of the field, whichever is later. For the surviving players, Day 2 resumes Wednesday, May 28, at 1 p.m. and plays down to a winner.
Last year’s event was the one of the largest Casino Employees Events in history, with a field of 1,189 entries generating a prize pool of $499,380. The winner was Jose Garcia, who defeated Richard Rothmeier heads-up to win $79,134 and his first WSOP bracelet.
| Year | Entries | Winner | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,189 | Jose Garcia | United States | $79,134 |
| 2023 | 1,015 | Peter Thai | United States | $75,535 |
| 2022 | 832 | Katie Kopp | United States | $65,168 |
| 2021 | 419 | James Barnett | United States | $39,013 |
| 2020 | - | Not held | - | - |
| 2019 | 686 | Nicholas Haynes | United States | $62,345 |
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Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates from the tournament floor throughout the day and to find out who advances to Day 2!
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has officially launched its new WSOP+ app for the 2025 series in Las Vegas, promising to dramatically improve the player experience by reducing wait times and streamlining event access.
Available now for iOS and Android, the WSOP+ app allows players to pre-register for live events, skip lengthy registration lines, and receive real-time updates about seat availability through a virtual queue and push notifications. The app also becomes a central hub for all WSOP essentials, including event schedules, structure sheets, chip counts, rules, daily results, prize payouts, and more.
"WSOP+ will further elevate the WSOP experience for all of our players," said Ty Stewart, CEO of the World Series of Poker. "Not only can our community now save time and effort by registering in advance for their favorite tournaments, but the app will also showcase WSOP content and all of the important event information that participants are eager to have at their fingertips!"
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/100
Ante: 100
Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
Cards are in the air for Event #2: $500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold'em.
Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
||
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
25,000 | |
Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
Mark Ayala opened the action with a raise to 600 from the button, and only Matthew Williams defended out of the big blind.
Both players checked the Q♦3♥7♥ flop to see the Q♠ roll off on the turn. Williams checked, and Ayala put out a bet of 600, which Williams called.
The Q♣ hit the river and Williams decided to lead out for 2,200. Ayala quickly folded, and Williams took down an early pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
26,500 | |
|
23,500 |
Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
The 2025 World Series of Poker is underway, and poker’s biggest and most prestigious festival is back in its now-familiar home on the Las Vegas Strip.
For the fourth consecutive summer, the great and good of the poker world will descend on the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, a venue that, despite being a relatively recent change, already feels like home for the game’s biggest names and dream-chasers.
PokerNews is here to give you a guide on things like:
- Parking at Horseshoe and Paris
- WSOP Tournament Rooms
- Las Vegas Hotels During the WSOP
- Where to eat at the WSOP
- and much more...
Level 1
: Blinds 100/100, 100 ante
Joshua Bodell made it 300 to go from early position before Lawrence Letourneau three-bet to 1,200 from the hijack. When it got back to Bodell, he called to see a flop.
On the A♣J♠5♠ flop, Bodell checked, and Letourneau fired out a continuation-bet of 600. Bodell flicked in the call.
Both players were happy to check down the A♠ turn and K♦ river. Letourneau turned over Q♥Q♣ for two pair, aces and queens with a king kicker to take down the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
27,000
27,000
|
27,000 |
|
|
23,200
23,200
|
23,200 |
19,000
Table 251Seat 4
