Jason Wheeler Eyes Second Bracelet in $1,500 SHOOTOUT
Day 2 action has come to a close here in Event #20: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em SHOOTOUT at the 2025 World Series of Poker, hosted by the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas. Of the 150 runners who started the day, only 15 players will return for the third and final day on Friday. The remaining competitors will be battling it out for a piece of the $1,724,423 prize pool, with the first place prize of $267,373 going to the winner.
Jason Wheeler and Punnat Punsri headline the action heading into Day 3, with Wheeler chasing his second bracelet and Punsri gunning for his first. Wheeler finished off Jeffrey Hong by winning a flip with pocket tens against Hong's ace-queen in a dramatic runout. Punsri set the trap by limping the button with pocket aces and Vrezh Oganisyan took the bait.
Other notable players to win their matches and earn a seat into Day 3 include Michael Rossitto, Tzur Levy, Drew Oconnell, Duff Charette, and Jordan Westmorland.
Joshua Thomas Does it Again
In an incredible feat, Joshua Thomas steamrolled another table and was first to bag up for Day 3 after doing the same yesterday in Day 2. Thomas told PokerNews that much like yesterday, he picked up the chip lead early on in the day and retained it through to the very end. After only having played four hours today, Thomas will be well rested for tomorrow's championship day.
Notable Eliminations
Ryan Otto was sent to the rail in 84th when he ran his ace-nine into Wheeler's Big Slick. Eric Baldwin fell to Kevin Song in 65th when his straight was outmatched by Song's higher straight. Baldwin could only say, "Sick," as he left the table.
Others who made an appearance during Day 2 but fell short of making it through to the final day include Nicholas Seward (58th), Blake Bohn (54th), Aram Zobian (40th), Aaron Pinson (28th), Christian Roberts (25th), and Pablo Mariz (16th).
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $267,373 | 7 | $42,080 |
| 2 | $178,240 | 8 | $32,640 |
| 3 | $130,560 | 9 | $25,610 |
| 4 | $96,710 | 10-11 | $20,340 |
| 5 | $72,450 | 12-13 | $16,350 |
| 6 | $54,900 | 14-15 | $13,440 |
Action will begin on Day 3 at 12 p.m. local time on Friday, June 5, at the Horseshoe, where the event will play down to a winner. The tournament will resume with blinds at 15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 big blind ante and there will be a 15-minute break every three levels.
The remaining entrants will start the day with the same amount of chips they accrued by advancing from Day 2 and the format for Day 3 will switch to a 15-player freezeout.
Be sure to follow PokerNews for the remainder of this event, as well as future coverage throughout the summer.