Event #26: $25,000 High Roller
Day 3 Completed
2025 World Series of Poker
Event #26: $25,000 High Roller
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2025 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$25,000
Prize Pool
$9,212,000
Entries
392
Level
25
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
400,000
Entries
18
Players Left
1
Level 25
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
The curtains have closed on Event #26: $25,000 High Roller 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em here at the 2025 World Series of Poker in the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas, and you’d be forgiven for not recognising the name of this year's champion - Chang Lee.
Not only had Lee never won a WSOP bracelet before, but he hadn’t even played a WSOP event before. Furthermore, Lee has only ever played one tournament before this in his life.
Event #26: $25,000 High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chang Lee | South Korea | $1,949,044 |
| 2 | Andrew Ostapchenko | United States | $1,299,333 |
| 3 | Elijah Berg | United States | $894,265 |
| 4 | Mathew Frankland | United Kingdom | $626,823 |
| 5 | Masato Yokosawa | Japan | $447,613 |
| 6 | Joe McKeehen | United States | $325,757 |
| 7 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Turkey | $241,701 |
| 8 | Byron Kaverman | United States | $182,902 |
The high-stakes cash game player has been battling in some of the biggest cash games going, but this $25,000 High Roller was targeted. He wanted to play in this specific event, and he was here to win it.
Let’s get some context. The $25,000 High Roller had a record-breaking field, bursting at the seams with a who’s who of poker elite. 392 entries generating a prize pool of $9,212,000, lasting 25 hour-long levels across three days.
So, targeted or not, you can’t just study some solvers, turn up to a WSOP High Roller and win, can you? Well, according to Lee, that’s exactly what he did.
Lee’s Path to Success
It’s fair to say Lee didn’t have the smoothest of preparations coming into this event.
“I was quite tired and [had a] sore head”, he told PokerNews, alluding to his jetlag. “Four days ago, I came to the United States to register for this WSOP game. I wanted to win this tournament, I really studied the GTO”. “I was super tired because it’s 15 hours from South Korea, [and] I needed to change in L.A”.
“The first day of this tournament, I got super coolered three times - top set aces two times, lose to runner runner straight”, ultimately leading to him being eliminated. He decided to rebuy, though, choosing to do so at the very end of Day 1, which gave him a fresh stack to return to Day 2.
He soon found his rhythm. Climbing the leaderboard on Day 2 and finishing the day 11th in the chip counts. Lee’s aggressive style was starting to bear fruit.
Lee continued to play aggressively throughout Day 3, and when discussing this, he advised that this was his strategy. “I had a lot of chips and the other players were so tight, they didn’t open as much, so I thought if I bet big bets to them, they would fold”.
He didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger when bluffing either. Granted, he was caught a couple of times, but when he got one through against Mathew Frankland deep into Day 3, he didn’t hesitate to show it.
Of course, to win any poker tournament, you need your fair share of good luck, and Lee was no different. With just 16 players remaining, he was all in and at risk with pocket queens versus an opponent’s pocket kings. If Lee hadn’t found the running straight, he would have been eliminated in 16th place.
Lee never looked back from here, remaining among the chip leaders as others fell around him, stating that he was “patient to play [good] poker in order to get the bracelet”.
Final Table Action
Chin Wei Lim was the final table's first casualty, falling at the hands of Byron Kaverman. Frankland then outflopped Kaverman to send the American to the rail in eighth before Orpen Kisacikoglu's three-bet all-in with ace-seven was called by Andrew Ostapchenko holding the dominating ace-king.
Sixth place went to Joe McKeehen, whose king-queen couldn't get there against Lee's suited ace-jack. A battle of the blinds resulted in Ostapchenko eliminating Masato Yokosawa in fifth, with Frankland bowing out in fourth for $626,823, a new career-best for the British star.
The tournament progressed to heads-up following Elijah Berg's exit at Ostapchenko's hands. Lee defeated Ostapchenko heads-up after his king-four improved to two pair, with Ostapchenko turning top pair top kicker with his ace-king.
Will We See Lee Again in the 2025 WSOP?
To be decided. “Let me think about it. I need to check the stream and see if my play was good or not, and I need to decide which game is more profitable for me, cash games or tournaments.”
That concludes the PokerNews coverage for this event, but stay tuned for our continuing coverage of the 2025 WSOP.
Level 25
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Chang Lee opened to 1,350,000 on the button and Andrew Ostapchenko three-bet to 5,500,000.
Lee called to see the 6♣5♥3♥ flop, betting 6,000,000 after Ostapchenko checked. The call was made to the K♦ turn, where both players checked through to the 4♠ river.
Ostapchenko quickly announced all in for 10,100,000. Lee called instantly and the hands were turned up.
Andrew Ostapchenko: A♦K♠ 
Chang Lee: K♥4♥
Ostapchenko's top pair was no good as Lee found two pair on the river to take down the final pot.
"Good game," said Lee as the pair shook hands, seeing Ostapchenko finished in the runner-up position.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
58,725,000
22,600,000
|
22,600,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 25
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Andrew Ostapchenko raised to 1,300,000 with K♣Q♥ on the button, and Chang Lee defended his big blind with Q♣10♦.
Lee checked after finding two pair on the 9♦10♣9♠ flop and Ostapchenko checked back. Both players checked again on the 5♣ turn.
The dealer revealed the 4♥ river, where Lee led out for 2,000,000. Ostapchenko made the call, seeing the bad news as Lee tabled his two pair to extend the chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
36,125,000
2,550,000
|
2,550,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
22,600,000
2,550,000
|
2,550,000 |
|
|
||
Level 25
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Andrew Ostapchenko limped on the button with 9♥6♠ and Chang Lee checked holding Q♠J♦ in the big blind.
Lee checked the A♠4♠10♠ flop, calling a bet of 500,000 from Ostapchenko. Lee then checked again on the J♥ turn and Ostapchenko fired 1,300,000 into the middle.
Lee check-raised to 4,300,000, enough to take down the pot as Ostapchenko folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
33,575,000
3,650,000
|
3,650,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
25,150,000
3,650,000
|
3,650,000 |
|
|
||
Level 25
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Andrew Ostapchenko raised on the button with K♦J♦ and was called by Chang Lee in the big blind, holding A♣8♥.
Both players checked the 8♦J♥10♥ flop and the A♥ turn hit the table. Lee led out for 500,000 and Ostapchenko called.
Lee fired again on the A♦ river, sliding out a bet of 4,000,000. That was enough to claim the pot and take over the chip lead, as Ostapchenko folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
29,925,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
28,800,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
|
|
||
Level 25
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) X account issued a statement Monday night following complaints from dozens of poker players about technical issues that occurred during an online bracelet event.
Event #7: $250 Mystery Bounty on the WSOP Online platform had reached Day 2 with the bounties in play. But players reported being booted from the software during the session, many due to geolocation issues.
Level 25
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Chang Lee opened to 800,000 on the button holding A♦2♦ and Andrew Ostapchenko made the call in the big blind with 7♥5♣.
Ostapchenko checked the Q♣5♠8♣ and Lee continued for 1,200,000. The call was made and the A♣ hit the turn.
Another check from Ostapchenko saw Lee fire again for 2,000,000. Ostapchenko took a moment before letting his hand go and Lee inched closer to the lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
30,200,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
28,525,000 | |
|
|
||
Level 25
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
The two remaining contenders have returned to their seats to battle for the WSOP bracelet.
Level 25
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Chang Lee and Andrew Ostapchenko have taken a short break before heads-up play begins.
