Michael Christ Vying for Title Defense After Day 2 of $1,500 Big O
The curtain has fallen on Day 2 of Event #27: $1,500 Big O here at the 2025 World Series of Poker hosted at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The day began with 207 hopefuls from a field of 1,499 and by the end of the night, only 17 players remained.
Leading the field is Kevin Ho, who ended Day 2 with 6,480,000. Nicolas Milgrom is Ho's nearest rival with 2,915,000 while Paul Clotar rounds out the top three with 2,760,000.
Rounding out the top 10 is the defending champion in this event Michael Christ. He got off to a great start after fading a monster draw from Jon Kyte to send Kyte to the rail. Christ is still live to defend his title tomorrow, as he bagged 1,945,000, good for a top ten stack.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Ho | United States | 6,480,000 | 130 |
| 2 | Nicolas Milgrom | France | 2,915,000 | 58 |
| 3 | Paul Clotar | United States | 2,760,000 | 55 |
| 4 | Joshua Biedak | United States | 2,600,000 | 52 |
| 5 | Ryan Hoenig | United States | 2,375,000 | 48 |
| 6 | Joshua Thatcher | United States | 2,310,000 | 46 |
| 7 | Geoffrey Tomes | United States | 2,250,000 | 45 |
| 8 | Lawrence Brandt | United States | 2,150,000 | 43 |
| 9 | Sergio Benso | Italy | 2,015,000 | 40 |
| 10 | Michael Christ | United States | 1,945,000 | 39 |
Day 2 Action
There were several short stacks to start the day with the money bubble having burst just before the end of Day 1 and the eliminations came fast and furious in the opening level.
Online phenom Viktor Blom also found momentum in the early levels, eliminating several short-stacked players to find himself among the chip leaders early in the day. Blom ultimately ran out of momentum in the later levels of the night, busting in 25th place after running into Christ’s aces.
25k Fantasy Draft players to make the final day include Nicolas Milgrom (2,915,000), Ryan Hoenig (2,375,000), , Lawrence Brandt (2,150,000) and Owais Ahmed (1,630,000). Some notable players who made it to Day 2 but fell before the end of the night include Scott Clements, James Obst, Marco Johnson, Ari Engel, Patrick Leonard, Barry Greenstein, Sammy Farha and Joao Vieira.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $297,285 | 7 | $41,595 |
| 2 | $198,134 | 8 | $31,667 |
| 3 | $141,315 | 9 | $24,439 |
| 4 | $102,079 | 10-11 | $19,122 |
| 5 | $74,693 | 12-15 | $15,172 |
| 6 | $55,372 | 16-17 | $12,209 |
The returning 17 players will resume at 1:00 p.m. local time tomorrow, June 10 at Level 26, with the blinds at 30,000/60,000. The plan is to play to a winner.
Stay tuned to PokerNews as we bring you all the action for the final day from the moment cards are in the air until a winner is crowned.