Event #3: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Day 1 | 2025 World Series of Poker

05-28-2025 21:46 UTC-8

Fetsch Catches Sinclair Bluffing

Kai Cocklin

Level 9 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

With around 8,000 in the pot on a 9♦5♦6♠10♥ board, Ron Fetsch bet 6,500 and Jack Sinclair called from the next seat.

A 4♠ hit the river and Fetsch threw two orange chips, worth 5,000 each, into the pot for a bet of 10,000. Sinclair then counted out a raise and tossed in 45,000, which Fetsch immediately called.

Sinclair then rolled over K♣Q♥ for king-high, and Fetsch's 6♣5♣ for two pair was good for the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ron Fetsch	150,000 150,000	150,000
Jack Sinclair	130,000 65,000	65,000

Tags: Jack Sinclair Ron Fetsch

Level: 10

Blinds: 1,000/2,000

Ante: 2,000

05-28-2025 21:51 UTC-8

Last Level of the Night

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Kai Cocklin

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

The clock has just ticked into Level 10, which is the last level to be played tonight.

A total of 252 players remain, and whoever can survive another hour of play will bag up and come back tomorrow for Day 2.

05-28-2025 21:54 UTC-8

No Gamble, No Future

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Stewart Morrison

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

The hand was joined with a full board already showing 4♥K♦Q♦7♥6♣ and about 20,000 in the pot. Zachary Grech had 23,500 out in front of him as a bet, but was facing a check-raise for his whole stack from Ren Lin, who had announced all-in from the big blind.

Grech took some time before folding. Lin then proudly exposed the 5♣. "No gamble, no future", said Lin, as he added to the chips to his stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ren Lin	200,000 22,000	22,000

Zachary Grech	110,000 110,000	110,000

Tags: Ren Lin Zachary Grech

05-28-2025 21:59 UTC-8

Reilly Runs Into O'Connell's Queens

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Kai Cocklin

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Drew O'Connell made it 4,000 to go from the hijack and Timothy Reilly made it 35,000 from the button, leaving himself 1,500 behind. When it got back to O'Connell, he called and exposed his cards, thinking Reilly was all in.

The flop of 8♣2♠3♠ was dealt and O'Connell bet, then Reilly called off his last few chips.

Timothy Reilly: 6♦6♠ All in
Drew O'Connell: Q♥Q♦

Reilly needed to find a miracle but it never happened as the 7♣K♦ runout meant he was eliminated in the last level of the night.

Player	Chips	Progress
Drew O'Connell	230,000

Timothy Reilly	Busted

Tags: Drew O'Connell Timothy Reilly

05-28-2025 22:12 UTC-8

Richards Gives Up Against Kim

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Kai Cocklin

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

With around 15,000 in the pot on a 3♠4♣5♥ flop, John Richards checked from the big blind and John Kim threw out a bet. Richards then check-raised to 17,000, and Kim quickly called.

A 3♦ on the turn saw Richards keep up the aggression with a bet of 30,000, and again Kim called.

When the 9♥ fell on the river, Richards thought for some time before tapping the table with one finger, and Kim quickly checked back.

Richards then showed K♦7♣ for just king-high, and Kim took it down with 8♠8♥ for a pair of eights.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joseph Frei	270,000 15,000	15,000
John Kim	230,000
John Richards	125,000

Tags: John Kim John Richards

05-28-2025 22:22 UTC-8

Notable Casualties

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Stewart Morrison

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Niall Farrell	Busted

Chino Rheem	Busted
Viktor Blom	Busted
Erik Seidel	Busted

Nick Schulman	Busted

Landon Tice	Busted
Chris Moorman	Busted

Joao Vieira	Busted

Shannon Shorr	Busted

05-28-2025 22:30 UTC-8

PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge Returns

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Kai Cocklin

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

At the 2025 World Series of Poker, this year's schedule includes 100 bracelet events. One notable event returning this summer at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas is bracelet Event #78: PokerNews Deepstack Championship (PNDC).

This also means last year's popular PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge is coming back, bigger and better than before!

From May 27 to June 30, players grinding the $200, $250, and $400 Daily Deepstacks tournaments at the WSOP will rack up leaderboard points. Every week, the top 10 players will be awarded a complimentary entry into the PNDC on July 1. That’s 50 seats up for grabs—10 more than last year, thanks to the additional week of action. Best of all? You can win multiple seats, meaning the more you play and perform, the better your shot at a deep WSOP run.

Find Full Details Here

05-28-2025 22:36 UTC-8

Koller's Eights Good in Four-Way Showdown

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Kai Cocklin

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Zhen Chen opened the cutoff to 4,500 and got three customers in Ran Koller on the button, Taylor Wilson in the small blind, and Michael Damphousse in the big blind.

Despite four players taking it to the streets, the action was checked all the way to showdown on the 9♣3♠J♥4♣6♦ board where Wilson announced that he had a six with 10♣6♣. Koller could beat that with his 8♥8♠ for a pair of eights, and he added to his stack late on.