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

05-28-2025 18:20 UTC-7

Leonard Hits the Rail

Stewart Morrison

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Yaji Ren raised to 1,600 in early position. Play folded around to Patrick Leonard who, nursing a short stack of 6,800, committed it all. Ren wasted little time in calling when it got back to him.

Yaji Ren: A♣10♣
Patrick Leonard: K♣Q♦

The board ran out 8♠2♥3♥7♥5♠, and was no help to Leonard.

Player	Chips	Progress
Yaji Ren	40,000 13,000	13,000
Patrick Leonard	Busted

Tags: Patrick Leonard Yaji Ren

05-28-2025 18:16 UTC-7

Pressure Busts Pipes

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Robert Jones

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Tommy Felice raised to 2,100 from under the gun and Joseph Frei called from the hijack. Once the action reached Kam Khai on the button, he bumped the price to 8,000. Felice called and Frei released.

Heads-up to a flop of K♠7♣4♣, and after a check from Felice, Khai fired 4,000 into the middle. Felice proceeded with a call.

A potential flush bringing 9♣ on the turn did not faze Khai. After another check from Felice, Khai continued to bet, this time to the tune of 11,000.

After the 7♠ hit the river, and Felice checked again, Khai decided it was time to play for it all. He went all-in for his remaining 36,200 chips. Felice, baffled by the series of events, reluctantly folded his hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joseph Frei	360,000
Kam Khai	90,000
Tommy Felice	55,000

Tags: Tommy Felice Kam Khai Joseph Frei

05-28-2025 18:14 UTC-7

Quads for Nasreddine

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Kai Cocklin

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Michael Troutt opened from the cutoff and got a call out of Aaron Massey on the button and Rania Nasreddine in the big blind.

The flop came 4♦4♥Q♥ and after Nasreddine checked, Troutt bet 2,500. Both Massey and Nasreddine called to the 4♣ turn, where all three checked.

A 7♥ landed on the river and Nasreddine fired 10,000, which was around half of her stack. Troutt took some time before he made it 25,000 to go, which sent Massey into the tank. After some time, Massey folded, and Nasreddine quickly called off her stack of 20,800 total.

"I got it," said Nasreddine as she flipped over A♥4♠ for quads! Troutt showed he had a queen with Q♣8♣ before his cards hit the muck.

"I had a queen," mentioned Massey.

"Really?! Why didn't you call? I don't know if I believe you. " replied Nasreddine.

"It doesn't matter to me," were Massey's closing remarks.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Troutt	75,000 30,000	30,000
Aaron Massey	55,000 4,000	4,000
Rania Nasreddine	53,000 27,000	27,000

Tags: Aaron Massey Michael Troutt Rania Nasreddine

05-28-2025 18:10 UTC-7

Kovac Busts

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Barry Russell

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Joshua Mammen raised in early position and was met with a three bet from Fikret Kovac on the button, Mammen four bet to 25,000 and Kovac called. With 50,000 chips in the middle already, the flop came 4♣8♥6♦ and Mammen announced "all in". Kovac, who was covered by Mammen eventually called with not much behind.

Fikret Kovac: K♠J♠ All in
Joshua Mammen: A♥K♥

The board ran out great for Mammen as he backed into a flush with the 10♥ and the 7♥ on the turn and river. Kovac busted and Mammen announced "I was only trying to get him off a chop".

Player	Chips	Progress
Joshua Mammen	110,000
Fikret Kovac	Busted

Tags: Fikret Kovac Joshua Mammen

05-28-2025 18:06 UTC-7

Nasreddine Goes Back to Back

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Stewart Morrison

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Rania Nasreddine found the full double up, getting her 10,000 stack in versus Yaji Ren pre flop.

Rania Nasreddine: 9♣8♣ All in
Yaji Ren: 7♣7♦

The board ran out favourably for Nasreddine, pairing the river on the A♣2♦5♠J♦9♠ board.

The very next hand, Nasreddine raised in middle position and the player in the cut off called.

Both players checked all the way to showdown on the 7♦4♦4♣9♣4♥ board.

Nasreddine tabling A♠J♣ to win the pot and continue her rebuild.

Player	Chips	Progress
Yaji Ren	27,000 27,000	27,000
Rania Nasreddine	26,000 26,000	26,000

Tags: Rania Nasreddine Yaji Ren

05-28-2025 18:01 UTC-7

Spanne Wins a Flip the Hard Way

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Kai Cocklin

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Kevin Andriamahefa opened from under the gun and when the action got around to Joseph Spanne in the big blind, he put in a sizable three-bet. Andriamahefa then shoved for around 40,000, and Spanne took a few seconds before he called.

Kevin Andriamahefa: A♠K♠ All in
Joseph Spanne: J♥J♠

Andriamahefa needed to improve and certainly would have been pleased to see the 7♠K♥4♠ flop, which gave him top pair and a flush draw. Despite the flop going go swimmingly for Andriamahefa, the J♣ turn dragged him into deep waters as Spanne improved to a set.

Nothing changed on the 8♥ river, and Andriamahefa stood up from his chair and marched towards the exit.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joseph Spanne	130,000 40,000	40,000
Kevin Andriamahefa	Busted

Tags: Joseph Spanne Kevin Andriamahefa

05-28-2025 17:52 UTC-7

Begleiter's Sevens Stack Keating

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Kai Cocklin

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Alex Keating's stack was getting low and he had remaining chips in the pot against Steven Begleiter.

Steven Begleiter: 7♣7♥ All in
Alex Keating: 5♣5♠

Keating needed a five to stay alive but couldn't find any help as the J♠3♥10♥A♠J♣ runout meant he was eliminated.

Player	Chips	Progress
Steven Begleiter	75,000 75,000	75,000
Alex Keating	Busted

Tags: Alex Keating Steven Begleiter

05-28-2025 17:49 UTC-7

A Few Big Stacks Around the Room

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Stewart Morrison

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Joseph Frei	360,000 40,000	40,000
Huabao Chen	200,000 25,000	25,000
Benjamin Palmer	200,000 65,000	65,000
Ren Lin	190,000

Darren Elias	170,000 20,000	20,000

Anatoly Nikitin	170,000
Joshua Zimmerman	170,000 40,000	40,000
Simeon Spasov	150,000 5,000	5,000

Jun Obara	120,000 20,000	20,000
Ryan Mandara	120,000 58,000	58,000

05-28-2025 17:42 UTC-7

Copley Doubles

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Barry Russell

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

There were 6,000 chips in the middle on a flop of 6♣7♣9♥, Nadine Copley was all in from the button for 24,000, Robert Gentile decided to isolate Copley and announced "all in" for 90,000 in the big blind. Paul Hizer, with a bet of 12,000 in front of him, went into the tank but eventually folded.

Nadine Copley: 9♦9♣ All in
Robert Gentile: J♥8♥

Copley celebrated as the 6♦ turned Gentile dead and the 7♥ completed the run out.

Player	Chips	Progress
Paul Hizer	130,000 130,000	130,000

Robert Gentile	65,000 65,000	65,000
Nadine Copley	60,000 60,000	60,000

Tags: Nadine Copley Paul Hizer Robert Gentile

05-28-2025 17:42 UTC-7

Neaman Puts Cazayous to the Test

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Kai Cocklin

Level 6 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

With around 7,000 in the middle on an A♥5♥7♣6♣ board, Asher Neaman checked from the big blind and Thomas Cazayous fired 4,500 on the button. Neaman then check-raised to 20,000, and after some thinking, Cazayous called.

A 5♣ dropped on the river and without much hesitation, Neaman slid in a large stack of orange chips, worth 5,000 each, to put Cazayous to the test for all of his chips. With around 45,000 remaining in his stack. Cazayous was in the tank for some time while he decided how to proceed, but did eventually fold, allowing Neaman's stack to grow more.

Player	Chips	Progress
Anatoly Nikitin	170,000 40,000	40,000
Asher Neaman	160,000 160,000	160,000
Thomas Cazayous	45,000 45,000	45,000

Tags: Asher Neaman Thomas Cazayous