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Event #3: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em
Day 2 Completed
2025 World Series of Poker
Event #3: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em
Day: 2
Event Info
2025 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
$5,000
Prize Pool
$3,187,800
Total Entries
693
Level
32
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
300,000
Entries
340
Players Left
25
Players Left 1 / 693
Filter
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
The action was fierce on Day 2 of Event #3: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed at the 2025 World Series of Poker, held at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Out of the 340 players who returned to the felt, only 25 managed to survive the day and earn a seat on Day 3.
Each returning player is now guaranteed at least $18,736, but all eyes are on the coveted gold bracelet and the $582,008 first-place prize.
Antonio Galiana bagged the chip lead, ending the day with a massive stack of 3,615,000. A pivotal moment in Galiana’s run came when he hit quads to eliminate Robert Smith. Galiana, who claimed his first bracelet in last year’s $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout, is now in prime position to capture his second.
Right behind him are some big names, including four-time bracelet winner and 25K Fantasy Draft pick Georgios Sotiropoulos (3,045,000), bracelet winner Bradley Gafford (2,445,000), and fellow 25K pick Uri Reichenstein (2,095,000).
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antonio Galiana | Spain | 3,615,000 | 145 |
| 2 | Georgios Sotiropoulos | Greece | 3,045,000 | 122 |
| 3 | Bradley Gafford | United States | 2,445,000 | 98 |
| 4 | Uri Reichenstein | Israel | 2,095,000 | 84 |
| 5 | Christian Roberts | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 2,065,000 | 83 |
| 6 | Renji Mao | China | 2,045,000 | 82 |
| 7 | Michael Moncek | United States | 1,805,000 | 72 |
| 8 | Joshua Remitio | United States | 1,755,000 | 70 |
| 9 | [Removed:599] | France | 1,700,000 | 68 |
| 10 | Benjamin Palmer | United States | 1,595,000 | 64 |
Remaining Payouts
| Rank | Prize |
| 1 | $582,008 |
| 2 | $387,979 |
| 3 | $270,407 |
| 4 | $191,550 |
| 5 | $137,948 |
| 6 | $101,028 |
| 7 | $75,263 |
| 8 | $57,051 |
| 9 | $44,018 |
| 10-11 | $34,578 |
| 11-15 | $27,666 |
| 16-23 | $22,552 |
| 24-25 | $18,736 |
The other 25K draft picks who are still in contention and returning tomorrow are: Christian Roberts (2,065,000), Renji Mao (2,045,000), Michael Moncek (1,085,000), Sam Soverel (1,215,000), Justin Saliba (1,115,000), Blake Bohn (1,115,000), Ethan Yau (360,000), Justin Liberto (245.000), Francis Anderson (235,000).
Day 2 chip leader Jake Schwartz was eliminated before the dinner break. Phil Hellmuth made a deep run in his quest for bracelet number 18, but fell short, while Phil Ivey also went deep but missed the money.
Play resumes at 12 p.m. local time on Friday, May 30, in Level 21 with blinds at 10,000/25,000 and a 25,000 big blind ante.
Stay locked in to PokerNews as our live reporting team brings you all the action until a new bracelet winner is crowned.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
| Casino | Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event Center | Gold 627 | 2 | Joshua Remitio | United States | 1,755,000 | 70 |
| Event Center | Gold 627 | 3 | Antonio Galiana | Spain | 3,615,000 | 145 |
| Event Center | Gold 627 | 4 | Ethan Yau | United States | 360,000 | 14 |
| Event Center | Gold 627 | 5 | Michael J Moncek | United States | 1,805,000 | 72 |
| Event Center | Gold 627 | 6 | Pavlin Karakikov | Bulgaria | 755,000 | 30 |
| Event Center | Gold 627 | 8 | Benjamin Palmer | United States | 1,595,000 | 64 |
| Event Center | Gold 635 | 1 | Blake Bohn | United States | 1,115,000 | 45 |
| Event Center | Gold 635 | 3 | Francis Anderson | United States | 235,000 | 9 |
| Event Center | Gold 635 | 4 | Frederic Normand | Canada | 1,215,000 | 49 |
| Event Center | Gold 635 | 5 | Uri Reichenstein | Israel | 2,095,000 | 84 |
| Event Center | Gold 635 | 6 | Justin Saliba | United States | 1,150,000 | 46 |
| Event Center | Gold 635 | 7 | Sam Wolcott Soverel | United States | 1,215,000 | 49 |
| Event Center | Gold 635 | 8 | Georgios Sotiropoulos | Greece | 3,045,000 | 122 |
| Event Center | Gold 643 | 1 | Rajesh Vohra | United States | 675,000 | 27 |
| Event Center | Gold 643 | 2 | Jason Langianese | United States | 745,000 | 30 |
| Event Center | Gold 643 | 4 | Christian Roberts | Venezuela | 2,065,000 | 83 |
| Event Center | Gold 643 | 5 | Jarod Ludemann | United States | 1,515,000 | 61 |
| Event Center | Gold 643 | 6 | Bradley Gafford | United States | 2,445,000 | 98 |
| Event Center | Gold 643 | 8 | Kharlin Sued | United States | 640,000 | 26 |
| Event Center | Gold 644 | 1 | Andrew Kim | United States | 1,290,000 | 52 |
| Event Center | Gold 644 | 3 | Jiaming Zhao | China | 705,000 | 28 |
| Event Center | Gold 644 | 5 | Justin Liberto | United States | 245,000 | 10 |
| Event Center | Gold 644 | 6 | [Removed:599] | France | 1,700,000 | 68 |
| Event Center | Gold 644 | 7 | Renji Mao | China | 2,045,000 | 82 |
| Event Center | Gold 644 | 8 | Phong Turbo Nguyen | United States | 450,000 | 18 |
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,615,000
1,315,000
|
1,315,000 |
|
||
|
3,045,000
155,000
|
155,000 |
|
||
|
2,445,000
745,000
|
745,000 |
|
||
|
2,095,000
605,000
|
605,000 |
|
2,065,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
||
|
2,045,000
255,000
|
255,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,805,000
905,000
|
905,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,755,000
495,000
|
495,000 |
|
||
![Profile photo of [Removed:599]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
|
1,700,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
1,595,000
595,000
|
595,000 |
|
1,515,000
185,000
|
185,000 |
|
1,290,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
|
1,215,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
1,215,000
195,000
|
195,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,150,000
500,000
|
500,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,115,000
705,000
|
705,000 |
|
755,000
105,000
|
105,000 |
|
745,000
155,000
|
155,000 |
|
705,000
545,000
|
545,000 |
|
675,000
155,000
|
155,000 |
|
|
||
|
640,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
450,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
360,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
||
|
245,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
|
|
||
|
235,000
115,000
|
115,000 |
|
|
||
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Day 2 has come to an end and the players have bagged up their chips.
Stay tuned for a recap of the day's action and the chip counts.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
With the pot already swelled on a flop of 8♠K♣2♥, Bradley Gafford, acting from the big blind, check-called a 40,000 bet from Ethan Yau on the button.
Both players checked the 6♦ turn, but on the 9♣ river Yau had other plans, firing off 155,000. Gafford thought for a while before eventually making the call, tabling K♥J♣ for top pair. Yau briefly showed Ax10x before throwing his hand into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,700,000
1,390,000
|
1,390,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
400,000
110,000
|
110,000 |
|
|
||
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Diego Sanchez Serrano moved all in for 200,000 in middle position, and Antonio Galiana over-shoved in the cutoff with the dominant chip stack.
Diego Sanchez Serrano: A♦5♠ 
Antonio Galiana: A♠Q♠
The board evoked a range of emotions from all the players with J♥9♣J♦5♦A♣, and in the end, Serrano was eliminated as Galiana's two pair was superior.
Not long after, Jesse Lonis, Kyosuke Nagami, and Asher Conniff were also eliminated.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,300,000
1,100,000
|
1,100,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
The clock has been stopped with ten minutes remaining and the players will grind through four more hands before the survivors bag up for the evening.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Michael Moncek has gained a reputation for being one of the most entertaining poker players to watch, and "Texas Mike" is living up to that distinction at the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Moncek, who infamously lost over $2.2 million last summer in the Hustler Casino Live Million Dollar Game, made a risky move in Day 1c of the $1,000 Mystery Millions as he multi-tabled $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'em, which he ended up cashing alongside his brother, Tyler Moncek.
Ready to head back to the bigger buy-in event, Michael Moncek moved all in blind only to run into four monster hands behind him.
In the hand, which Texas Mike posted to X, Moncek held 8♣6♥ as the players behind him consecutively showed J♣J♦, Q♥Q♣, K♣K♥ and A♥A♠.
The madness didn't end there. The dealer fanned a 5♣K♦5♠ flop to give the player with kings a boat for a quadruple knockout.
