Will the $1,500 Monster Stack Draw Another Record-Breaking Field?
Welcome back to PokerNews, the official media partner of the 2025 World Series of Poker and home of live updates from all bracelet events.
Today sees the first flight of Event #37: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold'em get started at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas. This is the first of four Day 1 flights, each of which kicks off at 10 a.m. on its respective date. Each flight will consist of 11 blind levels, each lasting 60 minutes. There will be a 20-minute break every two levels, with a 75-minute dinner break after Level 8, at approximately 7 p.m.
Late registration is available every Day 1 until the end of Level 10, about 10:35 p.m. Players start with 50,000 in chips and, if eliminated, may enter another flight, but cannot reenter the same flight.
Day 2 will combine survivors of all four flights and begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 15. Play will continue for another 10 blind levels, which is also the plan for Day 3. This event is not expected to crown a winner until Day 4. PokerNews traditional coverage of this event starts on Day 2.
Last year's $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold'em was won by Pedro Neves, who bested 8,317 entries and received $1,098,220 from the $11,619,840 prize pool.
Before he won his first WSOP bracelet, Neves was mostly known for his online results and his second-place finish in the 2023 PCA for $1,183,037.
“This is completely different compared to PCA,” Neves said, moments after his win. “I dreamt about the bracelet since I started watching poker when I was 14 or 15. It feels great.”
| Year | Entries | Winner | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8,703 | Pedro Neves | Portugal | $1,098,220 |
| 2023 | 8,317 | Braxton Dunaway | United States | $1,162,681 |
| 2022 | 6,501 | Mike Jukich | United States | $966,577 |
| 2021 | 3,520 | Michael Noori | United States | $610,347 |
| 2019 | 6,035 | Kainalu McCue-Unciano | United States | $1,008,850 |
Planning on playing this event? PokerNews activates MyStack for every WSOP event, regardless of that tournament's buy-in, allowing you to adjust your chip counts in our live reporting
MyStack is a free poker tool that puts you in control of your chip counts on our live reporting pages. Once you have created a free PokerNews account, you can use MyStack to update your chip counts in real-time; hopefully, your stack will continue to increase throughout the event.
Become a Bigger Part of the Action With MyStack
Never Miss a Moment with MyPlayers on PokerNews
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on legends like Daniel Negreanu or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you. No subscriptions, no paywalls - just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most.
It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for updates on this and all bracelet events at the 2025 WSOP!