Event #38: $100,000 High Roller
Day 1 Started
2025 World Series of Poker
Event #38: $100,000 High Roller
Day: 1
Event Info
2025 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
Buy-in
$100,000
Prize Pool
$9,939,500
Entries
103
Level
27
Blinds
500,000 / 1,000,000
Ante
1,000,000
Entries
77
Players Left
37
Players Left 1 / 103
Filter
(1)
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 start of Event #38: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em here at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas.
This three-day event gets underway at 12 p.m. local time, with late registration open for 12 levels, which comes after the second level of Day 2. There will be 15-minute breaks every two levels, and this tournament is played with a 30-second shot clock. Each player is permitted one reentry.
The starting stack is 600,000 chips, with the plan for Day 1 to play ten 60-minute levels. For the surviving players and late entrants, Day 2 resumes at 12 p.m. on Thursday and concludes after ten more levels have been completed. Day 3 is when a winner will be crowned.
Last summer, Chris Hunichen topped a star-studded final table and Jeremy Ausmus in heads-up play to capture his first bracelet and $2,838,389. One hundred and twelve entrants were recorded, creating the massive $10,932,750 prize pool. Can those figures be surpassed this time around?
"No one’s ever due in poker, but I feel like I was due," Hunichen told PokerNews in a winner's interview. "And I’ve been in this position a couple of times, got unlucky, a couple of seconds. It was my time.”
| Year | Entries | Winner | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 112 | Chris Hunichen | United States | $2,838,389 |
| 2023 | 93 | Jans Arends | Netherlands | $2,576,729 |
| 2022 | 62 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | Latvia | $1,897,363 |
| 2021 | 64 | Michael Addamo | Australia | $1,958,569 |
| 2019 | 99 | Keith Tilston | United States | $2,792,406 |
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Stay tuned to PokerNews for updates on this and all bracelet events at the 2025 WSOP!
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
||
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
||
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
|
||
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
|
||
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
||
Level: 1
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 2,000
Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Cards are in the air for Day 1 of Event #38: $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller.
Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Vinny Lingham opened to 6,000 from the button and Ben Heath called from the small blind. Orpen Kisacikoglu released his hand in the big blind for Lingham and Heath to see the A♠5♦3♣ flop.
Heath quickly check-folded to a bet of 6,000. Lingham flashed the A♦ to start the day off with top pair.
After the hand finished, Gregory Jensen joined the table.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
610,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
600,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
596,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
594,000
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
|
||
Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The table has played just a few hands so far, and Ben Heath raised the first two, getting folds from all other players and then three-bet the next two in a row, again getting folds from the original raisers.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
620,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
|
|
||
Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
600,000 | |
|
|
||
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
|
||
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
|
||
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
||
|
600,000 | |
Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Aleksejs Ponakovs raised to 6,000 from the cutoff and was called by both Alex Kulev on the button and Matthew Belcher in the big blind.
The flop of K♦5♥4♠ was checked through
On the 9♠ turn, the action checked to Kulev who bet 13,000. Belcher called and Ponakovs raised to 65,000. Kulev folded and Belcher called once again.
The river came the A♠ and both players checked. Belcher tabled K♥J♠ for a pair of kings, which was a winner.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
675,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
|
|
550,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
540,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
|
||
Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Matthew Belcher, Joao Vieira and Aleksejs Ponakovs folded to put the action on Alex Kulev, who was in the small blind. He raised to 8,000, and David Peters defended his big blind.
Peters check-called bets of 7,000 and 21,000 on the flop and turn for the final board to read 9♠6♣4♦3♥K♥. Peters checked for a third time, and Kulev fired a third barrel of 24,000. Peters took little time calling, and dragged in the pot after Kulev tabled 8♦7♦ for eight high. Peters had J♣9♥ for a pair of nines.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
660,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
600,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
600,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
540,000 | |
|
|
||
