Solheim Leads, Avivi Close Behind on Day 1 of $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.
Stud Games: 2,000-5,000, 5,000-10,000 Limits, 1,000 Ante
A record-setting 867 players made their way to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas to take place in Event #39: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. — considered by many to be their favorite event of the year.
The freezeout format ensured a rapidly diminishing field and, by the time bags were dispersed, just 195 players remained. Sitting atop the leaderboard is Michael Solheim, who appears to be a newcomer to the tournament-poker scene with just two cashes from mixed-game events at the WSOP since 2023. Solheim didn't let his apparent lack of experience slow him down, however, as managed to bag up 345,500, which is nearly four times an average stack.
Not far behind is circuit grinder and two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Tal Avivi, who managed to bag up 305,000. Rounding out the top three is Nicolas Milgrom, who ended as the only other player to breach the 300k mark with 302,000.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Solheim | United States | 345,500 |
| 2 | Tal Avivi | Israel | 305,000 |
| 3 | Nicolas Milgrom | France | 302,000 |
| 4 | Ryan Parsa | United States | 299,000 |
| 5 | Joe Jeffery | United States | 296,000 |
| 6 | Qinghai Pan | United States | 292,000 |
| 7 | Andreas Bremer | Germany | 283,500 |
| 8 | Greg Mueller | Canada | 273,000 |
| 9 | Tyler Schwecke | United States | 272,000 |
| 10 | Bernd Gleissner | Germany | 260,000 |
Also in the top ten is three-time bracelet winner Greg Mueller (273,000), who already has two deep runs under his belt in this year's WSOP in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud and $10,000 2-7 No-Limit Draw Lowball Championship. Mueller's most-recent bracelet came in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. back in 2019 and he looks poised to make a run at another title in this variant.
Further down in the counts are notables abound, including Ryan Leng (229,000), Nick Guagenti (221,000), Calvin Anderson (185,500), Scott Bohlman (150,000), Brian Yoon (138,500), Tamon Nakamura (124,500), Jeff Lisandro (98,000), and Linda Johnson (29,500), to name a few.
Among the less fortunate who were eliminated include Alex Livingston, Bryce Yockey, Steve Zolotow, Barry Greenstein, Phil Hellmuth, Benny Glaser, and Scotty Nguyen — who made his first appearance at the 2025 WSOP but was unable to gain any real momentum throughout the day.
This year's record-setting field resulted in a prize pool of $1,150,943. A total of 131 players will take home at least $3,017 and the eventual winner will receive $197,923 in addition to the gold bracelet.
Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $197,923 | 16-23 | $7,562 |
| 2 | $131,916 | 24-31 | $6,299 |
| 3 | $91,545 | 32-39 | $5,354 |
| 4 | $64,607 | 40-47 | $4,647 |
| 5 | $46,384 | 48-55 | $4,118 |
| 6 | $33,885 | 56-63 | $3,729 |
| 7 | $25,198 | 64-71 | $3,453 |
| 8 | $19,078 | 72-79 | $3,269 |
| 9 | $14,713 | 80-87 | $3,167 |
| 10-11 | $11,561 | 88-131 | $3,017 |
| 12-15 | $9,260 |
Players will return to the Bronze section inside the Horseshoe Events Center on June 12 at 1 p.m. for Day 2. Action will resume on Level 16, with 6,000/12,000 betting limits. Levels will increase to 60 minutes each and breaks will be held after every two levels.
Be sure to stick with PokerNews for continuing coverage as the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. races toward the money bubble and eventual next gold-bracelet winner!