Ramana Epparla Bags the Lead in $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold'em
Day 2 of the 2025 World Series of Poker Event #40: $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold'em at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas saw 325 players battle it out, including some Day 2 late registrants. Only 47 are set to return to continue their journey on Day 3 Saturday. The total prize pool sits at $3,684,600 with $646,845 up top, smashing last year’s prize pool by more than $500,000.
Ramana Epparla leads the way with a massive 2,625,000 stack. He will have his eyes on the first place prize and the WSOP bracelet, particularly after coming so close in the $600 No Limit Hold'em - Ultra Stack event in 2024, where just missed out on winning his first bracelet after being defeated heads up by Carsten Heidemann.
Theo Jorgensen is a close second going into Day 3. He had a great run as he eliminated Frederick Wolf and Rudolph Bourg late in the day, allowing him to spin into second place in the counts.
Two 25K Fantasy players, David Stamm and David "ODB" Baker are also sitting high in the top ten. Baker will be looking to secure another bracelet to add to his already impressive collection of three WSOP gold bracelets.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramana Epparla | United States | 2,625,000 | 105 |
| 2 | Theo Jorgensen | Denmark | 2,245,000 | 90 |
| 3 | David Stamm | United States | 2,060,000 | 82 |
| 4 | Ernest Ward | United States | 1,790,000 | 72 |
| 5 | Joseph Mole | United States | 1,780,000 | 71 |
| 6 | Stuart Taylor | United Kingdom | 1,450,000 | 58 |
| 7 | Carmino Argiero | United States | 1,425,000 | 57 |
| 8 | David "ODB" Baker | United States | 1,380,000 | 55 |
| 9 | Josef Gulas | Czechia | 1,340,000 | 54 |
| 10 | Joe Cook | United States | 1,225,000 | 49 |
Many notables came and busted on Day 2, including Kathy Liebert, who got her aces cracked by Baker's tens in a brutal elimination just before the final break of the day.
Five-time WSOP bracelet winner and Hall of Famer John Juanda made it to the last level of the day, and the pay jump, before he was eliminated in 58th place. Billy Baxter, the seven-time bracelet WSOP winner, was still in contention until the last few hands of the day. France’s Antonin Teisseire also made the money, but missed out on collecting another bracelet. It was a star-studded tournament as other WSOP bracelet winners who cashed were Mark Seif, Eric Smidinger and Martin Raus.
A number of other 25K Fantasy players jumped into the field, including Dan Shak, Jon Shoreman, Erik Seidel and Xixiang Luo. They all made it to Day 2, but didn’t make the money.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $646,845 | 9 | $49,891 |
| 2 | $431,173 | 10-11 | $39,143 |
| 3 | $302,208 | 12-15 | $31,243 |
| 4 | $215,095 | 16-23 | $25,378 |
| 5 | $155,498 | 24-31 | $20,985 |
| 6 | $114,208 | 32-39 | $17,670 |
| 7 | $85,244 | 40-47 | $15,155 |
| 8 | $64,674 |
Play will begin at 12.p.m. local time Saturday, June 14, in Level 21 with blinds at 10,000/25,000 with a 25,000 big blind ante. Levels are 60 minutes long, and 15-minute breaks will occur every two levels. A dinner break is still to be decided.
Stick with PokerNews as we bring you all the action until a winner is crowned.