Viktor Blom Resumes Bracelet Chase Among Final 26 of $10,000 Big O Championship
Another exciting day of five-card action is on tap at the 2025 World Series of Poker, as the remaining 26 contenders return to the felt in Event #44: $10,000 Big O Championship at 1 p.m. local time.
The event saw a total of 402 entries at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, where just four tables are left to decide a champion and distribute the largest portions of the $3,738,600 prize pool.
Leading the way after the first two days of action is Veerachai Vongxaiburana, who bagged a sizeable chip lead with 2,350,000. Vongxaiburana has secured his third cash of the series, and returns as the only player with more than 80 big blinds in his stack.
Sitting in second is Phil Hui, who has collected 1,970,000 chips through the first 20 levels. Rounding out the top three is Viktor Blom, who holds 1,570,000. The Swedish poker star has now registered six cashes this summer, and is chasing his first WSOP bracelet after a runner-up finish in Event #41: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship.
Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veerachai Vongxaiburana | United States | 2,330,000 | 93 |
| 2 | Phil Hui | United States | 1,970,000 | 79 |
| 3 | Viktor Blom | Sweden | 1,570,000 | 63 |
| 4 | Matthew Woodward | United States | 1,535,000 | 61 |
| 5 | Justin Liberto | United States | 1,450,000 | 58 |
| 6 | Tomasz Gluszko | Poland | 1,330,000 | 53 |
| 7 | Calvin Anderson | United States | 1,110,000 | 44 |
| 8 | Erik Seidel | United States | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 9 | Dylan Wilkerson | United States | 985,000 | 39 |
| 10 | Brian Battistone | United States | 980,000 | 39 |
Plenty of notable names and 25K Fantasy players sit among the final 26, including Calvin Anderson (1,110,000), Erik Seidel (1,100,000), Nick Shulman (615,000), and Dylan Weisman (585,000).
WSOP bracelet winners Jeff Madsen (295,000) and Ben Yu (255,000) enter play as the short stacks, returning with less than 15 big blinds on Day 3.
Each remaining contender has locked up at least $24,635, with the top prize of $784,353 and the gold bracelet awaiting Tuesday’s champion.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $784,353 | 8 | $73,950 |
| 2 | $522,878 | 9 | $57,008 |
| 3 | $360,711 | 10–11 | $44,825 |
| 4 | $253,276 | 12–15 | $35,963 |
| 5 | $181,069 | 16–23 | $29,454 |
| 6 | $131,841 | 24–26 | $24,635 |
| 7 | $97,806 |
Action resumes at 1 p.m. in Las Vegas, where Level 21 begins with blinds of 10,000/25,000 and a 25,000 big blind ante. Players will continue to navigate 60-minute levels, with 15-minute breaks after every two hours of play. The Day 3 schedule includes a 60-minute dinner break after Level 26, and cards will remain in the air until just five players remain.
Don’t miss any of the exciting Big O action, as the PokerNews live reporting team continues to bring you full coverage of the 2025 WSOP at Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas.