Talal Shakerchi Holds Chip Lead After Day 1 of $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
After ten levels of four-card action, Day 1 of Event #51: $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha here at the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas, during the 2025 World Series of Poker has concluded. From the 370 players that took to the baize, only 160 managed to find a bag at the end of the night.
Topping the chip counts is the United Kingdom’s Talal Shakerchi, who bagged a stack of 1,456,000. Richard Gryko follows closely behind in second with 1,212,000, while Aaron Kupin rounds out the podium positions with 1,136,000 chips to work with on Day 2.
Shakerchi went into the dinner break near the top of the counts, but a key hand late in the day where he double-barreled in a multi-way pot and got folds from both opponents helped him climb to the top, a position he held through to the end of the night.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talal Shakerchi | United Kingdom | 1,456,000 | 291 |
| 2 | Richard Gryko | United Kingdom | 1,212,000 | 242 |
| 3 | Aaron Kupin | United States | 1,136,000 | 227 |
| 4 | Michael Duek | United States | 1,026,000 | 205 |
| 5 | Bruno Furth | United States | 1,025,000 | 205 |
| 6 | Gergo Nagy | Hungary | 1,000,000 | 200 |
| 7 | Laszlo Bujtas | Hungary | 885,000 | 177 |
| 8 | Petko Tsakov | United States | 866,000 | 173 |
| 9 | Dylan Smith | United States | 760,000 | 152 |
| 10 | Nino Pansier | Netherlands | 746,000 | 149 |
Also advancing through to tomorrow’s proceedings is Alex Foxen, who bagged a better-than-average stack of 428,000. Foxen wasted no time jumping into this event, having just finished runner-up in Event #46: $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold'em for a massive $3,060,314 payday. He had the perfect start, after virtually doubling his stack in one of his first hands when he rivered a full house to bust Philip Marsico.
With this being one of the premier Pot-Limit Omaha events of the series, a number of notables have navigated their way into Day 2. Among them are Bruno Furth (1,025,000), who won Event #5: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, Jesse Lonis (668,000), six-time bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus (474,000), Jason Koon (425,000), and 2013 Main Event champion Ryan Riess (424,000).
A few notables who were unable to secure a bag at the end of the night include Stephen Chidwick, David Benyamine, and Poker Hall of Famer and eleven-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey. Also hitting the rail were Dylan Weisman, 2025 WSOP Heads-Up Champion Artur Martirosian, and seven-time bracelet winner Benny Glaser. However, with this tournament allowing a maximum of two reentries, all of these players will have the opportunity to jump back in on Day 2.
Day 2 gets underway at 12 p.m. on Level 11 with blinds starting at 3,000/5,000 and a big blind ante of 5,000. Blinds will continue to be an hour in length, and late registration remains open until the start of Level 13, which will be at approximately 2:15 p.m.
Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | June 18 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes (Play ten levels) |
| Day 3 | June 19 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes (Play down to five) |
| Day 4 | June 20 | TBD | 60 minutes (Play down to a winner) |
Be sure to tune back in to PokerNews on Wednesday, June 18, as we bring you all the latest updates from Day 2, as well as comprehensive summer-long coverage of the 2025 WSOP.