Event #52: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Holdem Day 1 | 2025 World Series of Poker

06-17-2025 15:21 UTC-8

Some Recent Additions to the Field

Laura Fryer

Level 4 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Renan Bruschi	25,000 25,000	25,000

Lei Yu	25,000 25,000	25,000

Lexy Gavin-Mather	25,000 25,000	25,000

Didier Guerin	25,000 25,000	25,000

Jason Somerville	25,000 25,000	25,000

Brian Hastings	25,000 25,000	25,000

Jaspal Brar	25,000 25,000	25,000

Kenneth O'donnell	25,000 25,000	25,000

Jonathan Tamayo	25,000 25,000	25,000

Level: 4

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 400

06-17-2025 15:03 UTC-8

Doug Polk Kills Tony Stand-Up Comedy; Michael Kaplan’s Final Stu Ungar Story | PokerNews Podcast #898

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Chad Holloway

Level 3 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

In the 898th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz are back at Level 9 Studio to offer their thoughts on Doug Polk's recent appearance on Kill Tony, the popular Austin-based stand-up comedy program. How did Doug do in front of Tony Hinchcliffe and company? Let's just say you might be surprised.

Mike, who made a recent appearance in Daniel Negreanu's vlog, then sounds off on the cancelled WSOP Online bracelet event, the crew discusses the recently-announced changes to the WSOP Circuit, Chad goes to the world's largest casino collectibles show, and Matt Savage offers his thoughts as a special guest speaker.

Other topics include bracelet wins by Nick Schulman, Jason Koon, and John Racener, highlights from recent Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) events, and an exclusive interview with famed poker author Michael Kaplan, who recently released a new book, Advantage Players. The veteran scribe shares several poker stories, including Phil Ivey and Kelly Sun's baccarat edge sorting, the legendary Billy Baxter, and what it was like working with Stu Ungar in what was one of the final, if not THE final, interviews before he passed in 1998.

Learn about all those stories and more in the latest episode of the PokerNews Podcast!

A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2025 WSOP every Thursday and Sunday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode!

Click here to listen to the new PN Podcast!

06-17-2025 15:03 UTC-8

First Break of the Day

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Claudio Elizalde

Level 3 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

Players have gone on a 15-minute break.

Blinds will be 200/400 with a 400 big blind ante when they return.

06-17-2025 14:55 UTC-8

South American Royalty in the Freezeout

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Eliot Thomas

Level 3 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

Brazil's Rodrigo Portaleoni and Argentina's Ezequiel Waigel are currently playing at the same table as we approach the first break of the day.

Portaleoni, who sits 39th on Brazil's all-time money list, holds one WSOP ring and has played a variety of events so far this summer. He was last seen finishing in 624th place in Event #37: $1,500 MONSTER STACK for $3,957, which is playing down to a winner today.

Waigel, 7th on Argentina's all-time money list, has amassed over $2.7m in live earnings and has garnered a reputation within the game as an impressive force on both the live and online scene.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ezequiel Waigel	35,500 35,500	35,500
Rodrigo Portaleoni	17,000 17,000	17,000

Tags: Ezequiel Waigel Rodrigo Portaleoni

06-17-2025 14:52 UTC-8

More Eliminations

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Claudio Elizalde

Level 3 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Daniel Pearlman	Busted
Ben Miller	Busted
Mason Vieth	Busted
Ramiro Yranek	Busted
Marvin Flores	Busted
Yifu He	Busted
Thomas Hopkins	Busted
Ryuta Nakai	Busted
Daniel Lazrus	Busted

Casey Carroll	Busted
Ryan Hunsinger	Busted
Daniel Lefebvre	Busted
Richard Neururer	Busted
Harry Wong	Busted
Arish Nat	Busted
Ryan Hutchinson	Busted
Caryn Barab	Busted
Mark Edwards	Busted
Konstantinos Tsikopoulos	Busted
Sims White	Busted
Gaston Catzman	Busted
William Hawk	Busted
Joey Weissman	Busted

Travis To	Busted
Lukas Hafner	Busted

Read full

06-17-2025 14:50 UTC-8

Hulme is in the Mix

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Laura Fryer

Level 3 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

Andrew Hulme entered the tournament along with a number of notable players from the United Kingdom.

2025 has already been a great year for Hulme as he has had some huge scores. Within the past year he secured first place in the £1,500 Grosvenor UK Poker Open 2025 for £219,720 ($277,880), and he shipped the £2,000 Nottingham UK Poker Championships High Roller for £49,340 ($66,830).

His biggest score was just last year in the £5,000 Main Event at the European Poker Tour in Barcelona, where he made the final table and finished in second for €1,165,614 ($1,287,800).

He has already had two cashes in this year's WSOP, but eyes will be on Hulme to see how the rest of the summer plays out.

Player	Chips	Progress
Andrew Hulme	25,000 25,000	25,000
Sachin Joshi	25,000 25,000	25,000
Joshua Boulton	25,000 25,000	25,000

Ben Collins	25,000 25,000	25,000

Brandon Sheils	25,000 25,000	25,000
Oliver Bithell	25,000 25,000	25,000
Philippe Souki	25,000 25,000	25,000

Tags: Andrew Hulme

06-17-2025 14:46 UTC-8

Spasov Doubles Through Reid; Palma Has Opinions

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Claudio Elizalde

Level 3 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

Joseph Sommer started off the action with a raise to 600 and Simeon Spasov put in a third bet to 2,700.

Terrance Reid was deep in the tank and the ever-opinionated Nick Palma chimed in, "He's thinking really hard, I think he's gonna have a brain aneurysm... it's just a game."

A good-natured Reid paid no heed to Palma and put in a fourth bet to 5,200. Sommer folded and Spasov went all in .

Again Reid took his time mulling over his decision and Palma remarked, "Oh... he didn't think about what he was going to do if the guy went all in last time?"

Reid responded, "I hadn't decided yet..." before eventually putting in the call.

Simeon Spasov: K♦K♥ All in
Terrance Reid: Q♥Q♦

Reid was pipped and couldn't improve when the board ran out 6♦6♠2♠10♥10♣.

"That's why god created rebuys... but this is a freezeout." was Palma's last needle. Reid, who recently started a YouTube channel, was unbothered by the antics of Palma, as he likely knows him from various poker stops.

Player	Chips	Progress
Simeon Spasov	47,000 47,000	47,000

Nick Palma	25,000 25,000	25,000
Joseph Sommer	23,300 23,300	23,300
Terrance Reid	6,100 6,100	6,100

Tags: Joseph Sommer Nick Palma Simeon Spasov Terrance Reid

06-17-2025 14:45 UTC-8

Caitlin Comeskey in the House

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Eliot Thomas

Level 3 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

Caitlin Comeskey is here at Horseshoe & Paris Las Vegas as we move into Level 3 of the day. The two-time Global Poker Awards winner will be looking to add to her current live earnings of around $300,000.

Comeskey's last recorded live cash came earlier in the series as she placed 92nd in Event #39: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. for a score of $3,017

Player	Chips	Progress
Caitlin Comeskey	36,000 36,000	36,000

Tags: Caitlin Comeskey Jason Koon

06-17-2025 14:22 UTC-8

Friends on the Felt

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Laura Fryer

Level 3 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

Jason Hunter and Hedi Boussetta have entered the tournament and were sat on adjacent tables.

The pair were caught in conversation with Boussetta saying "I think I have played with you before", with Hunter responding "Oh yeah, you were the Kings against Aces hand". The pair re-took their seats and wished each other luck for the upcoming day of play.

WSOP brings together players and friends from all over the world, some of which will be sure to take part in the upcoming infamous WSOP Event #65: $1,000 Tag Team event taking place Jun 24-27, 2025.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jason Hunter	25,000 25,000	25,000
Hedi Boussetta	25,000 25,000	25,000

Tags: Hedi Boussetta Jason Hunter