2025 World Series of Poker
Event #53: $1,500 Millionaire Maker
Day: 1a
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Final Table
There’s no denying that Shaun Deeb is a future Poker Hall of Famer. Whether you know him from his online poker days, where he won more than a dozen COOP titles on PokerStars, or as the 2018 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year, Deeb has amassed nearly $13 million in live tournament earnings dating back to 2006 according to The Hendon Mob.
Deeb, who in February 2024 accepted a buyout in his $1 million body fat loss prop bet against Bill Perkins, is also a six-time WSOP gold bracelet winner, but did you know that just like Phil Hellmuth, he’s made a habit of gifting them to those close to him?
PokerNews recently chatted with Deeb about why he gives away his bracelets, which ones he’d keep if he were to win them, and why giving away No. 6 to honor his good friend, the late Thayer Rasmussen, meant so much to him.
Today saw 1,612 players begin their quest for glory in Event #53: $1,500 Millionaire Maker No-Limit Hold'em here at the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP), but after 11 action-packed levels, only 345 of them left the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas having bagged up chips for Day 2.
Germany's Sascha Manns (776,000) clinched the Day 1a chip lead and returns on Day 2 armed with the equivalent of 310 big blinds.
End of Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sascha Manns | Germany | 776,000 |
| 2 | Damarjai Davenport | United States | 427,000 |
| 3 | Ciaran Duffy | Ireland | 418,500 |
| 4 | Alex Kim | United States | 392,000 |
| 5 | Kristaps Zarins | United States | 380,500 |
| 6 | Lee Flemming | United States | 376,500 |
| 7 | Pedro Fernandes | Portugal | 338,000 |
| 8 | Yen-Tuan Chen | Taiwan | 335,000 |
| 9 | John Oneal | United States | 329,500 |
| 10 | Grant Gardner | United Kingdom | 316,500 |
Last year's Millionaire Maker champion, Franco Spitale (183,500) looks set to make another deep run after bagging a decent stack, while Matthew Bode (180,500), David Singontiko (176,500), Thomas Cazayous (175,000), David Pham (174,000), Boris Angelov (172,500), and Mathew Frankland (156,000) all ended Day 1a with a stack worth a place in the top third of the overnight leaderboard.
Below them, but by no means out of contention due to this event's structure, are the likes of David "ODB" Baker (132,500), Adam Owen (122,500), Brett Schaffer (109,500), Brock Wilson (101,500), Joe McKeehen (101,000), Maria Konnikova (74,000), Barry Greenstein (73,000), and Caitlin Comeskey (71,000).
Day 1b is scheduled to shuffle up and deal at 10 a.m. local time on June 19, with entrants hoping to navigate through 11 hour-long levels and join the 345 Day 1a survivors on Day 2. PokerNews traditional coverage begins on Day 2 on June 22.