Event #54: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Day 1 | 2025 World Series of Poker

06-18-2025 19:13 UTC-8

Moncek With a Big Stack

Tim Baker

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

Michael Moncek, better known as “Texas Mike,” is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner with four WSOP Circuit rings to his name. Despite the nickname, Moncek actually hails from Illinois, specifically the Chicago area, but picked up the nickname after attending the University of Texas in Austin.

He’s a regular sight at the poker tables wearing his signature burnt orange Longhorns cap and has proven himself across multiple formats, winning bracelets in both Limit Hold'em and Mixed No-Limit Hold'em events.

2022 – Event #13: $1,500 Limit Hold'em – 1st for $145,856
2023 – Event #6: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em – 1st for $534,499

Coming back from the dinner break and with late registration now closed, Moncek had the biggest stack of 358,000 according to the WSOP+ app. Moncek has already cashed six times this WSOP series and is on track to make that seven here in this event.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Moncek	358,000

Tags: Michael Moncek

06-18-2025 17:27 UTC-8

Spurlin Doubles Up Helderman

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Tim Baker

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Catching the action on a flop of 3♠8♠5♦. After some betting and raising, Sebastiaan Helderman and Jordan Spurlin got all of their chips into the middle, with Helderman being the player at risk.

Sebastiaan Helderman: A♠10♠7♦3♦ All in
Jordan Spurlin: 8♦6♥6♠4♠

Both players had flush draws, but Helderman had the bigger one. The Q♠ came on the turn to give Helderman the nuts and leave Spurlin drawing dead. The inconsequential 4♥ appeared on the river, and Helderman doubled up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jordan Spurlin	120,000
Kyle Knecht	95,000 70,000	70,000
Sebastiaan Helderman	60,000 60,000	60,000
Oskar Prehm	55,000
Jacob Baumgartner	50,000
Scott Franklin	45,000

Kelly Kim	33,000
Chase Fujita	20,000

Tags: Jordan Spurlin Sebastiaan Helderman

06-18-2025 17:03 UTC-8

Could Seidel Claim His 11th Bracelet?

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Tim Baker

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Seated on Table #277 in seat two is the old school poker legend, Erik Seidel, with a stack of around 35,000.

Seidel is one of the most consistent and successful players in poker history. With over $48 million in career earnings, he ranks among the top 20 on the all-time money list and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2010.

In December 2023, he earned his 10th WSOP bracelet by winning the $50,000 Super High Roller at WSOP Paradise, joining the ranks of Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Phil Ivey as the only players in the double-figure region of bracelets.

Seidel's Ten Bracelets

1992 – $2,500 Limit Hold’em – $168,000
1993 – $2,500 Omaha 8 or Better – $94,000
1994 – $5,000 Limit Hold’em – $210,000
1998 – $5,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw – $132,700
2001 – $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em – $411,300
2003 – $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha – $146,100
2005 – $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em – $611,795
2007 – $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Championship – $538,835
2021 (Online) – $10,000 Super MILLION$ High Roller – $977,842
2023 (Paradise) – $50,000 Super High Roller – $1,704,400

Seidel has had two cashes this series, and is playing almost every event he can. Will he be able to claim his eleventh career bracelet come Friday in this event?

Player	Chips	Progress
Erik Seidel	35,000 14,000	14,000

Tags: Doyle Brunson Erik Seidel Johnny Chan Phil Ivey

06-18-2025 16:45 UTC-8

Weisman Unable to Retain Title

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Jacob Wilson

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Reigning champion Dylan Weisman has not been able to go back-to-back, as he has already busted before Day 1's dinner break. After registering in Level 5, his first bullet only had him on the felt for just over an hour. The next lasted only 16 minutes, as he entered and left for the second time without progressing from Level 6. His third and final bullet, again, lasted merely more than an hour, as he exited with no possibility of an extra reentry.

The double bracelet winner won't be too upset, however, as there are still plenty of PLO events scheduled that he'll have his eye on.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dylan Weisman	Busted

Tags: Dylan Weisman

06-18-2025 16:03 UTC-8

Reigning Champ Arrives

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Jacob Wilson

Level 7 : 400/800, 800 ante

Last year's winner of this event, Dylan Weisman, has taken his seat at the table as he looks to be the first player ever to go back-to-back in the $1,500 8-max. For the second year running, he'll have to overcome over 1,000 other entrants to lock up the top prize.

Weisman is something of a PLO specialist: His first of two bracelets came in the $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event back in 2021, where he took down $166,461. The same year, he almost doubled his tally, but came up just short, finishing fourth in the $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed event.

Last year, his second victory truly cemented him as a big name in PLO, as he locked up the third-best score of his career, $294,311, as well as his second bracelet. He is certainly in the hunt for his third this year, already having placed fourth in the same event he won in 2021, as well as placing 14th in Event #44: $10,000 Big O Championship.

He couldn't make it two-in-a-row, could he?

Player	Chips	Progress
Dylan Weisman	25,000 25,000	25,000

Tags: Dylan Weisman

06-18-2025 16:02 UTC-8

Stockfish Looking for His First Bracelet

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Tim Baker

Level 7 : 400/800, 800 ante

After the second break, Jason Stockfish sits at the top of the chip counts with 185,000.

With four runner-up finishes at the World Series of Poker, Stockfish has a reputation as one of the most consistent mixed game specialists still chasing their first bracelet. From Eight Game to H.O.R.S.E. and Big Bet formats, he’s repeatedly navigated through tough fields to reach the final table, only to fall just short of WSOP gold. He has made six WSOP final tables, four of which resulted in runner-up finishes.

Event #15: $1,500 Eight Game Mix (2016) – 2nd for $92,638
Event #18: $565 Pot-Limit Omaha (2017) – 2nd for $138,655
Event #59: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet (2017) – 2nd for $69,359
Event #14: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. (2019) – 2nd for $127,932

Still, Stockfish seems not to be deterred as he is back in the mix for this event, and has built up a healthy stack to potentially bag big ahead of Day 2 tomorrow.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jason Stockfish	185,000

Tags: Jason Stockfish

06-18-2025 15:10 UTC-8

Luu Rivers a One-Outer to Survive

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Tim Baker

Level 6 : 300/600, 600 ante

Lou Garza raised to 1,800 under the gun with Jarryd Godena calling from the next seat, Hieu Luu calling from the hijack, and Sandeep Pulusani defending his big blind.

The dealer spread out a flop of 6♣6♦2♦, and Pulusani checked. Garza continued for 9,900, Godena called, and Luu moved all in for 10,400. Both Garza and Godena called to create a side pot.

With Luu all-in, the 6♠ fell on the turn. Garza checked, and Godena shoved to put Garza all in. After a brief pause, Garza folded, and the cards were tabled.

Hieu Luu: A♥5♥4♦3♦ All in
Jarryd Godena: K♥K♦9♦9♠

Godena had a full house, sixes full of kings, and was in great shape. Only a one-outer could save Luu with a straight flush.

Luu was already out of his chair when the dealer delivered the 5♦ on the river, completing a miraculous straight flush. The table erupted in disbelief, while Godena sat stunned after suffering a brutal beat.

Player	Chips	Progress
Samuel Del Castillo	120,000 20,500	20,500
Keith Crowder	45,000 20,000	20,000
Jarryd Godena	45,000 20,000	20,000
Hieu Luu	43,000 43,000	43,000
Sandeep Pulusani	25,000 25,000	25,000

Yijie Hu	24,000 24,000	24,000
Lou Garza	7,000 23,000	23,000

Tags: Hieu Luu Jarryd Godena Lou Garza Sandeep Pulusani

06-18-2025 14:48 UTC-8

Punsri Hunting Thailand's First Bracelet

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Tim Baker

Level 6 : 300/600, 600 ante

With just shy of $25 million in live tournament earnings, Punnat Punsri holds the top spot on Thailand’s all-time money list and ranks inside the top 50 globally. Despite not yet capturing a WSOP bracelet, he came close earlier this series with a third-place finish in the shootout event. Punsri has already cashed in four events this summer, including two high rollers, and is currently seated at Table #234.

Event #37: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Monster Stack - 133rd for $10,095
Event #32: $50,000 No Limit Hold'em - High Roller - 8-Handed - 24th for $102,395
Event #26: $25,000 No Limit Hold'em - High Roller - 8-Handed - 11th for $111,294
Event #20: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Shootout - 3rd for $130,560

With experience spanning a wide range of buy-ins, Punsri certainly won’t be fazed as this event moves closer to the final table. The question now is whether this could be the tournament that delivers Thailand its first-ever WSOP bracelet, and if Punsri is the one destined to make it happen.

Player	Chips	Progress
Punnat Punsri	35,000 10,000	10,000

Tags: Punnat Punsri

06-18-2025 14:15 UTC-8

Helppi Busts the High Roller; Immediately Enters Event #54

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Tim Baker

Level 5 : Blinds 300/500, 500 ante

Finnish poker legend Juha Helppi just busted Event #51: $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha and hopped right into this event. Helppi has earned over $9 million in live poker tournaments and sits second on Finland’s all-time money list behind only Patrik Antonius.

Helppi’s World Series of Poker breakthrough came in 2019 when he claimed his first bracelet by winning the $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship for $306,622. Just one year later, he added a second piece of WSOP gold by taking down the 2020 WSOP Online GGPoker $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, topping a field of 328 for $290,286. A veteran of the WSOP since 2003, Helppi’s two bracelets cement his status as one of the most accomplished players ever to come out of Finland.

Though he is yet to register his first cash at the 2025 WSOP, he certainly is putting in the volume to perhaps make a deep run, and even go as far as getting his third bracelet.

Player	Chips	Progress
Juha Helppi	25,000 25,000	25,000

Tags: Juha Helppi

06-18-2025 14:00 UTC-8

Garza Goes for Gold.... Again

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Jacob Wilson

Level 4 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante

Lou Garza - Winner - Event #14: $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed

An extremely familiar name in the PLO world, Lou Garza, is a wizard with four cards in his hand. The man has two scores of more than $1,300,000 at the World Series, the first coming in 2023 as he took down Event #50: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship. Not only did he win his first bracelet, but his now-wife also won a ring, as he proposed to her seconds after being crowned winner.

The second came this year, as he made an absolutely unthinkable heads-up comeback against Ben Lamb to win Event #14: $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed, for another seven-figure score, along with another bracelet. He is a man to be feared today, as he looks to make yet another deep run in the Worls Series, and pick up another big cash.

Player	Chips	Progress
Lou Garza	30,000 30,000	30,000

Tags: Ben Lamb Lou Garza