Event #55: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship Day 1 | 2025 World Series of Poker

06-18-2025 19:20 UTC-7

Hunichen Gets Mueller to Fold

Ryan Lashmar

Level 7 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Limit Flop: 1,000-2,000, 2,000-4,000 Limits
Stud Games: 500-2,000, 2,000-4,000, 500 Ante

Chris Hunichen: XxXx/6xJxJx
Greg Mueller: XxXx/6xKxKx - folded on fifth street
Nacho Barbero: XxXx/Ax - folded on third street
Daniel Buckley: XxXx/Jx - folded bring in

Nacho Barbero called the bring in and Greg Mueller completed. Chris Hunichen raised to two bets, Daniel Buckley folded from the bring in and Barbero folded.

Hunichen bet fourth and fifth street. Mueller called fourth before folding on fifth and Hunichen took the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ryan Miller	139,500 42,500	42,500

Nacho Barbero	103,000 27,700	27,700

Craig Chait	68,000 17,000	17,000
Greg Mueller	53,000 7,000	7,000

Chris Hunichen	51,000 3,000	3,000

Brad Ruben	37,000 23,000	23,000

DJ Buckley	36,000 24,000	24,000

Tony Cousineau	35,000 15,000	15,000

Tags: Chris Hunichen Daniel Buckley Greg Mueller Nacho Barbero

06-18-2025 19:14 UTC-7

Player	Chips	Progress
Bob Slezak	60,000 60,000	60,000

Gabriel Ramos	60,000 60,000	60,000
Ofir Mor	60,000 60,000	60,000
Jake Schwartz	60,000 60,000	60,000
Scott Seiver	60,000 60,000	60,000

PJ Cha	60,000 60,000	60,000
Jyri Merivirta	60,000 60,000	60,000
George Alexander	60,000 60,000	60,000

Richard Sklar	60,000 60,000	60,000
David "ODB" Baker	60,000 60,000	60,000

Roland Israelashvili	60,000 60,000	60,000

Gary Benson	60,000 60,000	60,000

Greg Mueller	60,000 60,000	60,000

Dzmitry Urbanovich	60,000 60,000	60,000
Matt Vengrin	Busted

Patrick Stacey	Busted
Mehmet Cetinkaya	Busted
Yuval Bronshtein	Busted

Adam Friedman	Busted

Sachin Bhargava	Busted
Ian Johns	Busted

Brian Breck	Busted
Ryuta Nakai	Busted
Jason Berilgen	Busted
Christopher Chung	Busted

"I Really Thought I Had Three-Quarters"

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Chad Holloway

Level 7 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Limit Flop: 1,000-2,000, 2,000-4,000 Limits
Stud Games: 500-2,000, 2,000-4,000, 500 Ante

Omaha Hi-Lo

The short-stacked Allen Cunningham limped under the gun and Jason Palafox did the same from the cutoff. Daniel Idema then raised from the big blind, both his opponents called, and the flop came down A♥2♥5♠.

Idema checked, Kessler bet 2,000, and Palafox folded. Idema called and then both players checked the 6♠ turn, which brought about the 4♥ on the river.

Idema bet and Kessler raised all in for 6,800. Idema didn't seem excited but called with his 3♣2♠A♦Q♣ and Kessler turned over 3♦2♣6♣5♦.

"I get three-quarters," Kessler said as the dealer started to break down the stacks. However, after a few beats, Lucas Zwingmann-Gocht noted that it was actually a chopped pot as both players had a wheel for the low and a six-high straight for the high. Even Idema didn't notice.

"I really thought I had three-quarters," Kessler said as he was pushed his half of the pot, thus extending his tournament life.

Meanwhile, Palafox went bust a short time later.

Player	Chips	Progress
Daniel Idema	72,000 2,000	2,000

Allen Kessler	11,300 3,300	3,300
Jason Palafox	Busted

06-18-2025 19:06 UTC-7

Rubbathan KOs Lord

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 7 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Limit Flop: 1,000-2,000, 2,000-4,000 Limits
Stud Games: 500-2,000, 2,000-4,000, 500 Ante

Stud Hi-Lo

Mark Rubbathan: A♠A♥/8♥7♦2♥Q♥/3♠
Kristan Lord: J♠5♠/A♣6♥A♦9♦/8♦

With two players seeing sixth street and around 50,000 in the middle Kristan Lord bet, leaving just a few chips behind, and Mark Rubbathan called.

Lord bet his remaining stack on seventh street and was all-in. Rubbathan called.

Both players had a pair of aces but Rubbathan had the best kicker with a queen to eliminate Lord.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mark Rubbathan	88,000 28,000	28,000

Kristan Lord	Busted

Tags: Kristan Lord Mark Rubbathan

06-18-2025 18:57 UTC-7

Checking It Down with IIjima & Zwingmann-Gocht

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Chad Holloway

Level 7 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Limit Flop: 1,000-2,000, 2,000-4,000 Limits
Stud Games: 500-2,000, 2,000-4,000, 500 Ante

Omaha Hi-Lo

Masafumi IIjima raised from middle position and Lucas Zwingmann-Gocht defended the big blind to see a flop of 5♦J♠5♣.

Both players checked and proceeded to do the same on the K♠ turn as well as the 2♣ river.

IIjima tabled the A♠4♥4♣6♥ and it was good as Zwingmann-Gocht mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Masafumi IIjima	110,000 3,000	3,000
Lucas Zwingmann-Gocht	65,000 5,000	5,000

Tags: Lucas Zwingmann-Gocht Masafumi IIjima

06-18-2025 18:54 UTC-7

Smith and Luo Chop Up a Big One

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 7 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Limit Flop: 1,000-2,000, 2,000-4,000 Limits
Stud Games: 500-2,000, 2,000-4,000, 500 Ante

Stud Hi-Lo

Justin Smith: 7♠A♣/3♠6♣4♥2♣/9♠
Xixang Luo: 10♦10♠/10♣A♠2♦Q♦/5♠
Brandon Shack-Harris: XxXx/7♦9♥Q♠ - folded on fifth street

Action was picked up on third street after Brandon Shack-Harris had raised to three bets over some previous action. Justin Smith called, Xixiang Luo raised to four bets, Shack-Harris called and Smith called.

On fourth street Luo bet, Shack-Harris called and Smith raised. Luo three-bet, Shack-Harris called and Smith four-bet. Luo made it five bets, Shack-Harris called and Smith called.

On fifth street Luo bet, Shack-Harris folded, Smith raised and Luo called. Luo then check-called bets from Smith on sixth and seventh street.

Smith had a six-low while Luo had trip tens to split the massive pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Xixiang Luo	101,000 2,000	2,000

Justin Smith	96,000 12,300	12,300
Mike Lang	81,200 6,500	6,500
Hal Rotholz	77,000
Damjan Radanov	60,500 3,500	3,500
Brandon Shack-Harris	38,500 4,500	4,500

Tags: Brandon Shack-Harris Justin Smith Xixiang Luo

06-18-2025 18:35 UTC-7

Top 50 Stacks After Second Break

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 7 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Limit Flop: 1,000-2,000, 2,000-4,000 Limits
Stud Games: 500-2,000, 2,000-4,000, 500 Ante

According to the WSOP+ App, these are the top 50 stacks in the room after the second break of the day.

Player	Chips	Progress
Walter Chambers	127,400 41,600	41,600

Suketu Patel	124,400 27,600	27,600
Kevin Song	120,000 60,000	60,000

John Hennigan	110,000 5,000	5,000

Masafumi IIjima	109,500 29,000	29,000
Eric Rodawig	109,500 49,500	49,500

Jose Paz-Gutierrez	104,600 35,000	35,000
Xixiang Luo	103,000 28,000	28,000

Koji Fujimoto	102,400 42,400	42,400
Matthew Valeo	101,400 18,400	18,400

William Romaine	100,800 1,700	1,700
Chad Eveslage	98,000 7,000	7,000

Ryan Miller	97,000 37,000	37,000

Tom Koral	91,000 31,500	31,500

William Ford	86,300 9,300	9,300
Max Pescatori	86,000 13,200	13,200

Craig Chait	85,000 25,000	25,000
Marco Johnson	85,000 25,000	25,000

Matt Grapenthien	84,800 23,800	23,800

Todd Brunson	83,800 23,800	23,800

Justin Smith	83,700 13,700	13,700
Benny Glaser	82,500 10,500	10,500

Mike Matusow	82,300 9,300	9,300

James Karamanis	81,500 1,500	1,500
Renan Bruschi	81,300 21,300	21,300

Read full

Level: 7

Limit Flop: 1,000-2,000, 2,000-4,000 Limits
Stud Games: 500-2,000, 2,000-4,000, 500 Ante

06-18-2025 18:16 UTC-7

Second Break

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 6 : 800/1,500, 1,500 ante

Limit Flop: 800-1,500, 1,500-3,000 Limits
Stud Games: 500-1,500, 1,500-3,000, 300 Ante

Players are now on another 15-minute break.

06-18-2025 18:14 UTC-7

Four Players to the River in Big O8 Pot

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Chad Holloway

Level 6 : 800/1,500, 1,500 ante

Limit Flop: 800-1,500, 1,500-3,000 Limits
Stud Games: 500-1,500, 1,500-3,000, 300 Ante

Omaha Hi-Lo

Calvin Anderson raised from late position, and Jerry Wong called from the button. John Monnette came along from the small blind, Matt Glantz from the big, and it was four-way action to a flop of A♣6♦9♥.

Three checks saw Wong bet 1,500, and all three of his opponents called.

That action repeated on the 8♣ turn, albeit for 3,000, and the 10♦ completed the board on the river, which everyone checked.

Monnette showed the 10♥9♠7♠3♥ for a straight, but it was no good as Anderson held a bigger one with the Q♠J♦A♥3♠. Glantz then showed 4♣2♦4♠7♥ for a low, and Wong mucked.