Event #61: $500 No-Limit Holdem Freezeout | 2025 World Series of Poker

06-24-2025 16:40 UTC-8

Chip and a Chair for Evangelista

Nick Becker

Level 34 : Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante

After being down to a single 100,000 chip, Mark Evangelista was able to spin it up and get back to 1,000,000. From there, he moved all in from the cutoff to put himself at risk and Abhishek Mhatre called in the big blind.

Mark Evangelista: J♠10♠ All in
Abhishek Mhatre: A♦4♥

The flop came 4♠8♠5♦ with Mhatre still out in the lead but Evangelista still had plenty of outs. The turn landed the 5♣ and Evangelista got there on the 9♠ river by hitting the flush to double up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Abhishek Mhatre	4,725,000 2,775,000	2,775,000
Mark Evangelista	2,600,000 100,000	100,000

Tags: Abhishek Mhatre Mark Evangelista

06-24-2025 16:42 UTC-8

Alexander Gittings Eliminated in 19th Place ($8,984)

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Sava Krink

Level 34 : Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante

Short-stacked, Alexander Gittings moved his last 150,000 into the middle, just under the big blind. Sean Cronin called from the small blind, and Enrique Baldeon checked his option in the big.

The three saw a runout of 2♥5♥K♥7♣10♥, and with no action on any street, it went straight to showdown.

Gittings revealed A♣5♠ for a pair of fives, Cronin showed J♠9♣ for jack high, but Baldeon tabled 9♥6♦ for a rivered flush to win the pot and send Gittings to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Sean Cronin	14,300,000 1,000,000	1,000,000
Enrique Baldeon	4,800,000 1,400,000	1,400,000
Alexander Gittings	Busted

Tags: Alexander Gittings Enrique Baldeon Sean Cronin

06-24-2025 16:43 UTC-8

Final Two Table Redraw

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Sava Krink

Level 34 : Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante

Table	Place	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blind
601	1	Craig Savage	United States	6,500,000	16
601	2	Enrique Baldeon	United States	5,275,000	13
601	3	Mark Evangelista	United States	2,200,000	6
601	4	Paul Heath	United Kingdom	10,900,000	27
601	5	Edwin Chang	United States	9,125,000	23
601	6	Jesse Jones	United States	4,275,000	11
601	7	Ben Fan	China	4,175,000	10
601	8	Stephen Hubbard	United States	3,875,000	10
601		Tony Harrison	United States	3050000	8

604	1	Matthew Hayes	United States	3,900,000	10
604	2	Brian Biggs	United States	7,200,000	18
604	3	Hai Nguyen	United States	11,150,000	28
604	4	Robbie Schiffbauer	United States	9,800,000	25
604	5	Abhishek Mhatre	Canada	4,400,000	11
604	6	Arthur Morris	United States	9,950,000	25
604	7	Siarhei Chudapal	Belarus	11,600,000	29
604	8	Sean Cronin	United States	10,600,000	27
604	9	Yudai Futai	Japan	7500000	19

Player	Chips	Progress
Siarhei Chudapal	11,600,000 9,150,000	9,150,000
Hai Nguyen	11,150,000 1,200,000	1,200,000
Paul Heath	10,900,000 3,100,000	3,100,000
Sean Cronin	10,600,000 2,700,000	2,700,000
Arthur Morris	9,950,000 750,000	750,000
Robbie Schiffbauer	9,800,000 500,000	500,000
Edwin Chang	9,125,000 1,225,000	1,225,000
Yudai Futai	7,500,000 3,425,000	3,425,000
Brian Biggs	7,200,000 400,000	400,000
Craig Savage	6,500,000 2,600,000	2,600,000

Enrique Baldeon	5,275,000 1,875,000	1,875,000
Abhishek Mhatre	4,400,000 325,000	325,000
Jesse Jones	4,275,000 200,000	200,000
Ben Fan	4,175,000 25,000	25,000
Matthew Hayes	3,900,000 500,000	500,000
Stephen Hubbard	3,875,000 125,000	125,000
Tony Harrison	3,050,000 300,000	300,000
Mark Evangelista	2,200,000 400,000	400,000

06-24-2025 16:44 UTC-8

Mark Evangelista Eliminated in 18th Place ($8,984)

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Frank Visser

Level 34 : Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante

In the last hand before the dinner break, Craig Savage open-jammed on the button. Mark Evangelista snap-called in the big blind, being the player at risk for 2,200,000.

Mark Evangelista: 7♠7♣ All in
Craig Savage: A♣J♥

Savage hit an ace on the 4♣A♠8♣ flop for a massive lead. No seven appeared on the 9♥ turn, and the A♦ river gave Savage three of a kind to lock up the pot and eliminate Evangelista

Player	Chips	Progress
Craig Savage	9,300,000 5,400,000	5,400,000

Mark Evangelista	Busted

Tags: Craig Savage Mark Evangelista

06-24-2025 16:45 UTC-8

Dinner Break

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Nick Becker

Level 34 : Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante

The remaining 17 players have been sent on a one-hour dinner break and will return at approximately 6:40 p.m. local time.

The tournament will resume with blinds at 250,000/500,000 with a 500,000 big blind ante.

06-24-2025 17:22 UTC-8

Reigning Main Event Champ Jonathan Tamayo on New WSOP Rules & Folding Pocket Queens

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Connor Richards

Level 34 : Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante

Life Outside Poker is a podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level.

In the 30th episode, Connor talks with 2024 WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Tamayo about growing up in Humble, Texas, studying hotel management at Cornell University, graduating during the 2008 recession, running deep in the 2009 and 2015 Main Events, his friendship with fellow Main Event champion Joe McKeehen, winning the biggest-ever WSOP Main Event for $10 million, and his first purchase as world champion.

Tamayo also spoke about his infamous fold with pocket queens late in the 2024 Main Event, which he says cost him $120,000 in equity, and gave his thoughts on new rules implemented at the 2025 WSOP in the wake of "LaptopGate," as well as the Main Event structure and Phil Hellmuth's proposed boycott that he has since rescinded.

Tags: Connor Richards Joe McKeehen Jonathan Tamayo

Level: 35

Blinds: 250,000/500,000

Ante: 500,000

06-24-2025 17:52 UTC-8

Mhatre Doubles First Hand Back From Dinner

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Erick Torres

Level 35 : Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante

Abhishek Mhatre limped from under the gun as he flicked only two 100,000 chips into the pot, which was ruled a call. Yudai Futai chose to jam from the cutoff and was called by Mhatre.

Abhishek Mhatre: 10♥10♣ All in
Yudai Futai: 9♦9♠

Mhatre held a dominant lead, and the flop extended it even further when it fell J♣5♦10♦. The 2♦ turn, however, added some intrigue as it gave Futai a flush draw. The 3♠ ended the hand, awarding Mhatre a double up in the first hand back from dinner break.

Player	Chips	Progress
Abhishek Mhatre	9,450,000 5,050,000	5,050,000
Yudai Futai	3,275,000 4,225,000	4,225,000

Tags: Abhishek Mhatre Yudai Futai

06-24-2025 17:56 UTC-8

Fan Finds the Double

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Nick Becker

Level 35 : Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante

Enrique Baldeon raised to 2,000,000 in the hijack and Ben Fan three-bet shoved in the big blind for 3,650,000. Baldeon called with the covering stack.

Ben Fan: A♥Q♠ All in
Enrique Baldeon: J♠J♥

Fan pulled ahead on the 3♠Q♦K♥ flop, pairing his queen. The board ran out 3♣, A♠ with Fan improving to two pair, aces and queens to secure the double up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ben Fan	8,050,000 3,875,000	3,875,000
Enrique Baldeon	1,400,000 3,875,000	3,875,000

Tags: Ben Fan Enrique Baldeon

06-24-2025 17:57 UTC-8

Poker Vlogging Legend Brad Owen Chasing 'Dream' By Shot-Taking in $50K WSOP PPC

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Calum Grant

Level 35 : Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante

Brad Owen, one of poker’s most popular vloggers and a WPT Global Ambassador, is officially taking his shot in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, the biggest and toughest mixed-game event of the summer.

From selling action at a markdown to bringing new eyes to the mixed-game world, find out why this is “the dream he didn’t know he had” and how he plans to represent his massive fanbase on poker’s biggest stage.

Click here to read the full story