Jerry Yang Sits Among The Chip Leaders Going Into Day 3 of $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em
After nine levels of play, Day 2 action has come to a close here in Event #68: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the 2025 World Series of Poker, hosted by the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas.
Of the 1,097 runners who started the day, only 127 players will return for Day 3 on Friday. All eyes will be on the first-place prize of $830,685 and the coveted WSOP Gold Bracelet.
Hamid Toghyan sits atop of the field going into Day 3 with 2,545,000. Toghyan cruised through the day and went relatively under the radar, but was continuously building up his stack. Toghyan has just over $100,000 in lifetime winnings and will eagerly be chasing down his first WSOP bracelet. Following Toghyan in second spot is Kunal Patni (2,125,000). Rounding out the top three spots is Ilan Cukrowicz (2,055,000).
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamid Toghyan | United Kingdom | 2,545,000 | 127 |
| 2 | Kunal Patni | India | 2,125,000 | 106 |
| 3 | Ilan Cukrowicz | France | 2,055,000 | 103 |
| 4 | Yuliyan Kolev | Bulgaria | 1,920,000 | 96 |
| 5 | Alexander Greenblatt | United States | 1,855,000 | 93 |
| 6 | Yuriy Boyko | Ireland | 1,815,000 | 91 |
| 7 | Ehsan Amiri | Australia | 1,695,000 | 85 |
| 8 | Jerry Yang | United States | 1,680,000 | 84 |
| 9 | Romain Lewis | France | 1,660,000 | 83 |
| 10 | Joshua Gebissa | Austria | 1,530,000 | 77 |
Players to Keep an Eye On
Many big-name players will be returning for Day 3 and trying to add to their resumes. Some of poker’s top name players still in the hunt for the bracelet include Jerry Yang (1,680,000), Dylan Linde (680,000) fresh off his win in the $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, Adrian Mateos (740,000), Martin Zamani (1,095,000), and Ari Engel (390,000).
Yang, the 2007 WSOP Main Event Champion, will be hoping to add to his bracelet collection. Yang has been relatively quiet on the poker scene in recent years, but is starting to reappear, and this is his first cash of the 2025 WSOP.
Notable Eliminations
Many top-name players put in an appearance, with most firing the two bullets that the structure allowed. Among some of the notable players who fell by the wayside on Day 2 were Phil Ivey, Martin Kabrhel, John Juanda, Chance Kornuth, Juha Helppi, Nick Schulman and Kenny Hallaert.
All 127 remaining players are guaranteed a payout of $7,343, but will be eager to reach the final table where a ninth-place finish locks up a minimum of $77,760, with all of the top seven finishers guaranteed a six-figure payday.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $830,685 | 14-17 | $39,091 |
| 2 | $553,692 | 27-35 | $26,069 |
| 3 | $406,016 | 36-44 | $21,640 |
| 4 | $300,649 | 45-53 | $18,163 |
| 5 | $224,833 | 54-62 | $15,416 |
| 6 | $169,818 | 63-71 | $13,234 |
| 7 | $129,563 | 72-80 | $11,491 |
| 8 | $99,859 | 81-89 | $10,094 |
| 9 | $77,760 | 90-98 | $8,971 |
| 10-11 | $61,183 | 99-125 | $8,068 |
| 12-13 | $48,647 | 126-127 | $7,343 |
| 18-26 | $31,751 |
Day 3 will start at 12 p.m. local time on Friday, June 27, where it is scheduled to play down to five players. The tournament will resume in Level 20 with blinds at 10,000/20,000/20,000, and there will be a 15-minute break every two levels. A one-hour dinner break will take place after the completion of Level 26, at approximately 6:30 p.m.
Be sure to follow PokerNews for the remainder of this event, as well as future coverage throughout the summer.