Event #78: $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship Day 1 | 2025 World Series of Poker

07-01-2025 09:39 UTC-8

Le Raises the River

Barry Russell

Level 1 : Blinds 100/100, 100 ante

There were roughly 1,000 chips in the pot on K♣9♣7♦, Trung Le bet 800 from the hijack and Rafael Rodriguez called in the big blind.

Both players checked on the 6♣ turn, Rodriguez deicded to lead for 800 when the 8♣ got dealt on the river.

Le took a few moments before he raised to 4,700, Rodriguez quickly folded and Le flashed the K♥.

Player	Chips	Progress
Trung Le	34,000 34,000	34,000
Rafael Rodriguez	34,000 34,000	34,000
John Balsai	32,000 32,000	32,000
Shaundle Pruitt	31,000 31,000	31,000
Gustav Institoris	24,000 24,000	24,000
Howard Ashkinos	23,000 23,000	23,000

Tags: Rafael Rodriguez Trung Le

07-01-2025 09:39 UTC-8

PokerNews Deepstack Challenge Winners

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Jacob Wilson

Level 1 : Blinds 100/100, 100 ante

One of the most special parts about Event #78: $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship is the fact that 50 players have been able to take their seats without paying a cent! Well, not directly at least.

Every day throughout the series, PokerNews sponsored daily deepstack tournaments in the Normandy and Provence Ballrooms in Horseshoe Las Vegas, with $200, $250, and $400 buy-in tournaments all taking place at 8:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m., respectively. Cashing and running deep in these tournaments earned them points, and points meant prizes.

Each week, a leaderboard was completed, with points accumulated in the same manner as those for the WSOP Player of the Year. The top ten players from each week earned a free entry into this event, with 50 having been given out after five weeks of deepstack competition.

Winners Table

Week	Winner
1	James Derosa
2	Tristan Tauscher
3	Dominique Terzian
4	Duy Ho
5	Caleb Mitson

Will one of our deepstack entrants take down the event, earning themselves a bracelet as well as a 24k gold PokerNews card protector?

Tags: Caleb Mitson Dominique Terzian Duy Ho James Derosa Tristan Tauscher

07-01-2025 09:41 UTC-8

Gilmore Catches Federspiel's Bluff

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Gabrielle Barredo

Level 1 : Blinds 100/100, 100 ante

Action was ongoing on a pot of around 800 with two players engaged. The dealer unfurled 5♠K♥Q♥.

Steven Federspiel check-raised to 2,200 from the big blind after Andrew Gilmore in cutoff made a bet of 700.

The turn came 8♠ and Federspiel kept the pressure with 2,500. Gilmore called. Finally on the river 8♣ action slowed with both players tapping the felt.

Federspiel showed A♥7♥ for a busted flush draw. Gilmore turned over K♦2♦ for two pair with the board.

Player	Chips	Progress
Steven Federspiel	33,000 33,000	33,000
Andrew Gilmore	23,500 23,500	23,500

Tags: Andrew Gilmore Steven Federspiel

Level: 2

Blinds: 100/200

Ante: 200

07-01-2025 09:55 UTC-8

Klein Chips at Medina

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Laura Fryer

Level 2 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

George Medina opened the hijack to 400 and Dan Klein raised to 1,400.

Medina was the only caller, and the players went heads-up to the board.

The flop came 6♠J♦7♦ and Medina checked. Klein bet 1,000 and Medina folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dan Klein	34,000 34,000	34,000
Andrew Nguyen	33,500 33,500	33,500

George Medina	29,000 29,000	29,000
Robert Worthing	27,000 27,000	27,000
Tony Collier	25,000 25,000	25,000
David Hall	24,700 24,700	24,700
Matthias Weigert	24,000 24,000	24,000

Tags: Dan Klein George Medina

07-01-2025 09:59 UTC-8

Wong Going for Value

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Barry Russell

Level 2 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

There were roughly 13,000 chips in the pot on 6♦6♥J♥7♠8♥.

Arturas Astrauskas checked from early position to Colleen Wong in the cutoff. Wong bet 3,600, and Astrauskas quickly called with a single chip.

Wong revealed pocket queens Q♦Q♠, and Astrauskas mucked his hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
Colleen Wong	44,000 14,000	14,000
Dan Mahaffey	32,300 700	700
Satheesh Francis	29,200 29,200	29,200
Michel Elmassih	26,500 500	500
Gregory Strauss	25,900 25,900	25,900
Leo Bell	23,000 7,000	7,000
Arturas Astrauskas	19,000 11,000	11,000

Tags: Arturas Astrauskas Colleen Wong

07-01-2025 10:04 UTC-8

Hall Takes a Tumble

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Laura Fryer

Level 2 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Players were already heads up on the 4♠A♥Q♣ flop, with Arthur Rigaud in the small blind and Shane Hall in the hijack.

Rugaud checked, and Hall bet 800. Ragaud made a quick call.

The 8♣ was turned, and Rugaud check-called a 1,600 bet from Hall.

Both players checked the 4♦ river, and Hall showed A♦J♥ for two pair. Hall mucked, handing an early pot to Rugaud.

Player	Chips	Progress
Arthur Rigaud	41,000 41,000	41,000
Shane Hall	22,500 22,500	22,500

Tags: Shane Hall Arthur Rigaud

07-01-2025 10:05 UTC-8

Payneful Decision for Ozaki

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Jacob Wilson

Level 2 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

There was a preflop betting war on Table 247 in the Paris Ballroom that began with Anthony Pineda raising to 600 under the gun. On his direct left, Rudi Patitucci made the call before seeing a three-bet from Antonio Payne in the hijack, to 2,500.

Action got to Shota Ozaki on the button, who seemed to have a decision on his hands. After a brief pause, he put in a raise to 8,000. Confused, Pineda mucked, Patitucci did the same, allowing Payne to jam for just under a starting stack. Ozaki asked for a count, which came to 29,400, and went deep into the tank. After some minutes, he ended up folding, as Payne became the table's big stack without seeing a flop.

Player	Chips	Progress
Antonio Payne	38,900 38,900	38,900

Anthony Pineda	33,600 33,600	33,600
Karim Zaki	32,000 32,000	32,000
Robert Shangguan	28,800 28,800	28,800
Rudi Patitucci	28,800 28,800	28,800
Rajdeep Gill	27,400 27,400	27,400
Shota Ozaki	21,000 21,000	21,000

Tags: Anthony Pineda Antonio Payne Rudi Patitucci Shota Ozaki

07-01-2025 10:12 UTC-8

Zayas Firing

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Barry Russell

Level 2 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

There was roughly 7,500 chips in the pot on 7♥2♣9♣, Francisco Zayas bet 3,500 from the small blind, Ronald Hunt in the hijack folded and Xizhe Yuan called on the button.

Zayas fired out a bet of 5,000 on the 3♦ turn and on the J♦ river, Yuan called every bet and got shown K♦K♥ for an overpair to the board, Yuan tapped the tabled and mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Francisco Zayas	46,400 46,400	46,400
Marcia Kuntz	38,000 38,000	38,000
Vincent Lam	31,000 31,000	31,000
Brad Rutta	29,300 29,300	29,300
Samyo Bounlom	27,400 27,400	27,400
Ronald Hunt	19,600 19,600	19,600
Xizhe Yuan	10,100 10,100	10,100

Tags: Francisco Zayas Ronald Hunt Xizhe Yuan

07-01-2025 10:15 UTC-8

Joseph Runs Into a Monster

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Jacob Wilson

Level 2 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Action was picked up on a board reading 4♠5♣4♥. First to act Hans Anderson bet out for 3,900, and received a call in two places, as Jiwoo Hyul and Marc Joseph both paid to see a turn.

When it came, the A♥ was checked through, bringing in the 5♦ on the river. Anderson put 6,700 into the middle. Hyul got out of the way, before Joseph shoved. Anderson snap-called, covering, and showed A♠5♠ for fives-full-of-aces. Joseph was no good with 8♣8♠ and went home early.

Player	Chips	Progress
Hans Anderson	67,700 67,700	67,700
Casey Williams	32,000 32,000	32,000
Young Choi	30,300 30,300	30,300
Hongxing Li	28,000 28,000	28,000
Jiwoo Hyul	27,500 27,500	27,500
Stephen Whitaker	24,700 24,700	24,700
Marc Joseph	Busted

Tags: Hans Anderson Jiwoo Hyul Marc Joseph