Event #8: $1,500 Dealers Choice Day 1 | 2025 World Series of Poker

05-30-2025 13:30 UTC-8

Frye Wins Battle of Pat Hands

David Salituro

Level 1

Limit Flop/Draw: 200-300, 300-600 Limits
Stud Games: 100 Button, 100 Bring-In, 300 Completion 300-600 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 200/300 Ante, 100-200 Blinds

Badugi

Alexander Frye, Mark Gregorich, and Marcelo Costa all drew two on the first draw, while Nick Pupillo stood pat. Costa then bet on the button and Frye raised in the big blind.

Gregorich folded, while Pupillo reraised and only Frye called. Both players stood pat and checked before standing pat again on the last draw. Frye then led out with a bet and Pupillo called.

Frye showed A♦9♥7♣3♠ for a Badugi and Pupillo mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Alexander Frye	30,000 30,000	30,000
Nick Pupillo	20,000 5,000	5,000

Tags: Alexander Frye Nick Pupillo

05-30-2025 13:39 UTC-8

Spegal and Moss Chop Up Holder

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Brett Slezak

Level 1

Limit Flop/Draw: 200-300, 300-600 Limits
Stud Games: 100 Button, 100 Bring-In, 300 Completion 300-600 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 200/300 Ante, 100-200 Blinds

Badeucy

Action was picked up on the second draw. Frederic Moss took two from the small blind, Paul Holder took two from the big blind, and Michael Spegal took two from under the gun.

Moss led and both opponents called.

Moss and Holder took one while Spegal drew two on the end.

Moss led from the small blind once again, Holder raised, Spegal called, Moss made it three bets for 1,800, and both opponents called.

Frederic Moss: 7♥6♣4♠3♠2♣
Paul Holder: 8♠6♥5♦4♣2♦
Michael Spegal: 9♦6♠5♣3♦2♥

Spegal held a six-badugi for half and Moss held the number two low as Holder found himself pipped both ways.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Spegal	28,000 28,000	28,000

Frederic Moss	27,000 27,000	27,000
Paul Holder	21,000 21,000	21,000

Tags: Frederic Moss Michael Spegal Paul Holder

05-30-2025 13:39 UTC-8

When You Run Into The Top Of Alan Keating's Range - $25,000 Heads Up Championship

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Milko van Winden

Level 1

Limit Flop/Draw: 200-300, 300-600 Limits
Stud Games: 100 Button, 100 Bring-In, 300 Completion 300-600 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 200/300 Ante, 100-200 Blinds

Tags: Alan Keating Andrew Lichtenberger

05-30-2025 13:43 UTC-8

Kerbel Shows Down Trips

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David Salituro

Level 1

Limit Flop/Draw: 200-300, 300-600 Limits
Stud Games: 100 Button, 100 Bring-In, 300 Completion 300-600 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 200/300 Ante, 100-200 Blinds

Pot-Limit Omaha

There was already around 7,000 in the middle as Jay Kerbel and Johnny Rodriguez went to the turn on a board of 9♠4♣Q♦10♠. Kerbel then bet 3,000 from the cutoff and Rodriguez called in the big blind.

Rodriguez checked to Kerbel on the A♣ river, and this time Kerbel checked back. He turned over A♠Q♣Q♥7♣ for a set of queens and Rodriguez mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jay Kerbel	35,000 12,500	12,500
Johnny Rodriguez	10,000 10,000	10,000

Tags: Jay Kerbel Johnny Rodriguez

Level: 2

Limit Flop/Draw: 200-300, 300-600 Limits
Stud Games: 100 Button, 100 Bring-In, 300 Completion 300-600 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 200/300 Ante, 100-200 Blinds

05-30-2025 13:48 UTC-8

Evans Draws a Flush

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David Salituro

Level 2

Limit Flop/Draw: 200-300, 300-600 Limits
Stud Games: 100 Button, 100 Bring-In, 300 Completion 300-600 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 200/300 Ante, 100-200 Blinds

5-Card Draw

Four players went to the draw where Robert Mizrachi drew two, Paul Sokoloff drew three, John Evans took one, and Stephen Hubbard took three.

Evans then bet 2,100 from the cutoff and Hubbard and Mizrachi folded, but Sokoloff called. Evans turned over K♥Q♥8♥6♥5♥ for a flush and Sokoloff mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
John Evans	29,000
Robert Mizrachi	26,000 1,000	1,000

Paul Sokoloff	25,000

Tags: John Evans Paul Sokoloff Robert Mizrachi

05-30-2025 13:53 UTC-8

Nut-Nut for Kawaguchi

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Brett Slezak

Level 2

Limit Flop/Draw: 200-300, 300-600 Limits
Stud Games: 100 Button, 100 Bring-In, 300 Completion 300-600 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 200/300 Ante, 100-200 Blinds

Badacy

David Rodriguez limped the cutoff, Tsubasa Kawaguchi raised from the button, Mark Liedtke called in the small blnd, Stephano Valles called in the big blind, and Rodriguez called.

Liedtke took three, Valles took four, Rodriguez took three, and Kawaguchi took two. The action checked to Kawaguchi who bed, Liedtke called, Valles raised, Rodriguez folded, and the others called.

Liedtke took two, Valles was pat, and Kawaguchi took one. Valles led and both opponents called.

On the final draw, Liedtke took one and the others patted. The action checked to Kawaguchi who bet and only Valles called.

"Nuts!" proclaimed Kawaguchi as he tabled the 5♣4♣3♦2♥A♠ for nut-nut as he scooped a big one early.

Player	Chips	Progress
Tsubasa Kawaguchi	32,000 32,000	32,000
David Rodriguez	22,000 22,000	22,000
Mark Liedtke	22,000 22,000	22,000
Stephano Valles	19,000 19,000	19,000

Tags: David Rodriguez Mark Liedtke Stephano Valles Tsubasa Kawaguchi

05-30-2025 13:56 UTC-8

Negreanu Fears a Slowroll With His Straight

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David Salituro

Level 2

Limit Flop/Draw: 200-300, 300-600 Limits
Stud Games: 100 Button, 100 Bring-In, 300 Completion 300-600 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 200/300 Ante, 100-200 Blinds

5-Card Draw

Daniel Negreanu had his last 16,200 in the middle from the small blind and his camera up and filming as George Wang put him at risk under the gun.

"I'm 100 percent getting slowrolled," Negreanu said as he stood pat, while Wang took a moment before drawing one. "I have a straight," Negreanu added, showing 9♦8♠7♠6♥5♣.

Wang turned over A♣10♥10♠10♦ for trips, but he failed to fill up with the 3♥ and Negreanu doubled up.

"He showed three tens and took one, and I thought for sure he was going to show another ten," Negreanu said after the hand.

"Rebuy," Wang shouted out, laughing off the beat, but he had Negreanu slightly covered and was left on a short stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Daniel Negreanu	33,000 8,000	8,000

George Wang	4,000 4,000	4,000

Tags: Daniel Negreanu George Wang

05-30-2025 14:06 UTC-8

Kessler Surrenders to Engel on Seventh

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David Salituro

Level 2

Limit Flop/Draw: 200-300, 300-600 Limits
Stud Games: 100 Button, 100 Bring-In, 300 Completion 300-600 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 200/300 Ante, 100-200 Blinds

Razz

Ari Engel: XxXx/6x5x3x7x/Xx
Allen Kessler: XxXx/8x4x2x9x/Xx
Patrick Gunn: XxXx/8x6x4x -folded on fifth street

Allen Kessler bet on fourth street and was called by Ari Engel and Patrick Gunn.

Kessler bet again on fifth and only Engel called this time. Engel then bet on sixth and Kessler called.

"How are you going to trap me now?" Engel said heading to seventh, where he put out another bet. Kessler gave it some thought but eventually folded as Engel took the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Patrick Gunn	33,000
Ari Engel	26,000

Allen Kessler	25,000

Tags: Allen Kessler Ari Engel Patrick Gunn

05-30-2025 14:06 UTC-8

Pelz and Zhu Take from Morrell

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Brett Slezak

Level 2

Limit Flop/Draw: 200-300, 300-600 Limits
Stud Games: 100 Button, 100 Bring-In, 300 Completion 300-600 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 200/300 Ante, 100-200 Blinds

Stud Hi-Lo

Ali Eslami completed first to act, Yueqi Zhu called, Ian Pelz raised, Jonathan Morrell called the bring in, and the others called.

Ali Eslami: XxXx / A♣3♥10♦ - folded on fifth street
Yueqi Zhu: 6♣4♥2♦ / 7♦5♦6♥K♠
Ian Pelz: A♦9♠2♣ / A♠4♦5♠10♥
Jonathan Morrell: K♣6♠5♣ / 3♠10♠7♠5♥

Pelz led on fourth and everyone called. Pelz led on fifth and only Morrell and Zhu called.

On sixth, Pelz led again and both opponents called.

Down and dirty for seventh, Pelz checked to Morrell who bet and both opponents called. Pelz was best for the high with a pair of aces and Zhu had the low as Morrell took a small hit to his stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Yueqi Zhu	31,000 6,000	6,000

Ian Pelz	29,000 29,000	29,000

Ali Eslami	28,000

Tags: Ali Eslami Ian Pelz Jonathan Morrell Yueqi Zhu