Joseph Gao raised in first position to 1,200 and Roger Perez called in early position. Action folded around to Martin Kabrhel in the big blind.
"Double rainbow plus two," said Kabrhel as he put out 8,600. Gao responded with a raise 16,000 and Perez folded while Kabrhel went into the tank.
"If I go all in, what do you do?" he asked a silent Gao. After some more time talking and thinking, the clock was called on Kabrhel by another player at the table. Before the countdown could start, Kabrhel raised to 31,600, prompting Gao to shove for 82,700 effective and Kabrhel called immediately.
Martin Kabrhel: A♣A♦
Joseph Gao: A♥K♠
"Good luck," Kabrhel said to Gao as the board ran out 3♣7♦10♣J♥9♥ to secure him the double.
With a legacy spanning more than five decades, the $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event No-Limit Hold-em World Championship has remained the premier stage for those chasing poker immortality. After a year of anticipation, the crown jewel of the WSOP returned today, with players from around the globe descending on Las Vegas for Day 1a.
From the moment poker legend Billy Baxter delivered the ceremonial “Shuffle up and deal!” until the final hand of the night, the atmosphere inside the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas was vibrant and tense as 923 hopefuls took their seats in pursuit of poker’s most coveted bracelet and the title of World Champion.
Leading the way after the first ten hours of play is Victor Vo, whose stellar day left him atop the leaderboard with 352,000. Just behind him is Justin Yaker with 348,000, and rounding out the top three is Miguel Coussement, who bagged 320,200.
Sitting in sixth position is Stanislav Zegal, who had a breakout performance by winning the inaugural WSOP Paradise Main Event in 2023 for a career-best score of $2,000,000. Since then, the German has earned several cashes in WSOP events, but nothing rivaling his life-changing score in the Bahamas. However, with a pile of chips and plenty of momentum on his side, Zegal is in great shape to make another deep run in a WSOP Main Event.
End of Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Victor Vo
United States
352,000
587
2
Justin Yaker
United States
348,000
580
3
Miguel Coussement
Belgium
320,200
534
4
Marc Spitaleri
United States
309,500
516
5
Jeremy Dan
United States
282,000
470
6
Stanislav Zegal
Germany
256,400
427
7
Benjamin Gold
United States
249,300
416
8
Wesley Fei
China
246,300
411
9
Chad Power
United States
243,900
407
10
Yamamoto Toshiyuki
Japan
243,200
405
A total of 634 players managed to earn a Day 2 berth. Other notables outside of the top ten who bagged big include Nikolaos Lampropoulos (235,900), Jon Pardy (187,800), Scott Eskenazi (158,100), Michael Noori (155,300), and Dan O'Brien (130,000).
Day 1a Highlights
No words were wasted as Baxter delivered the ceremonial "Shuffle up and Deal!" — and it didn't take long for the chips to start flying. Within the first hour of play, Lauren Hazelgreenbecame the first casualty of the 2025 Main Event after running top pair into Pedro Garagnani's set in a bloated four-way pot.
By the time the first break arrived, a dozen players had already hit the rail. Poker Hall of Famer Chris Moneymaker also saw his run come to an early end after a brutal set up left him with a full house against a better full house. Moneymaker suspected he was beat, but couldn't bring himself to fold to bring a swift end to the 2003 Main Event Champ's run.
Faring better in the early stages was Leon Sturm, who received a massive boost to his stack after cracking Goswin Siemsen's aces with trips. From that point, it was smooth sailing for Sturm as he ended with a well above average stack of 157,600.
Shortly after winning his fourth WSOP bracelet in the $1,000 Mini Main Event, echoes of "Not like that!" could be heard from the ballroom as Martin Kabrhel immediately let his presence known upon taking his seat in the Main.
Martin Kabrhel
Kabrhel was sent to the feature table following the dinner break, where he continued his boisterous antics—and grew his stack—to over 100,000 before slipping a bit. Drama ensued after Kabrhel was informed his table would remain on stream beyond one level, something that didn't sit well with the Czech pro. After some heated back and forth, Kabrhel got his way and his table was returned to the ballroom, where he finished the night with a double up to end with a bag worth 168,700.
Faraz Jaka had a rough day and found himself on the rail during the evening hours on Level 4. His woes began after making an incorrect read with the second-nut flush against Leland Postil's set. Jaka managed to chip up a bit afterwards, but ultimately met his end after getting frisky with seven-deuce and making trips against Benjamin Gold's full house.
Other notables who will have to wait until next year include Michael Moncek, Barny Boatman, Frank Kassela, Jean-Robert Bellande, Joao Vieira, and 2009 Main Event Champ Joe Cada — who ran pocket jacks into Joshua Kay's pocket aces late in the day.
Joe Cada
Everyone who managed to secure a bag will return for Day 2abc on Sunday, July 6, at 12 p.m. local time. Three more starting flights remain, starting with Day 1b on Thursday, July 3, at noon. Late registration will remain open until the start of Level 8 on either Day 2abc or Day 2d (on Monday, July 7th).
The story of the 2025 Main Event is just beginning to unfold, so be sure to stick with PokerNews for daily coverage all the way through to the crowning of poker’s next World Champion!
