Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship Day 1a | 2025 World Series of Poker

07-02-2025 14:53 UTC-8

Sly Gets a Massive Double With Aces Over Kings

Ryan Lashmar

Level 2 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

With two players seeing a board of Q♥Q♦5♥A♦ and around 50,000 in the middle, Maninder Kaintyura checked from under the gun and Gregory Sly shoved for 28,900 from middle position. Kaintyura went into the tank for a couple minutes before calling with a covering stack.

Gregory Sly: A♥A♣ All in
Maninder Kaintyura: K♥K♠

Sly had aces full of queens leaving Kaintyura drawing dead with his pocket kings and after the 8♣ river fell Sly secured a colossal double up.

According to a player at the table, Kaintyura had limped preflop, Sly had raised to 900 and Kaintyuri liimp-raised to 3,200. Sly four-bet and Kaintyuri called. Sly then bet 12,000 on the flop and Kaintyuri called again leading to the eventual all-in collision on the turn.

Player	Chips	Progress
Gregory Sly	106,500 106,500	106,500
Maninder Kaintyura	7,500 7,500	7,500

Tags: Gregory Sly Maninder Kaintyura

07-02-2025 14:49 UTC-8

Ludlow With The Flush

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Liam Gannon

Level 2 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

Ben Ludlow raised to 800 in the hijack and Samuel Mullur raised in the big blind to 3,300 which Ludlow called.

The flop rolled out 4♥2♦Q♥ and Mullur led out for 5,500 which Ludlow called.

Both players checked the 2♠ turn to the 8♥ river where Mullur checked over to Ludlow, then called the 10,000 bet from him.

Ludlow turned over K♥10♥ for a king-high flush and Mullur tossed his hand into the muck.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ben Ludlow	57,300 3,700	3,700
Samuel Mullur	27,000 27,000	27,000

Tags: Ben Ludlow Samuel Mullur

07-02-2025 13:43 UTC-8

Top Full Over Second Full Sends Moneymaker Packing

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Liam Gannon

Level 2 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

David Brown raised to 600 from the cutoff and in the small blind, Chris Moneymaker called.

The flop rolled out J♠J♣6♥ and Moneymaker check-called a bet of 500 from Brown.

Both players checked the turn 10♠ to the river Q♥ where Moneymaker bet 2,500. Brown responded with a raise to 10,000, prompting Moneymaker to raise to 20,000. Brown moved all in for 47,000 effective and Moneymaker went into the tank.

"Do you really have pocket queens?" asked Moneymaker as he pondered a decision for his tournament life. He talked through a few more parts of the hand before eventually relenting and putting the chips in the middle saying, "If you've got queens, you've got queens."

Chris Moneymaker: Q♠J♦ All in
David Brown: Q♦Q♣

Brown had rivered a one-outer to make queens full of jacks, besting Moneymaker's jacks full of queens. Brown raked in a sizable pot while the 2003 WSOP Main Event champion was eliminated from the tournament.

Player	Chips	Progress
David Brown	131,500 131,500	131,500
Chris Moneymaker	Busted

Tags: Chris Moneymaker David Brown

07-02-2025 13:43 UTC-8

Yokosawa Chipping Up

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Stewart Morrison

Level 2 : Blinds 200/300, 300 ante

After seeing a raise to 600 ahead of him, Masato Yokosawa made the call from the hijack, which also tempted David Cabrera Polop, in the big blind, to join in.

Action checked to Yokosawa on the K♦10♣2♣ flop, and he put out a bet of 1,200. Cabrera Polop called, and the initial raiser folded.

Yokosawa kept up the pressure on the J♦ turn, this time betting 4,600. This was enough to lay claim to the pot, as Cabrera Polop folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
David Cabrera Polop	135,000 10,000	10,000
Masato Yokosawa	56,000 3,000	3,000

Tags: David Cabrera Polop Masato Yokosawa

07-02-2025 13:03 UTC-8

Break

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Shuffle and Deal - Billy Baxter - Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship

The first level of the 2025 WSOP Main Event has concluded and players are now on a 20-minute break. The field currently stands at 739 entries with 727 players remaining.

Here are some highlights from the opening level:

07-02-2025 12:31 UTC-8

Moneymaker Back on Track After Getting Paid With Full House

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Dan O'Hair

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Three ways on a completed board of 9♣7♠6♠8♠7♦ with several thousand already in the middle, Thomas Barry bet 3,500 from the small blind and was called by Cyril Attali, who was under the gun.

Chris Moneymaker made it 13,000 to go on the button, which got a quick fold from Barry, but a call from Attali after a bit of thought.

Moneymaker tabled 8♣7♣ for sevens-full of eights and Attali sent his hand into the muck.

Player	Chips	Progress
Chris Moneymaker	67,000 15,300	15,300

Thomas Barry	62,000 62,000	62,000
Cyril Attali	49,000 10,100	10,100

Tags: Chris Moneymaker Cyril Attali Thomas Barry

07-02-2025 12:11 UTC-8

Gargiulo Sends Aalvik Home

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Liam Gannon

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Davis Aalvik raised to 900 from under the gun and he was called by Orito Kazuyuki in middle position and Cyril Attali in the small blind. In the big blind, Joseph "Joey" Gargiulo moved all in for 79,900 and Aalvik went into the tank. He debated his decision for a little bit before calling for his last 19,000 and everyone else folded.

Davis Aalvik: K♥K♦ All in
Joseph Gargiulo: A♠A♦

The flop rolled out 9♥J♦Q♥, prompting a response from Gargiulo.

"It's never easy, my god," said Gargiulo as the A♣ peeled off on the turn "Oh at least I got my ace. Make it a black deuce on the river."

A 3♣ peeled off on the river, keeping Gargiulo's set of aces in the lead while Aalvik exited the tournament.

"That's my poker nightmare right there," table-mate Chris Moneymaker said. "Level 1, I've got kings, and somebody forces me all in."

Player	Chips	Progress
Joseph Gargiulo	101,100 38,100	38,100
Cyril Attali	59,100 59,100	59,100
Orito Kazuyuki	58,500 58,500	58,500
Chris Moneymaker	52,000 5,000	5,000

Davis Aalvik	Busted

Tags: Chris Moneymaker Cyril Attali Davis Aalvik Joseph Gargiulo Orito Kazuyuki

07-02-2025 12:01 UTC-8

Garagnani Claims First Casualty of 2025 Main Event

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Dan O'Hair

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Jamar Adams raised to 600 from under the gun and was called by Lauren Hazelgreen from the cutoff and Kevin Gerhart on the button. Pedro Garagnani then squeezed to 3,200 from the small blind and everyone called for a bloated four-way pot.

The flop came 10♣J♣4♦ and it was checked to Hazelgreen, who bet 6,000. Gerhart folded, but Garagnani check-raised to 23,000, which got a fold from Adams. Hazelgreen moved all in and Garagnani quickly called to put Hazelgreen at risk.

Lauren Hazelgreen: A♠J♠ All in
Pedro Garagnani: 10♠10♥

It was a nightmare scenario for Hazelgreen, who found herself drawing to runner-runner to avoid being the first person eliminated.

The 6♠ turn left her drawing dead and an irrelevant A♥ completed the board to make Hazelgreen the unfortunate first person to hit the rail in the 2025 Main Event.

Player	Chips	Progress
Pedro Garagnani	128,000 128,000	128,000
Jamar Adams	55,500 55,500	55,500
Kevin Gerhart	52,000 8,000	8,000

Lauren Hazelgreen	Busted

Tags: Jamar Adams Kevin Gerhart Lauren Hazelgreen Pedro Garagnani

07-02-2025 11:56 UTC-8

Lodden Soars Up The Counts

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Liam Gannon

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Action was picked up on the flop in a pot between Johnny Lodden in middle position and Andrew Mueller on the button with 1,900 in the center.

With a board reading 6♦3♦10♠, both players checked to the Q♣ turn where Mueller bet 1,200. Lodden responded with a raise to 4,000 which prompted Mueller to raise to 12,000 and Lodden called.

On the river 8♠, Mueller bet 20,000 and Lodden quickly flicked in the chip to call.

Mueller tabled A♣J♠ for just ace-high, while Lodden tabled 3♥3♠ for a set of threes and he raked in a sizable early pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Johnny Lodden	90,900 30,900	30,900
Andrew Mueller	20,400 20,400	20,400

Tags: Andrew Mueller Johnny Lodden

07-02-2025 11:04 UTC-8

Shuffle Up and Deal!

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Ryan Lashmar

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Seven-time bracelet winner and Poker Hall of Famer Billy Baxter has announced "Shuffle up and deal!” Cards are in the air for Day 1a of the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Tags: Billy Baxter