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

07-05-2025 12:31 UTC-8

Owen's Dream Start to the Main Event

Tim Baker

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

On his first hand of the 2025 WSOP Main Event, Brad Owen was still greeting his tablemates when Gary Abrahams raised from early position. Owen, who was still unpacking his belongings, three-bet from the hijack, and when it got back to Abrahams, he four-bet to 6,000. Owen responded with a five-bet to 14,000, which Abrahams called.

The dealer spread a flop of 2♦10♣4♣, and Abrahams knuckled the action over to Owen. Owen bet around 8,000, prompting Abrahams to quickly jam around 44,000. Owen snap-called.

Gary Abrahams: K♦K♣ All in
Brad Owen: A♠A♣

It was the ultimate cooler in favor of Owen, who looked poised for a dream start to his Main Event, if he could fade a two-outer on the turn or river.

The Q♥ turn looked scary, but it wasn’t the paint card Abrahams needed. The Q♦ river sealed the double-up for Owen with his bullets and spelled the end of Abrahams’ tournament.

Player	Chips	Progress
Brad Owen	117,000 117,000	117,000

Gary Abrahams	Busted

Tags: Brad Owen Gary Abrahams

07-05-2025 12:28 UTC-8

More Notables in Horseshoe Red

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Brett Slezak

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Kane Kalas	60,000 60,000	60,000
David "ODB" Baker	60,000 60,000	60,000

Justin Liberto	60,000 60,000	60,000

Jeremy Becker	60,000 60,000	60,000
Dan Heimiller	60,000 60,000	60,000

Han Feng	60,000 60,000	60,000
John Holley	60,000 60,000	60,000
Jonah Labranche	60,000 60,000	60,000

Kristen Foxen	60,000

07-05-2025 12:22 UTC-8

Cheong Fires Three Bullets at Ivey

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David Salituro

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Phil Ivey had just taken his seat in the Paris Black section to the direct right of Joseph Cheong, and the two didn't take long before tangling in a pot.

Cheong had three-bet from the cutoff before the flop, before continuing for 3,000 on the 9♣7♥4♠ flop. Ivey called in the hijack and the K♥ fell on the turn.

Cheong then bet 7,000 and Ivey again called. The river was the A♠ and Cheong fired out 15,000. Ivey quickly folded this time and Cheong took the pot.

Martin Jacobson, the 2014 Main Event champion, has also recently joined this section.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joseph Cheong	90,000 30,000	30,000

Martin Jacobson	60,000 60,000	60,000

Phil Ivey	41,500 41,500	41,500

Tags: Joseph Cheong Martin Jacobson Phil Ivey

07-05-2025 12:20 UTC-8

Lee Makes a Frustrating Fold to Paul

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David Salituro

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Min-Sung Lee bet 1,200 from the hijack on a flop of Q♦7♥5♣ and Thomas Paul called under the gun.

The turn was the 8♥ and Paul led out for 3,700. Lee called and the 6♣ fell on the river.

Paul looked over at Lee and laughed before leaning back in his seat and taking a few minutes to act. He then announced a bet of 17,000 and Lee slammed his chips on the table before folding. Paul flashed the 9♠ as he took the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Thomas Paul	47,000
Min-Sung Lee	42,000

Tags: Min-Sung Lee Thomas Paul

07-05-2025 12:16 UTC-8

Cruz Three-Bets Flop

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Frank Visser

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Benedict Cullen made it 500 under the gun. Alexis Cruz Martinez three-bet to 2,000 on the button, which Jordan Love cold-called on the button. Cullen got out of the way for the A♥K♠7♣ flop to be dealt.

Love checked over to Cruz, who bet 1,100. Love raised to 3,500, and Cruz clicked it back to 8,500.

Love made a quick fold, seeing the pot shipped to Cruz.

Player	Chips	Progress
Alexis Cruz Martinez	72,000 72,000	72,000
Jordan Love	71,400
Benedict Cullen	65,800 65,800	65,800

Tags: Alexis Cruz Martinez Benedict Cullen Jordan Love

07-05-2025 12:15 UTC-8

Hirst Probably Had the Best Flush

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Maxime Taldir

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Three-way on a flop of 2♣A♣4♣, Nitis Udornpim under the gun bet 600. David Hirst called from the cutoff, but the big blind folded.

Udornpim fired a second barrel of 1,100 on the K♣ turn, but it didn't take long for Hirst to raise to 3,000. Udornpim quickly folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Nitis Udornpim	86,000
David Hirst	65,000

Tags: David Hirst Nitis Udornpim

07-05-2025 12:15 UTC-8

Rand Forces a Fold on the River

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Sava Krink

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

With roughly 8,900 in the middle and the board showing A♣5♦10♥4♦, Tanner Lefferts led out from the small blind with a bet of 6,000. Kevin Rand, seated in the cutoff, made the call without much hesitation.

The 3♥ completed the board on the river, and this time Lefferts tapped the table to check. Rand responded with a confident bet of 15,000, and after a brief pause, Lefferts decided to fold and send his cards into the muck.

Player	Chips	Progress
Kevin Rand	70,000 70,000	70,000
Tanner Lefferts	47,700 47,700	47,700

Tags: Kevin Rand Tanner Lefferts

07-05-2025 12:09 UTC-8

Buckner Makes His Presence Known

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Tim Baker

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Steven Buckner was involved in some table talk with a player at another table after one of his tablemates had apparently slow rolled him.

"Level one and they're slow rolling me. I don't care if it's a $200 or a $10,000, you don't slow roll me."

On the next hand, Shaun York opened the button to 1,300 with Vladimir Nex calling in the small blind and Buckner defending his big blind.

Three checks followed the 9♣10♠Q♥ flop to see the 3♦ appear on the turn. Nex checked before Buckner bet 2,200. That was enough to get two quick folds, allowing Buckner to drag in the pot.

While Buckner was stacking the pot, York said to the dealer, "Keep the good hands coming, ace-king that one."

Although the comment wasn’t directed at Buckner, he was quick to reply: "Ace-king? Ace-king is just c**k and b**ls." Then he bellowed out so the nearby tables could hear, "I got a good table here!"

Player	Chips	Progress
Steven Buckner	61,000 61,000	61,000
Shaun York	59,000 59,000	59,000
Vladimir Nex	59,000 59,000	59,000

Tags: Shaun York Steven Buckner Vladimir Nex

07-05-2025 12:08 UTC-8

Jaros Shoves on Zipprich; Nguyen Bluffs It Off to Beasy

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David Salituro

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Kelly Whitlock bet 1,500 from the cutoff on a flop of A♦K♠3♦ and Stephen Zipprich called under the gun. Patrik Jaros then raised to 6,000 in the hijack and Whitlock folded, but Zipprich called.

The turn was the 10♣ and Jaros bet 11,000. Zipprich again called to see the Q♣ river, where he led out for 12,000. Jaros then moved all in.

Zipprich had around 35,000 remaining and tanked for several minutes before letting his hand go.

At the same time at an adjacent table, Christopher Nguyen and Joseph Beasy were heads-up on a board of 7♦Q♠3♥2♣4♥. Nguyen moved all in for 32,000 from the hijack, and Beasy took a minute before calling in the small blind.

Nguyen could only show 9♦5♦ for a bluff, while Beasy had K♠K♣ to send the Austrian high roller to the rail early on Day 1d.

Player	Chips	Progress
Patrik Jaros	100,000 100,000	100,000
Joseph Beasy	96,000 96,000	96,000
Stephen Zipprich	35,000 35,000	35,000
Christopher Nguyen	Busted

Tags: Christopher Nguyen Joseph Beasy Patrik Jaros Stephen Zipprich

07-05-2025 12:08 UTC-8

Boat Loses to Quads for First Elimination

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Stewart Morrison

Level 1 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Kacper Pyzara opened in middle position to 500, which the player on the button called. Hisashi Yamanouchi responded with a three-bet from the small blind to 2,200. Pyzara called, and the player on the button folded.

The dealer spread a flop of Q♥J♥Q♠, which both players checked.

It was the turn K♦ that saw sparks fly. Yamanouchi checked for a second time, and Pyzara decided it was time to build a pot. He placed a bet of 11,000, only to be met with a check-raise to 22,000. Pyzara continued with a call, and the two moved onto a river in this already ballooned pot.

The dealer burned and turned the A♦, which did nothing to slow down the action. Yamanouchi moved all in for roughly 31,500, and Pyzara made the call.

The table then bore witness to an ice-cold cooler of a showdown so early on in the Main Event. Pyzara tabled K♥K♣, revealing he had turned top full house. It paled in comparison to Yamanouchi's holding, though, as he turned over the two remaining queens, Q♣Q♦, for flopped quads.

Pyzara was the covered player and, as such, his 2025 Main Event had come to an early end in devastating fashion.