The excitement of entering the World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship had worn off for many of the players, thus it was a much more business-like approach for the 2,681 hopefuls returning to their seats for Day 2abc of the competition. They were joined by 265 late entries who took advantage of the late registration period in the first two levels of the day, bringing the total number of entries at the 2025 WSOP Main Event to 8,959.
On Day 2d, there will be another two levels of registration available for anyone looking to squeak in at the deadline with around 60 big blinds. Last year, when a record field of 10,112 entries was established, the lineup was out the door when registration was about to close, and that is expected to be the case this year as well. However, the total number of entries is expected to fall short of the record-breaking 2024 attendance despite the large turnout.
End of Day 2abc Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oleksii Kravchuk | Ukraine | 937,500 | 375 |
| 2 | Randall Lack | United States | 762,500 | 305 |
| 3 | Nicholas Bond | United States | 724,500 | 290 |
| 4 | David Polop | Spain | 704,000 | 282 |
| 5 | Ryuta Nakai | Japan | 648,000 | 259 |
| 6 | Thomas Eychenne | France | 644,000 | 258 |
| 7 | Eric Bunch | United States | 632,500 | 253 |
| 8 | Juliet Hegedus | United States | 627,000 | 251 |
| 9 | Kajetan Renke | Poland | 600,000 | 240 |
| 10 | Kohei Arai | Japan | 597,000 | 239 |
Another large payday will still await the winner, likely in the eight-figure range once again, with a prize pool of nearly $87 million already generated thus far. Only a few players can relate to that feeling of hoisting the WSOP Main Event bracelet over a large stack of American bills, and for some of them, that dream of doing it once again is still alive.
Most notably, Phil Hellmuth will be moving on to Day 3 on the heels of a huge coin flip that occurred on the very first hand of the day. The Poker Brat will be returning to the felt with 187,000 chips on July 8 when the entire field will gather for the first time.
Over half of the Day 2abc field was eliminated after what started out as a packed Horseshoe Events Center, along with some overflow into the Paris ballroom. Tables were breaking at a rapid pace throughout the day as an unofficial number of 1,320 players advanced to Day 3.
Among the many casualties was the largest personality of the summer, whether you love him or hate him, as Martin Kabrhel received multiple ovations, some by his own doing, and the final one when Franklin Machado claimed the last of his chips.
The Czech Joker wasn't the only player to attract a standing rail throughout the day, as many fans gathered around Daniel Negreanu's table up against the ropes in the Horseshoe red section. Sometimes two to three rows deep, the crowd witnessed Negreanu stave off elimination on multiple occasions to bag up a stack of 71,000 chips.
It was a stellar day for many of the ladies in the field as one or more are looking to break through and finally make it all the way to the final table, and perhaps be the last player standing in just over a week. Vanessa Selbst was up to her usual tricks on Day 2abc - playing many hands, staying aggressive, and winning a lot of pots. The three-time bracelet winner bagged up a stack of 160,500 chips and will be joined by the likes of Juliet Hegedus (627,000) Marte Sandberg (403,000), former Ladies Event champion Lara Eisenberg (214,000), Katie Lindsay (170,000), and Susan Faber (435,000), who lead the charge of women looking to make WSOP history.
| WSOP Main Event | 2024 Entries | 2025 Entries | 2025 Advancing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1a | 915 | 923 | 634 |
| Day 1b | 831 | 1,096 | 798 |
| Day 1c | 2,528 | 1,678 | 1,249 |
| Day 1d | 5,014 | 4,997 | 3,776 |
| Day 2abc | 206 | 265 | 1,320 |
| Day 2d | 618 | TBA | TBA |
| Total | 10,112 | 8,959 |
It was a massive day for the overall chip leader Oleksii Kravchuk, who was the only player to get within arm's reach of a seven-figure stack. The Ukrainian bagged up a whopping stack of 937,500 chips after a late-night surge that propelled him to the top of the leaderboard. Some other big stacks and notables advancing to Day 3 belong to Randall Lack (762,000), David Cabrera Polop (704,000), Thomas Eychenne (647,000), Bin Weng (500,500), and the always jovial Canadian Jon Pardy (382,500).
Among the former champions in this Day 2abc flight, three of them were done and dusted early on in the day. Qui Nguyen, Scott Blumstein, and Robert Varkonyi were all forced to the rail in their attempt at becoming a champion a second time around. However, multiple champions saw their stack blossom over the course of another five levels. Hellmuth will be joined by the likes of Johnny Chan (95,500), Greg Raymer (226,000), Greg Merson (123,000), and Damian Salas (129,000) who all had success at the felt today.
Hundreds of other hopefuls had their Main Event dreams dashed today, without even getting a sniff at the money bubble, which is likely to take place late on Day 3 or early on Day 4. Some of those include high-rollers Christoph Vogelsang, Michael Addamo, Wesley Fei, former final tablist and recent bracelet winner Joshua Remitio, and PokerNews' own Chad Holloway who saw his run come to an end on the last level of the night when he ran pocket kings into the pocket aces of Roi Sabag.
As previously mentioned, the total tally for the 2025 WSOP Main Event has not been confirmed, with an additional two levels of late registration available for Day 2d. At the time of bagging for Day 2abc, nearly 200 players have already registered for the final flight, and unless a surprising number of players join the field in the last moments, a five-figure tally will likely not be reached for the third year in a row. It is guaranteed to be another packed room with at least 3,776 players returning to their seats at noon local time for another five levels of poker.
The action will resume on Level 6 with blinds of 400/800 and a big blind ante of 800. Each level will consist of 120 minutes and a 15-minute break following it. With the start of Level 8 on Day 2d, registration will officially close for this event. The most anticipated tournament of the summer is set to conclude on July 16 in Las Vegas.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the tournament floor to bring you all of the live updates throughout the Main Event en route to crowning another champion in just over a week. There will also be many other events taking place over the coming days, so keep it locked here for all of the latest poker news.
