Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship Day 1a | 2025 World Series of Poker

“I probably played better than the last three I won. Everything went my way this tournament. I was always at the top of the leaderboard, never really got short, and probably played my best overall.”

That's what Michael Mizrachi had to say after he cruised to victory in Event #66: $50,000 Poker Players Championship.

Already sharing the record for most $50,000 Poker Players Championship victories with Brian Rast, Mizrachi now stands alone after capturing his historic fourth title on Saturday at the 2025 World Series of Poker. "The Grinder" conquered the 107-entry field, earning $1,331,322 from the $5,162,750 prize pool and further cementing his legacy as the event's most dominant force.

Find the Full Recap Here

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Wilklow	506,500 320,000	320,000

Andrew Yee	465,000 115,000	115,000
Robert Ashelm	436,000 436,000	436,000
Adrien Amorella	416,000 416,000	416,000
Michael Newman	397,000 219,000	219,000
Eusebiu Jalba	387,000 387,000	387,000
Jamie Walden	372,500 372,500	372,500

Zdenek Zizka	352,000 111,000	111,000

Alfonso Timoteo	339,000 339,000	339,000
Alex Keating	338,000 338,000	338,000

Alessandro Siena	333,000 166,000	166,000
Paul Tedeschi	333,000 333,000	333,000
Casey Hindman	328,000 205,800	205,800
Robert Brobyn	325,000 90,900	90,900
Jhon Hendri	322,500 88,900	88,900
Chino Rheem	315,500 315,500	315,500
Milad Sheva	312,000 312,000	312,000
Gualter Fortuna	309,000 309,000	309,000
Rene von Reden	309,000 309,000	309,000
Sohale Khalili	307,000 117,000	117,000
Ellie Mirzaei	298,000 123,000	123,000
Ariel Celestin	295,000 295,000	295,000
Gerson Caldeira	290,500 290,500	290,500
Attila Ivacson	286,500 286,500	286,500
Jinho Hong	283,000 283,000	283,000

Player

Chips

Progress

Michael Wilklow

506,500

320,000

Andrew Yee

465,000

115,000

Robert Ashelm

436,000

Adrien Amorella

416,000

Michael Newman

397,000

219,000

Eusebiu Jalba

387,000

Jamie Walden

372,500

Zdenek Zizka

352,000

111,000

Alfonso Timoteo

339,000

Alex Keating

338,000

Alessandro Siena

333,000

166,000

Paul Tedeschi

333,000

Casey Hindman

328,000

205,800

Robert Brobyn

325,000

90,900

Jhon Hendri

322,500

88,900

315,500

312,000

309,000

309,000

307,000

117,000

Ellie Mirzaei

298,000

123,000

Ariel Celestin

295,000

Gerson Caldeira

290,500

Attila Ivacson

286,500

Jinho Hong

283,000

The first of two flights of Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship took place today. It saw 1,215 players enter but only 367 bag chips after ten levels of play. Michael Wilklow topped the counts with 506,500 chips.

If Wilklow's name rings a bell, it's because he won the $1,000 Mystery Millions event that opened the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $1 million. Wilklow evidently has a knack for large-field tournaments and is certainly one to watch as this tournament progresses.

Also finishing in the flight's top ten chip counts was Zdenek Zizka (352,000), the backgammon Grandmaster who recently won the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event for his first bracelet and $232,498.

Alex Keating (338,000) also bagged a top ten stack as he chases down his fourth cash of the summer and his second career bracelet. Keating captured his bracelet two years ago in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em event.

Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts

Rank	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Michael Wilklow	United States	506,500	203
2	Andrew Yee	United States	465,000	186
3	Robert Ashelm	Germany	436,000	174
4	Adrien Amorella	France	416,000	166
5	Michael Newman	United States	397,000	159
6	Eusebiu Jalba	Bulgaria	387,000	155
7	Jamie Walden	United Kingdom	372,500	149
8	Zdenek Zizka	Czech Republic	352,000	141
9	Alfonso Timoteo	Spain	339,000	136
10	Alex Keating	United States	338,000	135

Dozens of elite-level players chose Day 1a of this event to start their quest for yet more glory. Upeshka De Silva (200,000), Nicholas Palma (188,500), Davidi Kitai (185,500), Mike Matusow (175,000), and Robert Wells (175,000) all finished in the top third of the chip counts.

Also through are the likes of Jake Schwartz (154,000), five-time bracelet winner Adrian Mateos (150,500), Czech chatterbox Martin Kabrhel (126,500), former Main Event champions Martin Jacobson (99,500), Huck Seed (93,000), Jonathan Tamayo (85,000), and Stoyan Madanzhiev (58,000), along with Patrick Leonard (87,000), Faraz Jaka (40,000), and Eric Baldwin (29,000).

Day 1b is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. local time on July 10. The flight follows the same structure as Day 1a, except the field is expected to be even larger. PokerNews' traditional coverage starts on Day 2 on July 11.

Tags: Adrian Mateos Alex Keating Alfonso Timoteo Andrew Yee Davidi Kitai Eric Baldwin Faraz Jaka Huck Seed Michael Wilklow Michael Wilklow Leads Mike Matusow Nicholas Palma Patrick Leonard Robert Wells Stoyan Madanzhiev Upeshka De Silva