Dzivielevski Leads as Klein Seeks Repeat Title in $25,000 H.O.R.S.E.
Just two more days remain before the curtains fall on the 2025 World Series of Poker, yet the demand for action is as strong as ever. Yesterday, a record-breaking 121 entrants made their to Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas, for one of their final chances at poker glory this summer in the $25,000 H.O.R.S.E.
During the first ten hours of play, 77 players managed to navigate their way to a Day-2 berth. Leading the way is Brazilian poker phenom and five-time bracelet winner Yuri Dzivielevski, who bagged up 642,500. Paul Volpe joins him in second position with 621,500 as the only other player to breach the 600,000 mark. In a not-too-distant third is Jon Kyte, who will bring 593,000 to the felt in his bid to earn his first WSOP title.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yuri Dzivielevski | Brazil | 642,500 | 40 |
| 2 | Paul Volpe | United States | 621,500 | 39 |
| 3 | Jon Kyte | Norway | 593,000 | 37 |
| 4 | Phil Ivey | United States | 542,500 | 34 |
| 5 | Todd Brunson | United States | 519,000 | 32 |
| 6 | Jesse Klein | United States | 507,500 | 32 |
| 7 | Kane Kalas | United States | 480,500 | 30 |
| 8 | John Hennigan | United States | 472,500 | 30 |
| 9 | Brian Breck | United States | 427,000 | 27 |
| 10 | Jon Turner | United States | 372,500 | 23 |
Also among the top ten is poker legend Phil Ivey (542,500), who is well-positioned in fourth to make another deep run after his recent fifth-place finish in Event #79: $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha.
Jesse Klein, the inaugural champion of this event in 2021, returns with a healthy stack of 507,500 and a chance to make history as the first two-time winner. Klein earned his first and only bracelet by conquering a stacked final table — one that included Phil Hellmuth — and still has fond memories of tilting the "Poker Brat."
The 2025 WSOP Player of the Year race also remains a major storyline. Currently, Shaun Deeb (258,000) holds a slight lead over Benny Glaser (158,500), who stands to catch Deeb if he can make a deep final table run. Also still in contention are Martin Kabrhel (15,500) and Scott Bohlman (162,000), though both would likely need to win the event outright — assuming Deeb does not also run deep.
Play will resume on Level 11, which features 4,000/8,000 blinds for Limit games, a 2,000 bring-in and 8,000 completion for Stud games, and 8,000/16,000 betting limits for all games. Levels will remain 60 minutes each and players will be sent on break after every two hours of play. An extended 60-minute dinner break will be held at the end of Level 16 (~7:30 p.m.) Late registration for the event will close at the start of Level 13 (about 3:15 p.m).
With more players set to enter an already record-breaking field, this year's $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. is shaping up to be part of an epic finale to an already historic WSOP. As always, PokerNews will be on the floor to bring you all the chops, beats, and scoops until the next H.O.R.S.E. champion is crowned!