Toby Lewis Looking for Redemption as He Bags Big Lead After Day 2 of $25,000 H.O.R.S.E.
15,000 Ante, 20,000 Bring-In, 60,000 Completion 60,000-120,000 Limits
After an eventful Day 2 of Event #98: $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E., 14 players remain in the final mixed-game tournament of the 2025 World Series of Poker. The remaining contenders are all in the money, guaranteeing themself a piece of the $3,525,000 prize pool, which was created by the record-breaking field of 150 entries, a significant increase over last year's number of 120.
The chipleader when the night concluded at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas was none other than Toby Lewis. The 2023 Main Event finalist was heads up for his first live bracelet mere days ago in the $3,000 T.O.R.S.E., but had to settle for a runner-up finish. This time, Lewis will be determined to use his 3,445,000 chips (about 22 big bets) when play resumes, to capture the coveted piece of WSOP hardware and the $883,841 that accompanies it.
Lewis has a sizable lead over Ryan Miller, who held the chip lead for most of the night, but ended up second on the leaderboard with 2,200,000 after Lewis overtook him in a late stud hi-lo pot. Nacho Barbero sits third in chips with 2,125,000.
The top ten also includes no less than four Hall of Fame inductees, with Phil Ivey, John Hennigan, David Oppenheim, and Brian Rast all making it to the end of the night.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toby Lewis | United Kingdom | 3,455,000 | 22 |
| 2 | Ryan Miller | United States | 2,200,000 | 14 |
| 3 | Nacho Barbero | Argentina | 2,125,000 | 13 |
| 4 | Phil Ivey | United States | 2,100,000 | 13 |
| 5 | Tomasz Gluszko | Poland | 2,015,000 | 13 |
| 6 | John Hennigan | United States | 1,935,000 | 12 |
| 7 | David Oppenheim | United States | 1,875,000 | 12 |
| 8 | Robert Wells | United Kingdom | 1,470,000 | 9 |
| 9 | Chris Hunichen | United States | 1,455,000 | 9 |
| 10 | Brian Rast | United States | 1,165,000 | 7 |
Day 2 Action
With late registration still open for the first two levels, the majority of Day 2 was spent getting to the money. Popular poker vlogger Brad Owen saw his last mixed-game tournament of the summer come to an early end, as did the Team Lucky trio of Josh Arieh, Matt Glantz, and Shaun Deeb. Benny Glaser missed out on his fourth bracelet this summer, and Hall of Famers Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, and Todd Brunson were all eliminated before the dinner break as well.
With 25 players left, and the recent four-hour bubble of the $50,000 Poker Players Championship still fresh in mind, the hand-for-hand portion of the tournament was expected to be a long and arduous affair. The polar opposite turned out to be true, however, as only one hand was needed to make it to the money when Bryce Yockey and Erick Lindgren were eliminated simultaneously at different tables to leave 23 players and burst the bubble.
The minimum cash of $51,020 was picked up by, among others, WSOP Paradise $25,000 Dealer's Choice champion Eric Wasserson, Jesse Klein, who won the first-ever $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. in 2021, and six-time bracelet winner Jason Mercier.
Start-of-day chip leader Yuri Dzivielevski picked up the pay jump to $53,571, but failed to make Day 3 as he busted against Ivey in the last hand of the night. Dzivielevski's payout is what the 14 remaining players have locked up, with the next pay jump taking place when 11 remain.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $883,841 |
| 2 | $586,539 |
| 3 | $399,763 |
| 4 | $280,030 |
| 5 | $201,761 |
| 6 | $149,643 |
| 7 | $114,350 |
| 8 | $90,110 |
| 9 | $73,299 |
| 10-11 | $61,610 |
| 12-14 | $53,571 |
The remaining contenders will return at 1 p.m. local time on July 16 to finish the tournament. They will return to blinds of 40,000/80,000 in the flop games and limits of 80,000/160,000. The individual ante in the stud games will be 15,000, while the bring-in will be 20,000. All levels remain 60 minutes in length, with a break after every two levels. The day will not finish until a winner has been crowned.
PokerNews will be back on the floor for Day 3 of the $25,000 H.O.R.S.E., so be sure to check back in as the last mixed-game action of the 2025 World Series of Poker wraps up.