Chip Dumping for a Million-Dollar Bonus? WSOP Investigates Heads-Up Controversy in Millionaire Maker

This year’s Millionaire Maker drew a staggering 11,996 entries and saw professionals Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll make it to the final heads-up. Yaginuma, who found himself facing a daunting 1-to-10 chip deficit against Carroll at the start of heads-up play, pulled off a dramatic reversal to take home the gold bracelet and a first-place prize of 1,255,180$. But there was even more at stake: as a ClubWPT Gold qualifier via the Gold Rush pass, Yaginuma was also eligible for a spectacular 1,000,000$ bonus. That’s where things began to get complicated.

ClubWPT Gold had promised that if any of its qualifiers were to win a bracelet in their designated event, they’d instantly pocket a 1,000,000$ bonus. And it’s this high-stakes bonus that raised suspicion about potential collusion between heads-up foes Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll.

Sharp-Eyed Rail Left Wondering What Was Happening
 

After days of tough battles, it all came down to the final two out of nearly 12,000 entries: Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll. Carroll entered heads-up as a commanding chip leader, but Yaginuma began mounting a comeback immediately after a brief break. Before long, the official live stream was drawing serious attention from the poker world, hand after hand ended with Carroll making uncharacteristically weak folds, very often letting go of strong hands without much resistance.

Commentators picked up on the pattern, tension soared, and speculation about a possible deal exploded across social media. Carroll kept backing down in spots where Yaginuma exerted aggression, there were spots where he folded top pairs or better without clear justification, triggering widespread accusations of deliberate chip dumping. Poker Twitter and forum threads lit up during the stream, including takes like:

Yaginuma, after staging the comeback of his career, ultimately celebrated his fourth WSOP bracelet, the first one he’s won in a live event, claiming a total of 2,255,180$ (including the bonus). Even with these questionable hands under the microscope, Yaginuma insists there was never any discussion or deal with Carroll. “No, not really… We talked for a little bit about poker, but yeah, that was about it,” he told reporters after the victory.

What Happens Next in the Investigation?
 

WSOP has highlighted that, under Rule 76, chip dumping is considered a form of collusion, specifically, intentionally passing chips to another player to help them win, which could result in disqualification. If the investigation determines the rule was broken, tournament organizers could sanction the players involved, with possible outcomes including redistributing the prize to other participants—similar to a previous online case where winners were moved up one spot, but no bracelet was awarded.

WSOP has frozen both the payouts and bracelet awards until it’s clear whether rules were violated. The poker world is as split as ever: some argue for immediate payment to both players, while others are calling for strong sanctions if collusion is proven. The resolution is coming soon, and the result could have big implications for future tournaments and the integrity of poker’s rules.

Many well-known players and commentators have already weighed in, arguing that unless there’s unmistakable evidence of collusion, the payouts should proceed unchanged. Others are demanding transparency in the process and urging WSOP to modernize its rules to allow deals at the final table, as other tours do. Meanwhile, ClubWPT Gold congratulated Yaginuma on social media, but hasn’t yet committed to releasing the million-dollar bonus, instead waiting for official results of the investigation.

What do you think? Was this a clear case of chip dumping to secure a million-dollar payday? Do the heads-up contestants deserve to be sanctioned? Or should their wins, including the massive bonus, stand untouched? How would you rule?

Sources – PokerNews, WSOP, X, Poker.org