Before the spotlight turned to the $10k Main Event at the WPT World Championship festival, attention was initially drawn to the more affordable $1,100 Prime event. It attracted a total of 9,876 entries, leaving just 13 players after three days of play. They faced an extra session last night to determine the final six who will compete at the TV table on Saturday, December 20th, for the title and a top prize of $1,177,880.
The journey to the final six was dominated by one name: Qing Liu. The local player eliminated Patrick Truong first, shortly after took out Mitja Rudolf, and when Will Givens departed in seventh place, the lineup for the televised table was complete.
The aforementioned Qing Liu carries the chiplead, joined by Fernando Martin Del Campo, Aaron Johnson, Tim Burden, Uri Foox, and Safiya Umerova. Liu will begin the final table as the clear chipleader with 126,600,000, while Umerova holds the smallest stack at 18,800,000. Each finalist is guaranteed a $250,000 payout, but the million-dollar prize and immortal fame are still up for grabs.
WPT Prime Championship Event Finalists' Chip Counts:
| Position | Player Name | Country | Stack | BB |
| 1 | Qing Liu | USA | 126,600,000 | 63 |
| 2 | Fernando Martin Del Campo | Mexico | 85,500,000 | 43 |
| 3 | Aaron Johnson | USA | 65,900,000 | 33 |
| 4 | Tim Burden | USA | 49,500,000 | 25 |
| 5 | Uri Foox | USA | 48,900,000 | 24 |
| 6 | Safiya Umerova | USA | 18,800,000 | 9 |
Remaining Payout Structure:
1st: $1,177,880
2nd: $775,000
3rd: $575,000
4th: $430,000
5th: $325,000
6th: $250,000
$10k WPT World Championship: Day 1A Sees 577 Entries
As the Prime event finalists packed their chips, the main event of the festival — the $10,400 WPT World Championship — was underway nearby. Day 1A gathered 577 entries and, after ten levels, left 223 players advancing to Day 2. Daniel Michaels led with a stack of 753,000, translating to 151 BB at the day's end, providing a very comfortable position for the later stages.
Trailing him were four more towering stacks: Cole Griffith (719,000), Jack La Plante (640,000), Philippe Breault Raymond (634,000), and Ian Steinman (612,000). The field was packed with star names even from the first flight, featuring players like Daniel Sepiol, Eric Seidel, and the legendary Phil Ivey — a clear signal that this event is gaining a star-studded momentum.
👀 @philivey arrives for Day 1A of the $10,400 @WPT World Championship @WynnLasVegas 🏆 pic.twitter.com/cI3y1YsXql
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) December 14, 2025
Already after Day 1A, the prize pool has surpassed $5,650,000, and with two more starting flights to go, everything points to massive numbers. Day 1B kicks off today at 11:00 AM local time, with registration remaining open until the end of the evening break, around 6:45 PM.
Sources – WorldPokerTour, Flickr, X
