WSOP 2025: Hellmuth Channels Rock God at the Tables, Deeb Captures Seventh Bracelet

Phil Hellmuth storms Main Event as an '80s glam metal icon
 

Back in the spring, Phil Hellmuth insisted he’d sit out the 2025 WSOP Main Event. True to form, he changed his mind and made an entrance only Hellmuth could pull off.

Roughly five hours into Day 1B, the 17-time bracelet winner and 1989 Main Event champ made his trademark late arrival in a full-blown ‘80s glam metal rocker ensemble. Surrounded by an entourage, Hellmuth stepped onto the tournament floor to the pounding riffs of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”

This latest chapter continues Hellmuth’s tradition of outrageous Main Event grand entrances that are always a spectacle for fans and media. While some embraced his showmanship, others on social media called his act “cringe” or dismissed it as unnecessarily over the top.

Love him or hate him, one thing is clear: the WSOP Main Event just wouldn’t be the same without Phil Hellmuth in the spotlight.

Shaun Deeb lifts seventh bracelet and moves into WSOP Player of the Year lead!
 

Shaun Deeb once again showed why he’s one of the most accomplished players in WSOP history. In the prestigious Event #79: 100.000$ Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, Deeb outlasted Isaac Haxton in heads-up for his seventh WSOP bracelet, powering through to a career-best 2.957.229$ payday.

Deeb’s Day 3 was a roller coaster, repeatedly finding himself short-stacked and on the brink of elimination, only to claw back at crucial moments. The victory was sealed in classic PLO style: in the final hand, Deeb rivered a flush, leaped out of his chair, and sprinted to celebrate with his friends and family rail.

This win vaulted Deeb into the top spot on the WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard, ahead of Benny Glaser and Martin Kabrhel. “The Main Event is honestly the worst tournament for POY,” Deeb said in a post-win interview. He’s now weighing whether to even play poker’s biggest event in order to lock up Player of the Year for a second time, having previously won the honor in 2018.

The WSOP 2025 Main Event is fully underway
 

The Main Event, always the crown jewel of the WSOP, has officially begun, sparking drama and memorable hands right out of the gate.

Right from Day 1, Martin Kabrhel, fresh off a Mini Main Event win, brought his one-of-a-kind entertainment to the feature table. When an announcement came that his table should remain after the level ended, tensions quickly rose. After a heated back-and-forth, Kabrhel managed to persuade the floor to move the table back into the main ballroom.

It was a rough day for prior Main Event champs Chris Moneymaker and Joe Cada who both got eliminated before the end of Day 1.

Throughout Day 1B, poker icons including Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Michael Mizrachi, and Johnny Chan entered the field. The second starting flight offered a slower pace for the stars of the game, unlike the early bustouts that defined the opening session.

Full live coverage of the Main Event is free to watch on the PokerGO and PokerStars YouTube and Twitch channels.

Qinghai Pan captures first live WSOP bracelet
 

Qinghai Pan, nicknamed “The Terminator” during the series, showed relentless grit en route to victory on an unscheduled Day 4 of Event #77: 10.000$ Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship. Navigating a stacked 186-player field, Pan earned 411.051$ and his third career WSOP bracelet.

For Pan, already a two-time WSOP Online champion, this marks his long-awaited first live bracelet, along with the biggest payday of his career. In the closing stages, he topped a trio of heavyweights: Luke Schwartz and Andrey Zhigalov, both bracelet winners, and David Lin, who entered heads-up play in top form. Phil Hellmuth came close to yet another final table, but his quest for bracelet #18 ended in 13th place.

“Online poker feels easier to me, but live events are one of a kind,” Pan said following his win. His total live earnings are now above 1 million dollars, a clear sign that his impact extends well beyond the online grind.

Sources: WSOP, PokerNews, YouTube