A Strong Debut for a New Format
WSOP Event #24 unveiled an exciting addition to the summer schedule: the $1,500 PLO Double-Board Bomb Pot. The innovative format drew massive interest, racking up 1,452 entries and creating a prizepool of nearly $2 million. After two full days of action, just 13 players remained in the hunt for the biggest prizes.
After the Slovakian's Samuel Stranak 3rd place exit, the tournament moved to a tough heads-up battle, with the final two players trading stacks back and forth for over two hours. In the end, it was China’s Xixiang Luo who outlasted his opponent to capture his third WSOP bracelet and pocket the top prize of $290,400.
| # | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Xixiang Luo | China | $290,400 |
| 2 | Robert Klein | United States | $193,517 |
| 3 | Samuel Stranak | Slovakia | $137,805 |
| 4 | Danny Wong | United States | $99,413 |
| 5 | Brian Smith | United States | $72,664 |
| 6 | Bjorn Verbakel | Netherlands | $53,824 |
| 7 | Ian Matakis | United States | $40,410 |
| 8 | Jacob Baumgartner | United States | $30,756 |
| 9 | Yang Wang | China | $23,735 |
Chino Rheem Falls Short After 5-Hour Heads-Up Marathon
There was plenty of drama in Event #25, another $10,000 Championship event—this time in the Seven Card Stud format, drawing a competitive field of 127 entries. As the final twelve gathered for a shot at the biggest shares of the prizepool, it was Chino Rheem leading the way as chip leader.
Rheem went deep, maintaining his position as the favorite all the way to the last hand. He played with impressive composure through the entire final table and into a grueling heads-up battle with Nick Guagenti that lasted more than five hours. In the end, Rheem had to settle for the runner-up finish and a $196,662 prize, while Guagenti secured his second career bracelet along with $295,008 for the win.
| # | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Nick Guagenti | United States | $295,008 |
| 2 | Chino Rheem | United States | $196,662 |
| 3 | Qiang Xu | China | $135,828 |
| 4 | Paul Volpe | United States | $96,502 |
| 5 | Mori Eskandani | United States | $70,587 |
| 6 | Adam Friedman | United States | $53,201 |
| 7 | Dan Heimiller | United States | $41,357 |
| 8 | Mike Matusow | United States | $33,190 |
| 9 | Dave Rogers | United States | $27,528 |
How Is the Player of the Year Race Shaping Up?
Every year, the WSOP events are connected by the Player of the Year leaderboard—a dream target for tournament stars across the globe. Unsurprisingly, two-time 2025 bracelet winner Benny Glaser currently holds the lead and has been open about his pursuit of this coveted title. With a long summer still ahead, here’s a look at the top 10 on the current leaderboard:
Sources – WSOP, PokerNews, X