WSOP 2025: Schulze Dominates as Main Event Chip Leader - Haxton, Kassouf, and Celine Dion’s Son Still in Contention

The biggest tournament of them all kept the action rolling late into the night as 522 players entered Day 5 of the Main Event, all with a guaranteed payout of 32.500$. But only 202 managed to bag stacks at the end of play, locking up at least 60.000$. Who’s still chasing the dream, and whose run came to an end?

Unstoppable Schulze
 

The story of the day was written by Sebastian Schulze. After the dinner break, the Germany-based Austrian ran hot and left his competitors little chance, surging to the top of the chip counts with a stack of 12.745.000. Schulze’s momentum was fueled by two massive pots against Michael Hawker - a dramatic full house over full house, followed by making a flush against a straight. He finished the night by knocking out Guy Leathley with AQ versus AJ, closing out Day 5 as the clear chip leader with 212 big blinds.

Crushing Dreams and Keeping Hopes Alive
 

The first hour of play brought early exits for two former champions. Max Neugebauer, the 2023 WSOPE winner, lost a flip with JJ against AQ, while Damian Salas, the champion of the hybrid Main Event during the pandemic, couldn’t double his short 12bb stack. On the flip side, 2012 Main Event champ Greg Merson is still in the hunt as the last remaining WSOP Main Event winner in the field.

Other familiar names who hit the rail last night include Viktor "Isildur1" Blom, Matt Affleck, Josh Reichard, 888poker streamer Aaron Barone, and Henrik Hecklen. Isaac Haxton secured a double knockout in a dramatic three-way all-in, sending both Stephen Chidwick and Jeremy Kottler to the rail when his pocket kings held up and filled up to a full house. Haxton bagged a healthy 52 big blinds by the end of the day.

The list of players advancing to Day 6 is still filled with recognizable faces: Leo Margets, Michael Mizrachi, Zhen Cai, Kenny Hallaert, and Celine Dion’s son René-Charles Angélil. As usual, Will Kassouf was the center of attention with his trademark table talk, entertaining fans throughout Day 5. Kassouf ended the session by busting Jonathan Azoulay with 23 offsuit, and his stack of 6.9 million puts him eighth on the leaderboard heading into the next round.

Day 6 kicks off at 12:00 local time with blinds at 30.000/60.000, the exact starting stack for this event. Three more days of play remain until the final table is set, and expectations are rising as the field races toward the finish line.

Christopher Nguyen Leads $50k High Roller Heading into the Final Day
 

The record-breaking 50.000$ High Roller heads into its final day after attracting 252 entries. Seventeen players are still in contention for the gold bracelet and a 2.686.913$ first prize, with Germany’s Christopher Nguyen holding the chip lead. The final day lineup remains stacked, featuring Alexandre Reard, Sam Soverel, Day 1 chip leader Masashi Oya, German pro Leonard Maue, as well as two-time WSOP champ Sam Soverel.

Sources: WSOP, PokerNews, Poker.org, X