Event #88: $50,000 High Roller Day 1 | 2025 World Series of Poker

Jul 09, 2025

Ding Bombs the River

Dan O'Hair

Level 10 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Igor Yaroshevskyy raised to 25,000 from early position and found one caller in Biao Ding in the hijack.

Both players checked on the 5♠3♥8♥ flop and then Ding called a 55,000 bet from Yaroshevskyy on the 6♦ turn.

Yaroshevskyy checked on the 4♣ river and Ding put in an overbet of 250,000 into the middle — sending Yaroshevskyy deep into the tank.

Yaroshevskyy burned up several time extensions, but eventually flung his cards into the muck and Ding collected the pot without showing.

Tags: Biao Ding Igor Yaroshevskyy

Jul 09, 2025

Badziakouski Rivers [Removed:565]

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Brett Slezak

Level 10 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Mikita Badziakouski opened the hijack to 30,000 and Yuri Dzivielevski called in the small blind. In the big blind, [Removed:564] jammed for his final 68,000. Badziakouski then clicked it with a minimum raise to 106,000, and Dzivielevski folded after a small tank.

[Removed:564]: K♦Q♥ All in
Mikita Badziakouski: K♥7♥

[Removed:565] was in good shape with the dominating king on the 9♠5♠2♣ flop. Nothing changed on the 10♠ turn as neither player held a spade. However, the river was the 7♦ and Badziakouski flipped the script to eliminate [Removed:565].

Tags: Mikita Badziakouski Yuri Dzivielevski

Jul 09, 2025

Spitale Falls To Foxen

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Liam Gannon

Level 10 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Pavel Plesuv raised to 24,000 from under the gun and in the hijack, Franco Spitale moved all in for 83,000. Alex Foxen called in the cutoff and Plesuv folded.

Franco Spitale: K♣Q♠ All in
Alex Foxen: 9♥9♦

The board ran out 2♦J♥4♣9♣6♣ and the set of nines was god for Foxen while Spitale was eliminated from the tournament.

Shortly before that, the defending champion Jared Bleznick was eliminated.

Tags: Alex Foxen Franco Spitale Jared Bleznick Pavel Plesuv

Jul 09, 2025

Lee Triples up After "Fun Sweat"

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Dan O'Hair

Level 10 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Chang Lee was already all in for his last 113,000 preflop from the big blind against Cary Katz in middle position and Paulius Vaitiekunas on the button, who both had Lee covered.

"This would be a good one to hit," Katz said before the 5♠6♠10♠ flop was dealt. Both players then checked.

The 6♥ fell on the turn and Katz moved all in, which got a quick fold from Vaitiekunas to set up a showdown between Katz and Lee.

Chang Lee: 9♠9♦ All in
Cary Katz: K♣10♣

Katz was ahead with his ten, but would need to fade a nine or spade to eliminate Lee.

"This is a fun sweat," Katz said.

The dealer brought the K♠ on the river, giving Katz top two pair but also improving Lee to a winning flush for the triple-up as he erupted into celebration.

"Good job, nice hand," Katz said as he offered Lee a handshake. "You wanted it more, you deserve it."

Tags: Cary Katz Chang Lee Paulius Vaitiekunas

Jul 09, 2025

Koon Calls Out Kulev's Hand, Calls, and Busts

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Brett Slezak

Level 10 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Action picked up on the turn with the board reading 9♦6♦2♣J♣ in a hand between Alex Kulev from middle position and Jason Koon in the cutoff with around 190,000 in the middle already.

Kulev checked to Koon who bet 65,000 before Kulev jammed for 575,000 effective as the slightly covering stack.

"You have kings, don't you?" Koon lamented as he put in the call for his tournament life.

Jason Koon: Q♦J♦ All in
Alex Kulev: K♠K♥

Koon held top pair and a flush draw against the aforementioned kings of Kulev. Koon had fourteen outs to win but he could not find one on the 5♣ river as he was eliminated in a massive pot to the hands of Kulev who has moved well over seven figures.

Tags: Alex Kulev Jason Koon

Jul 09, 2025

Wilson Triples; Katz Scoops Vaitiekunas

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Liam Gannon

Level 10 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Paulius Vaitiekunas raised to 24,000 in the hijack and Brandon Wilson moved all in for 63,000 from the small blind while Cary Katz moved all in from the big blind for 248,000. Vaitiekunas called to put them both at risk.

Brandon Wilson: 9♥8♥ All in
Cary Katz: A♠K♦ All in
Paulius Vaitiekunas: A♣Q♥

The board ran out 4♠8♣5♦9♦A♥ and the nines up was good for Wilson to take down the main pot to triple, while Katz made money off of Vaitiekunas in the side pot.

Tags: Brandon Wilson Cary Katz Paulius Vaitiekunas

Level: 10

Blinds: 6,000/12,000

Ante: 12,000

Jul 09, 2025

Brewer's Queens are Best

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Dan O'Hair

Level 9 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Chris Brewer raised to 22,000 from early position and called a three-bet of 57,000 from Ryan Feldman, who was in the hijack.

Brewer check-called a 20,000 bet from Feldman on the J♦2♠J♠ flop and a 62,000 bet from Feldman on the K♥ turn.

The K♠ river double-paired the board and both players checked.

Brewer turned over Q♦Q♣ for queens-up and Feldman tossed his hand into the muck.

"I didn't want to get snapped," Feldman said as Brewer collected the chips.

"Well, I wasn't going to snap..." Brewer replied.

Tags: Chris Brewer Ryan Feldman

Jul 09, 2025

Lijo Cracks Wilson's Aces

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Brett Slezak

Level 9 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

After a raising war preflop, Lander Lijo was all-in for his final 271,000 from middle position, at risk against the covering stack of Brandon Wilson in the hijack.

Lander Lijo: A♥K♥ All in
Brandon Wilson: A♦A♣

It was a brutal cooler for Lijo as the Q♠J♣7♣ flop brought him some life with a gutshot. Nothing changed on the 6♠ turn until the 10♦ completed the board, giving Lijo broadway as he decimated Wilson in brutal fashion to double.

Tags: Brandon Wilson Lander Lijo

Jul 09, 2025

Oya Soaring After Rezeai Elimination

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Liam Gannon

Level 9 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Action was picked up with cards on their backs with Daniel Razaei all in for his 415,000 in the hijack and Masashi Oya in the small blind with the covering stack.

Daniel Razaei: Q♣Q♠ All in
Masashi Oya: A♦K♦

The board ran out 5♦8♦3♣K♣A♣ and the aces up was good for Masashi to take down the pot and take the chip lead.