WSOP 2025, Day 28 Recap

Day 28 of the 2025 World Series of Poker delivered another thrilling chapter in poker’s most prestigious tournament series, with Robert Wells capturing his maiden bracelet while several high-profile events advanced toward their climactic finales. From Daniel Negreanu’s frustrating debut in a Seniors event to Sebastian Toro commanding the $5,000 6-Max field, June 23rd showcased both the triumph and heartbreak that define the WSOP experience.

Wells Wins Nine Game Mix for First Career Bracelet

The day’s biggest celebration belonged to Robert Wells, who emerged victorious in Event #58: Nine Game Mix after an epic heads-up battle that stretched into the early morning hours. Wells overcame Thomas Taylor in the final showdown to claim his first WSOP bracelet along with $228,115 in prize money. The victory also provided valuable points for Team Hoggers in the $25K Fantasy Draft, adding strategic significance to Wells’ breakthrough performance.

The Nine Game Mix format tested players across multiple poker variants, and Wells proved his versatility by navigating the complex switching between games to reach poker’s summit for the first time in his career.

Sebastian Toro Leads Star-Studded $5K 6-Max Field

Event #62: $5,000 6-handed No-Limit Hold’em attracted nearly 1,000 entries on Day 1, with late registration extending into Day 2. When the dust settled after ten levels of play, only 348 players remained with chips to bag.

Sebastian Toro of Spain seized the chip lead with an impressive 695,000 stack (278 big blinds), positioning himself perfectly for Day 2 action. The Colombian pro leads a strong international contingent, with French players Samy Dubonnet (602,500) and Benoit Fiasson (514,000) occupying second and third place respectively.

The field reads like a who’s who of poker excellence, with numerous bracelet winners and Fantasy Draft picks advancing. Jake Schwartz sits in ninth place with 383,500 chips, joined in the top ranks by Alexandros Kolonias (342,500), Ryan Leng (331,000), Taylor Paur (313,500), and two-time bracelet winner Adrian Mateos (302,000).

Notable players further down the leaderboard but still very much in contention include Patrick Leonard (243,000), Martin Jacobson (214,500), Anthony Zinno (198,500), Davidi Kitai (163,000), Mustapha Kanit (148,000), and poker legend Erik Seidel (110,500). Play resumes at 11:00 a.m. local time with late registration open until Level 12.

Kaifan Wang Eyes Millionaire Status

The aptly named Millionaire Maker continues to live up to its billing, with Kaifan Wang leading the final 44 players into Day 4 with a commanding 21,900,000 chip stack. Wang sits just a couple of sessions away from both WSOP glory and millionaire status, with the winner set to collect $1,255,180.

Two-time World Poker Tour Main Event champion James Carroll (11,925,000) brings his major tournament experience to bear from fifth place, while several accomplished pros remain in contention including Josh Reichard (6,300,000), Jonas Lauck (4,625,000), and Leo Margets (4,000,000).

Battle of the Ages Requires Unscheduled Third Day

The innovative Battle of the Ages format, which pitted over-50 players against their younger counterparts, proved so compelling that an unscheduled Day 3 became necessary. Eight players remain in contention for the $228,632 top prize, with Joseph Roh (17,375,000) leading the way.

The event gained additional attention when Daniel Negreanu made his debut in a Seniors event, representing “Team Geezers” for the first time. However, the six-time bracelet winner’s day ended in frustration after burning through all three bullets in the rebuy format.

Negreanu arrived with a clear strategy, planning to exploit what he perceived as weaker, more predictable play from older opponents. “Strategically, we definitely want to build a stack,” Negreanu explained before play began. “What you tend to see with older players is less three-betting, more overfolding, a little bit weaker play.”

Unfortunately for “Kid Poker,” the cards refused to cooperate. His first bullet ended when his pocket queens ran into a four-way all-in situation against ace-king, ace-queen, and pocket jacks, with the ace-king flopping a set. The second bullet concluded when his ace-jack fell to ace-queen for top pair, and his final bullet expired after flopping top pair against middle set.

“It shouldn’t tilt me, but I’m so tilted,” admitted a frustrated Negreanu afterward. “Every hand I played, they had top pair. They never missed. I really thought I was going to go deep in this thing.”

Recent two-time bracelet winner Allan Le remains in contention but faces an uphill battle with just 3,450,000 chips (6 big blinds). Xia Wang of Macao represents the last woman standing with 2,400,000 chips. Play resumes at 4:00 p.m. local time.

Limit Hold’em Down to Final 11

Event #60: $3,000 Limit Hold’em saw its field reduced from 100 Day 2 returnees to just 11 survivors, with Andrew Bradshaw of the United Kingdom claiming the chip lead with 2,475,000. Bradshaw, fresh off a 20th-place finish in the Seniors Championship, stands just ten eliminations away from his first bracelet.

Stephanie Nguyen (1,820,000) occupies third place and represents the best chance for a woman to win an open event at this year’s WSOP. Other contenders include Roland Israelashvili (1,280,000), Scott Bohlman (975,000), and Matthew Valeo (905,000).

Massive Freezeout Field Narrowed Dramatically

Event #61: $500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout attracted an enormous field of 5,028 players, creating one of the largest Day 1 fields of the series. The freezeout format meant no second chances, and by day’s end, only 211 players survived the carnage.

Juan Lucena of Spain (1,990,000) topped the chip counts, followed by Anatoly Korochenskiy (1,815,000) and Sherwin Basti (1,755,000). Despite the affordable buy-in, several accomplished professionals advanced, including bracelet winners Arthur Morris (1,100,000), Matthew Bode (905,000), and Indian bracelet winner Aditya Sushant (1,605,000).

Triple Draw Specialists Emerge

Event #63: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw smashed attendance records with 635 entries, surpassing last year’s mark of 574. Yueqi Zhu of China, who won a bracelet in 2018, leads the remaining 113 players with 395,000 chips.

The specialized format attracted poker’s elite mixed-game players, with top pros Brandon Shack-Harris (350,000), Robert Mizrachi (233,000), Adam Friedman (233,000), and defending champion Aaron Cummings (93,000) all advancing to Day 2.

Looking Ahead to Day 29

Tuesday, June 24th promises another action-packed day with up to nine events running simultaneously. The schedule includes the continuation of multiple events already in progress, plus three exciting new tournaments.

The most prestigious addition is Event #66: $50,000 Poker Players Championship, widely considered the most coveted bracelet outside the Main Event. Defending champion Daniel Negreanu will look to rebound from his Battle of the Ages disappointment in this mixed-game championship that tests players across eight different poker variants.

Other new events include Event #64: $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold’em (10:00 a.m. start) and Event #65: $1,000 Tag Team (noon start), ensuring something for every type of player.

The Action Continues

With multiple events reaching their climactic stages and new tournaments beginning daily, the 2025 WSOP continues to deliver the high-stakes drama and world-class competition that has made it poker’s premier championship series. From breakthrough victories like Robert Wells’ maiden bracelet to the continued pursuit of poker immortality across numerous events, Day 28 exemplified why the World Series of Poker remains the ultimate proving ground for the world’s best players.

As we head into the final weeks of the series, the intensity only continues to build, with millions in prize money and dozens of coveted bracelets still up for grabs in Las Vegas.