WSOP 2025 Day 15 Recap: Five Bracelets Won as Colossus Gives Winner Life-Changing Prize

A bumper day of action at the 56th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) saw four bracelets won as players battled at the Horseshoe and Paris casinos in Las Vegas. With a total of ten WSOP events in progress, first-time players and seasoned veterans came together in events with three-figure to five-figure buy-ins in Sin City.

Courtenay Williams Takes Colossus Crown

Courtenay Williams won his first-ever WSOP bracelet after a superb showdown in the $500-entry Colossus left him with life-changing money up top. Williams outlasted a packed final table with stars around the felt such as Ryan Leng and Matt Glantz. Leng came into the final table in last place but laddered to seventh for a score of $94,760 before Glantz got even further. The popular ‘Team Lucky’ member, who won a million-dollar bounty in the Mystery Millions two years ago, finished third for $273,260.

Heads-up, Williams got the better of the overnight chip leader Ramaswamy Pyloore as he battled to victory and a top prize of $542,540. The tournament player who is based in Los Angeles said he never intended to play the event.

“I’m usually off for a few months a year. I’ll come here for a week, but I barely fire in the WSOP. I usually fire the smaller stuff around the city. I wasn’t even going to play this on Saturday, because I had already busted twice. A couple of my buddies talked me back into playing, and here we are.”

After booking his first-ever bracelet win, Williams was relieved at the financial security the tournament victory will now provide.

“It’s a great start to the summer and to the year. I’m not working at the moment and while I do have money, this is going to make it easier to not be so stressed.”

WSOP Event #19 $500 Colossus NLHE Final Table Results 

Zektser the King in Big O

The final two players returned to the felt for a last showdown in Event #27, the $1,500 Big O event on Tuesday night. In the end, the all-American battle was won by Igor Zektser, who made his chip advantage count late on as he beat Paul Sincere to the title and $297,285 top prize.

With an incredible 1,499 entries in the popular mixed game event, Zektser was ecstatic at finally breaking his bracelet duck.

“It feels amazing,” he said. “I’ve been working for a long time trying, trying, never giving up. I’m sure it’s been said many times before it’s every poker player’s dream, right?”

Igor Zektser made his dreams come true and at a table where WSOP Player of the Year challenger Ryan Hoenig came third for $141,315 and mixed game specialist Nicolas Milgrom finished fifth for $74,693, that’s some achievement.

WSOP Event #27 $1,500 Big O Final Table Results

Darner Denies Mcgowan in NLHE $2,500 Event 

A late rally from Mark Darner ensured another bracelet went to an American player as German Chris Puetz and the overnight leader, Spanish pro Jon Vallinas were denied in Event #29. The $2,500-entry No Limit Hold’em (NLHE) event awarded a top prize of $496,826 after 1,493 entries created a total prize pool of $3.3 million.

The short stack at many times, Darner kept patient and waited for his moments to strike on the final day. The biggest pot he claimed was the one where his ace-high took out Vallinas in fifth for $127,841, but the exit of the last former WSOP bracelet in fourth was just as pivotal. Dylan Linde fell three places short of winning his second bracelet when his own ace-high shove was unable to hold against Mcgowan’s king-queen, a hand that eventually led to the latter finishing as runner-up for $331,163.

WSOP Event #29 $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Results

Stoeber Steals Event #31 Glory 

Jonathan Stoeber won the $800-entry NLHE Deepstack Event #31 for a top prize of $352,610 and his first-ever bracelet. With 4,481 entries in the mammoth event, Stoeber’s win came after the final table played out in just three hours. Winning $352,610 up top, Stoeber claimed he ‘didn’t have a tough decision all final’ as he took the biggest chunk of a $3.1m prize pool.

While there were strong performances from others at the final table, including former WSOP bracelet winners Nick Seward (6th for $72,327) and Shawn ‘Bucky’ Buchanan, who came fourth for $128,100, Stoeber had his day in the sun and admitted he had some luck coming in so short.

“I came in with four and a half bigs,” he said. “I just kinda sun-runned it, to be honest. I was just trying to put people in spots. If it’s six big blinds, but a 50k pay jump, you put people in the blender.”

WSOP Event #31 $800 NLHE Deepstack Final Table Results

Racener Races Away with Turbo Bracelet for Third WSOP Title

John Racener took down the $1,500-entry Event #34 to win the NLHE Super Turbo Bounty tournament for $247,595 and his third WSOP bracelet late last night in Las Vegas. With an amazing field of 2,244 players, Racener, a regular in WSOP Player of the Year battles and a previous two-time winner, beat Liran Betito heads-up. Along with his top prize of a quarter of a million dollars, he also took home $8,000 after claiming 16 bounties each worth $500.

While he’s known for his WSOP bracelet success, Racener is also well-known for coming second to Canadian Jonathan Duhamel in the 2010 WSOP Main Event. That proved inspiring for Racener’s latest title in Las Vegas.

“I was actually having thoughts of my Main Event heads up when I was playing heads up tonight, and the banner was hanging right over my opponent’s head. Things went pretty smoothly all day. I'm almost up 24 hours straight.”

Racener quite literally raced to Las Vegas this year, starting his series later than usual due to the birth of he and his wife’s third son.

“ just showing my wife that it was worth it for me to be out here!” Racener said after claiming gold. “To be away from the family and kids, the only thing that makes it worth it is if I win; I’m coming home with a third bracelet for our third boy. If I didn’t, the trip was a failure.”

WSOP Event #34 $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty NLHE Results

Darren Elias on the Brink of Personal Glory 

In Event #30, the $10,000-entry No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship, the four-time WPT Main Event winner Darren Elias took play into an unscheduled Day 4 as he bids to win a maiden WSOP bracelet.

Elias leads the remaining six players with a stack of 3.47 million chips. While Oscar Johansson in second is close on 2.91 million, others behind him have even more experience, with Nick Schulman (2.67m), Chad Eveslage (1.9m), Ben Yu (1.87m) and Dan Smith (905,000) all in with a chance of glory.

On a day where Daniel Negreanu (7th for $61,231), overnight leader George Alexander (8th for $45,833) and Stuart Rutter (10th for $35,012) all ran deep, it is the quests of Elias and Johansson that are most fascinating about the final day. With 14 bracelets between, the final six all know these WSOP streets. Chiefly, so does Elias, but both he and Johansson are the only two at the final table never to have won a bracelet.

All that could change tomorrow.

WSOP Event #31 $10,000 NL 2-7 Single Draw Championship Chip Counts

Koon Could be King Again in High Roller

Event #32 saw a busy Day 2 end with just 10 players in with a shot of winning the $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller event, and with it a top prize of $1,968,927. The 10-time Triton Poker Tour winner Jason Koon will be a huge favorite as he bids to win his second bracelet tomorrow.

After players such as Joao Vieira (14th for $107,514), overnight leader Alex Reard (12th for the same amount) and Sean Winter (11th for $130,082) all fell just short, Koon’s stack of 14.5 million chips equated to 121 big blinds, more than the double his nearest challenger, Andrew ‘Chewy’ Lichtenberger with 6.7 million chips.

Others such as Brock Wilson (6.24m), Viktor Blom (5m) and Ben Tollerene (4.8m) all have a great chance of victory... if they can somehow topple ‘king’ Koon at the current stage. 

WSOP Event #32 $50,000 NLHE High Roller Chip Counts 

Tyburski on Top in Limit Hold’em 

In Event #33, the $1,500 Limit Hold’em event, 99 players returned to the felt at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, with just seven survivors completing in final table’s seats as play ended.

Top of the counts is Adam Tyburski, who ended Day 2 with 2,985,000 chips, a little clear of Nicholas Tsoukalas (2,195,000) and Bobbi Harrell (2,130,000) with a top prize of $130,061 and what will definitely be a debut WSOP bracelet on offer. The final former winner to bust was the last to leave, as Chris ‘Big Huni’ Hunichen departed in eighth place for $11,954.

WSOP Event #33 $1,500 Limit Hold'em Chip Counts

Two Other Day 1s In Progress

On Day 1 of Event #35, the $3,000 NLHE Freezeout event, 156 players survived from 1,027 entries. A prize pool of $2,742,090 awaits just 155 players, with the money bubble coming as soon as the first player busts on Day 2 tomorrow. Top of the pile is Hongru Zhang (992,000), with David Cabrera Polop (986,000) only a raise-and-take behind. Kristen Foxen took out two players in one hand along the way to building a 677,000-strong chip mountain, while John ‘Johnny World’ Hennigan folded to Michael ‘Grinder’ Mizrachi’s straight flush, keeping back 511,000 and seeing Mizrachi a little way back on 304,000 chips. We’ll see if money saved is money earned in 12 hours’ time or so.

Finally, Event #36 saw 304 players sit to play the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, with 152 of them - exactly half the field - progressing to Day 2. While Bruno Furth (372,500) led the field, which could yet improve with late registration for two levels tomorrow, players such as the 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Ivey (284,000), Shaun Deeb (226,000), Ryan Hoenig (222,000) and Tyler Phillips (222,000) all sit ominously in the top 20 chip counts. 

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