WSOP 2025 Day 2 Recap: Keokham Wins First WSOP Bracelet of 2025, Jake Schwartz Leads $5,000 NLHE Event

The first gold bracelet of the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has been won in Las Vegas, Nevada. Phovieng Keokham won the Industry Employees Event #2, turning his $500 buy-in into a $64,369 top prize as he fulfilled his bracelet dreams in the gambling captial of the world.

In other events, Jake Schwartz top-scored in the first $5,000-entry NLHE event of the series, while more poker legends did battle in the second flight of Mystery Millions action.

Keokham Cuts Through Zollo to Claim Maiden Win

In Event #2, the $500 buy-in Industry Employees event saw Phovieng Keokham beat Christopher Zollo heads-up to claim the first WSOP bracelet of the 2025 series. 

The 138 players who began the final day were already in the money and the race quickly begun to make the final table with a chance of taking home the bracelet. Players such as Chad Holloway (101st for $1,006), Justin Kalvari (62nd for $1,244) and Michael Yeung (23rd for $2,096) all fell short in that endeavour, before two female players fell short of the last table in the event, Alyssa Hennager (14th) and Xia Wang (13th), both of whom won $2,514.

Rick Muniz quickly busted the final table, ending his event in eighth place for $6,299, before PokerNews reporter Connor Richards exited in seventh for $8,301. Exits for Pedro Green (6th for $11,138), Mark Kawamoto (5th for $15,207) and Michael Coombs (4th for $21,126) were followed by the departure of Shaun ‘The Dealer’ Colquhoun, who called off his stack with ace-six on the river having flopped an ace but lost to Phovieng Keokham’s two-paired nine-eight which came in on 5th street.

Heads-up, Keokham had 12.9 million to Chris Zollo’s 8.8 million, and the battle lasted almost no time at all. Just a few hands in, Zollo shoved with nine-six and was called by Keokham with ace-queen for almost all of the chips in play. A nine came on the flop to put Zollo in with a huge chance of doubling into a dominant lead. It was false hope, however, as a queen landed on the turn before a deuce completed the board, handing the title and the opening bracelet of the series to a thrilled Keokham. 

WSOP Event #2 $500 Industry Employees Results

Schwartz on Top with Daniel and Livschitz Close

The first $5,000-entry WSOP event of the summer kicked off on the second day of the WSOP, with Event #3, a $5,000 No Limit Hold'em 8-Max event, playing down from 558 total entries to 205 survivors who all reached Day 2. A huge $2.63m prize pool after Day 1 will grow further with late registration open for two more levels at the start of Day 2, but after the first day, only Jake Schwartz (538,000) ended with over half a million chips. 

Other players to star on the opening day included Nicholas Go (492,500), Schwartz’ closest rival, Shawn Daniels (402,000), who made the top five and Victoria Livschitz, whose stack of 346,000 put her seventh of the remaining 200+ players. ‘Trekker’ has plenty of experience in high stakes events and will be one to watch as the tournament – and the series in general – progresses.

Other big names were not so fortunate, as Niall Farrell, Chino Rheem, Viktor Blom, Erik Seidel, Nick Schulman Landon Tice, Chris Moorman and Joao Vieira all crashed out late in the day. 

WSOP Event #3 $5,000 NLHE 8-Max Day 1 Chip Counts

Dewitt Tops 2 Million Chips in Mystery Millions

Jason Dewitt ended Day 1b of the $1,000-entry Mystery Millions Event #1 second in chips with 2,000,000 as the second flight of action in the popular event saw 1,833 entrants reduced to just 83 survivors at the Horseshoe and Paris casinos.

While Veerachai Vongxaiburana topped the leaderboard with 2,975,000 chips, Dewitt’s stack of 2m chips was impressive too, as the two-time bracelet winner looks to win his first gold since 2016 when he took down the $1,500 Millionaire Maker. Aside from the bounty element, Dewitt’s experience of a massive Day 1 field and smaller, more intense Day 2 and onwards set-ups may prove pivotal as he hunts his third WSOP title.

$25K Fantasy Draft pick - and team owner - Didier Guerin ended Day 1b with 1,495,000 chips while Dewitt’s fellow bracelet winner Samuel Bernabeu made the top 10 with 1,230,000. Other big names such as Martin Zamani (1,075,000), William Kopp (955,000), and AP Garza (820,000) all made it to Day 2 with healthy stacks, while George Wolff (540,000), Ray Henson (245,000), and the 2024 world champion Jonathan Tamayo (200,000) scraped through to Day 2 also.

WSOP Event #1 $1,000 Mystery Millions Day 1b Chip Counts

Seiver Survives Late Hit in Event #4

Event #4, the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better event, saw 224 players survive from the 910 total entries. One of those survivors was Scott Seiver, one of the most expensive $25k Fantasy Draft players and the reigning WSOP Player of the Year, winning the title in 2024 and earning his banner on the walls of the Horseshoe Las Vegas. Seiver went for an audacious double elimination late on, but his pocket kings were no good, seeing both Ismael Bojang and Hyonku Chun doubled up at the six-time WSOP bracelet winner’s expense,leaving Seiver on just 50,000 chips.

Last year’s event winner James Chen was unable to defend his title, busting early and his exit was followed by that of some poker legends, as Jim Collopy, Dan Zack, Allen Kessler, Huck Seed, Matt Glantz, Josh Arieh, and Brian Rast all departed before the close of play on Day 1. Some were more successful though, with Alex Livingston (215,000), Stoyan Madanzhiev (179,000), Mike ‘The Mouth’ Matusow (172,000), Brad Owen (154,000), Chris ‘Big Huni’ Hunichen (141,000), Yuval Bronshtein (132,000), Robert Mizrachi (104,000), Kane Kalas (103,000), Michael Moncek (80,000) and Ari Engel (76,000) all made the cut. 

From the 224 total Day 1 players, only 137 of them will make a profit on their $1,500 entry fee, with the eventual winner confirmed to be playing for a $205,333 top prize, as well as the bracelet, of course.

WSOP Event #4 $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Day 1 Chip Counts

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