Giuseppe Pantaleo Tops the Chip Counts After Gruelling Day 1
After a poker marathon of seventeen 40-minute levels, Day 1 of Event #54: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha at the 2025 World Series of Poker has come to a close with 114 players managing to bag up a stack for Day 2. A total of 1,564 entries were recorded today, bringing the total prize pool to $2,076,210.
Sitting atop the chip counts is Giuseppe Pantaleo with a huge stack of 1,105,000, and is the only player to have crossed the one-million-chip mark. Second on the leaderboard is Michael Monroig with 893,000 chips, while Leonid Yanovski rounds out the podium positions with a stack of 878,000 to work with on the second day of the tournament.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giuseppe Pantaleo | Germany | 1,105,000 | 111 |
| 2 | Michael Monroig | United States | 893,000 | 89 |
| 3 | Leonid Yanovski | Israel | 878,000 | 88 |
| 4 | Tara Dunn | Canada | 849,000 | 85 |
| 5 | Jacob Snider | United States | 806,000 | 81 |
| 6 | Bruno Furth | United States | 761,000 | 76 |
| 7 | Michael Lin | United States | 710,000 | 71 |
| 8 | Daniel Clemente | United States | 697,000 | 70 |
| 9 | Robert Nehorayan | United States | 696,000 | 70 |
| 10 | George Abi-Zeid | United States | 689,000 | 69 |
Just over two hours after late registration closed, the tournament reached hand-for-hand play with 236 players remaining and only 235 spots making the money. It took just three hands for the bubble to burst. In a rare outcome, Yuan Li, Tolga Demirel, and Niema Mostafavi were all eliminated on the same hand and ended up splitting the final payout. This meant Luis Calvo was the official bubble boy in 237th place.
Other notables making it through include two-time bracelet winner Bruno Furth (761,000), who is enjoying a stellar 2025 WSOP with one bracelet win and a runner-up finish already. Also advancing to Day 2 are Rajesh Vohra (644,000), Bryce Yockey (593,000), Thailand’s Punnat Punsri (385,000), three-time bracelet winner Sean Troha (318,000), Patrick Moulder (259,000), Davidi Kitai (139,000), and Christian Harder (30,000), who ran into Furth’s nut boat on one of the final hands of the night to end the day among the shortest stacks.
The second day of this three-day affair kicks off at 12 p.m. local time on Thursday, June 19. Players will return to blinds of 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante, and from this point forward, all levels will be 60 minutes in length for the rest of the tournament.
With over half the field having hit the rail since the money bubble burst, everyone coming back is guaranteed at least $3,406 for their efforts. Now, their sights are set on the $306,791 top prize and the coveted gold bracelet awaiting the winner.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $306,791 | 16–23 | $12,738 |
| 2 | $204,425 | 24–31 | $10,382 |
| 3 | $146,266 | 32–39 | $8,581 |
| 4 | $105,947 | 40–47 | $7,194 |
| 5 | $77,703 | 48–55 | $6,118 |
| 6 | $57,711 | 56–63 | $5,281 |
| 7 | $43,413 | 64–71 | $4,626 |
| 8 | $33,082 | 72–79 | $4,113 |
| 9 | $25,541 | 80–99 | $3,714 |
| 10–11 | $19,983 | 100–114 | $3,406 |
| 12–15 | $15,846 |
That finishes PokerNews coverage from Day 1 of this event, but be sure to tune back in for Day 2 as we bring you all the latest updates, chip counts, and drama from this exciting tournament.