"Terminator" Qinghai Pan Dominates Day 2 of $10,000 Stud Hi-Lo Championship as 15 Remain
Bring In: 5,000
Completion: 20,000
Limits: 20,000-40,000
When the late registration of Event #77: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship closed after the first level of Day 2, another record had been set at the 2025 World Series of Poker. A total of 186 players had taken a shot at glory, besting the previous high of 167 set in 2024 and creating a prize pool of $1,729,800. After 12 hours of pot-splitting action, only 15 remained at the Horsehoe and Paris Las Vegas, and they are led by Qinghai Pan.
Pan spent the vast majority of Day 2 at or near the top of the counts, and he was eventually dubbed "The Terminator" by his late-night opponents as he secured a chip lead with 1,581,000 chips in his bag. Pan has two bracelets, both of which were acquired in online events. If Pan continues his hot run and captures the $411,051 top prize, that would be by far his largest recorded cash.
The other chip millionaires at the end of the night were Jordan Siegel and Andrey Zhigalov, but most eyes will be on the person who ended as fourth in chips, the legendary Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth was one of the late registrants today, and he ended the night with a stack of 906,000, putting him in a decent position as he continues to hunt for a record-extending 18th WSOP bracelet. Other notable names in the top ten include Luke Schwartz, and 25K Fantasy picks Viktor "Isildur1" Blom and Alex Livingston.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 3 Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qinghai Pan | United States | 1,581,000 | 32 |
| 2 | Jordan Siegel | United States | 1,245,000 | 25 |
| 3 | Andrey Zhigalov | Russian Federation | 1,135,000 | 23 |
| 4 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | 906,000 | 18 |
| 5 | Luke Schwartz | United Kingdom | 774,000 | 15 |
| 6 | Timothy Frazin | United States | 766,000 | 15 |
| 7 | Paul Zappulla | United States | 754,000 | 15 |
| 8 | David Lin | United States | 703,000 | 14 |
| 9 | Viktor Blom | Sweden | 674,000 | 13 |
| 10 | Alex Livingston | Canada | 594,000 | 12 |
Day 2 Action
With over 90 players seated after late registration closed, and only 28 spots being paid, many poker powerhouses fell before the prize pool started to be distributed. Among those lost along the way were recent four-time PPC champion Michael Mizrachi, all-time money leader Bryn Kenney, and Hall of Famers Todd Brunson and Brian Rast.
Benny Glaser did not acquire his fourth bracelet of the summer in this event as he fell a dozen or so spots before the money, and Walter Chambers could not turn his Day 1 chip lead profitable. Many onlookers saw as Phil Ivey exited in 32nd place, and shortly after hand-for-hand play began. After about an hour, Ryutaro Suzuki became the unfortunate bubble boy.
Nikolay Fal, Jake Schwartz, and Scott Bohlman were all awarded the min-cash of $20,552 for their finish at the final three tables, while Esther Taylor made the pay jump to $21,580. Richard Bai received the same amount for 16th place, and he was the final elimination of the night, meaning all remaining players have locked up $24,393 for their efforts.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $411,051 | 9 | $34,233 | |
| 2 | $274,023 | 10-11 | $28,458 | |
| 3 | $188,105 | 12-15 | $24,393 | |
| 4 | $132,423 | |||
| 5 | $95,665 | |||
| 6 | $70,970 | |||
| 7 | $54,105 | |||
| 8 | $42,421 |
The 15 survivors will return Wednesday, June 2, at 1 p.m. local time for the third and final day of the tournament. Level 19 will be the first of many 90-minute levels of Day 3, and has limits of 25,000/50,000, with a 5,000 ante and a 7,000 bring-in. A short break will be held after every level, while details regarding a dinner break have yet to be confirmed.
If a winner is to be crowned on Day 3, a marathon session seems to be in the cards. Check back in with PokerNews regularly as our live reporting team will be on the floor from start to finish to provide continuous updates.