Big Names Fall in WSOP Main Event on Day 3 as Money Bubble Approaches
On Day 3 of the 2025 WSOP Main Event, 3,453 players were reduced to 1,476 as former world champions, Hall of Famers and even the reigning Main Event winner were all sent packing. As the day ended, just 15 players needed to bust to burst the money bubble and put the remaining players in profit. While many will be happy to lock up a $15,000 min-cash, others are now building a stack in a bid to put themselves in a position to claim the $10 million top prize.
Kobayashi Leads the Field
When the dust settled on Day 3 of the WSOP Main Event, it was the 23-year-old Japanese player Shotaro Kobayashi who bagged a slim lead from a former WSOP Europe Main Event champion. With a stack of 1,971,000 chips, Kobayashi is followed closely in the counts by Max Neugebauer (1,928,000), with players such as Juliet Hegedus (1,745,000) and Thomas Eychenne (1,618,000) both inside the top 10.
On a day where champions fell, the presence of Neugebauer is interesting, the German former pro basketball star sure to provide entertainment on Day 4 when players battle to avoid being among the first 15 exits, thereby missing out on a $15,000 min-cash. He’s not the only big name flying high, however, with Swedish superstar Viktor ‘Ilsildur1’ Blom (986,000), Brazilian former online world number one Pedro Garagnani (977,000), and Will ‘Nine high like a boss’ Kassouf on 957,000.
Kassouf’s presence has already ruffled feathers, with the British former 17th-place finisher of 2016 banned from Grosvenor Casinos some years ago due to ‘palming’ chips from a friend’s pile in their local casino. A little further back from the leading pack, the six-time WSOP bracelet winner Jason Mercier (687,000), Day 1 powerhouse Riva Arthur (684,000), Nate ‘Barstool Nate’ Silver (572,000), and Chris ‘Big Huni’ Hunichen (544,000) all have stacks that will be looking up rather than down.
The popular cash game streamer and Lodge Card Club co-owner Brad Owen (328,000), British former EPT San Remo champion Liv Boeree (320,000), PokerGO’s Donnie Peters (250,000), and Tim Duckworth (168,000), Sergio Aido (also 168,000), Landon Tice (124,000) and Phil Laak (104,000) all made Day 4 but will be playing carefully as the money bubble approaches.
Kid Poker and The Poker Brat Depart
While some thrived on Day 3, other big names fell as legend after legend seemed to slide out of contention in Las Vegas. PokerStake seller Daniel Negreanu lost a crucial coinflip with pocket nines against ace-queen to bust the event shy of the money places. The flop and turn were safe for DNegs, who filmed the playout on his camera for the video blog, but when a queen landed on the river, it was all over for Kid Poker, who said: “I came, I grinded, I lost.”
The 17-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth caught an even worse beat on the river. Like his Canadian counterpart Negreanu, The Poker Brat was all-in and at-risk flipping for his tournament life. Hellmuth’s ace-king needed to hit against the pocket queens of Michael Zulker. A safe flop for Zulker was changed when the king of clubs rolled off the turn to pair up Hellmuth.
That meant the queen of clubs would only chop the pot if it came, and the only card that could bust Hellmuth was the queen of hearts. Incredibly, that one-outer landed and the 1989 world champion was out, politely wishing his tablemates ‘Good luck’, later admitting ‘That one hurt.’
The former champions fell all over the place. Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer lost with pocket kings against pocket kings when his opponent flushed the 2004 Main Event winner from the field. The 1987 and 1988 world champion Johnny Chan also left, while the reigning champion Jonathan Tamayo struck out too, losing his own coinflip. We won’t have a back-to-back champion.
Money Bubble Incoming
It won’t take long on Day 4 until the money bubble isn’t just looming but dominating the action between the remaining players. Of the 1,476 that will start Day 4, only one man has ever won the Main Event before. He has reached the final table twice, however, and the 2020 Hybrid World Champion Damian Salas will be some threat.
With a stack of 480,000 chips, the Argentinian tournament specialist will doubtless be hoping to make the money in fine shape to run up a stack and challenge for the final table. If Salas can make the final nine, not only will have guaranteed himself $1,000,000, but he’ll become that rare player in reaching three WSOP Main Event final tables.
With a packed day’s action incoming, it’s ‘payday’ in the World Championship, and with some experienced players riding high in the chip counts, the chances of drama are odds on.
Here are the current top 10 players in the 2025 WSOP Main Event.
| WSOP 2025 Event #81 $10,000 Main Event Day 3 Chip Counts: | |||
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips |
| 1st | Shotaro Kobayashi | Japan | 1,971,000 |
| 2nd | Max Neugebauer | Austria | 1,928,000 |
| 3rd | Sam Jakubowicz | France | 1,800,000 |
| 4th | Juliet Hegedus | United States | 1,745,000 |
| 5th | Tomas Szwarcberg | Mexico | 1,709,000 |
| 6th | David Alvarez | Spain | 1,629,000 |
| 7th | Thomas Eychenne | France | 1,618,000 |
| 8th | Brandon Harris | United Kingdom | 1,616,000 |
| 9th | Luke Chung | United States | 1,606,000 |
| 10th | Chad Power | United States | 1,546,000 |