One of the most dramatic days yet at the 56^th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) saw Shaun Deeb win his seventh WSOP bracelet, Phil Hellmuth enter the WSOP Main Event dressed as a rock star and five other events take place. The main drama was in the $100,000-entry PLO High Roller Event #79, however, as Deeb joined Daniel Negreanu, Billy Baxter and the current and four-time PPC champion Michael Mizrachi on seven bracelets.

Another Massive High Roller Field

With so many five and six figure buy-ins this WSOP, a strong showing in the $100,000 Pot Limit Omaha Event #79 was vital for future tournaments to take place. With 121 total entries, Shaun Deeb’s seventh WSOP bracelet win last night for $2.95 million creates headlines that ensure the longevity of the event as well as establishing Deeb among elite company in the upper echelons of poker’s top table.

At a final table featuring Phil Ivey, Arthur Morris and Deeb’s heads-up opponent, Isaac Haxton, Deeb proved his PLO chops and celebrated with his rail upon the completion of this latest victory.

At a final table filled with great players, Phil Ivey fell in fifth place as his quest to reach 12 WSOP bracelets was ultimately unsuccessful despite a result worth $715,614. Losing to Isaac Haxton’s top set of aces, Ivey crashed out and in the process built Haxton’s stack to an impressive size.

Haxton continued this run in taking out the only non-American player at the final table, Spanish professional Lautaro Guerra, in fourth place for $976,082. Guerra had pocket aces but lost to Haxton when the latter made a Broadway straight with one of the two aces left landed on the river.

Haxton Can’t Hold with Kings

Arthur Morris was the next to leave, busting to Deeb to depart in third place for $1,368,994. Morris had deuces in the hole, but Deeb made a pair of tens and survived a flush draw for Morris to take play heads-up. Haxton (41.3m) still had the lead but Deeb wasn’t far behind on 31.3m chips.

In the final duel, both men held the lead at different moments. When Haxton’s kings met Deeb’s queens with the latter in the lead, it looked like a double-up was on the cards for Haxton, but a board of J-4-2-T-J gave Deeb a rivered flush to make him the winner. Haxton, ever-gracious in defeat, shook Deeb’s hand as the two men met, before Deeb celebrated wildly with his friends and family.

Here are Shaun Deeb’s historic seven bracelet wins after his latest victory.

Year	Tournament Details	Entries	Top Prize
2015	$10,000 Pot Limit Hold’em	128	$318,857
2016	$1,500 Seven Card Stud	331	$111,101
2018	$25,000 PLO 8-Max High Roller	230	$1,402,683
2018	$10,000 NLHE 6-Max Championship	355	$814,179
2021	$25,000 PLO 8-Max High Roller	212	$1,251,860
2023	$1,500 6-Max Eight-Game Mix	789	$198,854
2025	$100,000 PLO High Roller	121	$2,957,229

 

“Anyone could have won that tournament with the run of cards I had,” Deeb told reporters after the match.  “I ran so above chip EV in every all-in – there wasn’t much skill. I played really well pre-flop [but] I got outplayed post flop. I knew what was going to happen. I know how to reduce a better players’ edge.”

After the victory, Deeb took top spot on the WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard and predicted a two-horse race to the finish line.

“It’s going to be me and Benny [Glaser],” said Deeb. “He’s a favourite, though, because I think he only has six or seven scores so any score he gets is just points on his total. I’ve really got to get 200 points or [reach] another final table.”

WSOP 2025 Event #79 $100,000 PLO High Roller Final Table Results:
Place	Player	Country	Prize
1st	Shaun Deeb	United States	$2,957,229
2nd	Isaac Haxton	United States	$1,972,860
3rd	Arthur Morris	United States	$1,368,994
4th	Lautaro Guerra	Spain	$976,082
5th	Phil Ivey	United States	$715,614
6th	Alex Foxen	United States	$539,917
7th	Sean Rafael	United States	$419,563
8th	Ben Lamb	United States	$336,110

 

Hellmuth Rocks Onto Feature Table Stage

Phil Hellmuth made his annual grand entrance onto the WSOP feature table stage as The Poker Brat began his quest to win his second WSOP Main Event 36 years after claiming his first. Hellmuth, dressed head to toe in 1980’s rock star garb – sponsored by Bet Rivers of course – was flanked by models holding numbers 1 to 17 aloft above their heads.

Also accompanying The Poker Brat to the stage inside the Horseshoe Las Vegas cardroom were Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates – on guitar – and Hellmuth’s son Phil, who progressed from Day 1a of the WSOP Main Event with 82,700 chips. Hellmuth – the 17-time record bracelet winner – ended with even more than his son, bagging up 85,000 chips after Day 1b. The Hellmuths could yet meet on Day 2, as flights 1a, 1b and 1c will see the players from those flights combined into the seat draw.

Other big names also progressed from Day 1b with big stacks, as Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi (297,000) top-scoring on Day 1b. Mike ‘The Mouth’ Matusow (158,200), Daniel Negreanu (122,500), 2019 finalist Nick Marchington (217,300), former world online number one Yuri Dzivielevski (161,300), UFC fighter Colby Covington (94,500), Jason Mercier (78,700), Game of Gold player Olga Iermolcheva (59,700), John Hennigan (53,200) and Stephen Chidwick (51,600) all survived, with three former Main Event winners joining Hellmuth as previous champions in the Day 2 draw. The 2016 world champion Qui Nguyen (94,500), 1987 and 1988 winner Johnny Chan (57,800) and 2012 winner Greg Merson (51,600) all made the cut.

WSOP 2025 Event #81: $10,000 Main Event World Championship Day 1b:
Place	Player	Country	Chips
1st	Michael Mizrachi	United States	297,000
2nd	Dakota Baggett	United States	270,400
3rd	Raoul Kanme	Netherlands	270,000
4th	Juliet Hegedus	United States	267,000
5th	Joseph Ozimok	United States	265,000
6th	Eric Thompkins	United States	264,000
7th	Adrien Guyader	France	259,700
8th	Michael Hager	United States	254,800
9th	Kestutis Jungevicius	Lithuania	248,600
10th	Brian Tolley	United States	247,400