"This is crazy."
It was just moments after bagging the chip lead for the final table of the WSOP Main Event. Dizzy from the final table photo flashbulbs and a week of sleep deprivation, John Wasnock said it again.
"This is crazy. About three hours ago, I had 10 bigs and I was shoving all in just to steal the blinds and stay alive."
It was, indeed, crazy. The 50-year old investment consultant from Washington went from the bottom to the top in a breakneck sequence of eliminations that sent the tournament from two tables to one. Now he will add at least $1,000,000 to his previous $143,463 in career earnings.
Just like any other tournament
Wasnock had gone on what he called "a little tear" to end Day 8 as the only player above the 100 million mark. It was an unexpected punctuation mark to eight days of just trying to survive.
"It's been a rollercoaster tournament," he told us. "I started the first four days without too much trouble. I was just steadily moving up. I tripled up Day 1."
Days 4 and 5 were a struggle. "I got short again, lost a couple flips," he explained. But it was never too much of a sweat.
"I'm very patient when I'm playing a short stack and this tournament allows for that."
John Wasnock's road to the final table
| Main Event Session | End-of-Day Chip Count |
|---|---|
| Day 1c | 201,400 |
| Day 2abc | 373,000 |
| Day 3 | 683,000 |
| Day 4 | 800,000 |
| Day 5 | 1,600,000 |
| Day 6 | 5,525,000 |
| Day 7 | 9,500,000 |
| Day 8 | 108,100,000 |
Wasnock's patience may stem from the fact that he doesn't take The Greatest Tournament in the World for granted. It's tough to find great action in North Bend, Washington.
"I live in the Northwest. There are not a lot of big tournaments there. You have to travel. Those local casinos will run $500, $600 tournaments, maybe a $1,000 tournament once a year."
He works full time, but makes a point of traveling to Las Vegas for the World Series to scratch the big tournament itch. "I usually try to come down for a long weekend or a week and play two or three events. I've been fortunate in those events. I've had a pretty good success rate. I've actually won (two) tournaments this year."
John Wasnock's 2025 tournament results
| Date | Casino | Buy-in | Entries/Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 31 | Little Creek Casino | $600 | 78/$11,890 (1st) |
| April 12 | Wildhorse Resort & Casino | $560 | 584/$56,330 (1st) |
| March 26 | WSOPC Las Vegas | $1,125 | 428/$14,120 (4th) |
Courtesy of The Hendon Mob.
"I'm confident. I really haven't felt too overwhelmed. I've just been having fun. This has been fun.
You see a lot of people that are just like taking it super serious. I try to be serious and intimidating when I've got cards. But other than that, I try to keep it jovial and have good conversations at the table and keep it fun."
'I want people to be loud'
Wasnock will need that confidence to convert the final table chip lead into the $10,000,000 grand prize. He's up against one of the toughest WSOP Main Event Final Table marquees in the tournament's history, with seven-time bracelet winner Michael Mizrachi, Last Woman Standing Leo Margets, PokerGO whizkid Adam Hendrix, and 2016 finalist Kenny Hallaert all chasing after his chip stack.
And while it may seem like the entire world is rooting for any one of those names for a number of great reasons, Team Wasnock will be out in force.
"My family came down yesterday, my wife and kids. A couple of friends came down today, some of my wife's friends came down today. When I started getting a big chip stack, I had been kind of throwing out hints to some of my buddies and family like, if I do this, you're coming down."
This is "the full count in the World Series kind of thing" for Wasnock. What you dream about when you're playing baseball in the backyard.
"You always think, 'If I made the final table, what would that be like?' And I'm like, I want my poker buddies here first for being able to go over and talk strategy a little bit. I want my family here to just be able to soak it in. And then I want people to be loud."
The final nine players will return with Wasnock setting the pace. Action will kick off at 1:30pm Vegas time with a PokerGO livestream to follow on security delay. Join PokerOrg on Tuesday afternoon for all the sights and sounds from what will be a WSOP Main Event final table for the ages.
