For poker players everywhere, the World Series of Poker simply has the X factor. It’s where legends are born, where trophies are won in front of the fans, and where most of the world’s best players can be found every summer.
For many mixed game players, there’s an even bigger reason to be excited. It’s not too tough to find a big hold’em or Omaha event wherever big events are played, but does your local card room offer razz, stud or badugi tournaments with million-dollar prizepools?
The chance to play some of the less-popular variants, for decent buy-ins and big prizes, is just one of the things that makes the WSOP so special. Even those for whom hold’em has always been a mainstay can enjoy the variety, such as that offered up by the $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo/Stud Hi-Lo event taking place this week.
A shiver in the room
Omaha8 and Stud8 is a mix of games you won’t find just anywhere, but then so are a lot of the names that are in the running to win the $244,674 up top. With two days of action in the books, 575 entries are down to just 27. The bubble’s burst and some mighty big names are in contention.
Germany’s Tobias Hausen has the chip lead with around 25 big bets, looking for his fifth cash of the series and a first bracelet. Not far behind is Shirley Rosario (above), whose Hendon Mob entry reads like a love letter to mixed games, while a look down the counts reveals a shiver of sharks (look it up).
Benny Glaser is looking to add to the two bracelets he’s already won this summer; Brian Rast and Shaun Deeb are each after a seventh career WSOP win; Gus Hansen is making another deep run in a mixed event; and Phil Hellmuth (below) is seeking to extend his lead at the top of the list of all-time bracelet winners. The action resumes at 1pm.
Ask not for whom Kabrhel tolls
Czech high roller Martin Kabrhel (below) has had his share of contentious moments, at the WSOP and beyond. The man with three bracelets to his name, including two high roller titles won at the WSOP Europe, has been picking up fans this summer thanks to his many vocal, performative displays which — while not always popular with his tablemates — certainly provide plenty of entertainment value for his ever-growing rail.
So it was during Day 2 of the $250,000 Super High Roller, where Kabrhel made the most of his time at the TV table, going so far as directing camera operators to move and checking the monitors to ensure the composition was just so.
The constant chiming of Kabrhel even led Phil Ivey to offer his tablemates a prop bet: Every time Kabrhel asks you a question, you must answer with another question.
Even for $20K, it seemed no one wanted to jeopardize their concentration levels by having to continually engage with the chirping Czech. After all, there’s $4,752,551 up top. “I want it to be painful for someone,” Ivey said, before tasting some pain of his own, falling in 18th on the wrong side of the bubble in a pot versus — of course — Martin Kabrhel.
From a field of 63 entries, the super high rollers are down to just eight, with Daniel Negreanu the unfortunate soul to hit the bricks one shy of the final table in 9th place. Belgium’s Thomas Boivin leads the way with around 110 big blinds, followed by a fearsome lineup of crushers.
Ben Tollerene, Alex Foxen, Seth Davies, Bryn Kenney and David Peters have middling stacks, with Chris Brewer and Kabrhel lagging behind — the latter after flopping trips but getting bluffed off his hand thanks to a shrewd move from David Peters.
Check out Matt Hansen’s detailed write-up of Day 2 for the full story.
Blom rolls on
Elsewhere, the $10,000 Big O Championship played down to a final five, and Viktor Blom is still very much in the running. So is everyone, in fact; Marco Johnson has the chip lead, but all five players have enough chips to turn the tables. Expect a winner to pick up the $784,353 up top by the end of the day.
Also reaching the sharp end are the $1,500 Monster Stack, which is down to 54 from 9,920 entries, and the $500 Salute to Warriors, down to 32 from 3,937.
Off the mark on Monday, but still with a ways to go, are the $10,000 Razz Championship, the $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em Championship, and the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event.
Check back regularly here at PokerOrg for the latest on these and all events from the 2025 World Series of Poker!
