The 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) saw three standout performances marking the early chapters of this summer’s bracelet chase.
Michael Wilklow claimed his first-ever gold bracelet and a $1 million top prize in the record-setting Mystery Millions opener. Yosef Fox followed with a touching family moment by winning his maiden bracelet six years after watching his son, Jorden, do the same.
And seasoned mixed-game pro Brad Ruben added a fifth bracelet to his growing legacy with a victory in the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw event. Here is a quick recap of the latest World Series of Poker victories, along with final table payouts.
Michael Wilklow Wins His Maiden Bracelet in WSOP 2025 Mystery Millions
Michael Wilklow, a recreational tournament player, finally captured his first gold bracelet after outlasting a massive 19,000-player field to win the $1,000 Mystery Millions event at the 56th Annual World Series of Poker.
Wilklow, who previously had tournament earnings of $480K, has now pushed his live earnings past $1.4 million. For the victory, Wilklow earned a life-changing $1,000,000 top prize along with the prestigious gold bracelet.
The opening event of the 2025 World Series of Poker, Event #1: $1,000 Mystery Millions, saw a gigantic 19,654 entries across six starting flights.
The massive field generated a staggering prize pool of $17,295,520, paid out to the top 1,045 finishers, with each of the final eight collecting a six-figure score.
Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Daniel Strelitz, was looking for his third bracelet win. However, he unfortunately finished on the podium, collecting $429,950 for his deep run.
Heads-Up
The heads-up battle featured two players in search of their first bracelet. Wilklow entered with a chip lead and maintained it through to the end of the tournament.
In the final hand, Michael Acevedo called for his tournament life with a Broadway straight, only to run into Wilklow’s full house. Acevedo had to settle for a six-figure payout of $563,350, while the champion, Michael Wilklow, walked away with the $1 million top prize.
WSOP 2025 Mystery Millions Final Table Payouts
1st – Michael Wilklow – $1,000,000
2nd – Michael Acevedo – $563,350
3rd – Daniel Strelitz – $429,950
4th – Yu Hsiang Huang – $329,940
5th – Elliott Kampen – $254,590
6th – Wesley Fei – $197,550
7th – Linda Ngo – $154,140
8th – Jeffrey Hong – $120,950
9th – Michael Marks – $95,551
Yosef Fox Wins His First Bracelet In WSOP 2025 $10K NLH Mystery Bounty
Yosef Fox, father of Jorden Fox, once watched his son win a gold bracelet at the 2019 WSOP. Six years later, the roles were reversed as Jorden witnessed his father secure a maiden gold bracelet of his own.
Yosef Fox took down the $10K Mystery Bounty event at the 2025 World Series of Poker, etching his name into the prestigious list of bracelet winners.
Event #11: $10K NLH Mystery Bounty drew a field of 616 entries, creating a total prize pool of $5,728,800.
As the field narrowed, the top 91 finishers shared the $5.7 million prize pool, with each of the final six earning a six-figure payday.
2009 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe Cada made the final table but bowed out in 7th place, pocketing $92,330. James Mendoza rounded out the podium with a 3rd-place finish worth $336,594.
Heads-Up
Yosef Fox entered heads-up play as the chip leader against Spanish player Alejandro Peinado. Peinado fought hard to close the gap, but ultimately fell short of victory.
In the final hand, Peinado shoved with an ace-deuce of diamonds, and Fox snap-called with pocket jacks. The board offered no help to the Spaniard, ending his run in 2nd place.
Yosef Fox earned his first career WSOP gold bracelet and a life-changing $729,333 payday, while Alejandro Peinado took home $486,192 for his runner-up finish.
Team India Highlights
From Team India, Sanjeev Kapoor put on a strong showing, finishing 15th for $34,186, while Santhosh Suvarna exited as the unfortunate bubble boy.
WSOP 2025 $10K NLH Mystery Bounty Final Table Payouts
1st – Yosef Fox – $729,333
2nd – Alejandro Peinado – $486,192
3rd – James Mendoza – $336,594
4th – Richard Green – $237,123
5th – Patrick Kennedy – $170,036
6th – Chao Duan – $124,151
7th – Joe Cada – $92,330
8th – Myles Mullaly – $69,964
9th – Jordan Siegel – $54,037
Brad Ruben Secures His Fifth Bracelet In WSOP 2025 $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw
The 2025 WSOP Event #12: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw saw a turnout of 532 entries, resulting in a total prize pool of $706,230, split among the top 80 finishers.
After three days of non-stop poker action, it was American mixed-game specialist Brad Ruben who brought his bracelet tally to five, emerging as the event’s champion.
Bracelet winner Yueqi Zhu finished in 3rd place, taking home $60,738. He wasn’t the only bracelet winner at the final table—five-time bracelet winner Brian Yoon also made a deep run, finishing 5th for a $29,228 payout.
Heads-Up
In the heads-up match, Ruben faced a familiar opponent, Han Liu, whom he has played against for years in mixed cash games in Texas.
Liu’s dream of capturing his maiden bracelet will have to wait, as Ruben defeated him to claim his fifth career gold bracelet. The final hand saw Ruben reveal his nine-low to defeat Liu’s ten-low, ending Liu’s tournament run in 2nd place.
Liu picked $90,569 for his runner-up finish, while the winner Brad Ruben earned $130,080 for his victory, pushing his total live earnings past $2.2 million.
WSOP 2025 $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Final Table Results
1st – Brad Ruben – $138,080
2nd – Han Liu – $90,569
3rd – Yueqi Zhu – $60,738
4th – Jun Weng – $41,654
5th – Brian Yoon – $29,228
6th – Tyler Phillips – $20,994
7th – Eric Moum – $15,446
8th – Stephen Hubbard – $11,646
9th – Sean Yu – $11,646
Keep following PokerProNews for the latest updates and results from the ongoing World Series of Poker!
Source – CardPlayer/PokerGo
