Justin Tsui Takes Down 2025 WSOP C Marrakech Main Event

The WSOP Circuit Marrakech Main Event saw a record turnout of 1,523 entrants across three starting flights, generating a total prize pool of €1,875,000. As the field whittled down, the top 224 players made it into the money, earning a piece of the gigantic prize pool. 

The final table of the WSOP Circuit Marrakech Main Event was filled with European players, but in the end, it was Hong Kong’s Justin Tsui who triumphed to claim his career’s first circuit ring and a career-best €261,000. His latest victory has now brought his earnings past $800k.

Tsui defeated Spain’s NC Gandalf in a short-lived heads-up to secure his WSOP ring. Gandalf, who started the final table as the chip leader, picked up the 2nd place prize of €178,480. Gandalf’s fellow countryman NC Aitor Cruz, also finished on the podium, banking a six-figure sum of €125,000. 

2025 WSOP C Marrakech Main Event Final Table Payouts

Source – Poker Marrakech [official]

Stefan Lazar Wins 2025 GUKPT Coventry Main Event

The 2025 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) has founded its first champion of the year at Coventry. The £1,100 buy-in GUKPT Coventry Main Event saw recreational player Stefan Lazar winning the coveted GUKPT main event trophy. He outlasted 383 entries and earned a career-best score of £70,830* of the £383,060 prize pool. He also triumphed in the side event £250 Pot-Limit Omaha for an additional payout of £5,630, bringing his live earnings to $100k. 

When the three-handed play kicked off, all agreed to split the remaining money and locked up a minimum payout of £53,750, with the winner collecting an additional £17,080. GUKPT regular and veteran poker pro Keith Littlewood finished 2nd, collecting £53,750*. Alex Montgomery picked up £53,750* for his 3rd place finish in the main event. 

The 2025 GUKPT Coventry Main Event Final Table Payouts

Source: Grosvenor Poker Social Handles 

Ian Simpson Wins 2025 888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event

888poker LIVE’s first stop of 2025 – Madrid has officially wrapped up with 888poker Ambassador Ian Simpson lifting the Main Event trophy for an impressive €62,000 payout. The English player has added the 888poker to his trophy case, which also includes an Irish Poker Champion trophy. With the victory, Simpson also became the first 888poker ambassador to win an 888poker main event. 

888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event saw an entry field of 403 players, generating a total prize pool of €306,280. Spain’s Alvaro Murciano finished 2nd for €42,000, and Angel Perez made it into the top 3, collecting €30,500.

2025 888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event Final Table Payouts

Source: 888Poker YouTube, Twitter and Instagram

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The post Justin Tsui, Stefan Lazar & Ian Simpson Shine As Main Event Champions first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

Highlighting the upcoming APT Manila Classic series will be the $1 million GTD main event, which is set to begin on February 9th with four flights and late registration open until the start of Day 2. Featuring PHP 60,000 ($1,000) buy-in, the tournament concludes on February 15th, crowning the first APT Main Event Champion of 2025. To the delight of players, the satellite buy-in for this much-awaited event starts at PHP 13k ($220).

Apart from the main event, the APT Manila Classic 2025 promises a lot of high-stakes action with daily High Roller tournaments. Besides, poker players can look forward to a variety of other exciting tournaments, including mixed-game events, mystery bounties, team events, double board PLO, Super Hold’em, and several other unique events. One of the key highlights of this festival is that there will be daily women’s events, as recently announced by APT via their X handle.

Daily Women’s Event at APT Manila Classic 2025

The Asian Poker Tour, well known as the biggest poker tour in Asia, saw an increasing number of women at the poker tables in 2024. In 2024, APT attracted 560 women to its tournaments, accounting for 8.6% of the tour’s total players—double the industry average of approximately 4%.

Women’s Events are crucial in honoring women’s passion and increasing their participation in the game. These events provide a safe and comfortable environment for women to compete and experience poker, and to encourage women to compete in other scheduled events. 

APT Manila Classic 2025 will feature daily women-only events with the first-day buy-in being PHP 3k (~$51). The crown jewel in the Women’s Events- The APT Women’s Championship – is set for February 12 and it features a buy-in of 30,000 (~$509). Both the Women’s Championship and the lineup of daily women’s events are exciting additions to the APT Manila Classic schedule.

APT Women’s Event History

Since 2011, the Asian Poker tour has hosted a minimum of one women’s event at every APT tour. In 2024, the APT Taipei Poker Classic featured three women’s events, and saw Taiwan’s Hsu Fei Hsuan winning the biggest event for $8,960, by far the biggest payday in women’s event in APT history. The largest APT Women’s Event to date took place at APT Taipei 2023, attracting an impressive field of 143 entrants. For the complete APT Manila Classic 2025 schedule, check out this link HERE.

Keep following PokerProNews for all the latest updates on live poker festivals across the world.

Source: Asian Poker Tour

The post APT Manila Classic 2025 To Feature Women’s Event Every Day first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

The biggest story of the week was that of Natural8 India’s mystery player ‘dontraiseplz’ who won INR 25.10 Lakhs for his runner-up finish in the Grand Prix Europe 125. Ashish Munot made waves by collecting a hefty INR 18.66 Lakhs from his deep runs in Winter Giveaway Grand Finale 250 and Hold’em Marathon. Here is a quick look at the single largest scores of the week. 

Rising Star ‘dontraiseplz’ – INR 25.10 Lakhs In Grand Prix Europe 125

While we saw several pros and rising stars shine on the virtual felts, the biggest story of the week was that of Natural8 India’s ‘dontraiseplz,’ who topped the weekly charts by finishing runner-up out of 1,809 entries in the Grand Prix Europe 125 on Sunday. He collected a jaw-dropping INR 25.10 Lakhs for remarkable performance in the tournament. This was the top score of this past week and the second biggest score on Natural8 India for ‘dontraiseplz’ who had finished runner-up in last month’s Bounty Hunters Main Event 54 for a staggering INR 46.67 Lakhs. This significant score not only made ‘dontraiseplz’  the Sunday’s top scorer but also highlighted his ability to thrive across high-stakes online poker tournaments.

Ashish Munot – INR 15.50 Lakh  In Winter Giveaway Grand Finale

Ashish Munot, one of India’s top MTT pros, has been making waves on Natural8 India and this past week was no exception. Known for his strategic brilliance and consistent performances on the poker felts, Munot kicked off the week in style, racking up INR 18.66 Lakhs his standout performance in the Winter Giveaway Grand Finale and Hold’em Marathon on Monday.

The 2019 WPT India Main Event champion and 2023 World Poker Championship High Roller winner picked up a hefty INR 15.50 Lakhs from a 15th-place finish in the Winter Giveaway Grand Finale and another INR 3.16 Lakhs for his victory in the Hold’em Marathon. Prior to these scores, Munot had won INR 8.86 Laksh for a 15th place in the Santas Secret KO 150. Just two weeks into 2025 and Munot has racked up over INR 29 Lakhs in winnings, solidifying his position as one of the top MTT pros in India.

Kritarth Pant Claims INR 8.53 Lakh For BSS SuperStack Victory

Following his recent Adda52 Millions victory, Kritarth Pant continued his hot streak and added another impressive title to his resume. The online MTT reg conquered a colossal field of 1,114 entries in PokerBaazi’s 50 Lakhs GTD BSS SuperStack, winning a career-best INR 8.36 Lakhs to feature among the top scorers this past week. Runner-up ‘lailaterilelegi’ walked away with INR 5.45 Lakhs, while Yash  Jaiswal rounded out the podium, finishing third for INR 3,89,900 in the Sunday 8PM marquee.

Other Prominent Winners

This past week also saw several other prominent winners, including Karan Pantola who took down PokerBaazi’s 50 Lakh GTD The Endeavour on Tuesday for INR 7.50 Lakhs. Vaibhav Temani shipped PokerBaazi’s 50 Lakhs GTD The Summit on Thursday, bagging a hefty INR 7.50 Lakhs, his biggest win of the year. Premnath Kasinathrao made a strong impression in Natural8 India’s LUCKY SEVENS Superstack Turbo77 to win INR 6.37 Lakh on Friday, while Aditya Singh emerged as Wednesday`s top scorer, winning PokerBaazi’s 30 Lakhs GTD The Pride for the third time and adding INR 5 Lakhs to his online poker resume. 

Keep following PokerProNews for the latest updates and news from the world of online poker.

Source: Natural8India, PokerBaazi and PokerGuru

The post Weekly Highlights: ‘dontraiseplz’ & Ashish Munot Make Waves On Virtual Felts first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

In 2024, Skarparis won his first bracelet in the 55th WSOP Event #78: $1k NLH Freezeout Mini Main Event for a career-best $554,925 payday. His latest victory at the Crystal Love Hotel and Casino has now brought his live earnings past $1,000,000.

The $2,200 buy-in Warm-Up event saw a turnout of 501 players across four starting flights, reaching the guaranteed $1 million prize pool. As the field narrowed, the top 63 players received payouts from the prizepool.

Merit Poker Western Series $2,200 Warm Up Final Table Quick Recap

The final table was formed on Day 3, with Georgios Skarparis leading the final nine. The remaining nine players advanced to Day 4, all vying for top prize and the Merit Poker trophy. The first to exit the final table was Aliaksandr Hirs, who finished in 9th place, collecting $18,020.

Mario R.J. Fata soon followed when he went all-in with nine-eight. Zhen Chen made the call with ace-queen, which was enough to send Fata out in 8th place for $24,025. A few hands later, Grigoriay Rodin, who started the final table as the second short stack, looked down at his ace-queen and jammed his stack. Skarparis called, holding pocket tens. Skarparis flopped a set, eliminating Rodin in 7th place. Rodin, for his impressive run, collected $30,035.

An hour passed without any eliminations, and soon Skarparis ended the stalemate, scoring his second elimination by sending Ali Zebarjad out in 6th place with pocket aces. Zebarjad collected a hefty $36,140 for his finish. Skarparis didn’t stop there, eliminating Philip Johannes Wood in 5th place for $45,050, kicking off the four-handed action.

The four-handed action was short-lived as China’s Zhen Chen was the next to follow the railbirds. In an intense hand, Chen, with a flush draw, went all-in on the turn against Skarparis’s trip kings. Chen needed a spade on the river to save his tournament life, but the deuce of hearts ended his run. Chen headed to the rail with a payday of $60,070 for his 4th-place finish.

Three-Way Deal

As three-handed play began, Danielle Noja, Konstantin Kvashin, and Georgios Skarparis agreed to a three-way deal to split the remaining payouts without further play. Skarparis, who held 85% of the chips in play, claimed the first-place prize of $180,200 and the trophy. Kvashin finished as the runner-up, adding $121,100 to his earnings, while Danielle Noja rounded out the podium, collecting $86,040.

2025 Merit Poker Western Series $2,200 Warm Up Final Table Payouts

Keep following PokerProNews for the latest results and updates from live poker tournaments. Follow us on our social media platforms –Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube for all the interesting stories and updates from the world of poker!

Sources – Merit Poker Facebook Page , and Hendon Mob. 

Image Credit: Merit Poker

The post Georgios Skarparis Ships The Merit Poker Western Series Warm-Up Event first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

Jessica’s poker journey began back in 2013 when she scored her live first cash, marking the start of what would become a remarkable career. Her first live title came in 2020 when she shipped a $120 NLH event for $1,429.

Jessica Vierling’s poker adventure began years earlier, but it was in 2021 that Jessica decided to take up poker professionally. Before turning into a full-time poker pro, she worked as a Senior Program and Productivity Manager at Amazon. However, her decision to leave her job has paid off handsomely. With over 11 live titles to her name, including two WSOP rings, Jessica has solidified her place as a key figure in the world of poker.

Jessica Vierling’s Key Achievements & Milestones 

Jessica Vierling has achieved something many poker players dream of. Known for grinding the World Series of Poker Circuit events, she earned one of her biggest scores of $158,286 when she finished third out of 1,411 entrants in the WSOPC Durant Main Event in 2022. Last September, she turned a $500 satellite into PokerGO’s $5K buy-in Poker Masters Event #1 where she battled through a star-studded 131-entry field and finished as the runner-up for $98,250, the third highest score of her live poker career.  

Prior to this score, she etched her name as the WSOP Circuit Commerce Casino Main Event champion in May 2024. This was one of the biggest WSOPC main events in history where she topped a field of 1,467 entries, claiming her career-best score of $328,000. It has been over four years since she moved from Seattle to Las Vegas to pursue her poker dream. Since then, she has been consonantly studying, grinding and climbing up the ranks.

Exclusive Conversation With Jessica Vierling

Recently, we caught up with Jessica Vierling to discuss her inspiring journey from being a senior manager to becoming a prominent figure in the poker community, the challenges and hurdles she faced through her journey, gender inequality in tech and poker, controversies over sexism, women empowerment, her major breakthroughs in live poker and much more. Check out the video above for our complete conversation with Vierling!

Keep following PokerProNews for more such inspiring stories from the world of poker.  Follow us on our social media platforms –Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube for all the interesting stories and updates from the world of poker!

The post Jessica Vierling On Her Poker Journey, Challenges, and More first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

Santhosh Suvarna #1

With $15,028,525 in live earnings, Santhosh Suvarna is the current leader for Indian poker players in Hendon Mob winnings. He notched up some impressive cashes in 2024 to surpass Vivek Rajkumar and take the top spot on India’s All-Time Money List. His biggest achievement of the year came at the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) where he won the Super High Roller for his second WSOP gold bracelet and career-best score of $ 5,415,152, the biggest live score by an Indian in the live poker history.

Just a few days after his historic $250K Super High Roller win, Suvarna made waves in Event #79: $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha, finishing 5th for $503,085, the second biggest score by an Indian at the WSOP 2024. His momentum continued with several final table finishes through the year, including an 8th place for a hefty $209,420 at the WSOP Paradise.

Born and brought up in Mangalore, Karnataka, Santhosh Suvarna is a successful businessman and high-stakes poker pro who started playing poker in 2014 with focus on cash games initially. He later forayed into live poker tournaments. His first live tournament cash came in 2017 for a 7th place for INR 4,52,000 in the DPT High Roller and since then he has won several prestigious live titles, amassing a staggering $15,028,525 in live cashes.

Vivek Rajkumar #2

The current #2 on the India all-time money list is the veteran Vivek Rajkumar with over $8 million in live poker tournament earnings. Born in India and raised in Singapore, Rajkumar, who is now living in the United States, was very active in the live poker world from 2006 to 2011. After building his reputation as a fearless online MTT crusher, he forayed into live arena. His first trip to the WSOP in 2007 saw him notch up an impressive 5 cashes, including a sixth-place finish in a $3,000 Limit Hold’em event. In February 2008, Rajkumar took down a $2,595 buy-in event at the L.A. Poker Classic for $113k – his first six-figure score. He then became a WPT champion after winning the WPT Borgata Open Open in Atlantic City for  $1,424,500.

His career-best live poker score came in August 2019 when he banked $3,652,345 for a fifth-place in the £1,050,000 Triton Million for Charity event in London. Since then, he is no longer active in live poker tournament space as we can’t see his results from live poker tournaments on the Hendon Mob data after 2019. 

Nipun Java #3

Nipun Java is one of the veteran poker pros from India. Currently ranked #2 on India All-Time Money List, he has over $3,106,478 in live earnings and $1,068,507 in online winnings. Crushing the live circuit since 2009, he has won several bracelet events, including the WSOP 2017 Tag Team Event where he teamed up with Aditya Sushant to win the bracelet for India.

Nipun Java is an engineer by qualification. He pursued electronic engineering at NSIT, Delhi, and later moved to Los Angeles in the US. He started playing poker online and after some success on the virtual felts, he then turned into a full-time poker pro. Since then, there has been no looking back as he has cashed and won several prestigious live titles, amassing over $3 million in live cashes and carving a place among the Indian poker elites.

Ankit Ahuja #4

A former tech consultant for PokerStars, Ankit Ahuja is an Indian poker pro with close to $3 million in live tournament earnings. Currently ranked #4 on India All-Time Money list, Ahuja first caught the attention in 2019 when he won the $1,100 NLH MonsterStack DeepStack Championship Poker Series for $330,134. 

Ahuja’s biggest live cash game was in 2023 when he won the $1,100 Eureka Main Event at European Poker Tour Cyprus for $362,365.  He also made a splash at the EPT Main Event in August 2023, placing 5th for €177,810 ($193,412). His most recent cash came in a WPT World Championship Pot Limit Omaha event where he finished in 7th place, earning $ 11,870.  With over 10 live titles and close to $3 million, he is one of the finest pros in the Indian poker scene today.

Abhinav Iyer #5

A Mumbai-based poker pro, Abhinav Iyer is a prominent figure in the Indian poker fraternity, who shot into fame by winning the first solo WSOP bracelet for India during the 2019 WSOP in Las Vegas. He triumphed in the WSOP Closer event, winning $565,346 – his career-best score to date.

Iyer became known in the live poker arena in 2014 after cashing in a few low-stakes events in Melbourne, Australia. Since then, he has cashed several prestigious domestic events like DPT, BPT, IPC and international events such as WSOP, APT, APPT, WPT, and EPT, accumulating over $2 million in live earnings to take 5th spot on India’s all-time money list.

 Other Prominent Poker Pros On India’s All-Time Money Leaderboard 

The other prominent pros ranking among top 10 on India’s All-Time Money List include Aditya Agarwal,the poker pioneer with $ 1,788,338 in live earnings who won his first  gold bracelet for winning the 2024 WSOP $1K NLH Freezeout, and Kartik Ved, another WSOP bracelet winner with $ 1,554,705 in live earnings. Mumbai pro Nishant Sharma, who made history by winning three consecutive Poker Dream Main Event titles in 2024, ranks 8th with $ 1,430,995. The 9th and 10th places on the India All-Time Money leaderboard are held by Raghav Bansal and Kunal Patni with  $1,192,715 and $ 1,191,124 in live tournament earnings respectively.

Keep following PokerProNews for the latest updates from the world of live poker. Follow us on our social media platforms –Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube for all the interesting stories and updates from the world of poker!

The post Meet Top 5 Indian Poker Players 2025 first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

Who is Kathy Lehne? 

Kathy Lehne, is a businesswoman and poker enthusiast based in Houston, Texas. Lehne is the founder, CEO, and president of Sun Coast Resources. She established the company in 1985 with a modest investment of just $2,000. She never went to any college and rather learned everything on her own.

Kathy Lehne also competes in high-stakes poker tournaments as a recreational poker player. Showing her prowess in both poker and business. 

Kathy Lehne Poker Career Highlights and Earnings

Kathy Lehne’s first live poker tournament cash came in 2007 when she finished 13th in the WSOP Circuit $1,500 NLH for $4,685. Lehne followed it up with her first live poker victory, winning the Bellagio Weekly $1,000 NLH Tournament for a staggering $26,560.

She then entered the live poker arena in 2010, scoring a 16th-place finish in the 2010 $5,150 NLH Wynn Classic for $11,737. Later, she made a 7th place finish in the 2010 Gold Strike World Poker Open $5k NLH Championship Event for $21,185. Lehne again took a four-year break from the poker world and made a remarkable comeback in 2014, finishing second in the WPT Alpha8 Saint $100k NLH Super High Roller for a staggering $436,500 payday.

A year later, she finished 6th in WPT Five Diamond $100k WPT Alpha8 High Roller for another six-figure score of $242,798. In 2016, Lehne participated in the $100k NLH Super High Roller in OCA 2016 and finished in 8th place, pocketing $225,050. In 2017, Kathy Lehne participated in the $5,250 NLH SHRPO Championship and made an ITM finish to collect $12,433. Her last recorded cash was in 2019 when she finished 3rd in the #250k NLH Super High Roller Bowl in partypoker MILLIONS of Bahamas for a career-best payday of $1,785,000. 

While some can say she left the poker world, that isn’t the case. Kathy Lehne still participates in a very handful of high-roller poker events. Lehne participated in the 2024 WSOP Event #55: $250k Super High Roller, and in Event #47: $100k High Roller, but exited empty-handed. 

Kathy Lehne’s Net Worth in 2025

Kathy Lehne has earned $2,765,938 from just 9 cashes, which is just a small portion of her actual net worth. As per Forbes, Kathy Lehne’s net worth is estimated to be $380 million, which comes from her career as an entrepreneur.

Kathy Lehne is the founder of wholesale marketer and distributor Sun Coast Resources, which is well known as one of the largest wholesale petroleum marketers in the United States. It is one of the largest women-owned businesses in Texas, US. 

There are a lot of female poker pros, who left the game to focus on personal life. However, Lehne still participates in high-stakes tournaments whenever she finds time to do so, which just shows her love and support for the game, despite juggling with corporate life. 

Keep following PokerProNews for more such inspiring stories of women in poker!  Follow us on our social media platforms –Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube for all the interesting stories and updates from the world of poker!

The post Kathy Lehne: A Business Icon and High-Stakes Poker Crusher first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

1 – Bryn Kenney – $73,041,920

Bryn Kenney aka King Kenney, is the current leader of Hendon Mob’s United States’ all-time money list with over $73 million in live poker earnings. Not only does Kenney lead the USA Hendon Mob All Time Money List, but is also currently the overall leader of the global all-time money list, cementing himself as the wealthiest poker player in the world of poker.

Born and raised in New York, Kenney initially played Magic: The Gathering, but his love for card games ultimately introduced him to Poker. He started his poker career at the age of 17 and never looked back. As of January 2025, Kenney has won 33 poker tournaments, scored two World Series of Poker Bracelets, and earned a whopping $73 million from his 212 cashes. 

Kenney’s career-best live cash came in 2019 when he finished as the runner-up in the 2019 Triton Poker SHRS London $1 Million Triton Million for Charity and earned a staggering $20,564,324 payday. His latest victory includes winning the 2024 Triton Poker SHRS Monte Carlo $125k Main Event, pocketing $4,410,000. 

2 – Justin Bonomo – $65,611,097

Before Bryn Kenney took over the lead in 2024, it was Justin Bonomo who used to lead the money list. Bonomo currently holds second place in the United States’ all-time money list with over $65 million in live tournament earnings. Bonomo also ranks second on the global all-time money list cementing himself as one of the top high-stakes pros. 

Just like Kenney, Bonomo initially started his poker journey by playing Magic: The Gathering. As the popularity of poker grew among his peers, Bonomo thought of giving the game a try. His biggest live cash came in 2018 when he won his career third bracelet in the WSOP $1 million High Roller event for a career-high payday of $10 million.

Bonomo began his live poker journey in 2005, and as of now, he has cashed in 246 live tournaments earning $65,611,094 in total. He has won 36 live tournaments and scored three WSOP bracelets. Some of his recent cash includes a final table finish in the 2024 WSOP Paradise $25k Super Main Event, pocketing $1.3 million for his 7th place finish. 

3 – Jason Koon – $59,175,978

Jason Koon, well known for being a high-stake regular, ranks 3rd on the United States’ all-time money list. Koon currently has $59 million in live poker earnings from just 231 cashes. He also has won 34 live tournaments and has one bracelet under his name. Koon has proved his prowess in high-stakes tournaments by holding the most Triton poker titles to his name. Jason Koon is a Triton poker regular and has won a record 10 triton title, along with 54 live cashes, earning $29 million.

His career-best live cash also came in the Triton Poker, when he won the Triton Poker SHRS Montenegro $1 million NLH Short Deck Ante Only for a massive $3,579,836 payday. His recent cashes include money finishes in the 2024 WSOP Paradise Triton Main Event, and a 5th place finish in the 2024 WSOP Paradise PLO Super High Roller, pocketing over $860,000.

4 – Dan Smith – $57,323,565

Dan Smith ranks 4th on the United States’ all-time money list and also ranks 6th on the global all-time money list. Like Koon, Smith has proved why he is among the best high-roller players with over $57 million in live poker earnings and 32 tournament victories. Smith’s most live earnings came in the Triton Poker, where he cashed in 29 events earning almost $23 million. 

Smith used to be a professional chess player and shifted to poker because of the money. He started his poker career at 15 online poker, and by the time he turned 18, Smith solidified his position in the online poker community. Unlike his peers, Smith started his poker journey in the early 2010s and soon rose to stardom in a decade. 

Smith’s biggest cash is $8,765,628 which came in 2019 when he finished on the podium at the Triton Poker London Million for Charity. It’s the same event where Bryn Kenney scored a whopping $20 million. His recent cashes include a final table finish in the Triton Poker SHRS Monte Carlo $150k NLH 8-Handed, pocketing $1 million for his 6th place finish.

5 – Issac Haxton – $50,589,312

Issac Haxton comes in 5th on the US all-time money list and is one of the most controversial poker players in the past few years. Issac Haxton’s live tournament career includes 19 poker victories, 219 tournament cashes, and one gold bracelet, pushing his live earnings past $50 million. Like several players on this list, Haxton started his journey of poker from Magic: The Gathering. 

In addition to his 5th place rank on the US all-time money list, he holds the 9th place on the Global all-time money list, behind Spanish pro-Adrian Mateos. Haxton is a PokerGoTour regular and frequently participates in PGT high-roller tournaments. His career’s biggest live cash also came in the 2018 $300k PGT Super High Roller Bowl, adding a whopping $3.67 million to his earnings. 

Besides competing in US poker tournaments, Haxton is also an Asian Poker Tour regular and has won the 2024 APT Taipei Super High Roller for a $287,690 payout. The pro wrapped up 2024, with two money finishes in the 2024 WSOP Paradise, earning $220,000. 

As 2025 just began, everyone is vying to see who will take over the lead, or will we see any shake-up on the Top 5 US player list? We have to wait. 

Keep following PokerProNews to get the latest updates on the top poker pros of the world.

The post Meet Top 5 US Poker Players in 2025 first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

Seth Davies’s Early Life and Career

Born in 1990 in Oregon, from childhood, Davies was interested in sports and played baseball for the College of Southern Nevada’s team in Las Vegas. Davies discovered poker during his high school years, playing friendly poker games with friends. 

Persistent injuries and a subsequent surgery forced him off the field, ultimately redirecting his focus toward honing his poker skills. After dedicating several years to grinding online, Davies relocated to Mexico to continue playing in the wake of Black Friday, steadily building his career in the game.

Seth Davies’ Poker Career Highlights and Earnings

Seth Davies’ first  live cash came in 2010 when he scored a 20th-place finish in the Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza III $500 NLH for just $1,874. He scored two money finishes at the 2011 WSOP, including a cash finish in the 42nd WSOP Main Event for $54,851.

The next year, David scored three ITM finishes at the WSOP, including a final table finish in Event #49: $1,500 NLH Ante Only, finishing 7th for a payout of $30,373.

From 2013 to 2016, Davies lowered his tournament volume, competing in just a handful of tournaments. However, in 2016, Davis started focusing more on live tournaments, resuming his live tournament journey seriously. After participating more in live tournaments, Davies won his first live poker title, winning the WPT Canadian Spring Championship for $203,992. That year, he also went on to win the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $1,100 NLH 6-Max for $41,604.

In 2017, Davies finished 4th in the PokerMasters 2017 $100,000 Event, earning his second biggest six-figure score of $324,000. One year later, in the 2018 PokerMasters $50,000 NLH Event, Davies came 3rd to collect $352,500. He didn’t stop there and went on to wrap up the year, winning the 2018 WPT Five Diamond WP Classic $25k NLH for $341,920. 

In 2019, Davies came close to winning his career’s first bracelet but couldn’t get past 8th place in 2019 WSOP Event #90: $50k High Roller, pocketing $167,420. He followed that up with a runner-up finish in the EPT Barcelona $50k High Roller for a staggering $807,521. In December 2019, Davies made a 5th place finish in the $250k NLH Super High Roller in partypoker MILLIONS for his first seven-figure score of $1,020,000. He concluded the year by again winning the 2019 WPT Five Diamond WP Classic $25k NLH for $424,000.

In 2020, Davies scored three final table finishes in the partypoker MILLIONS Sochi Super High Roller Series, collecting almost $900k, before the poker world shifted online. During the online Super High Roller Bowl Online, Davies finished second in the $25k NLH Super High Roller, scooping $343,125. 2021 was a big year in Davies’s poker career. That year, not only did he score multiple final table finishes, but he came very close to his career-first bracelet. In 2021 WSOP, Davies finished 4th in Event #82: $250k NLH Super High Roller for a $930,791 payday.  That year, he also won a SHRB title, winning the $50k NLH High Roller in SHRB Europe for $435,400.

In 2022, Davies took a step forward in his live poker tournament journey, adding a European Poker Tour under his belt. He emerged victorious in the EPT Monte Carlo $25k NLH Event, collecting his first EPT title and $299,957 payday. Davies also began competing in Triton poker that year and finished 3rd in his first Triton tournament of $75k buy-in, collecting $695,167. He then went on to win his first-ever circuit ring, winning the WSOP Online Circuit $2,00 NLH Super High Roller for $50,844.

Davies began his 2023 with a runner-up finish in the PCA $100k Super High Roller in PCAfor a seven-figure sum of $1,078,347. He then won  PGT $ 10,000 + 100 No Limit Hold’em  Aria High Roller #18 for $ 128,800 and followed that up with another PGT victory for $ 522,000 by winning $ 25K Pot Limit Omaha Championship (Event #9) at PGT PLO Series in. His career-best score also came in 2024 when he won Super High Roller Bowl Series 7-Max for $ 3,206,000 and followed that up with a Super High Roller Bowl PLO victory in October, earning $ 1,500,000.

In December 2024, Davies participated in the 2024 WSOP Paradise $100k NLH Triton Main  Event and finished in ninth place, earning $393,000. 

Seth Davies Net Worth in 2025

As of January 2025, Seth Davies has earned over $32 million from 194 cashes, cementing himself as one of the top high-stake poker pros. There are not any exact reports on Davies’s net worth, but it should be in several millions, considering his live poker earnings and lifestyle. 

Seth Davies’s Personal Life

Unlike a lot of high-stake poker pros, Davies is very active on social media, especially on X and Instagram, sharing his workout routine, his journey as a dad, and much more. Davies is happily married and has a 4-year-old son. 

Keep following PokerProNews for more such inspiring stories of poker pros across the world.

The post Seth Davies: The High-Stakes Poker Pro’s Net Worth and Career Highlights first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

The €1,100 NLH WSOPC Main Rozvadov Event Quick Recap

The €1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em WSOPC Main Event drew an entry field of 1,110, creating a total prize pool of €1,037,850. Of the 1,110 entries, the top 143 players picked a piece from the $1 million prize pool.

Adrian Kazaku kicked off the final table as the chip leader, followed by Samuel Todisco in second place. Meanwhile, Elidan started his final table journey with the second smallest stack. 

The first player to head the rail was Oleh Okhotsky. With less than 2 BBs, Okhotsky went all-in with ace-ten of hearts and got called by the pocket kings of Todisco. The board ran in favor of Todisco, giving him a set to eliminate Okhotsky in 9th place for a €12,750 payday. Claudio Di Giacomo, a WSOP Europe regular, soon followed Okhotsky in 8th place, earning €16,300. 

Daniel Elayani was the next to fall at the table. He was short-stacked and jammed his remaining 8 BBs with king-three offsuit, Adrian Florin Bilan, holding ten-nine, called to see the flop. Bilan spiked his ten on the flop and kept the lead to send Elayani out in 7th place. Elayani collected €22,800 for his effort. 

Despite Todisco’s top-notch poker play at the table, he found himself the table short after running into the queens of Mattia Melideo with tens. He soon went all-in holding pocket sixes, and Elidan tank-called ace-queen. The board ran out Kh-Qd-Js-As-3d to end the tournament life of Todisco in 6th place. Todisco picked up €31,300 for his impressive run. 

After winning a small pot against Bilan with jacks, Elidan again found himself with pocket tens. Bilan had ace-king of clubs and he was looking to go big. Bilan from the button raise and Elidan from the small blind 3-bet. Bilan having one of the best hands in poker shows no sign of slowing, he 4-bet, and Elidan went all-in. He snapped to see a brickboard favoring Elidan. He earned €42,500 for his impressive 5th-place finish. 

A few hands later, Mattia Melideo opened-shove with ace-eight. William Adrian Kazaku called with his pocket eights. The board ran in favor of Kazaku, not improving Melideo’s hand. He was eliminated in 4th place, collecting €54,900. Rene Schnitzler was out in 3rd place after he ran into the jacks of Elidan with ace-five of hearts. The flop brought two hearts, giving Schnitzler a flush draw, which didn’t occur to send him out in 3rd for €73,200.

Heads-Up

Natanel Elidan started the heads-up play with 95 BBs against Kazaku’s 44 BBs. The heads-up play was long and grueling, lasting nearly two hours. Kazaku gave tough competition to the Israel player, reversing the chip lead role several times, but Elidan eventually took the lead before the final hand was dealt.

On the final hand of the tournament, Kazaku shoved with ten-four and got called by the pocket nines of Elidan. The board came out Td-3h-8s-4d-9s giving Elidan the coveted circuit ring and a staggering €172,000. Kazaku settled for €104,300 for his runner-up finish in the tournament. 

In addition to the payouts, all the top ten  finishers in this prestigious tournament received a 2025 WSOP Europe Main Event ticket, which will be held inside the King’s Resort. 

€1,100 No Limit Hold’em WSOPC Main Event Final Table Payouts

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Image Credit: WSOP & EuroRounders

Source: WSOP & EuroRounders

The post Natanel Elidan Claims The WSOPC Rozvadov Main Event Title  first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.