World Series of Poker Digest: June 15-20

The World Series of Poker in Las Vegas has checked off another dozen tournaments. Already, more than half of the bracelets have found their new owners. And we are rapidly approaching the most prestigious events on the schedule: the Poker Players Championship and, of course, the Main Event. But the events of the past week also gave plenty of reasons to get people talking. We have packed all the most intriguing action into our digest. 

Historic Victories

Photo: Eloy Cabacas

Earlier this week, the most expensive tournament of the World Series concluded — the $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em. Adrian Mateos emerged as the champion. The Spaniard bust out on Day 2, getting it in with AK against Christoph Vogelsang's pocket kings, but he made his second bullet count for a full 100%. 

In heads-up play, Mateos defeated All Time Money List leader Bryn Kenney, despite starting the duel at a chip disadvantage. In the decisive hand, the Spanish high-stakes crusher successfully played "Doyle Brunson's hand": flopping two pair with 10♣️2♣️ on a board of 2♥️10♠️4♣️8♦️3♦️ against the American's 10♥️9♦️. 31-year-old Adrian Mateos earned $4,334,411 and wrote his name into the history books, becoming the youngest six-time WSOP champion. 

Photo: Regina Cortina

Another landmark achievement was recorded by Calvin Anderson. The American regular became the first player in history to win the $10,000 Razz Championship twice. Anderson topped the event's chip counts after both Day 1 and Day 2, and confidently defeated Erik Seidel in heads-up play. 

The secured bracelet was the sixth of Calvin Anderson’s career, tying him in titles with elite players such as Mateos, Jeremy Ausmus and Kristen Foxen. Furthermore, the American took home a record prize in the history of the Razz Championship — $357,026. This allowed him to boost his lifetime earnings in WSOP Razz tournaments to $759,280, overtaking Phil Hellmuth for first place in this metric.

Photo: PokerGO

And Alex Foxen deserves a mention here too. The American pro won the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty last week, knocking out six of his eight opponents at the final table. Foxen backed up the run of his wife Kristen, who had become a $25,000 High Roller champion just a few days prior. For Alex himself, this bracelet was the fourth of his career.

Debut Bracelets

Photo: Jess Beck

But it wasn't just established stars capturing bracelets. Several players secured their first World Series titles, locking in their own piece of history. Great Britain's Matthew Moss outlasted a field of 3,903 entries to win the $800 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em. In heads-up play, the Englishman dealt with Darryl Ronconi in under an hour. 

In the $1,500 Razz tournament, two Germans faced off heads-up for the first time in WSOP history. A grueling battle between Sebastian Pauli and Dennis Weiss lasted 4.5 hours. Pauli eventually caught the winning combination on sixth street, leaving his opponent drawing dead and out of chips. This bracelet was particularly special for Sebastian, who had been chasing it for the last 13 years. In 2013, Pauli finished fourth in the $2,500 Razz and has been a frequent competitor in World Series Razz events ever since. 

Photo: Eloy Cabacas

Daniel Aharoni is by no means as avid a WSOP competitor as Pauli. The American cash game specialist rarely plays tournaments and had not visited Las Vegas since 2024. This time, Aharoni made a highly successful run in the $10,000 Big O Championship, outlasting 456 opponents, including Nick Schulman (5th) and Sam Soverel (7th). In heads-up play, Daniel defeated Aaron Kupin to take the top prize of $861,287, eclipsing his previous combined lifetime live tournament earnings.

A new name was also added to the list of World Series champions after the $5,000 Seniors High Roller. Juan Rodriguez claimed the title, defeating Iranian Nariman Yaghmai heads-up. The players went all-in pre-flop, and the 52-year-old Peruvian, loudly supported by his rail, spiked a pair of kings on the river. Rodriguez earned $673,011, which shattered his previous best cash of $47,000. 

Photo: Jess Beck

Alex Anton had to wait much less time for his first bracelet. The 25-year-old American took down the $10,000 Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold'em. In heads-up play, he dispatched Julien Sitbon, who already possessed a WSOP title, in just 20 minutes. During the tournament, Anton eliminated Croatia’s Gregor Sverko (7th), who had pulled the largest bounty of $250,000. 

Anton also recorded a career-best score, banking $678,300. His previous best result came in April, when he finished fourth in the €20,000 Super High Roller 8-Handed at WSOP Europe for €340,000. After his victory, the American player revealed that he only started playing live tournaments a couple of years ago:
«I was playing online cash, then transitioned to live cash, and then, about two years ago, started playing more tournaments. I’ve been on the road constantly for the past year and a half. I've been playing pretty much all day, every day, since I was 20. Online tournaments felt like I was just grinding in my cave, and my family couldn’t see it. Now my girlfriend got to come out and see me play live. I'm not sitting in my underwear in front of a computer screen, so that's cool». 

Nikolay Fal's Final Table

Photo: Eloy Cabacas

Nikolay Fal came incredibly close to winning the second bracelet of his career. In 2024, the Russian regular won the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better. This time, he battled right to the end for the title in another mixed event: the $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better; Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better. 

The tournament attracted 587 entries, and Fal finished Day 1 with the 91st-largest stack. However, the Russian had a sensational Day 2, bagging up the fourth-largest stack and outlasting Hall of Famers Barbara Enright and John Juanda in the process. He rode that momentum all the way to the final table. Only Eddie Blumenthal, Dekel Balas and Donovan Bates sat ahead of the Russian regular. 

Photo: Eloy Cabacas

During final table action, Nikolay Fal eliminated Adam Walter and Soshi Yasoshima back-to-back, reducing the field to three players. 3-handed play dragged on for a considerable time until former chip leader Bates gradually lost his stack and bust to Blumenthal. In heads-up play, the American regular began methodically chipping away at the Russian's stack. 

In the final hand, Fal moved all-in for his remaining 525,000 chips. Blumenthal called, and running queens on the turn and river gave him trips with a better low, securing his first career title. The Russian regular earned $165,530, marking the third-largest cash of his career. Blumenthal took the top prize of $248,545. 

Phil Hellmuth's Bet and Sickness

Photo: PokerOrg

Phil Hellmuth has yet to make major waves at the tables of this year's World Series, but away from them, he remains the ultimate showman. Last week, the 17-time WSOP champion promoted action in his son Phillip Hellmuth III in the Main Event at a markup of 1.4. Shaun Deeb jumped into the comments, calling the markup unwarranted. This prompted Hellmuth Sr to offer a high-stakes wager.

Under the terms of the bet, Hellmuth put up $14,000 that his son would make the money in the Main Event. If he fails to do so, Shaun Deeb and his friend Jason Mo will take the cash. However, if Hellmuth Jr does cash, Deeb and Mo must pay Phil the exact amount his son wins. This means if Hellmuth III wins the Main Event for $10,000,000, the 17-time champion receives an identical amount on top. Deeb himself would be personally on the hook for $1,000,000. 

Photo: Phil Hellmuth's X account

On June 20, Hellmuth explained his absence from the tables over the preceding days. Posting on X, the poker legend revealed he had contracted COVID-19. The 61-year-old noted he would return to tournament action as soon as he returned a negative test. 

Has Shaun Deeb Beaten the Curse?

Photo: Eloy Cabacas

In our last digest, we reported that WWE wrestler Danhausen had placed a curse on Shaun Deeb at the behest of commentator Jeff Platt. Since then, the eight-time WSOP champion fired dozens of bullets across various events, registering just a single cash — a fifth-place finish in the 2-7 Lowball Championship. 

This week, however, Deeb appeared to have broken the curse. The American regular built a massive lead in the $3,000 Nine-Game Mix, holding a dominant chip lead after Day 2. He continued his dominance on Day 3, eliminating Noah Bronstein, Antonios Onoufrou, Yu Li and Kazuhiro Shirasawa. He entered heads-up play against Joey Couden with a commanding chip lead.

Photo: Regina Cortina

However, Couden staged a comeback and took the lead. The turning point was a massive pot in Seven-Card Stud, which went Couden's way. In the following Razz hand, Deeb went all-in, but his opponent improved on seventh street to secure his third career bracelet. Shaun Deeb had to settle for his second cash of the summer in Vegas, earning him $166,540.

Results of All WSOP Events Over the Past Week

What Lies Ahead Next Week?

Photo: PokerOrg

The schedule for next week promises to deliver some massive, blockbuster events. The headline act is, of course, the Poker Players Championship. The battle for the second-most prestigious title in the World Series and the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy gets underway as early as June 21. In addition, we will crown a winner in the $50,000 PLO High Roller and the $25,000 Mixed PLO/NLH High Roller. And at the end of the week, the world's best female players will take the stage in the $1,000 Ladies Championship No-Limit Hold'em. Pokerflow will, naturally, keep you updated on all of this and much more.