The World Series of Poker wrapped up in July, and a few big winners stood out from the second half of the biggest festival in the poker world. This summer’s series broke records, highlighted by Michael Mizrachi’s epic run in the $10,000 Main Event.
“The poker renaissance was on full display at the 2025 WSOP,” WSOP CEO Ty Stewart said. “If you missed the amazing action, the good news is that you can inevitably expect bigger and better next year. A sincere thank you to every player and staffer who came to Las Vegas and made this a summer to remember.”
A few names and events shone this summer. Here's a quick look at some of the action and big second-half numbers from the Horseshoe and Paris casinos in Las Vegas.
The Grinder Finds Historic Main Event Victory
The $10,000 Main Event is the most significant event on the poker calendar each year, attracting thousands of players from around the world – all vying for poker glory. The odds of winning are incredibly long, and being the last player standing requires hours of focus and concentration.
This year’s Main Event stood out, capping a massive run through the series for Florida poker pro Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi. The 44-year-old poker player topped a field of 9,735 players for a $10 million payday.
If that weren't enough, the win came just days after winning the prestigious $50,000 Poker Players Championship (PPC) earlier in the series for more than $1.3 million. The PPC and Main Event are two of the most highly coveted titles in the game.
His accomplishments in these poker tournaments earned Mizrachi more than $11 million this summer, earning him an immediate induction into the Poker Hall of Fame.
“Mizrachi has done the unthinkable, winning the two most difficult tournaments in the same summer,” Stewart said. “The WSOP would like to officially welcome ‘The Grinder’ to the gallery of champions and the Poker Hall of Fame.”
The wins give Mizrachi a total of eight career WSOP bracelets, and he joins poker pro and commentator Nick Schulman as this year's Hall of Fame inductees. The PPC was even bigger as he has now won the tournament for a record fourth time, beating some of the best in the game.
“I probably played better than the last three I won,” Mizrachi said after the PPC win. “Everything went my way this tournament. I was always at the top of the leaderboard, never really got short, and probably played my best overall.”
Everything also went his way at the final table in the Main Event. But late in the Main Event, he had just three big blinds remaining. That was quite a change from how the final table played out for Mizrachi.
It became one of the shortest in poker history, with the final three playing down to a winner in under an hour. The new champ chalked the comeback up to plenty of time at the tables and a deep understanding of the game.
Mizrachi now has more than $29 million in live tournament winnings. Alongside his eight WSOP bracelets, Mizrachi has two WPT Poker Tour titles.
WSOP VIDEO TO EMBED – https://youtu.be/Jc8O_vvcgxw?si=-ZmURr3D2dzlWHXz
Leo Margets Makes Main Event History
Alongside Mizrachi, Spain’s Leo Margets made some Main Event history. The poker pro and podcaster became the second woman to make the final table.
Margets has $3.6 million in live tournament winnings and beat poker probability to become the first female player to reach the final table since Barbara Enright. Enright accomplished the feat in 1995 and is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.
“It’s so unreal, it is a dream,” Margets said. “I’m so glad that I’m cheering (with my rail), it means so much. How lucky I am to live this!”
WSOP $10,000 Main Event Final Table Results
- Michael Mizrachi (United States) – $10,000,000
- John Wasnock (United States) – $6,000,000
- Braxton Dunaway (United States) – $4,000,000
- Kenny Hallaert (Belgium) – $3,000,000
- Luke Bojovic (Serbia) – $2,400,000
- Adam Hendrix (United States) – $1,900,000
- Leo Margets (Spain) – $1,500,000
- Jarod Minghini (United States) – $1,250,000
- Daehyung Lee (South Korea) – $1,000,000
Other Bracelet Winners Stand Out
Beyond the Main Event, a few other names stood out from the second half of the series. Seven-time bracelet winner Shaun Deeb found the winner’s circle in the $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha event for a $3 million payday.
Just a few days later, he grabbed runner-up in a $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event for $154,906 and took runner-up in a $1,500 Razz event for $84,221 earlier in the series.
This consistency throughout the summer, combined with successes in different types of poker games, earned Deeb WSOP Player of the Year honours. He was rewarded with a 2026 Main Event seat, a trophy, and a banner each year in the tournament area.
- Blaz Zerjav won both of his two career bracelets this summer, including the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo for $153,487. The Slovenian player also came out on top in the $25,000 Six-Handed High Roller earlier in the series for $1.7 million.
- Longtime poker pro Rainer Kempe recorded his first WSOP win in the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty for $892,701.
- Michael Wang grabbed his third bracelet in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for $1.4 million and now has almost $9 million in tournament winnings.
- Seasoned pro Mike Gorodinsky came through with bracelet No. 5 in the $10,000 Eight Game Mix for $422,421.
For more winners from the first half of the series, click here.
WSOP Numbers Game
The WSOP is getting bigger. This year's series featured 100 live bracelet events and an additional 30 online events, offering a wide range of buy-ins for every level of player.
WSOP officials were once again pleased to see massive crowds, attracting recreationals players and the best poker players of all time, as well as several new records set.
This year's Main Event was the third largest in history, with 9,735 players, falling just short of the records set in 2023 and 2025, both of which topped 10,000.
WSOP officials released the most-all-time records from the event:
- 246,960 entries – The most all-time entries for a single WSOP series.
- $481.8 million – The largest total prize money awarded in WSOP history.
- 37,311 places paid – The highest number of unique payouts in series history.
- 43 payouts – The number of prizes of $1 million or more.
- Millionaire Maker – This popular event attracted 11,996 entries, a new record for the largest $1,500 buy-in field in live tournament poker history.
- Mid-Stakes Championship – The event drew 3,797 entries, making it the largest $3,000 buy-in field ever.
- Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) – Drew 5,284 entries to become the largest PLO field in live tournament history.
Additionally, 57 events exceeded $2 million prize pools, another record. Another nine events exceeded $10 million prize pools, the most in history, reaching that eight-figure total.
