WSOP 2025 Main Event: Six Crazy Hands from Day 1-3

3 min

Days 1-3 of the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event has already delivered some unforgettable moments. With a near-record field of more than 9,500 runners, the Amazon Room has echoed with gasps, lots of Brazilian chanting, cheers, and groan as stacks rise and dreams crumble. Below are six hands that neither the winners or losers will forget in a hurry—from jaw-dropping coolers to fearless bluffs.

1. Pocket Aces Cracked by Quad Nines (Day 1d)

High-stakes pro Jared Bleznick six-bet shoved his A♥ A♦ and found a reluctant caller in Romain Locquet holding 9♦ 9♣. The flop came nine-high, and by the turn Locquet had quad nines, leaving Bleznick drawing dead for a pot worth 267,000 chips—an astronomical haul for Day 1. It’s already being called the “the summer cooler.”

2. Mucked Cards Come Back to Haunt (Day 1a)

Marios Savvides accidentally tossed his hand into the muck after a pre-flop misunderstanding. But because chips were in the pot, the floor ruled his cards still live. Retrieving them only made things worse: he flopped top two pair with A♥ Q♠ only to run into Al Riccobono’s flopped set of aces. All-in and drawing dead, Savvides stormed out after one of the most bizarre bust-outs in recent Main Event memory.

3. Seven-Deuce Bluff Gone Bust (Day 1)

Ever the showman, Faraz Jaka (a poker coach) three-bet the notorious 7♥ 2♦ to cultivate a wild-man table image. He barreled every street on a Q♦ 3♥ 2♥ K♦ 2♠ board, rivering trips—only to discover opponent Benjamin Gold held Q♥ Q♣ for a full house. The fearless (some say reckless) bluff ended with Jaka’s tournament life and quickly became a talking point across the Rio.

4. Hero Call with Nine-Seven Suited (Day 1d)

Facing an 85-big-blind shove, Cliff Maloney stunned his table by calling off with 9♣ 7♣ against Robert Nobles’ kings. Maloney flopped a flush draw and gutshot, hitting the 2♣ on the turn to complete the flush and eliminate Nobles. Celebration ensued. Weirder still, Maloney never returned from the next break, leaving a six-figure stack to blind off. This lead some to believe his call was the result of dutch courage, which he had to sleep off before returning to the tables.

5. Boat vs. Quads in a Massive Cooler (Day 1d)

On a J♣ 3♦ 3♣ 10♣ board, Elias Kolsun moved all-in with 10♠ 10♥ for a turned full house—only to be snap-called by Waheed Feda holding 3♠ 3♥ for flopped quad threes. With only the case ten as an out, Kolsun laughed before heading to the rail, victim of the day’s second quads cooler.

6. Phil Hellmuth Falls to a One-Outer (Day 3)

Legendary poker brat and seventeen-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth was in great shape after turning top pair with A♠ K♦ against Liran Zulker’s queens. With only one card in the deck to save Zulker, the river produced the case Q♥. Hellmuth, ever the showman, exited without an outburst—proving that even legends must sometimes tip their hat to destiny.

The 2025 WSOP Main Event is on track to be one of the most unforgettable in history. Stay tuned for more miracles, meltdowns, and monster pots. We will follow up after the final table for more of the top hands. Add a line: To play poker and other casino games, check out the best online casinos in the UK.