WSOP 2025: Interesting Stories from the Past Few Days

The 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has served up plenty of drama in recent days, with wild bustouts, giant pots, and lively debates about how the game should be played. As the Main Event and other tournaments heat up, here are some of the most talked-about stories from the past few days in Las Vegas.

Michael Hawker’s Main Event dream unraveled in stunning fashion on Day 5. Before the dinner break, he was the tournament chip leader with over 6 million in play. Twenty minutes after returning, he was gone.

The disaster came in two consecutive hands against Sebastian Schulze. First, Hawker’s full house lost to Schulze’s pocket aces on a paired board, leaving him reeling. Immediately after, Hawker called down with a straight only to see Schulze table a flopped flush. As Schulze stacked over 10 million chips, Hawker was left pacing in disbelief—a brutal reminder of how quickly poker fortunes can change.

Vincent Moscati turned Event #86, the $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha, into his personal jackpot. He managed to claim both of the tournament’s $100,000 top mystery bounty prizes—an incredibly rare feat that had the rail going wild.

His second big bounty came after eliminating two WSOP bracelet winners in the same hand, collecting both of their tokens for the massive prize. Before the event even reached its final tables, Moscati had locked up more money in bounties than his previous biggest career cash, and he still remains in the hunt for the tournament’s six-figure first-place payout.

René-Charles Angélil, the 24-year-old son of international superstar Celine Dion, is making his own name on poker’s biggest stage. Entering Day 5 with over 100 big blinds, he found himself among the hundreds still chasing the $10 million first prize.

Poker runs in the family: his late father, René Angélil, was a serious high-stakes player who often competed in Bobby’s Room in Las Vegas. René-Charles says he picked up the game playing heads-up with his dad as a child. While his mother doesn’t play, he’s confident she’d come watch if he makes the final table. Already guaranteed a significant payout this year, he’s focused on building back up after a tough bluff went wrong late on Day 5.

Jeremy Kottler made headlines for one of the boldest bluffs of the Main Event—one that ultimately ended his run. With over 4.5 million chips in the pot, Kottler shoved all in on the river with just king-high, only to see Yuchen Chen snap him off with fives full of jacks after a long tank.

The massive double-up for Chen shocked the feature table. Short-stacked after the failed move, Kottler busted soon after along with Stephen Chidwick, both falling to Isaac Haxton’s kings in a three-way all-in that saw Haxton’s set turn into a full house on the river.

Away from the felt, Daniel Negreanu has stirred debate by urging players to be more willing to call the clock on habitual slow-rollers. He argues it’s not personal—just a way to keep the game moving, especially in the Main Event where deep decisions can drag out every street.

Negreanu suggested players even warn repeat offenders before calling the floor. Many in the poker world agree: tournament director Matt Savage has long supported widespread shot clocks, while Phil Hellmuth floated a rule giving penalties after ten clock calls. For others, it’s just about not taking it personally if someone enforces the rule.

As the WSOP Main Event pushes toward its climax, these recent stories are a perfect snapshot of why the series captures so much attention every summer. From celebrity family connections to jaw-dropping bluffs and big debates about poker’s etiquette, the 2025 WSOP is delivering exactly the drama fans expect.