World Series of Poker Round Up: Okamoto Cements Royal Title

We've passed the mid-way point of the 2025 World Series of Poker, and another 16 bracelets were handed out along with more than $6.6 million in prize money. Here are the biggest storylines from the last week of action.

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Key Highlights
+ Queened: Shiina Okamoto won back-to-back ladies titles, cementing her status as "Queen of the Felt".
+ Grinder Dominates: Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi dominated his way to a fourth title and hopes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame soon.
+ Huck's Wait: Huck Seed has waited 23 years to get his fifth bracelet and will still have to wait longer as he finishes runner-up at the Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better event.
+ Main Event: WSOP's flagship event is now underway as of July 2, with an estimated 10K+ entrants and celebrity qualifiers in the field.
+ Event 53 Investigation: Millionaire Maker tournament will not recognize a winner.

Shiina Okamoto: The Queen Has Arrived

Japanese player Shiina Okamoto took the Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship, winning $184,094 in prize money. With the win, the Tokyo native successfully defended her crown after winning the same event the year prior. She was also runner-up in 2023. An impressive run that has dubbed her the "Queen of the felt".

With her most recent win and the accompanying prize money, Okamoto has now eclipsed $1,000,000 in career table earnings.

The champion didn't fold under the pressure to win back-to-back titles, instead staying focused and present to secure another championship: "There was still a lot of pressure, with everyone expecting me to win back-to-back. I thought that as long as I stayed calm and did everything right, I would eventually come out on top. So I was really conscious about not panicking and keeping my composure."

Michael Mizrachi: Grinds Out Another Championship

Michael Mizrachi made history this week, winning the $50,000 Poker Players Championship and its $1,331,322 prize pool. Mizrachi, from Hollywood, Florida, had already won the event three times, in 2010, 2012, and 2018, and was tied for the most wins in history. Winning it this year makes him the sole holder of the title.

Mizrachi dominated his way to another title, saying, "Everything went my way." With four bracelets to his name and $20 million in total live earnings, "The Grinder" has his sights set on more bracelets, saying he's going for "number five" and an induction into the Hall of Fame.

Huck Seed: The Wait Continues

It's been a long time since Huck Seed won a WSOP bracelet, 22 years in fact. The last time the Santa Clara, California native won a bracelet was back in 2003, winning the $3,000 Razz and its $71,500 prize pool. This past week, Huck was pushing to win his fifth bracelet at the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better final table but came up just short.

At one point, it looked like victory was assured as Huck held a substantial chip lead over challenger Blaz Zerjav, but the Slovenian battled back, eventually winning the day and the $153,487 prize pool. It was Zerjav's second bracelet of the tournament after winning the $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed High Roller and its $1,734,717 in prize money.

For Huck, the wait continues for that fifth bracelet.

World Series of Poker: This Week's Winners

$3,000 Nine Game Mix: Robert Wells $228,115
$888 No Limit Hold'em - Crazy 8s: Darren Elias $170,208
$1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Battle of the Ages: Sebastiaan de Jonge $335,390
$3,000 Limit Hold'em Six-Handed: Moshe Gavrielo $200,303
$500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout: Craig Savage $229,628
$5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed: Andjelko Andrejevic $855,515
$1,500 Lowball Triple Draw: Aaron Cummings $157,172
$1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold'em: Lonny Weitzel $356,494
$1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold'em: Kelvin Kerber & Peter Patricio $184,780
$50,000 Poker Players Championship: Michael Mizrachi $1,331,322
$3,000 No-Limit Hold'em: Yilong Wang $830,685
$1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better: Blaz Zerjav $153,487
$10,000/$1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship: Shiina Okamoto $184,094
$10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship: Alexander Wilkinson $333,054
$10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em: Rainer Kempe $892,701
$1,500 Eight Game Mix: Narcis Nedelcu $184,683

Other WSOP Headlines

Main Event Under Way

The 2025 WSOP Main Event kicked off on July 2, featuring four Day 1 flights from noon local time, each with 60,000 starting chips. WSOP’s flagship is expected to draw over 10,000 entrants, competing for the diamond-encrusted bracelet and a $10 million prize. Among those in the field are five German “BILD Poker Night” qualifiers, including Sebastian Hellmann and Corni Küpper.

No Winner & No Bracelet In The Millionaire Maker

After a WSOP investigation into suspected collusion during heads-up play, the organizers officially nullified the result of Event #53, the $1,500 Millionaire Maker, confirming that no winner was recognized and no bracelet awarded, and that the remaining prize pool will be equally split between Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll.