The curtains have closed on Occasion #88: $50,000 Excessive Curler No-Restrict Maintain’em on the 2025 World Sequence of Poker (WSOP).
This yr’s occasion attracted a record-breaking discipline to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, producing a prize pool of $12,159,000.
After greater than 28 hours of play over three days, it was Vietnamese rising star Khoi Le Nguyen who triumphed over the 252-entrant discipline to assert the title.
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Closing Desk Outcomes
As just lately as August 2024, Nguyen’s largest dwell match buy-in was simply $500. A exceptional mixture of sharp choices, well-timed alternatives, and a bit of excellent fortune has propelled him quickly up the stakes. Within the course of, Nguyen has additionally soared to the highest of his nation’s all-time cash checklist, along with his victory at the moment crossing him over the $4,000,000 lifetime earnings landmark.
Winner’s Response

Remarkably, this occasion was by no means on the radar for Nguyen till destiny intervened and gave him a cause to contemplate it.
“I really feel superb, clearly. I didn’t even plan to play this occasion.”
“A whole lot of issues occurred up to now week. I gained a match final week, getting back from half a giant blind, so I had some cash, however nonetheless not sufficient bankroll to play this occasion.”
I really feel superb, clearly. I didn’t even plan to play this occasion.
“I had a have a look at the numbers on the Vietnamese Hendon Mob chart, and I estimate that if this occasion has sufficient registration and I occur to win it, then I is likely to be Vietnamese primary, so I believed, let’s simply do it, no matter.”
Time to Inform His Dad and mom
When requested what it means to be high of the dwell earnings charts for his residence nation, Nguyen gave an surprising response.
“It’s fairly humorous as a result of dad and mom don’t even know I play poker. I don’t suppose I can disguise from that now, possibly they’ll get the information and we’ll see how they react.”
It’s fairly humorous as a result of dad and mom don’t even know I play poker.
Nguyen then humbly mirrored on his meteoric rise within the sport, expressing disbelief at profitable a $50,000 Excessive Curler on his very first try.
“I’ve been very fortunate to run deep in mid-stakes occasions. You simply should be very fortunate, and yeah, this yr I’ve been extremely fortunate. I nonetheless suppose I’m a bit higher than the typical participant pool, however I do know I make a whole lot of errors, horrendous errors, however luck helps me out a bit.”
“It is loopy to win [the $50,000 high roller]. To compete with one of the best individuals and win, however there’s nonetheless some uncertainty, despite the fact that I gained, I really feel like there’s a whole lot of luck in my win quite than a whole lot of ability. In comparison with the world-class [players], I’m nonetheless far behind, but it surely’s loopy to win my first $50,000 occasion and my first bracelet. Nonetheless lots to work on. ”
On His Good Luck Appeal

Nguyen had a small toy turtle, which he stored on high of his chips all through the ultimate desk. He shared that it was one thing he purchased as a younger chess participant, intentionally symbolic, reminding him to be gradual and regular.
Closing Desk Motion
It took a few hours of nine-handed play earlier than the ultimate desk noticed its first elimination. Sam Soverel, the primary to fall as his pocket jacks bumped into the pocket queens of Fahredin Mustafov.
Inside half an hour of Soverel’s departure, each Matthew Wantman and Martin Zamani had been proven the exit door.
Mustafov was the subsequent to fall, falling sufferer to eventual champion Nguyen when he obtained all of the chips in versus a dominating ace preflop.
Alexandre Reard despatched Vinny Lingham to the rail subsequent, and Jun Obara shortly adopted him.
A brief-stacked Sergio Aido battled exhausting to attempt to acquire some floor on his two remaining opponents. Alas, he ultimately succumbed to Nguyen in a blind versus blind battle.

Nguyen went into heads-up because the chip chief, however instantly misplaced his benefit when Reard doubled by him to take the ascendancy.
The 2 traded blows till one titanic hand noticed nearly all the chips pushed in Nguyen’s path.
The gamers took a five-minute break upon the completion of that hand, and once they returned, Nguyen sat all the way down to a 40-to-1 chip lead.
It appeared the writing was on the wall, and it took just one hand after the restart for Nguyen to wrap it up, taking residence $2,686,913 and his first WSOP gold bracelet.
That concludes the PokerNews protection for this occasion, however keep tuned for our persevering with protection of the 2025 WSOP.













