Top Stories of 2025, #3: Millionaire Maker Controversy at 2025 WSOP

One of many yr’s largest controversies occurred on the finish of June throughout the 2025 World Collection of Poker (WSOP) Major Occasion. It concerned two well-known poker professionals, thousands and thousands of {dollars}, and an alleged chip-dumping plan to take full benefit of a seven-figure promotion.

We’re speaking, after all, concerning the controversy that got here out of the 2025 WSOP $1,500 Millionaire Maker, a match that drew 11,996 runners, together with Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll. The previous had certified for a ClubWPT Gold “Gold Rush” promotion that entitled him to a $1,000,000 bonus if he gained a gold bracelet in a brief record of WSOP occasions, together with the Milly Maker.

Sadly for Yaginuma, he was at a 9:1 chip deficit coming into heads-up play after Josh Reichard bowed out in third place. After the ultimate two gamers took a prolonged break, Yaginuma doubled about half-hour into the match in an ordinary unhealthy beat hand, however after that, there have been some questionable palms that caught the eye of poker sleuths watching the stay stream.

Over the course of 59 heads-up palms, Carroll proceeded to lose his chip lead and the match, which finally led to hypothesis on social media that chip dumping had occurred.

Chip dumping is the act of deliberately shedding chips to a different participant. On this case, the aim of chip dumping, if it occurred, would have been to make sure Yaginuma gained in order that the $1 million bonus can be paid.

The WSOP rulebook has a rule in place to stop collusion of any kind, and it states: “Poker is a person sport… Chip dumping and different types of collusion will lead to disqualification.”

WSOP Takes Motion

Rumors continued to flow into in a single day, and within the morning, the WSOP launched the next tweet:

“Final night time, we have been made conscious of a possible breach of the official WSOP Event Guidelines throughout heads up play in Occasion 53. An investigation is underway. Presently, 1st and 2nd place haven’t been confirmed and neither the prize cash nor the bracelet have been formally awarded.”

Whereas the investigation was underway, ClubWPT Gold took the highlight by saying by way of their ambassador, Doug Polk, that whatever the end result, they might pay out the $1 million bonus to Yaginuma. Certainly, they ended up doing it at a Friday night ceremony at Ole Crimson, a bar on the Las Vegas Strip that sits proper exterior the Horseshoe On line casino.

Days later, the WSOP reached a conclusion, one which noticed Yaginuma denied what would’ve been his fourth gold bracelet.

“The investigation into WSOP Occasion 53 has been accomplished. We have now concluded that with a purpose to uphold the integrity of the sport and to uphold our official WSOP Event Guidelines, no winner might be acknowledged and no bracelet might be awarded for this yr’s match. The remaining prize pool might be cut up between the ultimate two gamers,” the WSOP tweeted. The remaining prize pool was comprised of the unique $1,255,180 prime prize and $1,012,320 for the runner-up.

It was additionally revealed that neither participant can be welcomed again to the WSOP, although it’s unknown if the ban was for the rest of the summer season or in perpetuity.

The Aftermath

Reactions to the controversy have been combined. Some gamers have been extremely important and likened the incident to outright dishonest, whereas others supported the gamers, suggesting they merely did what they needed to do to benefit from a seven-figure promotion with out hurting anybody else within the course of.

Neither Yaginuma nor Carroll, who every acquired greater than $1 million in prize cash, has spoken publicly concerning the scandal because the match ended on June 25, although the incident did appeal to mainstream information consideration, together with a number of experiences from ESPN.

Whereas each gamers have been banned from the WSOP, that didn’t cease them from having fun with the fruit of their labor. Two months later, each gamers traveled to the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona, the place they have been seated shut to 1 one other within the Major Occasion.

Each Yaginuma and Carroll continued to grind non-WSOP tournaments all through 2025, and whereas neither ended up with the gold bracelet, each walked away poker millionaires and etched their names in poker historical past, although, as heroes or villains, relying in your perspective.

You may watch the ultimate desk of the 2025 WSOP Milly Maker under:

PR & Media Supervisor for PokerNews, host of each the PokerNews Podcast & MPST Podcast Introduced By PokerNews, and 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.