Under the bright lights of the Horseshoe Event Center in Las Vegas, dreams were crushed and legends were made. On Day 5 of the 2025 WSOP Main Event, the field of 9,735 hopefuls—each chasing poker immortality—was whittled down to just 202 survivors. At the top of the mountain stands Sebastian Schulze, a relatively quiet force in the poker world who now commands attention with a monster stack of 12,745,000 chips, leading all remaining players as they edge closer to the coveted $10 million first-place prize.
From emotional bustouts to mind-blowing hands, Day 5 had it all—back-to-back monster pots, shocking exits, rising stars, and even a dose of redemption. With the third-largest Main Event field in WSOP history now trimmed to just over 2% of its original size, the intensity at the felt has never been higher.
Schulze’s Rise: A Flush, A Full House, and A Massive Lead
Germany’s Sebastian Schulze didn’t just bag the chip lead—he stormed into it. The pivotal moment came during two hands against former chip leader Michael Hawker, moments that flipped the tournament upside down.
In the first hand, Schulze coolered Hawker with aces full of fours, beating Hawker’s nines full on a four-flush board. That hand alone could have been the headline. But just moments later, Schulze’s J♣9♣ flopped a flush against Hawker’s K♥6♠ on an 8♣7♣5♣ board. By the river, Hawker had made a straight, but Schulze was never behind. The chips flew in, and Schulze made the call when Hawker shoved. The pot shot Schulze to the top of the leaderboard and ended Hawker’s Main Event in 296th place.
“Yes, it was insane,” Schulze told PokerGO’s Jeff Platt. “I think he got a bit too down on himself,” Schulze added, referring to Hawker’s reaction after the brutal cooler.
Schulze’s previous career-best score came in 2024 at EPT Barcelona, where he won a €2,700 side event for $362,526. With this deep Main Event run, he’s already guaranteed at least $60,000 and has his eyes locked on the seven-figure payouts ahead.
Chad Power Returns and Powers Up the Leaderboard
In second place with 9,540,000 chips is Chad Power, who’s no stranger to deep WSOP Main Event runs. This marks his first live tournament since 2019, where he finished 89th in this very event.
Power’s journey on Day 5 was a masterclass in resilience. “I dipped down below 2 million, and then I had a lot of hands,” Power said. One hand in particular stood out: a wild blind-versus-blind confrontation where he called down jack-high and rivered a pair of sixes before snap-calling an overbet on the river. That hand gave Power the boost he needed, and he never looked back.
Just behind him sits Braxton Dunaway (8,600,000), winner of the 2023 WSOP Monster Stack, followed by Sergio Veloso (8,200,000) and Richard Buckingham (7,625,000) to round out the top five.
Familiar Faces and Poker Royalty Still in Contention
The deeper the tournament goes, the more recognizable the names become. Among the top 50 stacks heading into Day 6 are poker veterans like:
- Will Kassouf – 6,900,000
- Arnaud Mattern – 5,840,000
- Kenny Hallaert – 5,745,000
- Eric Afriat – 4,250,000
- Michael Mizrachi – 4,025,000
Mizrachi, who earlier in the series won his fourth $50,000 Poker Players Championship, is looking for another deep Main Event run to add to his storied resume.
Another standout in the middle of the pack is Isaac Haxton, sitting in 100th place. With over $57.9 million in career earnings, Haxton typically dominates high roller fields. This is his deepest WSOP Main Event run since finishing 94th in his debut year of 2007.
“Playing the main is super different from most of the stuff I play,” Haxton reflected. “It’s been a fun challenge… and it continues to go well, which is sweet.”
Women Still in the Hunt for History
Day 5 also saw a reduction in female representation, but five women remain in the hunt, led by Spanish bracelet winner Leo Margets with 2,810,000 chips. She’s joined by:
- Esther Taylor (2,100,000) – recent PPC third-place finisher
- Thia Xoa Nguyen (2,000,000) – France
- Heather Hardie (925,000) – Australia
- Lindsey McDougall (420,000) – USA
Each of these women has already made history by reaching Day 6 in one of the most competitive WSOP Main Event fields ever assembled.
Notable Bustouts: Stars Fall as the Bubble Bursts
Day 5 started with 522 players and ended with just 202. Some big names saw their Main Event dreams end, including:
- Max Neugebauer – 466th
- Joseph Cheong – 440th
- JJ Liu – 430th
- Andrew Neeme – 382nd
- Brad Owen – 373rd
- Matt Affleck – 336th
- Brian Hastings – 215th
- Damian Salas – 469th
- Stephen Chidwick – 350th
Chidwick’s elimination came in a dramatic three-way all-in. Holding 5♥5♦, he was up against Jeremy Kottler (A♥J♥) and Isaac Haxton (K♦K♣). The board ran K♠6♥3♥9♥6♦, giving Haxton a full house and knocking out both Kottler and Chidwick. Chidwick walked away with $45,000, pushing his career total to nearly $70.2 million.
Main Event Day 6 Outlook
Play resumes on Friday, July 11 at noon for Day 6, with blinds at 30,000/60,000 and a 60,000 big blind ante. The average stack sits at 2,891,584—just under 50 big blinds.
Greg Merson, the 2012 Main Event champion and WSOP Player of the Year, is the lone former champ still in contention, with a healthy 2,960,000 chips, putting him inside the top 100.
Top 10 Chip Counts Going Into Day 6
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Schulze | Germany | 12,745,000 |
| 2 | Chad Power | USA | 9,540,000 |
| 3 | Braxton Dunaway | USA | 8,600,000 |
| 4 | Sergio Veloso | Portugal | 8,200,000 |
| 5 | Richard Buckingham | USA | 7,625,000 |
| 6 | Albert Calderon | USA | 7,365,000 |
| 7 | Muhamet Perati | Italy | 7,010,000 |
| 8 | Will Kassouf | UK | 6,900,000 |
| 9 | Pedro Padilha | Brazil | 6,835,000 |
| 10 | Michael Garner | USA | 6,505,000 |
Remaining Payouts in the 2025 WSOP Main Event
- 1st – $10,000,000
- 2nd – $6,000,000
- 3rd – $4,000,000
- 4th – $3,000,000
- 5th – $2,400,000
- 6th – $1,900,000
- 7th – $1,500,000
- 8th – $1,250,000
- 9th – $1,000,000
- 10th–11th – $750,000
- …
- 162nd–224th – $60,000
Final Thoughts
With the finish line in sight and millions of dollars up for grabs, Day 6 of the 2025 WSOP Main Event promises more drama, heartbreak, and triumph. Will Schulze hold onto the lead? Can Greg Merson make another magical run? And will we see a woman reach the final table for the first time in over a decade?
Stay locked to BetterPokerNews as we continue to bring you wall-to-wall WSOP 2025 coverage—from chip leaders to champion stories, with all the poker news, strategy insights, and tournament updates you need.
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Sources: cardplayer