Make it a hat trick for Cody Stanford.

In the wee hours of Monday, Feb. 3, the Tupelo, MS resident captured his third World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring in a five-day span at the 2025 WSOPC Horseshoe Tunica festival to bring his career total to seven. Stanford is just the 49th player in WSOPC history to have earned as many titles on the tour.

Stanford’s spree in his home state of Mississippi began even earlier this year, though. Even before the WSOPC ring rush got underway, Stanford took down the $1 million guaranteed $500 buy-in event at the Beau Rivage Heater series for $181,487 on Jan. 8. He backed that up with a third-place showing in the festival’s $1,200 main event to add another $168,923 less than a week later.

Stanford then headed to Tunica for the latest WSOPC stop. He managed two cashes at the venue before taking down event no. 9, a $400,000 no-limit hold’em event with a $25,000 guarantee. He beat out a field of 160 entries in that tournament to secure the hardware and $13,075.

The following event was a $1,100 pot-limit Omaha tournament. The $50,000 guarantee for this PLO contest was nearly tripled thanks to a 149-entry turnout. Stanford reportedly fired 12 bullets in the tournament, but eventually left with a $36,423 payout and another ring after coming out on top.

The third ring of the series for Stanford saw him best a field of 228 entries in event no. 17, another $400 no-limit hold’em affair. He earned $17,262 as the champion, along with 154 Card Player Player of the Year points. With four total titles this year, and five final-table finishes, Stanford has claimed the top spot in the 2025 POY rankings presented by Global Poker. He now sits at 1,887 total points, and has a 159-point lead over second-ranked Spencer Champlin.

Stanford has cashed for more than $417,000 across his five final tables this year. As a result, he now has more than $1.7 million in lifetime earnings under his belt.

Final Table Results:

The High Roller scene was on full display in Tirana, Albania, as the 2025 PLO Grand Slam—part of the prestigious Diamond Poker Series—lit up the Arena Casino Tirana from January 23 to 31. With a jaw-dropping €5 million in guaranteed prize money, this elite festival attracted the world’s top Pot-Limit Omaha pros and featured two headline events, each offering seven-figure prize potential.

The action kicked off with a €5,000 High Roller Opener, boasting a €1 million guarantee. Dutch pro Tom Vogelsang took down the event, but the real spotlight was reserved for the €10,000 Championship High Roller, featuring a massive €2 million guarantee.

Despite drawing 191 entries, the Championship event narrowly missed its guarantee. After accounting for tournament fees, $1,957,456 was paid out to the top 23 finishers. In a thrilling conclusion, Norway’s Tom-Aksel Bedell emerged victorious, taking home the $455,520 top prize—his largest live cash to date. The win propelled Bedell’s career earnings past $4 million, and he earned his seat through a unique promotion in the €5K event, awarded to the player who fired the most bullets.

This marked the second edition of the PLO Grand Slam, following a successful 2023 debut with €3 million in guarantees. The Arena Casino Tirana is quickly becoming a premier destination for High Roller events in Eastern Europe.

The Championship event featured a star-studded field. Notables making deep runs included bracelet winners Joni Jouhkimainen (22nd), Max Kruse (20th), Elie Nakache (18th), Dario Alioto (15th), and Ismael Bojang (14th).

French pro Daniel Tordjman made waves late in the tournament, knocking out two-time bracelet winner Oleksii Kovalchuk (5th – $134,680) and Vogelsang (4th – $167,960) to hold 72% of the chips entering three-handed play. But the High Roller battlefield proved unforgiving. Bedell surged after winning a massive pot with kings full of sevens against Tordjman, eventually eliminating him in 3rd place ($205,400) with queens full.

That set the stage for a heads-up clash with 2024 WSOP Paradise $100K PLO champion Lautaro Guerra. Despite an early double-up, Guerra couldn’t overcome the chip deficit. He moved all-in with Q♥J♦9♥5♦ against Bedell’s A♣Q♠Q♣3♣. The board—A♦8♠4♥5♣7♦—secured the win for Bedell. Guerra earned $307,840 for his runner-up finish, pushing his career total to nearly $5.3 million.

Kristen Foxen already sits atop one of the most prestigious leaderboards in poker, with her five World Series of Poker bracelet wins being the most of any female player. The 38-year-old is now also on the verge of becoming the highest-earning female poker player ever.

The Canadian poker pro Kristen Foxen took down the $10,000 buy-in finale of the 2025 PokerGO Tour Kickoff series on Saturday, Jan. 25 for a $197,625 payday, bringing her lifetime tournament haul to $10,676,511. As a result, she now sits just $222,516 behind current women’s money list leader Vanessa Selbst ($10,899,027).

This was her second consecutive victory in this event, having also won the finale of last year’s PGT Kickoff Series as well, that time beating Daniel Negreanu heads-up for $165,000.

Kristen Foxen overcame a field of 93 entries in this no-limit hold’em event to secure her 14th recorded title and her 248th lifetime cash. This victory also came with 540 Card Player Player of the Year points.

It was her second final-table finish of the new year, with a runner-up showing in the $10,000 finale of the PGT Last Chance festival a couple of weeks earlier for $187,550 and 550 points. With 1,090 total points, Foxen is now ranked 10th in the 2025 POY standings presented by Global Poker.

Kristen Foxen cashed in three of the five PGT Kickoff events on this year’s schedule, accumulating a total of 525 PGT points along the way. As a result, she surged into first place on the tour’s season-long leaderboard.

The 93-entry turnout for this event built a $930,000 prize pool, with the top 14 finishers receiving a share. By the end of day 1 action on Friday, just seven players remained in contention.

Foxen held the chip lead when day 2 got underway inside the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas. Two-time bracelet winner Joao Simao scored the first knockout of the day, eliminating event no. 3 runner-up Neil Warren in seventh place ($37,200).

Nick Seward was the next to fall, with his A-J suited running into the A-K of Foxen. Neither player connected with the eight-high runout and Foxen’s superior high cards earned her the pot. Seward was awarded $46,500 for his sixth-place showing.

Foxen pulled even further ahead during early five-handed action, only to take a hit via a big three-way all-in. 2021 Wynn Millions champion Andrew Moreno’s last chips went in with AClub SuitKSpade Suit racing against Foxen’s 3Heart Suit3Club Suit and leading Simao’s AHeart Suit9Heart Suit. The board came down 7Heart Suit7Diamond Suit4Club Suit4Diamond Suit9Spade Suit to see Simao river nines up for the win. Moreno was eliminated in fifth place ($65,100) while Simao doubled up to move into second on the leaderboard behind Foxen, who was still out in front despite taking a hit in the hand.

Reigning PGT Player of the Year and recent PGT Championship winner Jeremy Ausmus bowed out in fourth place ($83,700). He lost the majority of his stack in a clash with Foxen, risking all but one 25,000 from his stack with a three-bet holding A-4 suited. Foxen called with A-J and made a queen-high straight on the end after it checked through on the flop and turn. Ausmus folded to her river bet and was left with a fraction of a small blind. He was automatically all-in from the small blind on the following hand and Foxen, who was in the big blind, made queens up to end Ausmus’ latest deep run. The six-time bracelet winner now has more than $24.7 million in career earnings to his name.

Bracelet winner and reigning European Poker Tour Barcelona champion Stephen Song got the last of his stack in with a cold four-bet shove from the big blind holding AClub SuitKHeart Suit. He was looked up by Simao, who had three-bet from the small blind with 5Spade Suit5Heart Suit. Song flopped a gutshot straight draw to go along with his overcards, but blanks on the turn and river resulted in a third-place finish for the $111,600. He now has nearly $9.2 million in total cashes.

The final two players ended up making a deal that evenly split the remaining prize money, resulting in $197,625 payouts for both Simao and Foxen. They then played out the tournament to determine who would secure the trophy and the ranking points that came with it.

The final hand of the tournament began with Foxen limping from the button for 200,000 with 9Club Suit7Spade Suit. Simao raised to 700,000 from the big blind with ASpade Suit10Heart Suit and Foxen made the call. The flop came down 7Heart Suit4Spade Suit3Heart Suit and Simao checked. Foxen fired 550,000 with top pair, only to be met with a check-raise to 1,700,000 from her Brazilian opponent. Foxen called and the 8Club Suit rolled off on the turn. Both players checked and the 8Heart Suit completed the board. Simao moved all-in for 4,025,000, sending Foxen into the tank. She eventually made the call to lock up the title with her eights and sevens with a nine kicker. Simao grew his career earnings to nearly $8.2 million after collecting his negotiated payout.

Here is a look at the payouts and rankings points awarded at the final table:

Nick Schulman ended 2024 on a high note, taking down the $5,000 turbo bounty event at the World Series of Poker Paradise for his sixth career bracelet. The 40-year-old poker pro Nick Schulman also started his 2025 off with a bang by emerging victorious in the first PokerGO Tour event held in the new year.

Nick Schulman overcame a field of 111 total entries in the kickoff event of the PGT Last Chance series. He earned $283,050 as the last player standing in the $10,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament. He now has nearly $22.1 million in career earnings after this triumph inside the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas.

Nick Schulman also earned 283 PGT points, enough to move him to ninth in that high-stakes-centric points race, which means that he has all but assured himself a spot in the forthcoming PGT Championship which will run next week.

The final day began with seven remaining and Schulman in the lead. The first knockout arose from a classic preflop race, with bracelet winner Aram Zobian (7th – $44,400) holding pocket fives against the K-Q suited of two-time bracelet winner Joao Simao, which ended up making king-high straight to narrow the field to six contenders.

The next big clash saw Nick Schulman attempt to use a key straight blocker to bluff Simao. Unfortunately for Schulman, Simao had made the straight himself on the end and quickly called Shulman’s shove to double into a sizable lead.

Nick Schulman ended 2024 on a high note, taking down the $5,000 turbo bounty event at the World Series of Poker Paradise for his sixth career bracelet.

The 40-year-old poker pro also started his 2025 off with a bang by emerging victorious in the first PokerGO Tour event held in the new year.

Schulman overcame a field of 111 total entries in the kickoff event of the PGT Last Chance series. He earned $283,050 as the last player standing in the $10,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament. He now has nearly $22.1 million in career earnings after this triumph inside the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas.

This victory came with 600 Card Player Player of the Year points, which gives Schulman the early lead in the 2025 POY standings presented by Global Poker.

Schulman also earned 283 PGT points, enough to move him to ninth in that high-stakes-centric points race, which means that he has all but assured himself a spot in the forthcoming PGT Championship which will run next week.

The final day began with seven remaining and Schulman in the lead. The first knockout arose from a classic preflop race, with bracelet winner Aram Zobian (7th – $44,400) holding pocket fives against the K-Q suited of two-time bracelet winner Joao Simao, which ended up making king-high straight to narrow the field to six contenders.

The next big clash saw Nick Schulman attempt to use a key straight blocker to bluff Simao. Unfortunately for Schulman, Simao had made the straight himself on the end and quickly called Shulman’s shove to double into a sizable lead.

Victoria Livschitz got her last chips in with AHeart Suit3Diamond Suit leading the KDiamond Suit5Diamond Suit of Simao, but a KSpade Suit5Heart Suit4Spade Suit4Club SuitKClub Suit runout gave Simao kings full and the knockout. Livschitz cashed for $127,650. This score saw her surpass $2.2 million in recorded live earnings.

Heads-up play began with Simao holding 9,800,000 to the 4,075,000 of Schulman. The gap had expanded slightly in the early going before Schulman found a double up with A-K holding against K-9 to nearly even the playing field.

As the stack depth decreased, the swings increased. Simao retook the lead and held it for a while, but it was Schulman who was out in front with better than a 3:1 advantage when the final hand arose. Simao shoved from the button for nine big blinds with JHeart Suit2Spade Suit and Schulman called with JSpade Suit7Spade Suit out of the big blind. The board came down KClub Suit6Spade Suit6Heart Suit5Spade Suit7Club Suit and Schulman made sevens and sixes to win the pot and the title.

Simao earned $177,600 as the runner-up. He is approaching $8 million in career earnings thanks to this latest deep run, which marked his 182nd recorded cash.

Francis Anderson claimed the final multi-flight tournament title of 2024, just hours before the new year. The bracelet winner from Wappinger Falls, New York, emerged victorious in a 515-entry field at the 2024 Venetian New Year’s Extravaganza $250,000 Guaranteed $800 No-Limit Hold’em UltimateStack event. His impressive performance earned him $61,551 in the early hours of Dec. 31.

This marks Anderson’s sixth recorded tournament victory. Earlier this year, he secured his first World Series of Poker bracelet by winning the $800 Independence Day Celebration Event, taking home a career-best $501,040. Known for excelling in holiday-themed tournaments, Francis Anderson might be a strong contender if a Valentine’s Day tag-team event rolls around next year.

With this win, Anderson’s lifetime tournament earnings now exceed $3.6 million.

The tournament paid out the top 66 finishers, with the prize pool swelling to $355,350. The final stages featured stiff competition, including 2024 Mid-States Poker Tour Venetian Poker Bowl champion Terry Fleischer (8th), Aaron Massey (6th), and bracelet winner Ryan Laplante (4th). Laplante, who recently placed second in the $1,600 mystery bounty during the WPT World Championship for $185,500, now approaches $4 million in career earnings after his second final-table finish of the month.

In the heads-up showdown, Francis Anderson faced Lokesh Garg, who began with a 3:2 chip advantage. Anderson seized control after making a flush against Garg’s jack-high straight. The final hand unfolded on a board of A♣ Q♠ 9♥ 9♣ J♣. Garg’s 10♥ 8♣ formed a straight, but it wasn’t enough to beat Anderson’s full house with J♠ 9♠. Garg finished as the runner-up, earning $44,245.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Travis Egbert entered 2024 with just under $263,000 in recorded tournament earnings. However, the Northern California native has taken the poker world by storm this year, amassing nearly $1.3 million in winnings, capturing four titles, and making eight final table appearances.

Egbert’s stellar year culminated on December 19 with his largest career victory yet: triumphing over a field of 111 entries in the 2024 World Poker Tour World Championship Alpha8 $25,800 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller. Held at Wynn Las Vegas, Egbert secured a career-high payout of $684,684 for his impressive performance.

Egbert’s Player of the Year Standings Boost

The victory also added 840 Card Player Player of the Year points, bringing Egbert’s total to 3,290 points. This moved him to 86th place in the Global Poker Player of the Year rankings.

A Year of Firsts

This marked Egbert’s first recorded cash in a high roller event with a buy-in of $25,000 or more. It was also his first win outside of Thunder Valley Casino Resort near Sacramento, where he claimed three World Series of Poker Circuit rings in 2024. His victories at Thunder Valley included the $1,700 buy-in Main Event in October, which earned him $214,565.

The High Roller: Star-Studded Field

The Alpha8 event generated a $2,775,000 prize pool, paid out among the top 13 finishers. Notable players who made deep runs included:

• Alexandros Kolonias (13th), 2019 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion
• Brian Rast (10th), six-time WSOP bracelet winner
• Shannon Shorr (9th), two-time WSOP bracelet winner
• Igor Kurganov (8th), WSOP bracelet winner
• Sean Winter (7th), high-stakes regular

Key Final Table Highlights

Egbert built momentum during the final stages, including a pivotal hand where his sixes full of sevens catapulted him into the chip lead. He further consolidated his position with trip nines, leaving Noel Rodriguez short-stacked. Rodriguez exited in third place, earning $354,488, when his A-8 failed to hold against Naj Ajez’s J-9 suited.

In heads-up play, Egbert and Ajez agreed to an ICM deal, locking in $600,000 each, with $84,684 and the trophy left to play for.

The deciding hand saw Egbert pick up pocket aces and steadily build the pot on a Q♣ J♦ 6♥ 5♥ A♣ board. Ajez ultimately called Egbert’s all-in river shove, only to see Egbert’s rivered set of aces. Ajez was eliminated in second place, taking home $600,000.

Egbert’s Stellar 2024: A Year to Remember

With four titles, a career-best score, and a breakout year, Travis Egbert has firmly established himself as a player to watch in the poker world.

$25,800 WPT Alpha 8 Final Table Results

Mike Gorodinsky has added his name to the elite list of players with four or more World Series of Poker gold bracelets. The Russian-born mixed games professional and 2015 WSOP Player of the Year emerged victorious from a field of 200 entries in the 2024 WSOP Paradise $10,000 pot-limit Omaha event, earning the hardware and $393,250. Mike Gorodinsky now has more than $4.9 million in career tournament earnings.

This triumph came more than a decade after he secured his first WSOP win. That breakthrough took place back in 2013 in a $2,500 Omaha eight-or-better and stud eight-or-better mixed event. Two years later he secured the largest tournament win of his career, taking down the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $1,270,086. His third bracelet was earned in 2023 in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship. Mike Gorodinsky became just the 77th player to have earned at least four bracelets with his most recent title run.

This PLO win at the Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas also came with 900 Card Player Player of the Year points for Mike Gorodinsky, who had finished third in the $25,000 dealers choice championship at the same series a handful of days earlier. He now has four final-table finishes and one title on the year.

It took just a single day for this tournament to whittle its 200-entry field down to a champion. The fast-paced affair awarded $2,000,000 in prize money across the top 30 spots. Big names that ran deep included three-time bracelet winner Alex Foxen (25th), reigning WSOP Player of the Year Scott Seiver (23rd), Ren Lin (21st), recent dealers choice event winner Eric Wasserson (20th), two-time bracelet winner Chris Brewer (19th), bracelet winner Danny Tang (17th), and two-time bracelet winner Artur Martirosian (10th).

Seven-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu was eliminated by Mike Gorodinsky in eighth place, with Negreanu’s double-suited pocket aces bested by a single-suited J-10-9-4, which made a jack-high straight on the end. The $45,710 Negreanu earned for his latest deep run moved his career tournament earnings up over $53.5 million.

Armin Ghojehvand bowed out in seventh place ($65,530) before Gorodinsky once again got involved in an all-in confrontation. The chips went in after a king high flop with poker triple crown winner Michael Watson holding top pair and the highest kicker. Mike Gorodinsky had the same top pair and shared one kicker with Watson, but had two other live side cards. Gorodinsky ended up making kings and sevens on the river to eliminate Watson in sixth place ($88,330). This was the 17th final-table finish of 2024 for Watson, with four titles won along the way including his first bracelet. The Canadian pro now sits in fifth place in the POY race standings presented by Global Poker.

Mike Gorodinsky then proceeded to eliminate Rui Neves (5th – $119,070) and rising high-stakes star Biao Ding (4th – $160,510) to take a big lead into three-handed play. 2022 WSOP POY award winner Daniel Zack scored the next knockout, busting bracelet winner Roman Hrabec ($216,380) in third place. This was the 11th final-table showing of 2024 for the Czech player, who climbed to 13th in the POY standings thanks to this deep run.

Heads-up play began with Gorodinsky holding better than a 2:1 chip advantage over Zack. The final hand arose with blinds at 40,000-80,000 with an 80,000 big blind ante. Zack raised to 300,000 on the button with AHeart SuitADiamond SuitQClub Suit7Club Suit and Gorodinsky called from the big blind with KHeart Suit5Heart Suit4Spade Suit3Spade Suit. The flop came down KClub Suit8Heart Suit2Heart Suit and both players checked. The 5Spade Suit turn gave Gorodinsky kings and fives with a heart redraw. He bet 400,000 and Zack called. The AClub Suit completed the board and Gorodinsky checked with his five-high straight. Zack bet the pot with his rivered set of aces, firing 1,500,000. Mike Gorodinsky moved all-in and Zack called off his remaining 1,225,000, only to be shown the wheel. Zack earned $291,680 as the runner-up. The three-time now has more than $4.5 million in lifetime tournament cashes to his name.

Argentinian rapper and poker player Alejandro Lococo claimed victory at the $1,000,000 Triton Million Event during the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise in the Bahamas. The high-stakes tournament awarded Lococo $12,070,000 and his first WSOP bracelet, solidifying his place in poker history.

The Triton Million event brought together 96 entrants, including top professionals and VIP players, creating a $44,603,000 prize pool. Among the competitors were stars like Alex Foxen, who finished 6th ($2,795,000), and runner-up Benjamin Heath, who walked away with $8,160,000. Wealthy VIPs such as David Einhorn and Sosia Jiang also joined the field, with Jiang earning $1,605,000 for her 8th-place finish.

Battle to the Final Table

The tournament’s final day began with 14 players, all guaranteed payouts. Notable eliminations included poker pro Stephen Chidwick (14th, $792,000) and Adrian Mateos (11th, $985,000). Chance Kornuth and Sosia Jiang also exited before the final table, showcasing the event’s intense competition.

Lococo’s Road to Victory

Lococo, known for his passion for the game rather than reliance on advanced poker tools, displayed exceptional skill throughout the event. Key moments included eliminating Daniel Dvoress (4th, $4,390,000) and Sinan Unlu (3rd, $5,304,000) to enter heads-up play with a commanding chip lead.

In the decisive hand, Lococo’s K♦2♥ bested Heath’s A♦K♣, thanks to a fortunate flop that delivered a pair of deuces. This victory earned Lococo his first WSOP bracelet and one of the largest cash prizes in WSOP history.

Final Table Results and Payouts

Lococo’s Legacy in Poker

With this win, Alejandro Lococo, a rapper with a love for poker, has proven that passion and drive can lead to greatness. This $12M victory, combined with his prior accomplishments, makes him a standout in the poker world.

Espen Jorstad’s name became synonymous with poker greatness when he won the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, taking home an eye-watering $10,000,000. But the Norwegian pro has proven he is no one-hit wonder, adding nearly $7.7 million in earnings across 49 in-the-money finishes since that career-defining moment.

Today, Jorstad’s lifetime winnings stand at nearly $18.6 million, making him the undisputed Norwegian all-time money leader. Even without his WSOP Main Event victory, his results surpass second-ranked Kayhan Mokri, who has $7.8 million in recorded scores.

European Poker Tour Prague Triumph

Jorstad’s most recent success came at the 2024 European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague festival, where he claimed victory in a €25,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em high roller event.

This marked Jorstad’s second POY-qualified score of the year. While he secured a massive $2.2 million payday at last month’s $200,000 buy-in Triton Monte Carlo invitational, that result did not contribute to his POY standings.

The European Poker Tour Prague high roller boasted an $855,950 prize pool, distributed among the top seven finishers. Fellow Norwegian Morten Klein was the first to cash, finishing seventh after a deal was struck. Viacheslav Buldygin (6th – $59,890) and Nikita Kuznetsov (5th – $76,002) followed shortly after.

Key Hands and Final Standings

Roman Hrabec, a Czech poker standout, exited in fourth place ($97,414) after his J-8 couldn’t overcome Jorstad’s pocket aces in a blind-on-blind showdown. Hrabec has enjoyed a remarkable 2024, reaching 10 final tables and claiming three titles, including a $4.3 million win at the Triton Jeju Main Event.

The tournament ended in a thrilling three-way all-in:

• Ilya Nikiforov shoved with J♣10♦ for 5.5 big blinds.
• Enrico Camosci re-shoved with 9♥9♣ from the small blind.
• Jorstad called with A♥10♥ from the big blind.

The board ran out Q♣8♥5♣J♠A♣, giving Jorstad a pair of aces and the win. Nikiforov finished third ($131,652), while Camosci secured second place ($191,542).

Dominance on the Global Stage

With his latest win, Jorstad has solidified his reputation as one of poker’s elite players. His consistency and adaptability across formats and stakes are a testament to his skill and determination.

As the 2024 season unfolds, Jorstad’s journey continues to inspire, proving that his WSOP triumph was only the beginning of a legendary poker career.

Super High Roller Final Results