2025 WSOP Main Event: Asia-Pacific Players To Watch; Jun Obara Stunned At Wynn
Each year, the World Series of Poker stands as the grandest congregation of poker players anywhere in the world; it is the ultimate pilgrimage site for professionals and dreamers alike. Nowhere else does the game’s spirit burn brighter, and no other stage commands the same reverence.
2025 WSOP Main Event
At the heart of this annual spectacle lies the crown jewel $10,000 Main Event, the most sought after freezeout event title that draws thousands to the felt. This year, 9,735 players made their way to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, forming the third-largest field in WSOP history and creating a massive $90,535,500 prize pool.
After four starting flights and two Day 2 heats, the field has now been chunked down to 3,453 hopefuls, of which less than half are guaranteed a share of the pot. For one, a life-changing $10 million first prize awaits along with a spot among those that have conquered this mighty event.
Japanese Contenders Rise
As the 2025 WSOP Main Event charges into Day 3, several Japanese poker players sit among the top stacks. According to the media coverage by Pokernews, Ryuta Nakai leads the group with 648,000 (324 bb), which was 6th in chips at the end of Day 2abc. This performance comes on the heels of a 3rd place finish at Event 72: $10K Super Turbo Bounty, where Nakai earned his largest live tournament payout to date of $415,755.
Other Japanese contenders high in the count as well are Kotaro Shoda who ranked 8th at the end of Day 2d with 619,500 (310 bb), Kohei Arai (298 bb), Ryuta Ichinose (262 bb), and Shotaro Kobayashi (255 bb).
Asia-Pacific Notables With Big Stacks
In addition to the Japanese dominance, other well known players from Asia-Pacific have also secured their spots in the next round. Among the top 100 in their Day 2 heat were WSOP bracelet holder from Hong Kong, Lok Ming Chan who closed Day 2d ranked 11th with his 598,500 (299 bb) stack, Australia’s two-time bracelet holder James Obst (250 bb), Philippine ace Lester Edoc (244 bb), Alex Lynskey (241 bb), bracelet holder from China, Qiang Xu (220 bb), New Zealand bracelet holder Ryan Otto (201 bb), South Korea’s Hyunsick Jang (197 bb), and Taiwanese high roller Chih Wei Fan (192 bb).
Asia-Pacific Players Run Deep At Other WSOP Events
In our last recap, the amazing Shiina Okamoto dazzled once again as she successfully defended her title, clinching a rare back-to-back at the WSOP Ladies Championship. Also locking up a bracelet was Chinese high roller Yilong Wang at the Event #68: $3K No Limit Hold’em. Wang outlasted a field of 2,338 entries for a career high score of $830,685. Also coming close to the gold were Ren “Tony” Lin in 3rd place, Kunal Patni in 5th place, and Paawan Bansal in 9th place.
Latest Big Scores By APAC Players At WSOP
| Event #68: $3,000 No-Limit Holdem | Yilong Wang | China | 1 | $830,685 |
| Event #57: $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller | Biao Ding | China | 4 | $713,762 |
| Event #74: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship | Quan Zhou | China | 3 | $650,567 |
| Event #72: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty | Yuya Arito | Japan | 2 | $595,078 |
| Event #72: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty | Ryuta Nakai | Japan | 3 | $415,755 |
| Event #68: $3,000 No-Limit Holdem | Ren Lin | China | 3 | $406,016 |
| Event #80: $800 Summer Celebration | Ryo Kotake | Japan | 2 | $332,840 |
| Event #80: $800 Summer Celebration | Wai Kit Lo | Hong Kong | 3 | $248,320 |
| Event #68: $3,000 No-Limit Holdem | Kunal Patni | India | 5 | $224,833 |
Jun Obara Gets Stunned At The Wynn
Games outside of the WSOP have also been exciting. For Japanese player Jun Obara, he has been savoring every moment of his Las Vegas journey having arrived at the start of the series. Since then, he has notched seven WSOP cashes with decent scores. However, his biggest result came at The Wynn Summer Championship where he pocketed an enormous $1,594,677 for his largest career score. Yet that overwhelming payday didn’t come without heartbreak as the final table ended in a brutal three-way finish. Watch the hand unfold down below.
*Photos by Pokernews
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