Phovieng Keokham has secured a strong start to the 2025 World Series of Poker, earning the first gold bracelet of the summer in a hard-fought tournament that drew nearly a thousand entries. His performance in the Industry Employees event not only delivered a $64,369 payday, but also boosted his live career earnings to nearly double what they were before the event began.
Good to know
- Phovieng Keokham won the first bracelet of the 2025 WSOP in Event No. 2.
- The $500 Industry Employees event saw 914 entries.
- Keokham earned $64,369 and now holds a total of 34 live tournament cashes.
Keokham, a poker player from San Diego, made history by becoming the first bracelet winner of the 2025 WSOP. He took down Event No. 2, the $500 Industry Employees no-limit hold’em tournament, surviving a deep field of 914 entrants to claim both the prize and the title.
His win capped off a tournament filled with swings, close calls, and comebacks. In fact, Keokham was one of the shortest stacks left at the final table after his pocket aces lost to Pedro Green’s ace-ten. However, poker tends to come full circle. Later in the same session, Keokham eliminated Green with pocket aces again—this time holding up against ace-queen.
The final hand saw Christopher Zollo attempt a high-risk move with 9
6
. After raising to 400,000 preflop, Zollo faced a re-raise to 2 million from Keokham, who held A Q
. Zollo shoved all-in and was called. He briefly took the lead on a 10 9 4 flop, but a queen on the turn turned the tide back in Keokham’s favor. The river brought a harmless 2, sealing the win.
Zollo’s decision may have been influenced by his in-app WSOP+ nickname, which hinted at a playful or aggressive style. Still, his gamble did not pay off in the end.
Before this win, Keokham had 33 live tournament results totaling $67,201. With just one event, he almost matched his entire career earnings. The bracelet win represents a major milestone for a player who has quietly put together a solid tournament record over the years.
Final Table Results Event #2, $500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold’Em
| Result | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Phovieng Keokham | $64,369 |
| 2 | Christopher Zollo | $42,886 |
| 3 | Shaun Colquhoun | $29,850 |
| 4 | Michael Coombs | $21,126 |
| 5 | Mark Kawamoto | $15,207 |
| 6 | Pedro Green | $11,138 |
| 7 | Connor Richards | $8,301 |
| 8 | Rick Muniz | $6,299 |
| 9 | Francois Truong | $4,867 |
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