After a long break from poker, Christopher Staats made his return to the felt count. The Oklahoma native, who stepped away from the game after the 2024 World Series of Poker, came back to Las Vegas and walked away with the biggest win of his career at the 2025 WSOP.
Staats topped a field of 2,354 players in Event #13: $1,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, pocketing $414,950 and earning his second career gold bracelet.
Good to know
- Staats had not played a major tournament in months after taking a break from poker.
- His win in Event #13 pushed his total live earnings close to $2.5 million.
- Both of his WSOP bracelets have come in six-max events.
After more than a decade of grinding tournaments and cashing for over $2 million, Staats felt it was time to step back last year. “I left here last summer (after) traveling 15 years, took a break, got a job in a warehouse, waking up at 3:30 a.m. for six months and I just needed to check out,” he told PokerNews. “You sacrifice a lot.”
But after time away, he returned to the WSOP and immediately went on a run. The field in this six-max event was smaller than last year by about 7%, but the $3.1 million prize pool still delivered strong payouts, including six-figure prizes for the final five players.
As the tournament played down, several notables made deep runs, including bracelet winners Arnaud Enselme, Brad Gafford, David Funkhouser, and Tristan Wade. Thomas Boivin also fell just shy of the final table.
At the final table, Damarjai Davenport entered as chip leader, while Staats sat mid-pack. Eshaan Bhalla, better known in high-stakes cash circles as ‘Brownballa’, kicked off the final table action with a knockout. Davenport then picked up kings to eliminate Oscar Johansson in sixth.
The pace picked up with several key hands. David Jackson, a two-time bracelet winner, gained momentum five-handed, but Staats began building his stack with timely double-ups. Bhalla exited in fifth, and Davenport followed after losing back-to-back pots, including a failed bluff against Jackson.
Jackson and Staats then traded big pots. After surviving a flip with pocket eights, Staats grabbed the lead with pocket tens against Jackson’s K-Q. The final hand saw Jackson open with J
6 and Staats defend with 9
7
. The flop brought J7
7, giving Staats trip sevens. Jackson stuck around after a check-raise and called two more barrels on the turn and river before calling all-in. Staats revealed the trips to secure the win.
With the victory, Staats now holds two WSOP bracelets—both in six-max events. His previous biggest score had been $254,580 in the 2018 WSOP Little One for One Drop. He also won a 2022 WSOP Online six-max bracelet for $111,609.
Jackson, who finished runner-up, earned $276,562 and pushed his career total to over $5.4 million. Shundan Xiao finished third for $197,869, and Davenport added $143,206 for fourth place.
Reflecting on the win and the time away, Staats said, “I don’t think people understand how much putting into this game involves traveling away from your family and your kids to get at the highest level. You sacrifice a lot.”
For Staats, the time off may have been what he needed most. His return to poker could not have started any better.
Final Table Results 2025 WSOP Event #13: $1,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em
| Result | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Christopher Staats | $414,950 |
| 2 | David Jackson | $276,562 |
| 3 | Shundan Xiao | $197,869 |
| 4 | Damarjai Davenport | $143,206 |
| 5 | Eshaan Bhalla | $104,858 |
| 6 | Oscar Johansson | $77,688 |
| 7 | Bashar Trad | $35,098 |
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