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Phovieng Keokham Wins His First WSOP Bracelet

Phovieng Keokham, a veteran poker dealer hailing from Southern California, achieved a major milestone by capturing the first gold bracelet of the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP). His victory came in the $500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold’em event, where he outlasted a competitive field of 914 entrants to win a personal-best prize of $64,369.

Keokham has become a well-known figure at the WSOP, participating regularly over the years. While he had prior tournament experience, this triumph marked the first WSOP bracelet of his career. Remarkably, the win nearly matched his lifetime live tournament earnings, which totalled just over $67,000 before this event.

With this win, Phovieng has exponentially ramped up his total winnings, winning minor amounts, up to a few thousand dollars, until now. From his first live cash of $500 in 2012 at the 2012 California State Poker Championship, Los Angeles, he has come a long way.

Keokham arrived at the final table with only ten big blinds, putting him in a challenging position. A pivotal moment came when he went all-in with queen-jack against an opponent’s pocket queens. A ten on the river gave him a straight and a much-needed double-up, shifting the momentum in his favour.

Phovieng Keokham Wins WSOP Bracelet

Phovieng Keokham 🇺🇸 wins Event #2: $500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold’em for $64,369 & his first #WSOP bracelet! 👏 #WSOP2025 #Poker pic.twitter.com/RAr7r4p1hV

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) May 29, 2025

Keokham’s win is not only a personal triumph but also a historic moment for the 2025 WSOP. As the first of 100 bracelets to be awarded this year, his victory highlights the excitement, drama, and unpredictability that define the world of professional poker.

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The 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP), now in its 56th edition, kicked off on May 27 and will continue through July 16 in Las Vegas. For the fourth consecutive year, the tournament is being held across two iconic venues—Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas. This year’s series features a record 100 gold bracelet events, drawing a global field of professional and recreational players.

The series opened with the popular \$1,000 Mystery Millions, which includes random bounty prizes of up to $1 Million. The first bracelet of the summer was awarded in the \$500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold’em event. One of the biggest highlights remains the \$10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event, beginning July 2 and running through July 16. Organisers hope to surpass last year’s record field of over 10,000 players and a prize pool that exceeded $94 Million.

New and creative formats have also been introduced. Notably, the “Battle of the Ages” splits players by age group before merging for later rounds, while the new T.O.R.S.E. event includes games like 2-7 Triple Draw in a rotation. Additionally, the WSOP Online series runs concurrently, giving players in select states a chance to compete for bracelets from home.

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