Meet the Rising Stars Set to Shine at the 2025 WSOP

The WSOP 2025 has begun. This year’s competition will feature a mix of established names and rising stars. They are discussed in the article below. 

The 2025 World Series of Poker has just begun and will continue until July 16th. Taking place at the Horseshoe and Paris Hotel & Casino, it returns to Las Vegas, Nevada for the fourth year in a row. For the first time, it will feature 100 bracelets. Competing for them will be a host of well-known names who have made their mark on the circuit. Yet we all know Poker always has surprises in store, and much of this often comes from the rising stars on the scene. So who are the ones to watch?

Jesse Lonis

Jesse Lonis burst onto the poker scene out of nowhere. A former construction worker, as of February he has earned $14 million in his career. Each year has seemed to get better for him, and 2025 may be the year he becomes a household name.

In 2021, his first year at the event, he managed to come in 25th place. By the next year, he had won an online WSOP event and then came 209th in the Main Event. This was also the year in which he gained his second WSOP bracelet. A career-best followed, where he netted $2.3 million at a High Roller tournament. He also had luck in the 2023 NAPT Super High Roller.

He rode into 2024 coming 176th at the Main Event and was a runner-up at a No-Limit Hold’em event. Third position was gained at the WSOP Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship. He also came fourth in EPT Barcelona and a Super High Roller tournament in Europe. With this building momentum behind him, he should be one to keep your eyes on.

Dan Cates

Dan Cates is one person who has successfully managed to transition from the online forum to the live one. Affectionately known as Jungleman, his first WSOP bracelet came in 2021. This was at the $50,000 Poker Players Championship and despite playing for many years, it was only his third time winning cash at a WSOP event. He now has two WSOP bracelets.

Most people will remember him for his 2022 wins. He won back-to-back Poker Players Championships, while dressed as former WWE superstar Macho Man Randy Savage. He then added to this dramatic persona by appearing on a Poker reality television show and causing a ruckus with the other contestants.

He is also well known for his life outside Poker, with numerous business ventures, television shows, podcast appearances, and more. He often uses his winnings for philanthropic ventures. Yet Cates is volatile. He has had a long career, but not all of it has been excellent. In his early days, he had some high-profile losses, notably to Viktor Blum. Yet when he is on form, he is hard to beat and if he brings this to 2025 he could go far.

Brock Wilson

Brock Wilson is one of the most exciting young players on the scene. He has been seen across numerous tournaments, from PokerGO to the World Series itself. Originally, Brock had a successful career in finance lined up with a New York firm. Yet Poker was his passion, and he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his hero Phil Ivey.

Since leaving his job to play poker in 2019, he has really tore up the scene. His first two months saw him earn $1,000,000 from various tournaments. One of these was a $25,000 Super High Roller for a $619,536 win at MILLIONS World. However, it was in 2021 that he made his mark, bagging two final table finishes at the 2021 US Poker Open.

Wilson has also turned his talents to coaching, and you can hire him for poker lessons. This is an astute move. The US is becoming more accepting of online gaming and gambling across various states. In Poker, a new wave of players is set to come with the interstate MSIGA agreement for online poker pools being instigated.

Combined with the use of casino bonuses listed on SportsbookReview, there has never been a better time to get into poker. These provisions can let you play without using your bankroll for a time, also combining casino with great sportsbook facilities. With so much education on how to play, including the ability to hire professional players for lessons, poker is coming home to roost.

Santhosh Suvarna

When Santhosh Suvarna arrived on the scene, many quickly dismissed him. As a successful Indian businessman, viewers assumed he would not take the game seriously. That was until he started winning large amounts of money in some of the world’s best tournaments. As of March this year, he has managed to amass $15 million in earnings.

His first tournaments were in his native country of India. By 2022, he had gone global and made his biggest splash in 2023. His first career title came in the $25,000 GG Super Million Live in Kyrenia, Cyprus. This was followed by a third-place win in the Triton Main Event in Monte Carlo. His first WSOP Bracelet came a month after at the WSOP Europe.

The point at which he really showed off his skills was at the $250,000 Super High Roller in June 2024. Here, he managed to fend off some heavyweights and claim his second WSOP bracelet. These included Ben Tollerene, the online star. He had been in charge for most of the final, but an exit from Chris Hunichen allowed Santhosh to launch a blistering comeback and cause an upset. If he can overcome a 75-entry field of this caliber, he is capable of being a real contender for the WSOP 2025.

The WSOP is always unpredictable, which is what makes it so appealing. Big stars may crash out early, and unknowns can go all the way. Tune into the action and see who will emerge victorious in 2025. You may even learn something and could be at the table in the 2026 tournament.