Kevin Li took down the Tournament of Champions, adding $200,000 to his bank
Kevin Li made his mark on the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) by winning the Tournament of Champions, earning his first WSOP bracelet and a $200,000 top prize. The 23-year-old poker pro from Calgary, Alberta, secured his spot in the invite-only event by winning a $600 NLHE/PLO mix last August at the WSOP Circuit stop in Deerfoot Inn & Casino.
Held at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles from May 15 to 17, the Tournament of Champions was a $1 million freeroll exclusive to players who captured either a WSOP bracelet or Circuit ring over the past year. From the 1,169 eligible players, about 490 showed up to compete, creating a field full of accomplished talent.
Li began the final day of action in eighth place out of the remaining nine players. Early eliminations included Scott Stewart, an eight-time Circuit ring winner, who lost a pivotal hand holding queens against ace-king. Kevin Lemmer and Yang Xu were also knocked out early, followed by Maxwell Young after a cooler situation cost him his stack.
Li stayed patient and took advantage of a key double-up through Karapet Galstyan, giving him much-needed chips heading into five-handed play. He followed that up with a strong run, eliminating big names like Daniel Sepiol, the 2023 WPT World Championship winner. Sepiol exited in fourth with $70,000 after his ace-ten couldn’t outdraw Li’s ace-jack.
Donald Ciaglo was next to fall when his ace-six ran into Li’s pocket aces. That knockout set up a heads-up duel between Li and Shawn Rice. Despite Rice’s efforts, Li built a commanding chip lead and never looked back.
The final hand saw Li’s king-queen outlast Rice’s king-four, locking in the win. For Rice, the $140,000 runner-up prize marked the second-best score of his career. For Li, it was a breakout moment and a major step forward in his young poker journey.
