Poker Writer
Team BTG held on to win the 2025 WSOP $25K Fantasy title as the final events of the series wrapped up on Wednesday. The outcome was in question thanks to a Main Event final table appearance by Adam Hendrix. In the end, though, the resulting windfall of points wasn’t quite enough for Team Lady Gaga to pull off a last-minute upset.
Team BTG had held the lead throughout the final four weeks of the series. Things took a dramatic turn, however, when both BTG and their closest rivals, Lady Gaga, had two players making deep runs in the Main Event with 100 points at stake for any top-99 finish. In the end, BTG staved off the challenge and claimed first place by a 102-point margin.
Team BTG benefited from Isaac Haxton’s controversial stalling tactics. With 100 players remaining, Haxton kept a single chip back and used his clock for six minutes before committing it, hoping to reach the 98th-place payout jump, which would be the difference between $70,000 and $85,000. While he failed in getting the pay jump, the ploy may have been what landed him in 99th, rather than 100th, a difference of 97 points for his fantasy team.
Even if Haxton had finished 100th, he would have earned 3 points, and Team BTG would still have beaten Lady Gaga by 5 points. That would have added another layer of excitement to the WSOP final table, however. As things stood, even a win wouldn’t have quite enough for Hendrix to lead his team to victory on his own. If Haxton had missed the “fantasy bubble,” on the other hand, then fifth place would have been enough for Hendrix to take it.
Hendrix was aware of the fantasy implications as he posted on X about the motivation to show up and win for the Chinese-owned Team Lady Gaga:
Got the weight of Team Lady Gaga on my shoulders. Top 5 finish and we ship the @25kfantasy and I officially get my Chinese citizenship. pic.twitter.com/1vFETszkWx
— Adam Hendrix (@AdamHendrix10) July 15, 2025
Team BTG’s Formula For Victory
Team BTG, owned by poker player Bryce Yockey, takes down the $250,000 top prize for finishing in first place. It was truly a full-team performance, capped off by Dan Zack winning one of the last events of the series.
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Dylan Linde | 299 |
| Isaac Haxton | 276 |
| Nick Guagenti | 219 |
| Dan Zack | 135 |
| Punnat Punsri | 129 |
| Stephen Chidwick | 98 |
| Adam Friedman | 95 |
| Owais Ahmed | 28 |
All told, the team only won three bracelets, but they were important ones:
- Nick Guangenti — Event #25: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship
- Dylan Linde — Event #57: $50,000 PLO High Roller
- Dan Zack — Event #96: $3,000 PLO for a critical 85 points in the final days
Haxton also contributed a runner-up finish, while Punnat Punsri had two third-place finishes.
