Aaron Kupin All Business In WSOP $2,500 Mixed Big Bet Victory

There’s something that happens when one of the legends of poker is in position to win at the World Series of Poker. The current list may well be as short as Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu , and any time they make a run in a WSOP bracelet event there is an undeniable commotion.

Such was the case on Tuesday afternoon when Negreanu made his fifth final table of the 2025 WSOP. Last minute arrangements to put the action in the $2,500 mixed big bet event onto a PokerGO live stream were successful. The 50-year-old Poker Hall-of-Famer was after his eighth career WSOP bracelet, and in one of these kinds of moments, the poker world temporarily seems to stop and rotate exclusively around Negreanu.

That kind of disruption might throw off a less experienced or less savvy player. But Aaron Kupin was all business throughout the final table, and he wasn’t going to let anything throw off his best chance at winning a WSOP bracelet of his own.

Kupin had been close to big wins before. Sixth place in the 2024 World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. WSOP final tables in $10,000 buy-in pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better and no-limit deuce-to-seven championship events. And then there was the seventh place finish in this very same $2,500 mixed big bet event back in 2022.

On this Tuesday evening, as the lights were brightest, Kupin followed through. He won his first WSOP bracelet, a career-best $206,982, and 1,080 points in the Card Player Player of the Year race, presented by Coin Poker.

Hot Out Of The Gates

At the start of play on day 3, 11 players were in the hunt to win this $2,500 mixed big bet event. Kupin was just ahead of two other frontrunners, Negreanu and Marco Johnson, a two-time WSOP winner in his own right. Three other multi-time bracelet winners, Jeff Madsen, Steve Billirakis, and Christopher Vitch, were also among the talent-laden pool of contenders.

Kupin tacked onto his lead when he eliminated Vitch in 10th place. In no-limit deuce-to-seven single draw, Kupin drew one and Vitch drew two. Kupin bet, Vitch raised and Kupin three-bet enough to put Vitch all in. After thinking it through, Vitch paused before ultimately calling with a 9-8-7-6-4. Kupin rolled over 7-6-4-3-2, a number two, and Vitch was out.

Kupin continued to build his stack in a series of smaller pots. Negreanu made a move of his own, remaining solidly in second, and Johnson sat comfortably in third as the field combined to an unofficial final table of seven.

Johnson locked in the official six-handed final table when he dispatched Robert Mclaughlin in seventh. In a hand of Big O, Johnson turned a full house, deuces-full-of-queens, to lock up the pot.

Johnson temporarily overtook the chip lead, but Kupin stormed back shortly thereafter. In a hand of pot-limit Omaha, Bariscan Betil’s remaining chips went in on a K♦J♠6♥ flop against Kupin. Betil tabled A♣K♣Q♦6♣ for top and bottom pair, but Kupin held K♥J♥10♠9♠ for top two-pair. Both players also had gutshot straight draws.

The 6♦ turn seemed to be the lifesaver Betil needed, giving him a full house. But the J♦ river gave Kupin a bigger full house, and Betil was out in sixth.

A Flip For It All

During five-handed play, Johnson briefly edged back in front as he took a big chunk out of Madsen’s stack. Johnson claimed the rest of Madsen’s chips in a no-limit hold’em coin flip. Madsen shoved 19 big blinds from the button, and Johnson eventually called with A♣7♣. Madsen had pocket fours, and the runout was ultimately unkind as it fell A♦9♥6♥Q♦Q♥. The 2006 WSOP Player of the Year was out in fifth place.

Kupin quickly claimed some of those chips, and the lead, in a no-limit deuce-to-seven hand. Both players drew one card, and Kupin’s 9-8-5-3-2 pipped Johnson’s 9-8-7-4-2.

Kupin’s lead ballooned with pots taken off of Negreanu and Mor, and Negreanu entered a roller-coaster ride as his stack fluctuated wildly during four-handed play.

Negreanu’s fifth good shot at WSOP bracelet number eight crashed out in pot-limit Omaha. Almost half of his chips went in against Kupin on a 10♦9♣4♠ flop. On the K♦ turn, Kupin put Negreanu all in, and Negreanu called.

With a chance to double right back into contention, Negreanu had J♦8♦7♣4♦ for a pair of fours and a flush draw. Kupin had 10♥9♠6♦5♦ for two-pair, tens and nines, and blockers with a lesser flush draw.

According to the Card Player Omaha Odds Calculator, Negreanu was the slightest of favorites with a 52.5 percent chance to win the pot and double. He needed a queen, jack, eight, six, four or diamond. The river was a pure brick, the 2♥, and Negreanu was out in fourth.

. @RealKidPoker bows out in 4th place in the Big Bet Mix ($60,792)

Check out WSOP+ for more updates! #WSOP2025 pic.twitter.com/DSIq8g6CPK

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 2, 2025

Negreanu adds to a summer that also included finishes of second, seventh, eighth, ninth and 11th. All of those previous results came in events with buy-ins of $10,000 or more.

A Race To The Finish

Mor quickly earned himself a double through Kupin in PLO, turning a king-high club flush. That joy was short-lived, though, In pot-limit deuce-to-seven triple draw, both Mor and Kupin drew two cards on the opening draw. Mor raised all in, and Kupin called. On the second draw, both players took one card.

Going into the third draw, Mor stood pat and Kupin took one card. Mor tabled 8-7-6-3-2, and Kupin was drawing thin with 8-6-4-3. He needed a five or deuce, and ultimately peeled a five to make a superior low.

Heading into a dinner break after a short period of heads-up play, Kupin led by more than 2-to-1. The tournament ultimately came down to a hand of no-limit deuce-to-seven single draw.

Both players drew two cards. Johnson bet all but a few of his remaining chips, and Kupin reraised all in. Johnson shook his head and called, showing 9-8-7-4-3. Kupin had drawn slightly better, and his 9-8-6-5-3 was good enough to secure him the bracelet.

Final Table Results

Winner photo credit: PokerGO / Miguel Cortes.