WSOP kicks off
The 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has just begun, and there have been some notable changes for this year’s edition. Among other rule tinkering, such as banning players from seeking advice from the rail and using devices at the table, the WSOP has mandated that registration for events this year must take place via the official app.
What’s not to like?
The thinking here is obvious for anyone who’s ever had to endure the pain a WSOP registration queue. It gets tournaments up and running much faster, potentially stops late-registration shenanigans, and allows far greater comfort and convenience for players and staff alike. What’s not to like?
No filter
Well, it seems that one thing the WSOP forgot to introduce was a filter for usernames. And in the second event on the very first day, $500 Industry Employees No-Limit Hold’em, “SuckMe69” surged into a commanding chip lead with just seven players left.
The alias of an Italian player named Christopher Zollo, SuckMe69 maintained his lead moving into heads-up play. At that point, organizers stepped in, and Zollo was quickly forced to change his name before proceeding.
The story didn’t end there, though. Zollo was soon dealt his eponymous hand, 6-9 offsuit. After making a standard open, he was faced with a 3-bet. Whether it was his favorite hand, an act of protest, a belief in fate, or that he simply couldn’t resist, Zollo moved in for all of his chips.
Legends are made
His opponent, Phovieng Keokham, quickly called and tabled A-Q offsuit, leaving Zollo very much live. The 9♠ arriving on the flop must have seemed like destiny, giving him an enormous lead and making him a huge favorite to win the bracelet.
Unfortunately, fate was not on Zollo’s side – the Q♥ arriving on the turn put Keokham back into the lead, with a meaningless 2 landing on the river. Zollo walked away with second place and $42,886 for his troubles.
Presumably, WSOP staff are now frantically working on a name filter to ensure that Zollo’s antics don’t repeat themselves. However, we’ll always have the memories. In the tournament series where legends are born every year, we have our first after just a couple days. SuckMe69, we salute you. Is a deep run in the Main Event too much to ask for?
