The World Series of Poker (WSOP) invalidated the result of its $1,500 "Millionaire Maker" tournament after concluding an investigation into collusion late in the heads-up match.
The ruling comes amid widespread suspicion of the improbable comeback of Jesse Yaginuma against James Carroll at the Horseshoe Las Vegas, in which the victor would have collected over $1.25 million and the championship bracelet.
Key Takeaways
- WSOP’s ‘Millionaire Maker’ tournament had its results revoked after reported collusion between the final two players.
- ClubWPT Gold would award Jesse Yaginuma an extra $1 million if he won the tournament, as part of a promotion.
- James Carroll was accused of ‘chip dumping’ to Yaginuma, sparking the investigation by the WSOP.
Yaginuma started the final table of the tourney at an enormous 9-to-1 chip disadvantage. Yaginuma turned the tables and captured the tourney, and the poker community began to analyze the result shortly thereafter.
Online spectators scrutinized Carroll's play during the heads-up match, questioning his urge to win the tournament. This resulted in accusations of "chip dumping," the deliberate loss of chips from one player to another, a known WSOP rule infraction.
In its statement on Monday evening, the WSOP reported that it would have no official champion for the tournament, but that both players would be paid an equal share of the first- and second-place prize money. The organization explained that it was obligated to maintain competitive integrity and adhere to tournament rules.
The investigation into WSOP Event 53 has been completed.
— WSOP - World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 1, 2025
We have concluded that in order to uphold the integrity of the game and to uphold our official WSOP Tournament Rules, no winner will be recognized and no bracelet will be awarded for this year's tournament. The remaining… https://t.co/giL0Ij9Cwj
The $1 million elephant in the room
Motivations for the alleged chip-dumping were not officially revealed, but it was widely assumed that it occurred because of a promotion run by a rival third-party poker operator. Yaginuma was eligible to collect a $1 million bonus from ClubWPT Gold if he finished in first place in the event. Carroll was not eligible for the promotion.
Thus, when Carroll was unable to close out the tournament, the speculation from the poker world rang loud.
ClubWPT announced that it was still awarding the $1 million promotion prize to Yaginuma, despite the allegations.
WSOP suspends online bracelet event after technical meltdown
In another development, the WSOP was also forced to postpone an ongoing online bracelet event in June because of widespread technical difficulties affecting gameplay.
The $250 No-Limit Hold'em Mystery Bounty tournament scheduled June 7–8 outperformed expectations with 7,623 players and an aggregate prize pool of $1.7 million. There were 1,110 survivors on Day 2, all in the money and eligible for bounty payments for each elimination they achieved.
However, on the second day, a platform crash prevented a large number of players from logging in. Their stacks remained in play and blinded out for two hours as others continued playing. The WSOP suspended the event but was unable to resume it in a fair manner.
WSOP guaranteed the winning players will keep the bounty prizes and the $250 buy-in will be returned to all of the players. The company also announced the rest of the prize funds will be redistributed so fairness and the integrity of the competition series is maintained. The 1,100 Day 2 members were also given a $500 entry into an upcoming WSOP tournament.
