The 2025 PokerStars North American Poker Tour Main Event is down to the final table. Later today, the last six players will come back to play down to the winner. While everyone making it this far will have plenty of support, the eyes of the poker world will be primarily fixed on Jennifer Shahade.
A chess player who fell in love with poker and is a PokerStars ambassador, Shahade is coming back second in chips and with a real shot at the title, and there is no doubt she’ll have thousands of fans lining up to offer their support (virtually and in-person) once the cards get in the air.
To get where she is now, Jen had to outlast a field of over 700 players, which is an impressive feat in its own right. Today, however, she’ll be looking to close the deal and pick up the enormous first prize of $653,050.
- Deposit $10 or more and get a 100% bonus match up to $600
- One of the best mobile apps
- Biggest MTT guarantees
Still Work to Be Done
Starting the day second in chips, Shahade is in a good position to make a run for the title. However, it’s not as good a spot as it may sound, since the current chip leader, Thomas Boivin, has managed to build a massive lead over the rest of the field.
To put things into perspective, Boivin has 12 million in chips in his stack, four times as much as Shahade, who starts with three million. The good news is that three million is still good for 30 big blinds, so the PokerStars ambassador will have a bit of time to look for a good spot for a much-needed double-up.
Of course, the remaining four players will be looking for their opportunities as well. Ekrem Bozkurt and Gal Yifrach both have over two million to start. The other two, Michael Berk and Peter Mugar, are under one million, which means they’ll probably get off to an aggressive start, looking to pick up some quick chips and get back in the game.
Shahade may not be as experienced as some of her opponents, especially Boivin, who has over $13 million in live tournament earnings. However, she’s had a very good year so far, and she’s coming into this final table on the heels of {m:jen-shahade-wins-pokerstars-womens-summer: her victory in the PokerStars Women’s Summer Festival in London}, and that experience should help her handle the pressure.
A Win No Matter What
What should also help with the pressure is the fact that the two-time US Women’s Chess Champion has already secured the best result of her poker career, at least in terms of money, just by making the final table. The least she’ll be walking away with is $132,850.
With a couple of short stacks in the mix, Shahade should have no problems laddering up a few spots, and those money jumps are quite significant. If she manages to outlast just two players, she’ll lock up $225k.
In spots like these, ICM is usually a major consideration, but it’s not impossible that we may see Jen throw caution to the wind a little bit and take a more risky approach to put herself in a position to win. Of course, a lot of it will be down to card distribution and table dynamics, and it’s impossible to predict how these will break down.
The good news is, we’ll be able to see it all in real-time, as PokerStars will be doing the cards-up final table coverage starting at 1 pm local time (9 pm UTC). Make sure to tune in for the conclusion of the 2025 NAPT Main Event, as this final table has all the makings of an epic poker story.
