WSOP Millionaire Maker Scandal Rocks Poker World with No Winner, Bans, and Split Prizes
The 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #53, the $1,500 Millionaire Maker, has ignited one of the most explosive controversies in poker history, dubbed “Milly Maker-gate.” On July 1, 2025, the WSOP announced an unprecedented ruling: no winner would be recognized, no bracelet awarded, and the $2.3 million prize pool split evenly between finalists Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll. The decision, driven by allegations of chip dumping and collusion during heads-up play, has led to lifetime bans from Caesars properties for both players.
Collusion Allegations and Suspicious Play
The controversy erupted during the heads-up battle of the Millionaire Maker, a $1,500 buy-in tournament that drew 11,996 entries and a $15.9 million prize pool. James Carroll, a two-time World Poker Tour champion with $6.1 million in career earnings, entered the final duel with a commanding 9:1 chip lead over Jesse Yaginuma, a three-time WSOP online bracelet winner.
Yet, Carroll’s unorthodox moves, such as raising preflop to 13 million with 6♦3♠, betting 17 million on a jack-high flop without a pair, and losing to Yaginuma’s J♣8♣, allowed Yaginuma to stage a stunning comeback.
Another hand saw Carroll’s A♠10♠ fall to Yaginuma’s Q♥3♣ on a 4♦J♠4♥Q♥5♥ board, ending the match. Observers, including poker pro Rob Kuhn, cried foul on X, calling it “disgusting and bizarre chip dumping.”
The WSOP’s investigation, launched June 26, 2025, focused on these “curious confrontations,” with many suspecting Carroll deliberately lost chips to boost Yaginuma’s stack.
Fueling speculation was a $1 million ClubWPT Gold bonus, available only to Yaginuma through a promotional ticket won in a nacho-eating contest.
Carroll, ineligible for the bonus, appeared to play passively, folding strong hands like A♥A♦ or 8♠8♦ without contesting pots, prompting accusations of a backroom deal
. Yaginuma denied wrongdoing in a PokerOrg interview, insisting their minimal conversation during a break was poker-related, but the WSOP concluded that the play violated Rule 40b, which bans collusion and chip dumping.
Unprecedented Ruling and Fallout
On July 1, the WSOP issued a historic statement: “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 prize pool will be split between the final two players.”
The $1,255,180 first-place prize and $1,012,320 second-place prize were averaged, awarding each player $1,133,750. ClubWPT Gold, despite the controversy, confirmed it would honor Yaginuma’s $1 million bonus, pushing his total earnings above $2.1 million.
The decision to pay the bonus, described by ClubWPT as “standing by our word,” drew criticism from GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu, who argued the promotion incentivizes collusion.
Adding to the drama, sources report that Caesars Entertainment and Nevada Gaming regulators imposed lifetime bans on Yaginuma and Carroll from Caesars properties, including the WSOP in Las Vegas.
PokerOrg and Daniel Negreanu confirmed the bans, though it’s unclear if they extend to non-Caesars events like WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas.
Neither player has issued a formal statement, with Yaginuma describing the ordeal to ClubWPT as “surreal” and “like an out-of-body experience.”
Recommended