WSOP Investigates Potential Collusion in Millionaire Maker Event

By Scott Bowen,
Editor at online-gambling.com

Scott Bowen Editor at online-gambling.com

Scott Bowen is a casino expert and editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He is one of the most valuable members of our team at online-gambling.com. Bowen specializes in writing on a variety of subjects, including roulette, blackjack, video poker, sports betting, and more.

• Twitter
• Email

More About Scott Bowen

Last updated: July 5, 2025

The WSOP has launched an investigation into alleged collusion and chip dumping that occurred during the final stages of the $1,500 buy-in Millionaire Maker tournament. As a result, it has withheld both the bracelet and prize money from the top two finishers.

A Spectacular Comeback

James Carroll entered heads-up play with a commanding lead, holding nine times as many chips as Jesse Yaginuma. However, what first seemed like a sure victory for Carroll soon took an unexpected turn.

Yaginuma steadily battled back, winning hand after hand until he ultimately overtook Carroll to claim the $1.26 million first-place prize. Carroll settled for second, earning $1 million.

While a comeback of this nature isn’t unheard of, the way the chips shifted raised suspicions. Many of Yaginuma’s winning hands came through raises or reraises that Carroll consistently declined to challenge.

This pattern caught viewers’ attention on the event’s livestream, including several professional poker players, who began to suspect Carroll of chip dumping — deliberately losing hands to boost Yaginuma’s stack — to split the prize money later. Unlike some other poker tournament circuits where deal-making is permitted, such actions are strictly prohibited under official WSOP rules.

The WSOP rules explicitly define chip dumping as: “Any agreement between or among two (2) or more Participants for one or more of the Participants to bet chips with the intent of increasing another Participant’s stack.” 

ClubWPT Gold Fuelled the Speculation

Adding to the intrigue was a separate promotion from ClubWPT Gold, which offered a special bonus: any player holding a qualifying ticket could earn an additional $1 million for winning a WSOP event.

Yaginuma held one of the coveted tickets earned through a previous ClubWPT contest. Carroll, however, did not — a detail that only added to the speculation surrounding Yaginuma’s win.

By Thursday morning, June 26th, the WSOP had publicly confirmed initiating an investigation into the events at the final table.

After his win, Yaginuma denied any misconduct. While ClubWPT Gold has not launched its own investigation, the company publicly congratulated Yaginuma.

According to three-time WSOP bracelet winner Doug “WCGRider” Polk, a source told him directly that ClubWPT Gold intends to award Yaginuma the $1 million bonus regardless of the outcome of the ongoing investigation.