Inside the Mind of a Pro @ 2025 WSOP EP01 (Davidi Kitai)

Hello everyone, and welcome to Las Vegas, for a brand-new season at the heart of poker's ultimate competition: the World Series of Poker Main Event.

Everyone still remembers Adrian Mateos' performance in the 2024 edition — a masterclass at the highest level, one that redefined what we can expect from poker's flagship series.

For Team Winamax players following in Adrian's footsteps this year, getting a more impressive result will be quite the challenge.

But motivation is running high within the red W squad, who've been stacking impressive results all summer long in 2025.

Joao Vieira won his fourth bracelet in the $100,000 High Roller and reached two more final tables soon after.

Adrian Mateos, once again, went on to claim his fifth bracelet.

Meanwhile, Romain Lewis, Julien Sitbon, Mustapha Kanit, and Davidi Kitai have all shown remarkable consistency, making impressive deep runs one after another.

And to dive into poker's most prestigious competition, who better to guide us than this man?

Davidi Kitai — a veteran of Team Winamax since 2008, a World Series regular with three bracelets to his name, and the undeniable star of your favorite series, with 38 episodes filmed since the first season.

The Main Event is the one Davidi dreams of winning someday, more so than any other tournament.

He hasn't missed a single edition since the start of his professional career, almost twenty years ago.

Today, for the first time, he's taking you behind the scenes, minute by minute, to reveal the inner workings of his favorite event: his thought process, his flashes of genius, and the full range of his strategy.

Ten thousand dollars to enter.

Almost ten thousand players expected to attend.

One shot, once a year.

A one-of-a-kind tournament, from the perspective of a one-of-a-kind player.

Take it away, Dav'!

How did you manage to spin it up to 210K in a day?

That's beautiful, a very nice Day 1.

-Were you getting hands? -Yeah, I was getting a ton of hands.

Honestly, I couldn't have finished with less, I don't think.

I don't know if you remember, we talked...

I think in Monaco.

We had a conversation where you explained to me that we need to have a game plan for each profile and also a kind of overall game plan.

And that's something that really helped me for Day 1, because actually, especially in the Main Event, it's a pretty special tournament where there are a lot of guys who are complete amateurs, a lot of guys who qualified through small tournaments and so on, through small satellites...

And in fact, I really had a game plan for each guy.

There was a woman who just kept folding, so I just kept bluffing her, I was calling everything in position.

A guy who didn't care, so I only played him for value...

So that was really it...

It was advice that really helped me.

Strategy is super important in this tournament.

What's your strategy for this specific tournament?

It's kind of what you said, except I have such strong survival instincts that I'm like, damn, I need to find spots to build up to 210,000 on Day 1.

I have a strong survival instinct so I often miss out on value.

So like, a guy three-bets me, I have Kings, I get scared, you know, I don't even dare to four-bet. I'm a bit too scared of busting on Day 1.

I've worked on that a bit actually, to be less afraid of busting, but overall on Day 1, I just take it easy.

We start with 60,000.

My goal is to have more than the starting stack.

I'm relaxed, I'm not forcing anything.

Yeah, but actually, especially, you get easy spots where guys...

Actually, there are still guys who kind of give away chips.

Yeah it's true. Basically, you wait for the easy spots, that's the thing.

You need one or two spots where players hand you chips during the day.

And the real Day 1 strategy is cracking old players' pocket Aces.

That's so true, damn!

So like, you know that if you call two blinds with 5-6 offsuit, and the flop comes 4-7-8 or 5-6-Queen.

He's gonna bet.

And you take it all from him when he has pocket Aces.

But all of it! Yeah, it's impressive.

Do you wanna hear something crazy?

In the Day I played, by 12:30, there were already 6 bust-outs.

Don't laugh too much, you busted earlier last year.

I busted on the first hand.

That's right.

But really, if I ever...

I'm not saying this because you're my friend, but if I had to bet my savings on someone, on a WSOP Main Event, I'd bet on you.

So there you go, don't let me down.

That's kind of you, but I'm not selling action this year!

Alright, good luck. I'll join you with 200K on Day 2.

-Let's go! -Deal.

Alright, daddy's leaving my loves. I love you.

We say good luck?

Alright, good luck.

Kiss, my love.

Goodbye Vivi, goodbye Delphine.

Alright, I love you.

Good luck!

We love you!

It's nice to be in this villa.

I've been sharing a villa with Pierre and his family for several years now.

And with my family also. It's a perfect balance.

-Hello! -Hello!

Today's the big day. It's the World Series of Poker Main Event.

I train all year for this day.

Every year, I try to improve, I work on my game with that goal in mind.

I have this dream of winning this tournament one day.

I've been playing it for 19 years.

Today is Day 1. Survival is key.

Getting through Day 1 is the goal.

The WSOP has been going well so far.

I've cashed a lot, I had a lot of deep runs.

I'm getting a better and better understanding of the American amateur player's profile.

I'm getting good at exploiting the weaknesses in their game.

And so, I feel really confident.

I feel quite a bit of pressure walking into this room.

It's normal. It's the World Series of Poker Main Event.

It's a big day.

But once I'm seated at the table, everything will be fine.

I quickly analyzed the table on the new WSOP app.

It looks pretty decent to me. I don't know anyone.

Mind you, they always add players at the last minute, but I feel like the table is pretty good.

A lot of American players who have a lot of cashes, in big fields, so typically, the American player profile who plays fairly tight, I reckon.

Then again, I'm going to be observing a lot at the start of the day, and perhaps there are one or two players that are more aggressive or who are capable of bluffing, so I'll really need to profile my opponents well at the start of the day.

-Hello Sir! -Hello.

34-2. Let's go!

-Your ID please? -Yeah.

I'm the first to arrive at the table, that'll give me time to watch them arrive.

Just from their appearance, I'll get quite a few clues.

Okay cool.

A Winamax logo, and there we go. I'm being followed by Inside the Mind of a Pro today.

We want to see you on Inside the Mind of a Pro for a long time.

At least 15 episodes.

Thanks, good luck to you!

P.A.: "Welcome players to the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event..."

Good luck.

P.A.: "Alright. Players and dealers, the button is in Seat 9, 100 small blind, 200 big blind, 200 big blind ante.

100/200/200. Dealers, please, shuffle up and deal."

Alright, brilliant, here we go.

We're 6-handed, so that's really great.

The table looks really pretty good, so that's good news.

I'm going to be able to play a lot of hands, be aggressive...

Americans often play too tight 6-handed, so we can steal a lot.

I'm also going to take advantage of this to build an aggressive player image, that's a bit my style.

We're so deep, we have 300 big blinds.

6-7 of spades. I'm in the big blind, against a raise from the button.

This is typically the kind of hand I love.

I could call, of course, but I like to be aggressive right from the start.

1,600.

Three-bet, that's not bad.

This is the kind of hand I like to three-bet when I'm very deep.

Alright, cool. It's always nice to win the first hand.

These are two-hour levels, so I really have plenty of time to see how things develop, to analyze my opponents.

Dealer: "400."

This player opened for a second consecutive hand.

I have Jack-Queen of spades.

Both options are fine.

I think I prefer to just call, to get the big blind involved.

It's a hand that plays very well post-flop.

It's the kind of hand I like.

I want to see a flop early in the tournament.

It can hit some really good flops.

Here, I've hit top pair.

Oh wow, this player donk bets.

Generally, Americans, when they donk bet, it represents a fairly average hand, but at the same time, it can't be a pure bluff.

I can see him donk betting a hand like top pair with a weak kicker.

I'm feeling pretty good here.

I have a backdoor straight draw, backdoor flush draw.

The turn doesn't change much.

Here, typically, he could bet to check back on the river if he has a hand like Queen-10.

He can sometimes have draws like 9-10 of hearts, or even 9-10 offsuit.

Oh dear, he's making quite a big bet here!

Here though, I would have thought he'd bet a bit less with a hand like Queen-10, Queen-9, Queen-5 suited...

This sizing worries me a bit.

I think I have a hand that's too strong to fold.

I can't fold at this stage, especially since he might really check back.

I don't think he's going to bluff the river too often, he doesn't seem like that type of player.

I don't have many reads on him yet, though.

But from what I've seen based on his results, this is a big buy-in for him.

I don't think he's a big bluffer, he has a lot of cashes.

So, alright, I'm going to call here. I'm going to take my time, to really discourage him in case he's bluffing, to not make him want to continue his bluff on the river.

The river isn't bad. An Ace.

There's no reason for him to have that many Aces in his range.

Oh dear, he's getting his chips ready to bet. Argh!

He bets again, quite a big bet.

In the end, what are the hands that beat me?

His strong hands are two pair.

Queen-2 suited, Queen-8 suited. That's just two combos.

He has three combos of 2-2 and 8-8 that make a set.

Every now and then, he could have a hand like Ace-Queen.

He could even have Queen-6 suited too.

What are his bluffs, in the end?

His bluffs could be a hand like 9-10 for example, which makes a double gutshot on the turn, and on the river, he feels forced to bluff.

I'm going to think about this call, give it some thought.

This donk bet...

Would he really donk bet a very strong hand like a set?

I'm not sure, but oh well.

I don't see him bluffing, he looks pretty comfortable.

First hand. I don't see him particularly bluffing here.

I don't have many reads on the player, but he's not the type of player who's going to over-bluff.

I think these players are fairly tight.

Against an American, I don't want to make a hero call like that at the start, put myself...

Lose 10,000 already on the first hand.

I don't think I'm going to be able to call.

I'm still thinking, I'm watching him, I'm analyzing his tells...

But I think I'm clearly going to fold.

Dealer: "Floor, 134!"

They call the clock. It's not a big deal.

I like to tank at the start.

It won't make him want to bluff me in future hands, later on.

My goal on Day 1 is for people not to bluff me too much.

It's easier to play.

Alright, I don't know what you have, but I think you've got it.

Alright, I fold.

Alright, it's a small pot, it's not a big deal.

It's good, I'm taking my time, it impresses the opponents a bit.

I'm showing presence.

People will often remember all day the first hands played, it's very important.

It's a common cognitive bias.

Alright, I continue playing hands that aren't theoretical.

I'm going on the assumption that the table is very tight.

I want to build this image for myself.

Dealer: "Heads-up."

It's a flop that favors my range quite a bit, but oh well.

I'm not particularly keen to three-barrel, but in any case, what's certain is that I'm going to c-bet.

Alright, great, it's nice to win small pots, and then the big hands will start coming.

The watch is nice, but I would wear the bracelet.

You prefer the World Series of Poker bracelet?

Yeah, that's what I would wear.

The watch is nice though.

Thank you.

I prefer the bracelet too.

That's what I thought.

My two neighbors to my right and left seem really nice.

I hope we're heads-up for it.

You never know!

I really don't think, given his personality and his results, that he's a player who bluffs a lot.

I don't really see any player at the table who seems very dangerous.

Jack-Queen. I'm going to defend, of course. 300 to add.

That's a nice flop. I made a pair.

He c-bets. I'm going to call, nice and easy.

He doesn't bet big, a small sizing.

This type of profile might have overprotected with big hands such as Ace-King, since there are quite a few draws...

This sizing actually reassures me.

He checks back. I often have the winning hand.

The river is nice. I think I often have the winning hand here.

I think I can value bet.

There are quite a few draws that missed: flush draws...

But I can't bet too much, though.

I also like betting small, that way when I bluff, I can also use small bets in the future.

Alright, that wins, perfect.

I think at that price, he really wanted to see my cards.

He can call me really light.

Alright, these are small pots. It's good for confidence.

Jack-8 of hearts. I'm going to call.

The flop isn't too bad.

I have a pair, a backdoor straight draw, a backdoor flush draw, and a gutshot draw.

I'm going to check, there's not much point in betting.

He bets 700.

After having checked the flop, he could typically have tens.

I could raise to bluff, but I don't even particularly need to.

I want to keep the pot small.

I sometimes have the best hand and I can improve.

The river isn't great.

Ah, 8-9. I win. My kicker plays, cool!

It's interesting nonetheless to see that he opens 8-9 off on the button, which is perfectly fine, but I should note that he has a profile that's perhaps a bit loose after all, compared to other Americans his age.

Mind you, it's still pretty standard to open this hand.

I shouldn't draw too many conclusions from it either.

Oh wow, a very strong hand.

Alright, my friend in the small blind calls. That's good.

I dominate a lot of his range.

If I hit top pair, he could have slightly weaker hands.

And there we go, top pair.

I'm obviously going to c-bet.

A slightly shaky call.

The hands that beat me would be Ace-5 suited, Ace-Jack, a set of fives.

It's not impossible, but oh well...

That's a really nice card right there.

Here, I need to bet big, though.

I have a lot of value to extract.

I can get called of course by all the Aces, by all the Jacks.

I don't see him folding a Jack here.

He can also sometimes have a Jack plus a flush draw.

Hands like Jack-Queen of clubs, or something like that.

In any case, I don't see him folding a Jack against me.

I'm going to make a big bet.

2,600.

Close to pot size seems good to me.

Alright, I don't see him folding much.

Brilliant perfect!

Come on, a nice river, preferably not a club.

The Queen of spades, that's not bad.

I'm not saying he can never have Ace-Queen, I'm not even sure he'd three-bet that.

There are still some hands that can beat me from time to time.

A Jack can fold now on the Queen.

If he has Jack-Queen, he's not going to fold.

Here, there are a lot of draws that missed, so I think he's going to call me quite a bit.

The choice is the sizing.

Generally, I want to bet big here, but I think I'm going to bet much less to make sure I get called.

3,700.

He snap-called, that makes me regret the sizing.

I might not have made it big enough.

Ugh, I didn't make it big enough.

Think longer!

I liked the idea of having a showdown from the start, so they can see I'm not bluffing.

So did you win a bracelet this year?

Not this year.

Which bracelet is he talking about?

He's got multiple ones to chose from. He's got three!

Either one!

The last one was 11 years ago.

-So you're due, huh? -What?

So you're due?

What does that mean?

You're due to win another.

It's been 11 years!

Yes, especially the Main Event one.

That's the downside of this app, they can also see my results, so they're talking to me about the bracelets I've won and all that.

The advantage is that I can also see their results, it gives quite a few clues, but...

At the same time, they're going to respect me all the more.

They're not going to want to bluff a World Champion.

So I'm going to be able to bully the table even more comfortably.

Call.

So here, he limps, even though he raised 8-9 offsuit.

You said call, right?

I'm going to defend 9-2, mainly because they're not too dangerous.

At a tougher table, I probably wouldn't have called this 9-2, but here, I'm fine with it.

The flop is pretty good. I'm going to lead on this flop, that's cool.

My top pair is often good here.

If I check, it's going to check back too often.

There'll be a bad turn, so I'd rather lead, that's fine.

The turn: an Ace.

Strangely, it looks like a bad card, but it's not bad at all.

On the button, I think he would have raised all his Aces.

They don't have a lot of Aces in their range, so it's a nice card.

I can still value-protect comfortably.

They both call me.

I still think I often have the best hand.

Sometimes they can have a better kicker.

The river: Queen of clubs.

I don't think I have any more value here to bet.

I'm clearly going to check.

However, if they bet, I'm going to be tempted to call.

All the draws missed.

Dealer: "9."

Alright, it's a winner.

It's good to show a 9-2 offsuit at showdown and win a pot.

All of this is good for my image.

The start of the day is going really well.

Another big hand on the button.

Jacks.

Alright, I show them.

On the first level, the goal is really to build your image.

That's illegal right there, mate!

You raise every hand on the button, and you catch monster after monster.

I'm not going to mess with you, man.

-He had Ace-King, and then Jacks. -Yeah, I know.

I had a monster when he had the Ace-King.

Wow!

I thought I had him where I wanted him!

I thought I had you, I'm not going to lie. I thought I had you!

The hand just below was Ace-10.

So, maybe he had Ace-10, that makes me regret that bet a bit.

I could have bet big, almost overbet.

Ace-8 of hearts.

That's the kind of hand you want to have on the first level.

These are hands that can hit the nuts.

1,900.

Dealer: "Raise. 1,900."

Is it 1,800 or 1,900?

Dealer: "1,900."

I'm not going to fold to the three-bet, even though this player seems a bit tight to me.

He's a Stud player from what I've seen, he has a lot of cashes in Stud.

Stud players are often very nitty.

Oh dear, I've completely missed this flop.

It hits his three-bet range.

I'm not putting another chip in this pot.

I'm going to watch him, though. How much is he betting?

A small two-thirds pot bet.

I'm obviously going to fold, but I still need to watch him a bit, to impress him a little, and think about it.

I watch how they react.

This could be crucial later on.

And above all, I need to impress him a bit so that he avoids bluffing me too much later, you never know.

But I'm obviously going to fold.

Alright, no big deal.

Another UTG open.

I think UTG is a good spot to open quite a few hands.

In the big blind, I think he's defending a bit too much, and then he's respectful post-flop, he's pretty easy to play against, like the rest of the table, actually.

Here, it's typically the kind of hand I don't want to c-bet.

It hits his range, and also, I have a nice hand to bluff-catch.

What can he bet here?

He can have weaker draws, he can even have hands like 7-6, or draws also, so I'm obviously going to call.

Oh no, he wants to bet here.

He bets quite big here.

I don't think I'm going to be able to call.

I'm still going to think about it a bit.

He's a bit of a loose player, he can have gutshots and feel obligated to bluff.

His crossed arms and his attitude make me think it's a bluff.

But at the same time, I can't find many bluffs here.

Queen-9...

or sixes.

The flush came in.

I don't know if I can call this.

His attitude doesn't look very comfortable.

That makes me want to call, but I don't like to rely on that alone.

I haven't observed him long enough.

He immediately crossed his arms, he leaned back...

He looks pretty uncomfortable.

I don't beat many hands though.

I can't find enough bluffs.

He's the kind of player who doesn't bluff enough.

I'm going to give him credit this time.

It's a small pot, no big deal. If you're bluffing, well played.

Bluff?

It was a bit close, actually.

I see them give up their bluffs too often to try to pull off hero calls at Level 1 without a particular read.

I'm not beating enough bluffs.

Mind you, his attitude didn't look very comfortable, but I can't rely only on tells early in the tournament.

I'm not confident enough.

Once again, he min-raises from the button.

Alright, I'm going to call with 4-5.

I really want to play a lot of hands against them, see flops.

Dealer: "3 players."

They all check, a rather good sign.

Here, I've hit a 4.

I think the button would have bet if he had a King, he would have hesitated to bet if he had a Jack.

I can bet here for protection. A tiny bet.

I'm beating a few hands, a few draws.

Ah, he has a 4 like me. We're chopping.

It's a chop, right?

I'm happy.

-Chop chop. -Chop chop, yeah.

I'm doing better. I tied with you!

Alright, there was a showdown with 4-5 offsuit for my image. Why not?

They must think I'm very loose-aggressive, which will help me when I hit big hands.

Alright, a marginal hand in the hijack, but I'm going to open it.

I can really play a lot of hands at this table, I think.

This Stud player calls on the button.

That's good. I'm fine playing it multi-way.

I've completely missed the flop.

I'm not going to c-bet on this flop, it can hit the opponents' ranges too hard.

The big blind leads. I'm obviously going to fold.

It's interesting.

I haven't seen these two players play many hands yet.

It's important to observe carefully.

He bets a quarter of the pot.

He calls.

Ah, top pair, yeah.

This player in grey seems fairly passive.

Loose-passive, he calls a bit too much.

He probably has a Jack, I'm not sure if it was a good call on the turn.

Alright. Ace-King in the big blind, against a raise and a call.

It's a very strong hand.

I'm hesitating between calling or squeezing.

I think I'm somewhat obliged to squeeze though.

2,800.

It's way too weak to just call, and especially since I have value against hands like Ace-Queen, King-Queen suited...

King-Queen suited...

He seems like a station.

Not him, but the other player seems like a pretty big calling station.

You're trying to play a big pot, huh?

After that tanking, he's clearly going to fold.

And him...

He calls.

Older Americans often put you on Ace-King when you squeeze or you're aggressive.

That's the reason I had considered just calling: to disguise my hand. But this deep, I really can't.

Oh dear, the flop is awful.

Oh dear, that's the worst flop.

I don't even know if I want to c-bet.

I think I have to c-bet a tiny sizing.

If he has a hand like a pair of black fives, he's going to struggle to call.

I'm going to bet very small.

We'll re-evaluate on the turn.

1,700.

He calls, that's not looking good.

On a heart, I'll be tempted to continue bluffing though.

The 3 of hearts.

I think I can bet small again.

He has too many hands that can fold.

It's too profitable to make a small 1/4 pot bet.

If I make him fold top pair, a pair of black eights, Jack-Queen of clubs...

Alright.

2,600.

Small bet. Come on, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold!

If he calls here, I don't think I'm going to be able to continue though.

He's checking his cards.

That's a rather good sign.

He would have been more discreet if he had a big heart, or he wouldn't have checked at all.

Good news, let's go!

Cool!

Alright, a small bluff.

Bluffing wasn't the plan, but sometimes there's no choice.

Here, it was a good spot, the bet sizes were small, but which offered a very profitable risk-reward.

Ah, a new player at the table, Unfortunately, a young guy.

A young guy.

I don't know him, but...

I was feeling good there with my friends, 6-handed.

Well, it shouldn't be too bad either.

At first glance, I get the impression he's a young American.

That's a bit less dangerous than having a young European on your left, who's capable of making big bluffs.

Americans, even the young ones, bluff a bit less.

They're often more competent than the older players, but they don't bluff that much.

Ace-2 of clubs, I'm going to open this hand.

It's really the kind of hand I want to play at Level 1 of the Main Event.

It can hit the nuts.

This Stud player three-bets on the button.

Mmm, I'm obviously going to call.

He had already three-bet me when I had Ace-8 of hearts.

Maybe he has a somewhat tight-aggressive profile and he three-bets his hands...

Rather tight-aggressive unlike the others who seem rather...

tight-passive, some loose-passive.

Ah, that's a very nice flop, though.

I have top pair, I have a flush draw.

And this is the kind of hand I'm comfortable check/calling nice and easy.

Watch the sizing carefully.

I think if he has pocket Kings, he's going to bet really small, if he has an overpair.

Dealer: "1,200."

1,200. That could still be pocket Kings, pocket Queens, pocket Jacks, but it could also be plenty of other hands.

I think he can have...

still Ace-King, Ace-Queen, King-Queen, of course.

I think I'm doing okay against his range, but I'd like to hit a club, that would be nice.

Alright, here, though, I'm definitely going to call again, but if he bets, that's going to worry me a bit, my kicker isn't very good.

Oh dear, he's setting up an overbet. Whoa, he overbets, that's annoying.

I wasn't expecting that.

Whoa!

In Stud though, we play limit.

I didn't know Stud players knew about overbets.

Whoa! He still often has Ace-King, Ace-Queen, those kinds of hands.

He could even have Ace-10, a set of tens...

Whoa!

At the same time, it's tough to fold. I can improve, and from time to time, he can be bluffing with hands like King-Queen.

The simple fact that he overbets makes me think he's perhaps a bit more competent than I thought.

In any case, I can't see myself folding here, I have a hand that's too strong.

I'm not especially happy about it, but I'm going to call.

I think if he has Ace-King or Ace-Queen, he's going to bet big to check a lot on the river.

I can have strong hands myself, like sets...

So yeah, I'm going to call.

Come on, a club, a club, come on!

Argh!

A club would have been nice.

Come on, check back, check back, check back!

Come on, come on, come on, come on!

Come on, check back!

Yes! Alright, let's hope that wins!

Don't show me Ace-Queen!

Wow!

Yes!

Ah, great! This is an important pot!

It's quite big actually for the first level.

Winning those 20,000 chips, worth 1/3 of the starting stack, was important.

What could he have?

Maybe he had a hand like King-Queen, he could have had King-Queen of clubs too.

He can have King-Jack, King-Queen, even offsuit, maybe.

Well played, Dav'.

That's quite the kick-off — full of energy, packed with strong hands and big pots.

We couldn't have hoped for a better start to settle in with you for the most beautiful tournament in the world.

The first level of the Main Event isn't even over yet, and you've already climbed to a stack of 85,000.

That's over 420 blinds right from the start — a stack that promises plenty more fireworks in the next episode of Inside the Mind of a Pro!