Igor Zektser Scoops His First Bracelet in Event #27: $1,500 Big O
Event #27: $1,500 Big O at the 2025 World Series of Poker went to an unscheduled Day 4 as the two remaining players played down to a champion. In the end, it was Igor Zektser lifting the gold and laying claim to the $297,284 first prize.
Zektser sifted through a whopping 1,499 entries, which swelled the total prize pool to $1,989,922.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Igor Zektser | United States | $297,285 |
| 2 | Paul Sincere | United States | $198,134 |
| 3 | Ryan Hoenig | United States | $141,315 |
| 4 | Shiva Dudani | United States | $102,079 |
| 5 | Nicolas Milgrom | France | $74,693 |
| 6 | Joshua Biedak | United States | $55,372 |
| 7 | Kevin Ho | United States | $41,595 |
| 8 | Shawn Daniels | United States | $31,667 |
Winner's Reaction
This was by no means Zektser’s first deep run of the summer. He cashed the $1,500 Mixed Omaha 8 or Better ($3,381), the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better ($4,391), and the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Double Board Bomb Pot ($6,784). These Events all occurred back-to-back-to-back, meaning that Zektser is no stranger to chopping pots. This win marks his fourth consecutive cash in the 2025 World Series of Poker here at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas and he couldn't have done any better.
Zektser’s first WSOP cash dates back to 2013, making this accomplishment well over a decade in the making.
An elated Zektser had this to say about how it felt to win the gold bracelet:
Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2025 WSOP is here.
“It feels amazing. I mean… I’ve been working for a long time trying, trying, never giving up… I’m sure it’s been said many times before: It’s every poker player’s dream, right?”
When asked about his plans for the rest of the summer, Zektser said he will largely keep the same schedule and will be hopping straight into the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better Championship after having a celebratory meal with his rail. He hopes to make a trip home to Los Angeles to spend some time with his family before returning to the full grind.
An enthusiastic, Paul Sincere, had to settle for runner-up in his first ever WSOP cash. He was thrilled to have run deep with his good friend and neighbor, Ryan Hoenig, who bowed out in 3rd place and recently won his first bracelet. Hoenig confirmed that he offered Sincere some coaching before the start of Day 4.
A full review of Day 3 and final table dynamics is available here.
Heads Up Play
Heads up play lasted less than two levels with both players experiencing feast and famine along the way. With pot-sized bets and an aggressive style, Sincere had Zektser down to only 4,000,000 to his 33,000,000. At one crucial point, Sincere almost won the bracelet, but a fateful club gave Zektser the double.
Zektser then changed the tide further in his favor when he coolered Sincere, who had a pair of kings with the nut low draw – Zektser had him pipped with aces when the board ran out high cards, awarding him the majority of chips in play.
In the end, Sincere got it in with a flopped set of fours but Zektser made a straight to end the tournament.
