Narcis Nedelcu has won his fair share of poker tournaments over the years (both live and online), but never on the grandest stage of them all — the World Series of Poker.
That all changed today after the Romanian poker pro overcame a record 789-entry field in Event #73: $1,500 Eight Game Mix and defeated the formidable Scott Abrams heads-up to claim his first WSOP bracelet and the $184,683 first-place prize.
Prior to today, Nedelcu only had one final table appearance at the WSOP, wherein he placed eighth in a $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em event in 2024. Armed with the chip lead entering Day 3, Nedelcu seized the opportunity — picking up pot after pot early on and never letting go.
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By the time he reached the final table, Nedelcu had only slightly less than half the chips in play and never let up. From six-handed play onward, Nedelcu single-handedly eliminated every player until he was heads-up against the scrappy and experienced Abrams, who was seeking his second WSOP bracelet.
Despite coming in at a five-to-one chip deficit, Abrams proved to be a bit of a speed bump for Nedelcu, and even managed to pull to nearly even in their heads-up battle.
In the end, however, Nedelcu wouldn't be denied. After a few hands of No-Limit Hold'em that went Nedelcu's way, Abrams made his last stand in Omaha Hi-Lo and ran into a flush to make Nedelcu's blowout performance official.
Day 3 Action
Just 14 players returned to the Horseshoe Convention Center and within the first level of play, Kevin Pahl and Xixiang Luo were eliminated to get down to two tables.
Two-time bracelet winner Steve Billirakis was among the short stacks who were eliminated shortly thereafter. In the meanwhile, Nedelcu added to his already chip-leading stack after eliminating Jonatas Freitas and then enjoying a dominating round of Stud Hi-Lo.
Abrams managed to close the gap between himself and Nedelcu a bit by claiming a couple of eliminations of his own — first by flopping two pair against Benjamin Miner in PLO and then by flopping trips in Limit Hold'em against Joseph Ricardo to set up the final table of seven.
Christian Malick, Elaine Rawn, and John Cipriano were by far the short stacks entering the final table with only a handful of big bets between them and, unsurprisingly, they were eliminated in that order within one level.
A rare family pot in Stud Hi-Lo saw Nedelcu add massively to his already overwhelming chip lead after Nedelcu made aces-up and got paid off. Following the clash, Mark Liedtke was left short and busted a couple hands later at the hands of Nedelcu.
Walter Treccarichi lost the majority of his chips in a big Stud hand after aggressing on every street and then folding on the end in the face of a seventh-street raise by Abrams. Treccarichi did manage to double up his short stack once through Nedelcu in Omaha Hi-Lo, but was promptly paid back in the same game after getting out-flopped by Nedelcu's two pair.
Abrams put up a fight worthy of a seasoned veteran in his heads-up duel against Nedelcu. Despite entering with a five-to-one chip deficit, Abrams maintained his methodic demeanor and picked his spots carefully. After a couple of hands in Limit Hold'em and a big hand in 2-7 Triple Draw went his way, he found himself nearly even against Nedelcu, whose frustration was clearly visible.
However, the momentum shifted to Nedelcu after he managed to pick off a big bluff from Abrams in a hand of No-Limit Hold'em. From that point, Nedelcu forced a couple of folds from Abrams in Omaha Hi-Lo before Abrams made his last stand after turning a straight. Unfortunately for Abrams, Nedelcu made the same straight but with a flush draw that came in on the river — eliminating Abrams in dramatic fashion to put an end to the tournament.
This concludes PokerNews coverage of the event. Be sure to check out our live-reporting hub for ongoing coverage of the 2025 WSOP.
