Philip Sternheimer Tears Up After Ending 13 Year Bracelet Chase

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Jun 13, 2025 5 min read

Less than 16 hours ago, Philip Sternheimer was one card away from elimination, on the brink of narrowly missing out on a goal that has eluded him for years. However, the deck had other ideas, as Sternheimer hit a gutshot to take the chip lead, and he rode that momentum all the way to his first bracelet.

A total of 386 entries were tallied for Event #36: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, a record-breaking field. After four days of play, it is Sternheimer who sits alone at the top, taking home a $763,087 payday after defeating the red-hot Bruno Furth heads-up.

Sternheimer, as his name suggests, has quite the stern demeanor at the table. He takes his time, stares down his opponents, and every move is methodical and calculated. However, once he secured the victory, the emotions were overwhelming for Sternheimer.

He ran over to his star-studded rail for hugs, called his family, and let out some tears. It is refreshing to see such vulnerability from someone as intense as Sternheimer, indicating just how much a WSOP victory means to those involved.

Final Table Results

Winner’s Reaction

Sternheimer came into the day with a singular goal in mind, and he was as focused as ever.

“Sort of means everything, to be honest [the bracelet]. I was thinking this morning as I was walking to the tournament area, that I don't think I ever wanted something as bad as this one." said Sternheimer, who got his first WSOP cash in 2012. "And it feels truly surreal once the last card is dealt and you won the bracelet because it's been something I've been chasing for a very long time, and everyone who plays the game knows that.”

Sternheimer has come to terms with the fact that variance and luck play a role in tournament poker, but his mindset remains the same.

“You know, there's a lot of luck involved and whatnot, and you try to tell yourself that the outcomes don't matter as much and you should focus on what you can control. But it's just amazing [to win].”

Sternheimer doesn’t have a traditional path into the poker world that many of his contemporaries do. The 46-year-old previously had a very successful career in the finance industry, but the allure of poker has drawn increasing attention from him in recent years, and he loves the game as much as anyone.

“I've been playing for almost 25 years, I would say, with increasing intensity. You know, I just love the game. I've always devoted time to it.”

“I quit my job about two years ago. I started taking it even more seriously. And the great thing about poker is the more time you spend studying the game, the more you realize that you don’t know.”

It is that curiosity and drive to improve that fuels Sternheimer, and he knew that success would be in his future if he kept working hard.

“Everything just started coming together this year in terms of me studying poker. [I’ve been] working a lot on my mental game, and just trying to go with the flow when things are going your way or not going your way.”

“I've been working with Dylan Weisman on my PLO game. That's been exceptional. I've been working with Elliot Roe for the last couple of years on my mental game. Something just really, really clicked before the series when I talked to him.”

Sternheimer is more than familiar with the trials and tribulations that tournament poker presents, but his love for the game triumphs above its pitfalls.

“The World Series is like the Olympics for a poker player. So what I find tough sometimes is you're in a tournament series and you bust, you have sadness. Not just about busting, but like, I'm no longer playing the game I love.”

“What's amazing about the World Series is you can hop into the next one [after busting]. I really love all the games. And it's just great to have the variety. And you know, I wouldn't miss it for the world.”

“I just love the game, as do most people here at the series.”

Sternheimer wasn’t the only one to have premonitions about his future success, as other top pros seemed to believe in him as well.

“You know, I was sitting with Joao [Simao] in Monte Carlo, and we really bonded. He just looked at me and said he's absolutely sure I'm gonna win a bracelet this year, and he's going to be in the picture.”

Sure enough, Sternheimer got his bracelet, and Simao joined in the celebrations.

Day 4 Action

Sternheimer and Furth returned to the Horseshoe Events Center to battle on one of the feature tables, with Sternheimer holding a 56-37 big blind advantage.

It was almost over on the first hand as a raising war on the turn resulted in Furth being at-risk. Furth held just top pair against the nut low, flush draw, and open-ender of Sternheimer. There were 14 scoop outs for Sternheimer, but the river bricked out and the pot was chopped.

Then, the tides began to turn as a series of pots headed in the direction of Furth, and he took the chip-lead after Sternheimer folded to a river raise.

Shortly after, Sternheimer would regain control after all the chips went in on an ace-nine-six flop in a single-raised pot. Sternheimer held top two pair against the flush draw and superior low draw of Furth. Furth made his low but was counterfeit on the river, as Sternheimer scooped to take a massive chip lead.

Furth would not go down without a fight, and he found a double after making a wheel to even the gap as the stacks returned to their start-of-day position.

However, Furth’s momentum would be short-lived. A few hands later, Furth would flop a gutshot and flush draw against the top set of Sternheimer. All the chips got in on the flop, as Furth picked up an open-ender of his own on the turn. But, the river paired the board as the rail erupted and Sternheimer was able to breathe a sigh of relief after an intense battle.

• Tags Bruno Furth Philip Sternheimer WSOP25 World Series of Poker
• Related Tournaments World Series of Poker
• Related Players Philip SternheimerBruno Furth