In Event #17: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em at the 2025 World Series of Poker, Scott Bohlman emerged as the latest bracelet winner after four intense days of battle.
Bohlman reigned over Dusti Smith in heads-up play, claiming $436,044 and his second bracelet, while Smith settled for $290,588 as the runner-up. The event drew 1,692 players, building a prize pool of $3,011,760, and marked Bohlman's breakthrough after coming close on poker’s grandest stage many times before.
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It had been a long wait, seven years and countless final table appearances, since Bohlman claimed his first bracelet in the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet event back in 2018. He came close earlier this summer as well, finishing fourth in Event #8: $1,500 Mixed Games: Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed.
This victory was also special for another reason: it’s Bohlman’s first bracelet in No-Limit Hold’em, as he’s usually more active in mixed games.
“It feels good, I have never won a big field no-limit hold ’em in 25 years.”
When asked if he has any plans for the rest of the summer, Bohlman smiled and kept it simple: “Whatever comes next.”
So don’t be surprised if we see him at another final table before the series is over. The fire is clearly still there.
Dusti Smith
Final Table Action
Originally, the plan was to finish things yesterday. Smith came into the day as chip leader with 19 players remaining, closely followed by Quan Zhou and Bohlman. Fittingly, those three would end up in the top four finishers at the final table as well.
Once the final table was set, Smith found herself in trouble during a three-way all-in, dropping to the bottom of the counts. But she stayed composed and steadily rebuilt her stack by picking up a series of small pots. Her comeback culminated in eliminating Zhou in fourth place. Bohlman, meanwhile, kept climbing. His biggest leap came when he picked up aces against kings to knock out Benjamin Williams, a hand that vaulted him into a commanding chip lead, one he never gave up.
When play was down to three, Smith and Bohlman went toe-to-toe in a series of aggressive preflop battles, with many pots decided by three- or four-bets. Smith pulled ahead of Umesh Babusukumar to reclaim second place in chips, and then finished the job with pocket tens to send him out.
By the time heads-up was reached, the clock had already ticked past 2 a.m., and the players were given the option to continue or return the next day. Smith opted for a break, and the final showdown was postponed to an extra day.
Scott Bohlman
Final Day Action
The action picked up right where it left off. Smith greeted her rail with a loud “Let’s go!” and a round of high-fives. Her supporters had already made themselves known the night before, cheering loudly for every pot, no matter how small. From the start, it was clear that neither Bohlman nor Smith had any plans to fold their way to victory. Many pots went to the turn or river, and several were decided at showdown.
Just like the night before, they traded pots back and forth, often through relentless three- and four-betting.
The turning point came when Bohlman took down a massive pot with trip jacks, shifting the momentum squarely in his favor. Not long after, Smith found herself all in, and Bohlman sealed the win.
Scott Bohlman
That’s it for the coverage here on Event #17 at the 2025 WSOP, but keep a tab open on PokerNews as you have all of the summer’s tournament info at your fingertips!
