Cooler Flop Denies Legendary 'Isildur' First WSOP Bracelet as Vogelsang Wins His First
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Viktor "Isildur1" Blom, one of the most legendary online poker players ever, took a shot at his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet on Tuesday in the Bahamas. But he fell short in heads-up play thanks to a flop that didn't go his way on the final hand.
The Swedish high roller, one of 284 entrants in WSOP Paradise Event #7: $10,000 Super PLOSSUS, lost in the end to Tom Vogelsang, who didn't just win his first gold bracelet. He earned just his second career WSOP cash, and first since 2021.
Phil Hellmuth made a bit of a run at his 18th bracelet by reaching Day 2, but inevitably bowed out in 16th place for $26,000. Sean Winter, Bryce Yockey, and Kane Kalas were among the 43 players who earned a piece of the $2,754,800 prize pool but didn't reach the final table.
How a Winner was Crowned
Day 1 of the pot-limit Omaha event ended on Monday with 17 players remaining, and the Day 2 action was fast and intense, as the tournament ended around 7 p.m. local time in the Bahamas. The final table featured some heavy hitters, such as Brazil's Yuri Dzivielevski, who was after his fifth bracelet.
Dongwuk Moon (ninth place for $48,000), Tom-Aksel Bedell (eighth place for $61,000), Andreas Torbergsen (seventh place for $79,000), and Sean Rafael (sixth place for $105,000), were all eliminated short of the Top 5. Dzivielevski was then denied that fifth bracelet when he busted in fifth place for $143,000.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Vogelsang | Netherlands | $609,800 |
| 2 | Viktor Blom | Sweden | $406,000 |
| 3 | Thomas Eychenne | France | $281,000 |
| 4 | Xixiang Luo | China | $199,000 |
| 5 | Yuri Dzivielevski | Brazil | $143,000 |
| 6 | Sean Rafael | United States | $105,000 |
| 7 | Andreas Torbergsen | Norway | $79,000 |
| 8 | Tom-Aksel Bedell | Norway | $61,000 |
| 9 | Dongwuk Moon | United States | $48,000 |
Vogelsang entered the final session as one of the shortest stacks, while his final three opponents — Blom, Thomas Eychenne, and Xixiang Luo — started in a better position. Luo was the fourth-place finisher, which paid $199,000.
Eychenne, during heads-up play, held the chip lead, while Vogelsang sat in a familiar position with the short stack. But he'd rally in the swingy game of PLO and overtake the lead after Eychenne went home in third place ($281,000).
The stacks were close between the final two players when they went all in on a flop of Ax5x3x with Vogelsang out in front with 9x7x4x2x against AxAx5x6x. The board didn't pair and that ended Isildur's chances of winning his first bracelet. He was eliminated as the runner-up for $406,000. Vogelsang earned the bracelet and the $609,800 first-place prize.
Vogelsang, a Dutch pro who now has over $6 million in The Hendon Mob cashes, has never played a World Series of Poker event in Las Vegas. But it won't be long until he does.
"I've always lived in the Netherlands where I couldn't really play in the U.S., and I only moved this year," Vogelsang told PokerNews after winning the PLOSUSS event. "I haven't really thought about winning bracelets ever. So, next year's World Series is going to be my first World Series where I will really play tournaments. This is really the first time I really think about bracelets."
Vogelsang referred to his heads-up opponent as "super tough," and praised Blom for "running all over the final table." Blom, who only began playing tournaments regularly a few years ago, made his mark on the 2025 WSOP in Las Vegas despite failing to win a bracelet. He reached four final tables, including a runner-up finish, this past summer, and was a contender for Player of the Year throughout most of the series.
Isildur famously came out of nowhere in the late 2000s on Full Tilt Poker, playing in the biggest cash games. Poker fans watched those nosebleed games in awe without even knowing who the mysterious player was behind the screen name. Years later and the poker boom era legend is now building an impressive tournament resume. But he'll have to wait for another day to win his first WSOP bracelet. The same can't be said for Vogelsang, the newest champion at WSOP Paradise.
