"Sick" Heads-Up Hand Denies Shaun Deeb his Ninth WSOP Bracelet
The €3,300 PLO Mixed event at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe festival ended in dramatic fashion, with eight-time bracelet winner Shaun Deeb describing the final hand as "one of the sickest heads-up hands" he has ever seen.
Deeb was one of 181 entrants in the €3,300 Pot-Limit Omaha Mixed, a tournament that rotated among Big O, PLO8, and PLO. Superstar grinders, including reigning WSOP Main Event champion Michael Mizrachi, mixed game legend Benny Glaser, and French duo Julien Sitbon and Sonny Franco, cashed, as did Stoyan Madanzhiev and Scott Bohlman.
After the likes of Dario Sammartino and Blaz Zerjav busted from the final table, the latter in third place, Deeb found himself heads-up again Frank Koopmann. Although Deeb was vastly more experienced than his German opponent and was, on paper at least, expected to capture his ninth WSOP bracelet, Lady Luck had other ideas.
The final hand would not have looked out of place in a Hollywood movie. Koopmann opened with A♠4♣4♥3♥ and called a three-bet from Deed, who held A♦K♠Q♠3♦. The flop fell 2♠10♠4♠, improving Koopmann to a set of fours, but Deeb had flopped a king-high flush and was around a 63% favorite to win the hand at this stage.
According to Deeb's X account, Deeb led small on the flop, Koopmann raised small, and Deeb called. The turn was the 4♦, gifting Koopmann four-of-a-kind fours, and locking up the hand for the German recreational player. Deeb check-called a bet on the turn that was worth about one-third of his stack, and the dealer placed the K♣ on the river.
Deeb checked on the river, Koopmann bet enough to set Deeb all-in, and Deeb obliged with a call.
"I see dry ace in his hand and I start to celebrate," Deeb wrote on X, "then realize he was way more happy and notice his other cards are 443."
Koopmann collected €123,879 and his first WSOP bracelet for his victory. He now has $440,764 in recorded live poker tournament earnings, although he has won that sum over a 20-year period.
Deeb banked €81,784 for his runner-up finish, the seventh time he has fallen at the final hurdle in a bracelet-awarding event. His $17,543,278 winnings place him 40th in the United States, and ninth in New York's all-time money listings.
With another 12 bracelet events available to play at the 2026 WSOPE, including the €5,300 WSOPE Main Event NLHE European Championship, the €5,300 PLO European Championship, the €20,800 NL Super High Roller, and the €8,400 GGMillion$ High Roller, Deeb has plenty of opportunities to get his hands on his ninth gold bracelet. That is, if he can avoid quads during his quest for glory.
