button in SafariOmar Zazay Outlasts Jean-Robert Bellande to Win First WSOP Bracelet in $3,000 NLHE
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After three grueling days of action on the felt here at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, only seven players returned for the fourth and final day of Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Holdem. When the dust settled, it was Omar Zazay who triumphed after a rollercoaster day, capturing his first WSOP bracelet.
Zazay navigated his way through a sizable field of 1,300 entries to claim the first-place prize of $538,158. In what proved to be one of the most action-packed final tables at the 2026 World Series of Poker thus far, he closed out the tournament by defeating high-stakes cash game regular and bracelet winner Jean-Robert Bellande to take home the lion’s share of the $3,471,000 prize pool.
Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Holdem Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Omar Zazay | United States | $538,158 |
| 2 | Jean-Robert Bellande | United States | $358,705 |
| 3 | Christos Argyriadis | Greece | $256,761 |
| 4 | Jim Collopy | United States | $186,161 |
| 5 | Guofeng Wang | China | $136,737 |
| 6 | Jessica Vierling | Germany | $101,765 |
| 7 | Troy Donaldson | United States | $76,754 |
| 8 | Kevin Naegelen | France | $58,677 |
| 9 | Daniel Wokoun | United States | $45,477 |
Winner's Reaction
Zazay credited his life-changing win to perseverance and staying focused on the task at hand, which was going back to his family in Texas with the gold wrapped around his wrist.
"I told my wife, I'm gonna keep fighting and I'm here to win a bracelet"
"Feeling pretty amazing. It was a roller coaster of a tournament, battled a lot of adversity, had the chip lead a few times, lost it a few times. I remember being down to ten big blinds like halfway through day three, and I just never gave up. I told my wife, I'm gonna keep fighting and I'm here to win a bracelet."
"This bracelet's a big deal. It's the most coveted prize you can win as a poker player. It's a world championship. It's a bracelet. You beat out top players around the world to win it. So even though this isn't my largest score, it's probably my most important score because of the bracelet."
Exhilarating Ride to the Finish Line
Zazay entered Day 4 third in the standings, with all eyes on Bellande, who held the chip lead going into the final day of action. Despite starting with a healthy, middling stack, Zazay found himself at the bottom of the pack during four-handed play after Bellande defended with jack-six offsuit and hit two pair on the river to crack his pocket aces. Not long after, he got his revenge in a blind-versus-blind altercation, where he came out on top with ace-trey against Bellande's pocket jacks.
Bellande's commanding chip lead would continue to dwindle, as he found himself on the wrong side of almost every all in. Zazay denied him the chance to get heads up against Christos Argyriadis multiple times once three-handed play began, first by winning a flip where he faded a plethora of Bellande's outs. He then got it all in with pocket fours versus Bellande's pocket sixes and spiked a four on the turn to keep his tournament hopes alive.
If that wasn't enough pain for Bellande, he then lost back-to-back all ins by getting two outered, one of which was courtesy of Zazay.
"I think if you watch 1,000 final tables, you'll never see anything as close to what happened today. It was just beats after beats, bigger pairs versus smaller pairs. The smaller pair would win every time," said Zazay regarding the runouts and swings that were almost hard to believe.
"There was probably ten different all-ins when the short stack was all in, including myself, and every time the short stack survived. It almost felt like it would never end."
From there, Zazay continued his momentum by winning consecutive hands against Argyriadis to send him to the rail in third, propelling himself to the chip lead before entering heads-up play against Bellande.
It didn't take long for the match to be decided, with Zazay getting it in with ace-deuce and holding against Bellande's jack-ten.
Having Fun While Keeping Eye on the Prize
Throughout the day, the atmosphere remained light despite the high-pressure situation and the large sum of money at stake. Zazay wasn't afraid to show emotion during the ups-and-downs and explained the importance of having fun at the table.
"You have to have fun in these situations. We're here to make money, we're here to compete, we're here to battle, but we're also here because we enjoy the game. And it's a social game and everyone here tries to grow the game. I'm a big advocate of keeping the table friendly for the amateurs, the recreational players, and businessmen. We have to have fun. If we're not here having fun, then why are we here?"
Zazay's ability to stay grounded stems from viewing poker through multiple lenses, as his relationship with the game has evolved over the years.
"I used to play professionally. It feels like so long ago, probably 10 to 11 years ago. I didn't have kids at that time and the beauty about poker, it opens a lot of doors for you."
"I think that's something that people don't realize is that poker is a good networking platform and I've met some really good guys, like my business partner. We started a roofing and A/C company together, pretty successful business.
"I have three beautiful kids at home, so I don't get to travel and play as much as I would like to or as much as I used to. So it's always great to be able to come play, and especially win."
Regarding immediate plans, Zazay said, "We're gonna party a little bit tonight. We're playing golf in the morning at the Wynn, and then I'm gonna probably catch a flight home. I've been here for eight or nine days. I miss my family and I need to get back to work, and then I'll probably come back in a couple of weeks to play the PLO 10K or the Main Event."
