Event #14: $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed
Day 4 Completed
2025 World Series of Poker
Event #14: $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed
Day: 4
Event Info
2025 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 4
Buy-in
$25,000
Prize Pool
$5,757,500
Entries
245
Level
30
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
400,000
Entries
5
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 245
Filter
Level 30
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Another highly anticipated event here at the 2025 World Series of Poker has crowned its champion, with Lou Garza overcoming a stacked lineup and a huge heads-up deficit to claim victory in Event #14: $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha/No-Limit Hold’em inside the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas.
Garza eliminated three of his four opponents on his path to securing his second WSOP bracelet and a career-best score of $1,302,233, which was the lion's share from the $5,757,500 prize pool. Over the course of two hours, Garza came back from being 4:1 down in chips heads-up to deny 2011 WSOP Player of the Year Ben Lamb his third bracelet and fourth seven-figure score.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lou Garza | United States | $1,302,233 |
| 2 | Ben Lamb | United States | $868,140 |
| 3 | Chongxian Yang | China | $598,285 |
| 4 | Robert Cowen | United Kingdom | $421,524 |
| 5 | Brandon Mitchell | United States | $303,773 |
| 6 | John Pannucci | United States | $224,034 |
| 7 | Zhargal Tsydypov | United States | $169,183 |
| 8 | Youness Barakat | Italy | $130,896 |
| 9 | Michael Moncek | United States | $103,821 |
Winner's Reaction
Fresh off winning his second WSOP bracelet, Lou Garza took a moment to reflect with PokerNews after an emotional finish.
Asked how it felt to join the two-time bracelet club, Garza smiled, “It feels great, but we’ve got some more work to finish off. We’re not done yet.” Garza famously proposed to his now-wife after his first victory and was asked if there were any special celebrations planned this time around. “Not yet,” he said, keeping his focus on the grind.
Garza credits much of his success to his rail. “It means everything to have family and close friends here supporting me,” he said.
At one stage during the heads-up battle, eventual runner-up Lamb held nearly four times more chips than Garza. Garza mentioned how he went into the battle with nothing to lose. “Honestly, I kind of expected it. Once we got heads up, I knew I had to flip the switch, get aggressive, and just go for it with nothing to lose.”
When asked about his game preference, Garza was quick to answer, “I like PLO. I’ll play more of the bigger PLO events coming up.”
For now, Garza heads off to celebrate bracelet number two, surrounded by friends, family, and a whole lot of momentum.
Final Day Action
When the cards hit the air, Lamb held close to half the chips in play and immediately asserted his dominance, raising and winning almost every pot. Garza, sat comfortably in second but seated to Lamb’s right, was handcuffed by the huge ICM pressure.
Lamb extended his lead, but Garza found pocket kings at the right time after Brandon Mitchell committed himself with king-nine. With no help for Mitchell, he was the first out, and Garza picked up some valuable chips.
Soon after Mitchell’s exit, during the PLO round, Robert Cowen’s aces were cracked by Lamb’s wrap, leaving just three players with Chongxian Yang on crumbs. Garza then had an opportunity to send the tournament into heads-up when Yang moved all in from the button with his short stack. The flop ran out in Garza’s favor, and Yang was drawing dead by the turn, leaving only Garza and Lamb to battle for the bracelet.
Heads-Up Battle
When heads-up play began, Lamb held nearly a 4:1 chip lead, but Garza, cheered on by his lively rail just meters away, was not about to go down quietly. Early in the NLHE segment, Garza started closing the gap. First, he got a value bet with two pair paid, then turned a wheel and squeezed even more chips from Lamb. Suddenly, Garza found himself in the lead for the first time.
Still, Lamb had come back from just two big blinds on Day 3, so he was unlikely to be fazed by being behind in chips for now. While NLHE seemed to favor Garza, Lamb thrived once the action shifted to PLO, steadily chipping up, taking down pots, and even forcing Garza to fold the best hand a few times. Before long, Lamb had turned things around and reclaimed a 2:1 chip lead.
It looked like Lamb was back in control, but Garza fired back with a triple-barrel bluff on a four-flush board holding just nine-high, getting Lamb to fold top pair. Garza windmilled the bluff in Lamb’s face, showing he was not afraid to put chips in the middle.
With the stacks nearly even, PLO produced the hand that shifted the momentum. Not long after that bluff, Garza check-raised Lamb’s turn double-barrel with trips, forcing Lamb to fold. Lamb commented he was half-expecting to see another bluff, but this time Garza had the goods and the chip lead.
Lamb’s stack dropped into the danger zone a few hands later when he decided not to pull the trigger on a bluff after barreling the flop and turn, allowing Garza to extend his chip lead. At this point, Garza held 80 percent of the chips in play.
On the final hand, Lamb was down to around ten big blinds and jammed king-ten suited from the button. Garza snapped him off with pocket aces and had a chance to secure his second bracelet. Lamb picked up some outs on the flop, but the board ran out clean for Garza, and Lamb will have to wait a bit longer for his next bracelet.
Afterward, Garza gave Lamb a handshake and a hug before racing over to celebrate with his wife and friends who had cheered him on from the start. With his second World Series of Poker bracelet and a seven-figure payday, Garza was all smiles.
That wraps up PokerNews coverage of this event. With the 2025 World Series of Poker still in full swing, there is plenty more action to come, so be sure to tune into the coverage from other events currently in progress.
Level 30
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Lou Garza wins Event #14: $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha / No-Limit Hold'em for $1,302,233, and his second World Series of Poker Bracelet.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the day's action.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lou Garza | United States | $1,302,233 |
| 2 | Ben Lamb | United States | $868,140 |
| 3 | Chongxian Yang | China | $598,285 |
| 4 | Robert Cowen | United Kingdom | $421,524 |
| 5 | Brandon Mitchell | United States | $303,773 |
| 6 | John Pannucci | United States | $224,034 |
| 7 | Zhargal Tsydypov | United States | $169,183 |
| 8 | Youness Barakat | Italy | $130,896 |
| 9 | Michael Moncek | United States | $103,821 |
Level 30
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
No-Limit Hold'em
Ben Lamb jammed the button for 5,525,000 and Lou Garza called from the big blind with the chance to win the tournament.
Ben Lamb: K♣10♣ 
Lou Garza: A♥A♣
Lamb had shoved right into the pocket aces of Garza, and needed a lot of help from the dealer to keep this tournament heads-up.
Garza was out of his chair before the dealer put out a flop of J♦Q♠J♥, giving Lamb some hope with a straight draw. The 7♥ on the turn meant only a nine on the river could save Lamb. The river was the Q♦, meaning Lamb had to settle for a 2nd place finish, and Garza won his second WSOP Bracelet.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
36,650,000
8,325,000
|
8,325,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 30
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
No-Limit Hold'em
Ben Lamb raised the button to 1,000,000 and Lou Garza defended his big blind.
The dealer put out a flop of 4♠7♣Q♦ and Garza started with a check. Lamb bet 750,000, which Garza called.
The K♦ dropped on the turn and Garza check-called a bet of 2,275,000 from Lamb.
Garza checked the 4♥ river and Lamb checked behind. Garza showed Q♥6♣ for a pair of queens to win the pot, as Lamb mucked J♥10♦.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
28,325,000
4,025,000
|
4,025,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
8,325,000
4,025,000
|
4,025,000 |
|
|
||
Level 30
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
No-Limit Hold'em
Lou Garza raised the button with 3♣2♣ and Ben Lamb defended his big blind holding K♦9♥.
The action checked all the way to the river on the 5♣2♦4♠Q♦Q♥ board. After Lamb checked for the last time, Garza bet 1,600,000, forcing Lamb to fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
24,300,000
800,000
|
800,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
12,350,000
800,000
|
800,000 |
|
|
||
Level 30
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Pot-Limit Omaha
Ben Lamb raised the button to 1,200,000 holding A♥Q♥J♥3♣ and Lou Garza defended the big blind holding K♥K♣6♣2♦.
Garza checked the 8♦2♠9♠ flop and Lamb fired out a bet of 1,400,000. Garza stuck around with a call.
The turn came the 2♣, prompting a second check from Garza. Lamb slid out a second barrel of 3,800,000, only to be met by a check-raise to 8,700,000 from Garza. Lamb reluctantly folded, and Garza won the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
23,500,000
6,400,000
|
6,400,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
13,150,000
6,400,000
|
6,400,000 |
|
|
||
Level 30
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Pot-Limit Omaha
Holding A♣9♥8♦2♦, Lou Garza limped the button and Ben Lamb checked from the big blind holding 10♦8♠6♣4♦.
Lamb led out for 600,000 on the A♥3♣9♣ flop, and Garza raised to 2,100,000. Lamb folded his cards, and Garza won another pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
19,550,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
17,100,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 30
Blinds: 200,000/400,000
Ante: 400,000
Level 29
: Blinds 150,000/300,000, 300,000 ante
No-Limit Hold'em
Lou Garza raised the button to 800,000, and Ben Lamb defended his big blind holding Q♣7♠.
Lamb check-called a bet of 700,000 from Garza on the 2♥5♥Q♥ flop.
The turn came the 2♦ and Lamb check-called another bet from Garza, this time for 1,600,000.
Lamb checked for the last time on the J♥ river and Garza fired out a third barrel of 5,300,000. Lamb quickly folded, and Garza flipped over 9♠8♦ for a total bluff.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
19,950,000
3,550,000
|
3,550,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
16,700,000
3,550,000
|
3,550,000 |
|
|
||
