Event #18: $10,000 Dealers Choice 6-Handed Championship
Day 4 Completed
2025 World Series of Poker
Event #18: $10,000 Dealers Choice 6-Handed Championship
Day: 4
Event Info
2025 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 4
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$1,413,600
Entries
152
Level
25
Blinds
0 / 0
Ante
0
Entries
3
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 152
Filter
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 50,000-100,000, 100,000-200,000 Limit
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
In the grand annals of the World Series of Poker, there have been few more dominant performances than the one Ryan Hoenig just pulled off in Event #18: $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship.
Hoenig had the chip lead after Day 1. He was atop the leaderboard again after the second day. He had the lead on Day 3 when play was stopped early with three players remaining. And on the unscheduled Day 4, he ended with every chip in play on the way to defeating Dylan Smith heads-up to win his first WSOP bracelet and the $354,444 top prize.
“Crazy. Exhausting. So exhilarating, so fun. I just love these games. I love to play. It’s incredible,” the 31-year-old Fort Collins, Colorado native said following his victory. “I felt in my element. I just like the variety of the games. I’m excited to play every single game. Last year I skipped this event, actually, because I was a little unsure of some of the games. And this year, I was like, I’m ready for every game. The competition is incredible. Dylan is an incredible competitor. It went quick because I hit every hand, so that helps.”
Final Table results
| Place | Player | Country | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Hoenig | United States | $354,444 |
| 2 | Dylan Smith | United States | $230,374 |
| 3 | Philip Sternheimer | United Kingdom | $154,460 |
| 4 | Dario Alioto | Italy | $106,935 |
| 5 | Matthew Vengrin | United States | $76,525 |
| 6 | Brandon Cantu | United States | $56,671 |
The win was a long time coming for Hoenig, who first fell in love with poker as a teenager but wasn’t ready to commit to it at the time. He decided to come back and devote himself to his first love, viewing the game as a way to satisfy his natural competitive instincts.
“I had it when I was a teenager. I had dreams of becoming a professional poker player, but I didn’t have the emotional capacity to deal with it at the time. So I actually quit poker for a few years and came back to it,” he said. “Always loved the game, but I came to it with a different mindset as an adult. Now I just want to win every time I play and I’m willing to win whenever possible. It’s an unreal experience."
Hoenig’s fairy-tale run over the last four days nearly didn’t happen. Late on Day 1, he made a big fold in Razz and was a short stack near the end of the night. He credits his coach, Jason Su, with putting him in the right mindset to come back, ultimately ending up as chip leader.
“Day 1, I made this fold in Razz. I was down to 11K. I had two bets left with like an hour and a half to go on the day. (Su) talks about willingness, that there is a discomfort that comes with the possibility of winning and success. I told myself when I was down to 11K that I’m willing to bag 300,000. I bagged 298,000,” he said.
In a 152-player field featuring some of the top names in poker with decades of experience playing mixed games, Hoenig is a relative newcomer. His first five-figure cash came less than two years ago. He then finished runner-up in the Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship at the 2023 WSOP and had 14 WSOP cashes before this event. His win today pushes his live earnings past $1,000,000.
Hoenig had to master 21 different poker variants to emerge as the winner, but said he was ready and prepared to battle in each one. “When I was 15, I fell in love with Omaha Hi-Lo. My first love that wasn’t a girl. So that was my entry into mixed games, and that’s still my favorite game, all the versions of it. And then when I jumped into each game, they kind of inform each other. I just love all the games now. I’m just ready. Whenever I see a new plaque in this tournament, I’m like, yeah, let’s go,” he said.
Day 4 Action
Hoenig, Smith, and Philip Sternheimer returned for an extra Day 4 today at 1 p.m. local time to battle for the bracelet. Hoenig was right where he was the entire tournament, atop the leaderboard with 4,995,000. Smith was in second with 2,220,000, while Sternheimer followed behind with 1,910,000.
On the first hand of the day, Hoenig hit a straight on the turn in Pot-Limit Omaha and got paid on a 400,000 river bet against Smith to quickly widen his lead. The next hand, again in PLO, he raised to 100,000 on the button and Sternheimer called.
Hoenig bet 75,000 on the flop and 350,000 on the turn as Sternheimer called down to the river. Hoenig then moved all in, and Sternheimer took several minutes, interrogating Hoenig the entire time, before calling for his last 1,100,000. Hoenig showed a flopped queen-high straight, and Sternheimer mucked a nine-high straight as the UK high roller was sent to the rail in third place.
Hoenig led Smith 7,650,000 to 1,400,000 at the start of heads-up. He then scooped a pot of Badeucy with an 8-7 and three-card Badugi to drop Smith to 1,000,000. Hoenig ramped up the aggression, taking down most pots with preflop and third street raises before Smith gave up on the river in a pot of Omaha Hi-Lo to leave himself with just 300,000.
Smith then got his last chips in as the game switched back to PLO. Hoenig ended up making a flush on the turn, and Smith was already drawing dead by the river as Hoenig locked down the title.
It promises to be the first of many. When getting ready to take his winner’s photo, Hoenig told the photographer to get used to him because he would be back. The competitive fire that burned within him, starting as a young man, continues to this day as Hoenig took his spot atop one of the most loaded fields on the WSOP calendar.
“I’m just ready to win every day. I was going to enjoy the experience, whatever happened. I love to play. I love the creativity of poker,” he said.
“I just get to be a version of myself. There is a picture of myself when I was a kid. I’m playing basketball with my uncles. I’m half their size and I have this serious look on my face like it’s the most important thing in the world. And I’m like that at the poker table. I maintain that very serious external presence, but inside, I’m just a kid dancing on the felt.”
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the 2025 WSOP.
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 50,000-100,000, 100,000-200,000 Limit
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Pot-Limit Omaha
Ryan Hoenig potted to 150,000 on the button, Dylan Smith moved all in for 300,000, and Hoenig called.
Dylan Smith: K♣10♠6♥4♠ 
Ryan Hoenig: K♦Q♠J♦4♥
Hoenig made a flush by the turn on a board of 9♦8♦3♣3♦ and Smith was already drawing dead and getting up to shake Hoenig's hand. The river 5♠ sealed Hoenig's bracelet.
"Let's f**king go!" he yelled out, running over to celebrate with his rail while Smith had to settle for second place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
9,100,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 50,000-100,000, 100,000-200,000 Limit
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Ryan Hoenig had been winning nearly every pot with preflop and third street raises to steadily whittle down Dylan Smith's stack.
Smith then raised on the button and Hoenig called. Smith continued on the A♣7♥2♥ flop and Hoenig called.
Both players checked the 2♦ turn and Hoenig led out with a bet on the 4♥ river. Smith folded, leaving himself just over one big bet.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,800,000
700,000
|
700,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
300,000
700,000
|
700,000 |
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 50,000-100,000, 100,000-200,000 Limit
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 50,000-100,000, 100,000-200,000 Limit
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Badeucy
Dylan Smith raised on the button and Ryan Hoenig called.
Hoenig drew three and Smith one. Smith then bet and Hoenig called.
Hoenig took two on the second draw and Smith one. Smith bet again and Hoenig called, taking two while Smith drew one.
Smith bet and Hoenig called. Smith showed J♦8♥7♠6♠2♦ for a jack-low and three-card 8-badugi, but Hoenig had 8♦7♣5♦3♦2♥ for an 8-7 low and three-card 7-badugi to scoop the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,100,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,000,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 50,000-100,000, 100,000-200,000 Limit
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Badeucy
Dylan Smith took the first two pots of heads-up in Omaha Hi-Lo before the game switched to Badeucy.
Smith then raised on the button and Ryan Hoenig called. Both players drew three.
"I have my lucky card. I'm warning you," Hoenig said as Smith bet. Hoenig called and drew two, while Smith took one and bet. Hoenig then raised and Smith called.
Hoenig stood pat and Smith took one. Hoenig then bet and Smith gave up his hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
7,800,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,300,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 50,000-100,000, 100,000-200,000 Limit
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
The bracelet is on the table and Dylan Smith and Ryan Hoenig are ready to begin heads-up play.
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 50,000-100,000, 100,000-200,000 Limit
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Pot-Limit Omaha
Ryan Hoenig raised to 100,000 on the button and Philip Sternheimer called in the big blind.
The flop came 9♣8♠J♠ and Hoenig bet 75,000. Sternheimer called to the 7♣ turn, where Hoenig bet another 350,000. Sternheimer again called.
The 8♥ fell on the river and Hoenig moved all in. Sternheimer had 1,100,000 remaining and went deep into the tank.
"Will you show if I fold, Ryan?" Sternheimer asked.
"No," Hoenig replied, shaking his head.
"I have a straight. I also have blockers to a full house," Sternheimer added. Several minutes went by before he called and Hoenig showed Q♠10♦9♥5♦ for the nut straight. Sternheimer mucked J♣7♥6♣5♣ (nine-high straight) and was sent to the rail in third place.
Hoenig and Dylan Smith are taking a 10-minute break before beginning heads-up play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
7,650,000
1,950,000
|
1,950,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,400,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level 25
Limit Flop/Draw: 50,000-100,000, 100,000-200,000 Limit
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Stud Games: 20,000 Ante, 30,000 Bring-In, 100,000 Completion 100,000-200,000 Limits
No-Limit & Pot-Limit: 50,000/75,000 Ante, 25,000-50,000 Blinds
Pot-Limit Omaha
All three players went to the 3♣6♣5♥ flop in a limped pot where Ryan Hoenig led out for 75,000 from the small blind. Dylan Smith called in the big blind, as did Philip Sternheimer on the button.
The turn was the 2♥ and Hoenig bet another 150,000. Both opponents again called and the 2♦ fell on the river.
Hoenig checked to Smith, who bet 400,000. Sternheimer folded, while Hoenig called with J♠9♥6♦4♣ for a straight. Smith mucked K♣J♣5♦3♥ and Hoenig took the first pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,700,000
705,000
|
705,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,600,000
310,000
|
310,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,500,000
720,000
|
720,000 |
