Event #21: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Day 3 Completed
2025 World Series of Poker
Event #21: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Day: 3
Event Info
2025 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$1,561,140
Entries
1,176
Level
31
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Entries
11
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 1176
Filter
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
The final hand for Event #21: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better has been dealt here at the 2025 World Series of Poker hosted at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Zachary Zaret came into the final table with the chip lead, but his path to get there was far from easy.
At the start of Day 2, just after the money bubble had burst, Zaret was one of the shortest stacks in the room with just 29,000, worth five big blinds at the time. A lucky triple-up in the first hand of that day gave Zaret some much-needed life and he made the most of the opportunity. Zaret came into the final table with the chip lead and overcame a final table full of multi-time bracelet winners and mixed game specialists, defeating Calvin Anderson heads-up to take home his first WSOP gold bracelet and the top prize of $248,245.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zachary Zaret | Canada | $248,245 |
| 2 | Calvin Anderson | United States | $165,447 |
| 3 | Christopher Vitch | United States | $116,672 |
| 4 | Darryll Fish | United States | $83,465 |
| 5 | Ronnie Tate | United States | $60,584 |
| 6 | Bryce Yockey | United States | $44,630 |
| 7 | Marco Johnson | United States | $33,374 |
| 8 | Andres Korn | Argentina | $25,339 |
| 9 | Donny Rubinstein | United States | $19,538 |
Winner's Reaction
"Feels amazing," Zaret commented following his victory. "It's something I've always dreamed of. Hard to believe it's real life."
Zaret, who mentioned that he played recreationally online before giving live poker a shot five years ago, talked about his trajectory from short stack at the start of Day 2 to chip leading going into Day 3 before going on to win.
"I had 29,000 chips, the big blind was 6,000. I came in first hand on the big blind. I had pocket kings and tripled up to about 90,000. A few more triple-ups after that I had something to work with, and the rest was history.”
Despite going into the final table with the lead, Zaret still had a difficult task ahead of him with multi-time bracelet winners Christopher Vitch, Bryce Yockey, Andres Korn and Marco Johnson still in contention. Despite the difficult task in front of him, Zaret remained confident in his abilities.
"I came into the final table as the chip leader, and I feel like I played well yesterday. A lot of these guys are pros, and rightfully so, but I felt like I had a good chance."
Final Day Action
The final day began with 11 hopefuls returning from a field of 1,176. Yockey took the lead from Zaret early on after getting max value with the second-nut flush, while Yehuda Buchalter and Amnon Filippi were the first casualties of the day, making way for the nine-handed final table. Zaret had managed to win enough chips back to ensure he went into the final table with the lead, but Vitch and Yockey were right behind him with big stacks of their own.
Following Donny Rubinstein's elimination in ninth place, Vitch took a massive lead over the rest of the field after eliminating Korn with top set versus middle set. Zaret started closing the gap after winning two big hands off Yockey to leave the latter player short, and shortly after Johnson's elimination in 7th place Yockey was next to fall after Anderson left him drawing dead on the turn with a straight and the nut-low.
The pace of play slowed considerably with five players remaining. Darryll Fish and Ronnie Tate were extreme short stacks while the other three players were all close for the chip lead. Both Tate and Fish enjoyed double ups during this period but it wasn't enough and they were the next two players to fall, setting up a three-handed battle between Zaret, Vitch, and Anderson.
Vitch had over half the chips in play when three-handed play begun, but Zaret quickly took back the lead in dramatic fashion. Both players had flopped the nut-low draw Zaret had two pair while Vitch just had an overpair for the high. Zaret ended up taking three quarters, effectively swapping stacks with Vitch to take a dramatic lead. Vitch never recovered, doubling up Anderson soon after to be left short-stacked before Zaret finished him off.
Zaret came into the heads-up duel with a slight lead over five-time bracelet winner Calvin Anderson. Despite both players starting very deep-stacked, the heads-up battle was over in just two hands. A series of raises saw Anderson get his chips in with a flopped two pair and low draw, while Zaret had a superior low draw and flush draw. The flush came in on the turn and held on the river, forcing Anderson to settle for a runner-up finish while Zaret took down the final pot of the night.
That's a wrap for PokerNews coverage of Event #21: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better. Be sure to check out our live-reporting hub for continuing coverage of the 2025 World Series of Poker.
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
After a lightning-fast heads-up duel Zachary Zaret has defeated Calvin Anderson heads-up to capture his first WSOP gold bracelet.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the day's action.
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
In the second hand of heads-up play Zachary Zaret opened to 500,000 from the button and Calvin Anderson three-bet to 1,500,000 from the big blind. Zaret called.
The flop came 2♦A♠6♠ and Anderson continued for 1,900,000. Zaret raised to 4,200,000 and Anderson shoved for around 13,000,000. Zaret called with a covering stack to put Anderson at risk.
Calvin Anderson: A♣7♦5♥2♣ 
Zachary Zaret: J♠J♣5♠3♣
Anderson had two pair and a seven-five low draw while Zaret had a flush draw, pair of jacks and superior five-three low draw. The flush came in on the Q♠ turn giving Zaret the lead and he remained in front on the Q♦ river to eliminate Anderson in second place and win the final hand of the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
29,400,000
14,000,000
|
14,000,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Christopher Vitch shoved for 520,000 from the small blind and Zachary Zaret called from the big blind to put him at risk.
Christopher Vitch: Q♣J♠6♥5♣
Zachary Zaret: A♥A♦J♦9♠
The board ran out K♥10♦6♠Q♦9♦. No low was possible and Zaret had the nut-flush to eliminate Vitch and enter heads-up play with a small lead over Calvin Anderson.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
15,400,000
1,500,000
|
1,500,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
14,000,000
9,300,000
|
9,300,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Calvin Anderson put in a raise to 600,000 chips in the small blind, Christopher Vitch contemplated his move, then waised to 1,800,000.
After the flop 4♠7♥7♦, Anderson bet 2,000,000 chips, drawing an all-in re-raise from Vitch. Anderson made the call with some 600,000 fewer chips.
Calvin Anderson: A♦5♠4♦2♥
Christopher Vitch: A♣J♥10♣3♦
The turn-river of 3♠6♦ delivered a straight and a nut low for Anderson, and a crushing blow to Vitch, who had the chip lead for much of Day 3.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
12,800,000
8,100,000
|
8,100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
600,000
7,200,000
|
7,200,000 |
|
|
||
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
The pace of play has slowed down between the final three players, with Calvin Anderson increasing his stack after winning several hands without showdown.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
16,900,000
2,100,000
|
2,100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
7,800,000
850,000
|
850,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
4,700,000
2,950,000
|
2,950,000 |
|
|
||
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Christopher Vitch opened to 550,000 from the button and Zachary Zaret called from the small blind.
The flop came J♠3♥7♣. Zaret checked and Vitch bet 1,000,000. Zaret check-raised to 3,000,000 and Vitch moved all in, covering Zaret who had a bit over 11,000,000 to start the hand. A short-stacked Calvin Anderson watched on as Zaret called, putting himself at risk with over 80% of the total chips in play in the middle.
Zachary Zaret: A♦J♥3♠2♥
Christopher Vitch: A♣K♠K♥2♣
Vitch had a monster with an overpair and the nut-low draw but Zaret was ahead with two pair and the nut-low draw. The rest of the board ran out 8♦Q♠. Zaret and Vitch chopped the low while Zaret was good with two pair for the high and took down three quarters of the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
19,000,000
6,400,000
|
6,400,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
8,650,000
7,725,000
|
7,725,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,750,000
450,000
|
450,000 |
|
|
||
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Calvin Anderson bet 450,000 chips on a flop of J♥5♣6♥. Zachary Zaret put a pot raise on it to 1,240,000. Anderson four-bet and Zaret went all in.
Zachary Zaret: A♠J♣6♦2♣
Calvin Anderson: A♥K♠2♥2♠
Zaret's pair of jacks led the way, but Anderson had an ace-high flush draw, plus the low was still alive. None of that came home for Anderson, as the runout of K♣J♦ favored Zaret, who ended up with jacks full of sixes.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
12,600,000
5,875,000
|
5,875,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,200,000
4,100,000
|
4,100,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 31
Blinds: 100,000/200,000
Ante: 200,000
