Event #27: $1,500 Big O
Day 3 Completed
2025 World Series of Poker
Event #27: $1,500 Big O
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2025 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$1,989,922
Entries
1,499
Level
37
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Entries
17
Players Left
2
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Event #27: $1,500 Big O at the 2025 World Series of Poker saw the 17 remaining players who made it to Day 3 play down to only two hopefuls. A previously unscheduled Day 4 has been added to the docket. The floor gave Igor Zektser and Paul Sincere the option to play one more level at the end of Level 35 but they chose to bag their chips up and return tomorrow, June 10, at 1 p.m. local Las Vegas time.
Final Table Pay Outs
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $297,285 | ||
| 2 | $198,134 | ||
| 3 | Ryan Hoenig | United States | $141,315 |
| 4 | Shiva Dudani | United States | $102,079 |
| 5 | Nicolas Milgrom | France | $74,693 |
| 6 | Joshua Biedak | United States | $55,372 |
| 7 | Kevin Ho | United States | $41,595 |
| 8 | Shawn Daniels | United States | $31,667 |
Day 3 Action
Day 3 saw several notable players return to the field, including the likes of returning champion Michael Christ, whose downward fall began when Ryan Hoenig made a crying call on the river with a pair of aces. After the remaining players redrew, bracelet winners Owais Ahmed and Lawrence Brandt fell despite maintaining navigable stacks for most of the tournament.
Switzerland’s Jannick Schob proved to be the final table bubble boy. Typically, short-handed World Series of Poker tournaments proceed to an unofficial final table at one more than the table max, but due to the 52-card count in a deck, the final table actually consisted of eight players.
Final Table Dynamics
Paul Sincere technically came into the final table with the chip lead but the stacks were so close that Sincere’s 36 big blinds weren’t that far ahead of the 21 big blinds of the table short-stack, Shiva Dudani. Sincere did take a more serious lead after eliminating Shawn Daniels in eighth place.
Start of day chip leader Kevin Ho seemed unable to win any big pots throughout the day. He ultimately fell in seventh after not being able to gain any traction.
Dudani had a tremendous run where he spun his last 100,000 at the 60,000 big blind level up to a stack that was well in contention for the bracelet but it wasn’t meant to be. The table congratulated him on his tough play and resilience.
A visibly upset Ryan Hoenig bowed out in third place. Hoenig won his first bracelet earlier this summer in the $10,000 Dealer’s Choice championship. Hoenig stayed on the rail to root for his friend and fellow Coloradoan, Sincere, who will be returning tomorrow to battle heads up at a significant chip disadvantage.
Be sure to check back with PokerNews for everything you need to know about the 2025 World Series of Poker.
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
The players have agreed to bag their chips and restart for an unscheduled Day 4, taking place tomorrow, June 10 at 1:00 p.m. local time.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the night's action.
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Paul Sincere limped in from the button and Igor Zektser checked from the big blind.
The flop came 2♦5♠8♠ and both players checked leading to the 7♠ turn. Zektser bet 1,00,000 and Sincere clicked it to 2,000,000. Zektser raised to 6,500,000 and Sincere went into the tank.
"Nut-flush?" Sincere asked his opponent, who remained stoic.
"It's the only hand that beats me" Sincere continued. "So Sick. I know you don't have the straight flush. You could just be betting your low, but that's not really your style".
After another minute or two of deliberation Sincere folded, showing the K♠6♠ as he did so, before Zektser took the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
27,725,000
725,000
|
725,000 |
|
||
|
9,750,000
750,000
|
750,000 |
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Paul Sincere and Igor Zektser saw the J♠Q♥9♣ scroll across in a limped pot and they both checked.
The turn peeled the 3♣ and Zektser bet 500,000 but he put it on top of his blind. The dealer only pulls in the ante when heads up because it's a chopped pot game so both blinds stayed in front of the players. Zektser's was just a little closer to him than his opponent's.
So, when Zektser bet — Sincere thought that the wager was 1,000,000, so he flicked out two 500,000 chips which technically was a raise. Sincere was vocal about the mix up and visibly shaken up when his opponent raised again to 3,500,000.
Sincere went on to say he had flopped the second nuts before mucking his hand.
Not too long ago, Sincere had told Zektser, "Seems you have it 95% of the time..." .
Zektser spread out five cards that only showed ace high to after a visibly tilted Sincere mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
27,000,000
2,000,000
|
2,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
10,500,000
2,000,000
|
2,000,000 |
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
With two players seeing a board of 5♠9♥2♣9♦8♠ and 2,000,000 in the middle, Ryan Hoenig bet 1,900,000 from the small blind and Igor Zektser announced a pot-sized raise to 7,700,00, enough to put Hoenig all-in. Hoenig went into the tank for about a minute before calling.
Zektser showed K♠K♦4♣4♠3♦ for two pair, kings and nines and four-three for the low. Hoenig stared at his hand for a few seconds to confirm he did not have Zektser beat for either half before mucking his hand, ending his deep run in third place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
25,000,000
4,600,000
|
4,600,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
12,500,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 35
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Ryan Hoenig limped in from the button, Paul Sincere called from the small blind and Igor Zektser checked his option from the big blind.
All three players checked the A♥J♣4♦ flop leading to the 6♣ turn. Sincere checked and Igor bet 1,000,000. Hoenig raised to 2,900,000, Sincere folded and Igor announced pot. Hoenig, who started the hand with around 10,000,000, called for his tournament life.
Ryan Hoenig: J♥7♥6♠3♦2♥ 
Igor Zektser: 8♦7♣4♠3♥2♣
Both players had the nut-low draw but Hoenig was ahead for the high with two pair, needing to fade only a five or a club to quarter Zektser. The A♣ river completed Zektser's flush draw and he took half of Hoenig's stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
20,400,000
6,000,000
|
6,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
12,300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
|
4,800,000
6,300,000
|
6,300,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 35
Blinds: 250,000/500,000
Ante: 500,000
Level 34
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Igor Zektser limped in from the small blind and Ryan Hoenig checked from the big blind.
All three players checked the 9♦7♥8♠ flop leading to the 9♠ turn. Zektser check-called a 700,000 bet from Hoenig.
Zektser check-called another bet from Hoenig on the 4♥ river, this time for 1,200,000.
Hoenig turned over A♠Q♥J♠6♠5♦ for a straight and Sektzer mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
14,400,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
12,000,000 | |
|
|
11,100,000 | |
|
|
||
Level 34
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Ryan Hoenig limped from the button, Paul Sincere limped behind from the small blind and Igor Zektser checked his option in the big blind.
The flop came K♥Q♠5♠ and Sincere fired a pot-sized 1,600,000 bet. Only Hoenig called.
Sincere announced pot on the 8♣ turn, betting 4,800,000. Hoenig went into the tank.
"Paul, Paul Paul..." Hoenig said as he pondered his decision
"What do you have over there?" Sincere replied. Hoenig said nothing.
"I know exactly what you have because I have the rest of it" Sincere continued.
Another minute went by as Hoenig agonized over the decision. "We were supposed to get heads-up together" Hoenig joked to his friend.
Another minute went by before Hoenig mucked. Sincere did not show, but told Hoenig that he had top two pair and the second-nut flush draw.
Hoenig mentioned that he had folded a set and was in pretty good shape against Sincere's hand as Sincere dragged in the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
17,300,000
3,300,000
|
3,300,000 |
|
|
13,500,000
1,725,000
|
1,725,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
6,700,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
|
||
