Ian Pelz Wins Gladiator Off "One Hungover Bullet"
An incredible feat, Event #67: $300 Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold'em proved to be the second-largest poker tournament field in history. From a gargantuan 24,629 total entries filtered down to the 812 that made Day 2, it was a whirlwind for the 13 valiant competitors who advanced to the final day at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas.
Those lucky 13 battled down to the one and only, Ian Pelz, who played confidently for three days and somehow seemed in control of a heads-up match that he started at a two-to-one deficit. Sang Sim put up a tremendous showing, but Pelz was able to whittle down his opponent's stack, eventually capturing all the chips and his first-ever WSOP bracelet.
Pelz is no stranger to the bright lights, as only eight days before his first title, he finished third in Event #60: $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-handed ($85,431). Pelz said he'd been having a rough trip prior to that final table, but this does mark his fourth WSOP cash of the summer, and the last two were quite productive.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Pelz | United States | $420,680 |
| 2 | Sang Sim | United States | $300,160 |
| 3 | Manuel Reyes | United States | $219,410 |
| 4 | Jesus Rodriguez | United States | $167,730 |
| 5 | Yuanzhi Cao | United States | $128,970 |
| 6 | Roland Israelashvili | United States | $100,120 |
| 7 | Joseph Butler | United States | $77,580 |
| 8 | Santiago Trujillo | Argentina | $60,700 |
| 9 | Timothy Thorp | United States | $47,770 |
Winner's Reaction
An elated Pelz was surrounded by a rail of brilliant poker players, including fellow Colorodan, Ryan Hoenig, who also scored his first taste of gold this summer.
The funny thing was, Pelz hadn't intended to play this particular event, as he normally doesn't play the smaller buy-ins. He had been out drinking with his friends the night prior and subsequently had left his car at the Horseshoe. The next day, when he was dropped off to pick up his vehicle, he decided to hop in the Gladiator on a whim.
"On one hungover bullet," according to Pelz. It stuck, and his one long shot at glory ended up earning quite the multiplier as he claimed the $420,680 first-place prize.
Pelz explained to PokerNews how he adjusted to the lower buy-in and enormous field.
"I kind of just played my game and good things happened. I definitely took advantage of the fact that some of these players have less experience and haven't been in these situations before, whereas up until the final table it wasn't really a stressful situation for me."
Pelz was one of the few who weren't sweating the pay jumps deep on Day 2, and he kept the same attitude going into Day 3.
Currently based out of Colorado, Pelz cut his teeth playing in college in Eugene, Oregon, at the downtown card room. He's a self-proclaimed product of the Chris Moneymaker poker boom.
Final Day Action
It’s no easy task to accommodate a colosseum for 24,629 combatants, even if some were repeat entrants, but no one does it like the 2025 World Series of Poker. With the advent of the WSOP+ App, all these large field tournaments have run more smoothly than ever.
Only 13 players reached Day 3, all hoping to become the 2025 WSOP Gladiators of Poker champion. Among them, Bradley Moore was last in chips, and it took just two hands for him to go all in with ace-four. He was called by Manuel Reyes holding queen-ten, who made a straight to eliminate Moore in 13th place for $30,120.
While Roland Israelashvili and Pelz were doubling up, Ken Takayama wasn’t as fortunate. He ran into Pelz’s pocket nines and was knocked out in 12th place ($30,120).
That elimination allowed Timothy Thorp, Albert Felarca, and Ramond Takhsh to reach the next pay jump, despite having very short stacks. All three of them hoped for a double-up to secure a seat at the final table, but in an extraordinary sequence, each of them moved all in on the same hand. Unfortunately for them, Israelashvili woke up with kings in the big blind and scored a triple knockout to burst the final table bubble.
After a short break, the remaining seven players took their seats at the main feature table. But the field quickly narrowed: Joseph Butler was the first to go in seventh place for $77,580, followed by Israelashvili, whose nines were beaten by tens, finishing sixth for $100,120.
Sim continued to dominate, and extended his chip lead by eliminating Jesus Rodriguez in a blind versus blind situation (fourth – $167,730). Reyes was his next victim when his eights beat ace-ten (third – $219,410), giving Sim a two-to-one chip lead as heads-up play began less than an hour after the beginning of the PokerGO stream.
The final duel started with both players trading pots, but little by little, Pelz came back to take the chip lead. Although the stacks remained close, a cooler sealed the deal: Sim moved all in on the river after hitting a backdoor straight, only to be snap-called by Pelz, who had made a backdoor flush to capture his first WSOP bracelet.
This concludes PokerNews coverage of the record-breaking $300 Gladiators of Poker, but don't miss any of the action as the 2025 World Series of Poker continues in Las Vegas.