Qinghai 'The Terminator' Pan Comes Back for Extra Day & Wins $10,000 Stud Hi-Lo Championship
Bring In: 50,000
Completion: 150,000
Limits: 150,000-300,000
Qinghai Pan was dubbed "The Terminator" by his opponents on Day 2 of Event #77: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship of the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP). It was fitting, then, that when four players came back for an unscheduled fourth day of the tournament, it was "The Terminator" who came out on top to win $411,051 and his third bracelet.
The $10,000 buy-in Stud Hi-Lo Championship drew 186 runners for a prize pool of $1,729,800 and saw deep runs from all-time bracelet leader Phil Hellmuth (13th - $24,393) and Swedish online poker legend Viktor Blom (10th - $28,458).
The four players who returned for the unscheduled Day 4 included Poker Boom star and three-time bracelet winner Luke Schwartz, Russian bracelet winner Andrey Zhigalov and first-time bracelet hopeful David Lin, who finished runner-up for $274,023.
| Place | Player | Country | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qinghai Pan | United States | $411,051 |
| 2 | David Lin | United States | $274,023 |
| 3 | Luke Schwartz | United Kingdom | $188,105 |
| 4 | Andrey Zhigalov | Russia | $132,423 |
| 5 | Tomasz Gluszko | Poland | $95,665 |
| 6 | Tim Frazin | United States | $70,970 |
| 7 | Alex Livingston | Canada | $54,105 |
| 8 | Jared Rubin | United States | $42,421 |
"Live is More Unique to Me"
California's Pan earned his two previous bracelets in online events, first in a 2022 WSOP Online NV/NJ Freezeout event for $36,148 before winning a NLH Turbo event in the same market for $42,875.
In his winner's interview, Pan told PokerNews that his first live bracelet was special.
“I play online so much, so online is really easy for me," Pan said. "Live is more unique for me.”
Still, Pan is no newcomer to live tournaments, especially across Southern California cardrooms like The Commerce and The Bicycle.
“I still have a lot (of live experience)," he said. "I like to play live mixed tournaments.”
The career-best score pushes Pan over $1 million in Hendon Mob earnings. He previously had $649,551 in earnings, with his top live score being a fourth-place finish in the 2023 WSOP $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better 8-Handed for $85,977.
Day 4 Action
Pan actually missed the first hand of play due to being unable to find the final table, but it proved to be anything but a bad omen. Just a few minutes into the day, Pan made a pair of kings to eliminate Zhigalov in fourth place for $132,423.
The aviator and diamond-chain-wearing Schwartz couldn't get anything going on Day 4 and fell in third place after bricking a massive draw. Schwartz started with four cards to a Wheel and bricked the next three streets to be sent out by Lin.
Lin held his own for a brief heads-up battle after entering with a chip deficit. He closed the gap a bit before Pan picked up steam, calling a seventh street bet from Lin and winning the pot with two pair.
In the final hand, Pan completed and Lin called before getting his final chips in on fifth street with a pair of sevens to be pipped by the eights of Pan, who improved to two pair as he earned his third bracelet and career-best six-figure score.
Lin, who earlier in the series finished seventh in the $1,500 Limit Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better event for $18,758, nearly doubled his $334,481 in Hendon Mob earnings with the $274,023 score.
Still a diehard online grinder at heart, Pan kept his winner's interview brief and told PokerNews he needed to go play more online poker.
That wraps up coverage of Event #77: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship at the 2025 WSOP. Keep an eye on other PokerNews coverage this summer, including of the $10,000 Main Event that kicked off today.