Event #80: $800 Summer Celebration
Day 2 Completed
2025 World Series of Poker
Event #80: $800 Summer Celebration
Day: 2
Event Info
2025 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
$800
Prize Pool
$3,698,201
Entries
7,078
Level
45
Blinds
3,000,000 / 6,000,000
Ante
6,000,000
Entries
361
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 7078
Filter
Level 45
: Blinds 3,000,000/6,000,000, 6,000,000 ante
Giuseppe Zarbo outdueled Ryo Kotake heads-up to win his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) title in Event #80: $800 Summer Celebration. The champion, who is of Italian descent, but lives in the South of France, earned his first gold bracelet along with a staggering payout of $504,180.
“It’s incredible,” Zarbo said after outlasting a field of 7,078 entries. “I played well, but I was very lucky.
“I win coin flip, coin flip, coin flip, then 20/80 percent, 30/70 percent, and on and on.”
Zarbo, who first came to the WSOP in 2011, has played in eight main events and said he will return on Saturday to play in Day 1d of this year’s signature tournament. He had made it to three final tables at international circuit events, but this was his first at the WSOP, and, of course, his first victory.
“I play when I have the time,” he said. “I’m no professional player — I have a regular job — but when I play, I play to win.”
$800 Summer Celebration Final Table Result
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giuseppe Zarbo | Italy | $504,180 |
| 2 | Ryo Kotake | Japan | $332,840 |
| 3 | Wai Kit Lo | Hong Kong | $248,320 |
| 4 | Jonathan Stoeber | United States | $186,650 |
| 5 | Ciaran Duffy | United Kingdom | $141,350 |
| 6 | Yansong Kou | United States | $107,850 |
| 7 | Ionannis Panagopoulos | Greece | $82,920 |
| 8 | Marat Shafigullin | Russian Federation | $64,250 |
| 9 | Quinterol Mallette | United States | $50,161 |
| 10 | Tanith Rothman | South Africa | $39,420 |
La Célébration
Zarbo waded through a mega field that generated a whopping prize pool of $5,166,940 for the two-day event at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas.
He said he was energized by a strong contingent of French friends and fans on the rail, who chanted and sang in French, cheering on his every bet-and-call during play at the final two tables.
"I'm not certain I would have won without them," he said. 'They were amazing."
Zarbo admits to looking forward to all that comes with being a WSOP champion, but says winning is what motivates him most.
“It’s incredible, not just the bracelet or the money, it’s the winning,” Zarbo said. “I like the competition. My children, I tell them that in sports, the important thing is to win. If you don’t win, at least play your very best.
“Today, I played my best and I won. Nothing is better than that.”
Second-day Action
With a 30-minute blind structure, Day 2 began with a rash of bust outs among the 361 players who bagged the night before. A whopping 201 competitors were sent packing in the first two hours of play Friday, and the field was down to just 73 players by the second break, four hours in.
Zarbo was in the middle of the pack at the first redraw for the final three tables, and made it to the final table in sixth, with just 21,200,000 chips, less than a third of leader Wai Kit Lo's total.
But Zarbo heated up at the right time, as he was responsible for four of the final five knockouts. He doubled up early in the final table, building chips with which to fight. And he put them to work in three hours of play at the final table.
Kotake earned his way into the final twosome with a huge win over Lo, who led for most of the plan on the final three tables until getting sliced up by a runner-runner four-card flush.
Zarbo and Kotake had a back-and-forth battle for some time heads-up, with each taking the lead at points. Eventually Zarbo got the upper hand and won the tournament by smooth-calling a preflop bet with pocket aces to set Kotake up for the takeout.
"I waited until there were just eight players, before I started taking more opportunities," Zarbo said. "Then I get lucky.
"It is the best poker of my life."
This wraps up coverage of the Summer Celebration, but stay tuned to PokerNews, the official media partner of the 2025 World Series of Poker, for live updates on all bracelet events at the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas.
Level 45
: Blinds 3,000,000/6,000,000, 6,000,000 ante
Giuseppe Zarbo has won Event #80: $800 Summer Celebration at the 2025 WSOP, taking home $504,180 and earning his first WSOP bracelet.
Stay tuned for the full recap of an action-packed final day.
Level 45
: Blinds 3,000,000/6,000,000, 6,000,000 ante
After relentlessly applying pressure and chipping away at Ryo Kotake, Giuseppe Zarbo opened another hand with a raise to 13,000,000. Kotake made the call to see a flop.
The dealer spread 3♦8♣10♥, and Kotake checked. Zarbo continued for 9,000,000, and Kotake called.
On the 2♦ turn, Kotake checked again and Zarbo ramped it up with a bet of 22,000,000. Kotake instantly moved all in, and Zarbo snap-called.
Ryo Kotake: Q♠8♠
Giuseppe Zarbo: A♣A♥
Kotake was in trouble with just a pair of eights against Zarbo’s overpair. The A♦ on the river sealed it with a set of aces, crowning Giuseppe Zarbo the champion and sending Ryo Kotake out as the runner-up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
266,000,000
159,000,000
|
159,000,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level: 45
Blinds: 3,000,000/6,000,000
Ante: 6,000,000
Level 44
: Blinds 2,500,000/5,000,000, 5,000,000 ante
Ryo Kotake and Giuseppe Zarbo's heads-up match has been going back and forth, with each facing all-in decisions and electing to fold, rather than risk their tournament life.
Through eight straight hands, bet-raise-fold was the standard between the two, with the occacional simple call to see a flop.
But whenever pressured, one player always folded.
The best exchange came after Kotake had lost his chip lead.
He raised to 10,000,000 preflop on the button, Zarbo called in the big blind.
The flop came J♦4♥3♠, and Kotake bet 7,000,000 and Zarbo called again.
The turn was the 6♦ and Kotake bet 15,000,000. Zarbo made the call.
The river hit 5♥ and this time Zarbo led out, firing in a 20,000,000-chip bet. Kotake didn't hesitate to g all in.
Zarbo quickly folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
153,000,000
6,500,000
|
6,500,000 |
|
|
107,000,000
12,500,000
|
12,500,000 |
|
|
||
Level 44
: 2,500,000/5,000,000, 5,000,000 ante
Ryo Kotake moved all in as first to act, putting both opponents at risk. Wai Kit Lo took a moment before calling, and Giuseppe Zarbo asked for a count before deciding to call as well, setting up a three-way showdown.
Wai Kit Lo: Q♥J♥
Giuseppe Zarbo: A♦9♥
Ryo Kotake: 10♥4♥
Zarbo was ahead with ace-high and stayed in front as the board ran out 2♠K♣3♣5♠8♣, with none of the players connecting. Zarbo nearly tripled up, while Lo was eliminated in third place, setting the stage for the final heads-up battle.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
146,500,000
29,500,000
|
29,500,000 |
|
|
119,500,000
56,500,000
|
56,500,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 44
: 2,500,000/5,000,000, 5,000,000 ante
Ryo Kotake went all in on the button for 74,500,000 chips. Wai Kit Lo, the chip leader at the final table since play began more than two hours earlier, studied long and hard over the decision to call or fold.
He made the call.
Ryo Kotake: A♠5♥
Wai Kit Lo: K♥Q♠
Lo was excited about the flop — he paired his king — but the rast of the runout J♦K♠7♠9♠4♠ was painful as four consecutive clubs were placed on the board, giving Kotake an ace-high spade flush and the chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
176,000,000
88,000,000
|
88,000,000 |
|
|
63,000,000
9,500,000
|
9,500,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
27,000,000
97,500,000
|
97,500,000 |
Level 44
: 2,500,000/5,000,000, 5,000,000 ante
Ryo Kotake folded, and Wai Kit Lo made the call in the small blind. Giuseppe Zarbo checked his big blind.
On the 8♣J♦3♥ flop, Lo checked, and Zarbo bet 6,000,000, which Lo called.
Lo checked once again on the 10♣ turn, and Zarbo fired another bet of 12,000,000. Lo went into a small tank but made the fold in the end, giving up the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
124,500,000
6,500,000
|
6,500,000 |
|
|
88,000,000
7,000,000
|
7,000,000 |
|
|
53,500,000
13,500,000
|
13,500,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 44
Blinds: 2,500,000/5,000,000
Ante: 5,000,000
