Ryutaro Suzuki Ends Summer Grind With Victory in $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. to Claim Second Bracelet
Stud Games: 100,000 Ante, 200,000 Bring-In, 500,000 Completion, 500,000-1,000,000 Limits
It hasn't been an easy summer for 25-year-old Ryutaro Suzuki, who openly admitted that his results at the 2025 World Series of Poker had been underwhelming. With a handful of cashes but many more bricked attempts, it looked as though the young poker warrior from Japan would end his series on a low note.
Suzuki headed into the $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. event knowing it would be his last of the series, but little did he know that just three short days later, he'd be holding his second gold bracelet and the title of "T.O.R.S.E. Champion."
The path to victory was arduous, requiring Suzuki to overcome a 522-entry field, a final day that lasted over 13 hours, and a roller-coaster final table. In the end, Suzuki outlasted them all, defeating Toby Lewis in heads-up play to capture his second bracelet and the $273,386 first-place prize.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryutaro Suzuki | Japan | $273,386 |
| 2 | Toby Lewis | United Kingdom | $178,427 |
| 3 | Koji Fujimoto | Japan | $119,108 |
| 4 | Matthew Rosen | United States | $81,357 |
| 5 | Dave Stann | United States | $56,892 |
| 6 | Sterling Lopez | United States | $40,753 |
| 7 | Lucas Johnson | United States | $29,921 |
"I'm really happy to have gotten this great result," Suzuki said through the use of a translator. "I've been playing a very full schedule and I was really tired, but in the end I was able to achieve my goal."
Suzuki joins Shiina Okamoto as the only other Japanese player to win two bracelets. However, with an influx of Japanese players participating in the WSOP, Suzuki expects that number will likely increase in the future.
"There are a lot of Japanese Poker YouTubers," Suzuki explained. "It's really influencing the amount of players who come from Japan to play. [Especially because of] Masato Yokosawa."
When asked about his long-term goals, Suzuki said he ultimately wants to become a household name in the poker world.
"I said the same thing when I won my first bracelet two years ago," Suzuki said. "But I've always wanted to become a world-known player, just like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth."
As far as plans for the rest of the summer, Suzuki is calling it quits for now.
"If I lose another event, I will be sad," Suzuki said in English with a laugh. "Finish!"
Day 3 Action
Sixteen players returned to the Horseshoe Convention Center in hopes of becoming the inaugural T.O.R.S.E. champion, but by the time the first break arrived, David Gee, Bradley Jansen, James Obst, Stephen Dauphinais, and Eddie Blumenthal all saw their tournament lives come to an end after coming in short and failing to run up their stacks.
Following the fast-paced start, only one elimination occurred over the following two levels. During the lull, Suzuki took over the chip lead, while Scott Lake slipped down to the short stack. Lake eventually hit the rail after losing the majority of his chips to Dave Stann in 2-7 Triple Draw, followed by a hand of Razz that saw him lose the rest of his chips against Ryan Miller's six-low.
Despite the knockout, Miller was still nursing a short stack and was eliminated shortly after. Following him out the door was Nikolay Fal, who busted after a couple of triple draw hands didn't go his way.
David Prociak entered as the chip leader, but was unable to gain any real momentum and instead seemed to trend downward for much of the day. He lost a major pot in Razz against Suzuki, who made a wheel, and was eventually eliminated by Suzuki in the same game after getting caught bluffing his entire stack — sending the three-time bracelet out just shy of the final table.
Suzuki entered the final table with nearly twice as many chips as his closest competitor, but Lewis made his presence known by eliminating Lucas Johnson after catching an unlikely full house in Stud Hi-Lo. Stann also rose up the leaderboard by taking out Sterling Lopez in a one-two punch of hands — first in Stud Hi-Lo after Lopez folded on seventh in a massive pot, then in 2-7 Triple Draw after drawing to an eight against Lopez's king.
Stann's good fortune ended there, as shortly after he lost a big pot doubling up Koji Fujimoto, he got the rest of his chips in good against Matthew Rosen in Stud Hi-Lo, but Rosen caught a flush to send Stann out in fifth.
An extended period without any eliminations saw Lewis pull into the lead while Suzuki dwindled to the short stack. In fact, Suzuki fell to his last million in chips and looked poised to be the next player out. However, he caught a crucial double through Fujimoto to get some breathing room. Shortly after, Suzuki got another boost to his stack by eliminating a short-stacked Rosen in a round of 2-7 Triple Draw.
Lewis pressured his Japanese opponents in three-handed play with an active style and extended his chip lead substantially. At one point, Lewis held two-thirds of the chips in play with three left, but Suzuki managed to oust his countryman in another round of triple draw to close the gap between himself and Lewis entering heads-up play.
Suzuki got off to a hot start after making a better eight to pull to nearly even, much to Lewis' dismay. The setback was only temporary for Lewis, however, as he answered right back after making a straight in Seven Card Stud in a massive pot to take a three-to-one chip lead.
Down but not out, Suzuki made another eight in triple draw and got paid off by Lewis to claw back into contention. Like clockwork, though, Lewis retook a substantial lead after a couple of stud hands went his way.
With escalating blinds forcing the action, Suzuki committed his stack in triple draw and made yet another eight to double through Lewis. Suzuki then claimed the lead after winning a series of medium-sized pots, leaving Lewis looking deflated.
Lewis made his last stand in Razz and ended up getting all in drawing to a nine. Suzuki peeled off an eight-low on seventh street, ending the grueling heads-up battle and putting an end to the tournament.
This concludes PokerNews coverage of the inaugural T.O.R.S.E. event. Be sure to check out our live-reporting hub for ongoing coverage of the 2025 World Series of Poker and other events around the globe.