Event #95: $800 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack
Day 2 Completed
Event #95: $800 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack
Day 2 Completed
Event #95: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack at the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has concluded here at The Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas. The event attracted a field of 2,851 runners, generating a total prize pool of $1,995,700 with $252,386 being awarded to the champion.
162 players bagged up from Day 1 of the tournament to fight it out on Day 2 for the title and take home the coveted World Series of Poker bracelet along with the first-place prize.
Mariano Balfagon navigated his way through the day to capture the majority of the $1,995,700 prize pool and his first World Series of Poker bracelet along with a prize of over 20 times his previous best-ever live cash result. After entering heads-up play with a more than three-to-one chip lead, Balfagon was able to close out the victory against Andrew Ahn under the lights of the Horseshoe Las Vegas.
$800 Deepstack Final Table Results
Place | Player | Country | Prize |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mariano Balfagon | Argentina | $252,386 |
2 | Andrew Ahn | United States | $168,122 |
3 | Nan Chen | United States | $122,705 |
4 | Alon Eldar | Israel | $90,413 |
5 | Jon Turner | United States | $67,262 |
6 | Wesley Fei | China | $50,526 |
7 | Kevin Choi | United Kingdom | $38,328 |
8 | Lei Yu | China | $29,364 |
9 | Gustavo Andolhe | Brazil | $22,722 |
Balfagon has been playing poker for approximately 20 years and competing at the World Series for seven years. His largest previous score was $11,431 according to The Hendon Mob, but today's win will be more than twenty times that amount.
"I’m feeling really good and really happy. It was a dream of mine to end up with a bracelet, and now I have fulfilled that dream."
“Now I will look at buying into some slightly higher buy-in events and the main event next year. I will now just enjoy the money and do some travelling, enjoy life, and keep on playing poker!”
Balfagon didn’t have a set strategy for the final table, but is aware that a major hand against Alon Eldar set him up for the win, and he realised that it was within his grasp after winning this hand.
Balfagon would like to thank his best friend who was on the rail today for him to give him support and advice, and said, “I would not have been able to do this without him there on the rail for me.”
Balfagon cruised through the day, gradually building his stack, and started to push on when less than 20 players were remaining. He got a huge boost to his stack by busting Mariyan Stoychev when his queen-nine cracked Stoychev’s jacks. He then eliminated Yang Li when his ace-seven held against Li’s king-seven.
Balfagon started the final table in second spot and pushed on right from the off.
He took the chip lead in a massive pot against Jon Turner and never really looked back from this point. Balfagon busted Gustavo Andolhe in ninth spot when his king-ten outdrew Andolhe’s ace-six. He continued to build his stack at the final table and got an added bonus when he sniffed out Alon Eldar’s bluff.
With one of the top contenders at the final table in Jon Turner taken out in fifth spot, Balfagon continued to pile on the pressure and took a massive chip lead when he eliminated Eldar in fourth place.
This chip lead grew when he then took out Nan Chen in third place to take the tournament heads up with Andrew Ahn.
Heads-up play was brief, with Balfagon entering the match at a more than three-to-one advantage. Ahn never got any momentum, and the final hand saw Balfagon’s five-two crack Ahn’s queens.
This concludes coverage of Event #95: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack. Stay tuned to PokerNews for more from the 2025 World Series of Poker.
Andrew Ahn raised from the button to 3,200,000 and received a call from Mariano Balfagon in the big blind. The flop came out with 4♠2♦4♥, and Balfagon checked. Ahn bet 4,000,000, and Balfagon moved all in for 18,000,000 effective, and Ahn called.
Andrew Ahn: Q♥Q♠
Mariano Balfagon: 5♣2♠
Ahn was ahead with his queens heading to the turn, which was the J♠, but the river 2♣ brought Balfagon trips for the win.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
![]() |
114,000,000
28,000,000
|
28,000,000 |
|
||
![]() |
Busted |
Andrew Ahn raised to 3,200,000 on the button, Mariano Balfagon called in the big blind.
Ahn decided to shove all in when the flop came Q♣9♣8♥, Balfagon snap-folded.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
![]() |
86,000,000
3,600,000
|
3,600,000 |
|
||
![]() |
28,000,000
4,600,000
|
4,600,000 |
Level: 40
Blinds: 800,000/1,600,000
Ante: 1,600,000
Players are on a quick ten-minute break. The action is heads up.
Mariano Balfagon raised on the button to 3,000,000, Nan Chen shoved roughly 9,000,000 from the small blind, Balfagon snap-called.
Nan Chen: A♣6♠
Mariano Balfagon: Q♣Q♠
The board ran out 8♥9♥7♥5♥4♣, and Chen was eliminated in third place.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
![]() |
89,600,000
28,100,000
|
28,100,000 |
|
||
![]() |
23,400,000
6,400,000
|
6,400,000 |
![]() |
Busted |
Mariano Balfagon raised from the button to 3,000,000, and Nan Chen called from the small blind.
Andrew Ahn then three-bet all-in from the big blind for a total of 13,100,000. Balfagon folded, and Chen didn't take long to make the call.
Andrew Ahn: K♥Q♣
Nan Chen: 3♣3♦
The flop rolled off of A♥Q♦5♠ to send Ahn into the lead, and when the Q♠ came on the turn, he needed to avoid a three for a full double-up. The J♣ peeled off on the river, and Ahn was shipped the pot for a full double-up and more.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
![]() |
61,500,000
5,500,000
|
5,500,000 |
|
||
![]() |
29,800,000
15,800,000
|
15,800,000 |
![]() |
18,500,000
16,700,000
|
16,700,000 |
Nan Chen moved all in from the small blind for 17,600,000, and Andrew Ahn stated, "Let's go." The cards were tabled, and the race was happening.
Nan Chen: 3♥3♣
Andrew Ahn: A♣Q♦
The board dodged all of the Broadway cards Ahn would require when it ran out with K♣2♥8♦7♦9♦, and a pair of threes brought out a cheer from Chen.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
![]() |
35,200,000
24,300,000
|
24,300,000 |
![]() |
14,000,000
20,900,000
|
20,900,000 |
Alon Eldar called 1,200,000 in the small blind, Mariano Balfagon checked in the big blind.
The flop came 6♥K♠4♦, Eldar bet 1,200,000, Balfagon raised to 4,500,000, Eldar called.
The action did not slow down on the 3♣ turn as Eldar decided to check-shove 16,000,000 after Balfagon bet 7,500,000, Balfagon snap-called.
Alon Eldar: K♥J♥
Mariano Balfagon: 6♣4♥
Eldar was eliminated when the 5♦ was dealt on the river.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
![]() |
67,000,000
25,700,000
|
25,700,000 |
|
||
![]() |
Busted |