Level 39
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Andrew Ahn
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.
Level 40
: Blinds 800,000/1,600,000, 1,600,000 ante
Andrew Ahn
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.
Level 40
: Blinds 800,000/1,600,000, 1,600,000 ante
Mariano Balfagon
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
Winner's Reaction
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.”
Mariano Balfagon
Day Two Play
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.
Final Table Action
Balfagon started the final table in second spot and pushed on right from the off.
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.
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.
