WSOP 2025

2025 WSOP: Igor Zektser Wins $1,500 Big O Bracelet After Heads-Up Comeback

by Nathan Fryar June 10, 2025
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Igor Zektser 2025 WSOP Event #27: $1,500 Big O Bracelet Winner

The $1,500 Big O tournament at the 2025 World Series of Poker stretched an extra day at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. After 1,499 entries and four days of play, Igor Zektser emerged victorious, winning his first WSOP gold bracelet and a career-best $297,285. The prize pool ballooned to $1,989,922, and after a marathon Day 3 that lasted more than 13 hours, Zektser and Paul Sincere opted to bag up and return for a heads-up the next day.

Zektser came back with a significant chip advantage, but the final day was anything but straightforward. What followed was a rollercoaster heads-up battle, with momentum swinging dramatically and Sincere even pulling into the lead at one point. But Zektser survived multiple all-ins and eventually closed it out to deny Sincere the comeback story. For Zektser, it was his fourth cash of the summer, but easily the sweetest. The win pushes his live tournament earnings past the $1 million mark and marks his second-ever WSOP final table and 46th cash at the series.

Paul Sincere may have come up short, but he can walk away with his head high. With only $23,000 in total live tournament earnings before this event, the $198,134 payday is a massive leap forward for him. Even more telling is Sincere’s clear love for the Big O as nine of his ten recorded cashes are in this format, and he’s clearly found his niche in the poker world.

Two WSOP bracelet winners made deep runs: Ryan Hoenig, fresh from capturing the gold in the $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship, finished third for $141,315, while 2023 Lucky 7’s bracelet winner Shaun Daniels exited in eighth for $31,667.

2025 WSOP Event #27: $1,500 Big O Final Table Results

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1 United States of America Igor Zektser United States$297,285
2 United States of America Paul Sincere United States$198,134
3United States of America Ryan HoenigUnited States$141,315
4United States of America Shiva DudaniUnited States$102,079
5France Nicolas MilgromFrance$74,693
6United States of America Joshua BiedakUnited States$55,372
7United States of America Kevin HoUnited States$41,595
8United States of America Shawn DanielsUnited States$31,667

2025 WSOP Event #27: $1,500 Big O Final Table Recap

Only 17 players returned for the final day of Event #27: $1,500 Big O, and if you think a whole day of poker was enough to crown a winner … Well, you would be wrong. More than five hours were needed before Jannick Schob bowed out in ninth place and the official final table was set.

When the final eight players took their seats, chips were spread remarkably evenly across the table. Paul Sincere held the chip lead with just 36 big blinds, while even the shortest stack, Shiva Dudani, had a respectable 21 blinds. Together with the split format of the game and five cards in the hand, it’s no wonder that this event went into an unscheduled fourth day.

Saying all that, the first casualty of the final table came not long after play resumed. Shaun Daniels moved all-in with A♠9♠7♣5♣2♥, only to run into Sincere’s pocket aces. The board ran out 8♣2♠Q♥J♠J♥, offering no low and no salvation, and Daniels departed in eighth place for $31,667.

Roughly an hour later, Kevin Ho found himself on the wrong end of a preflop showdown against Ryan Hoenig. Ho’s A♣Q♣7♥4♥2♦ was nearly a mirror of Hoenig’s A♦Q♠J♠7♦4♣, but it was the jacks that proved pivotal. One hit the flop and another landed on the turn, knocking Ho out in seventh for $41,595.

Kevin Ho 2025 WSOP
Kevin Ho

Joshua Biedak was next to fall, jamming with J♠8♠8♦5♦4♣ and running into Zektser’s A♥Q♥J♥10♥9♠. An ace on the flop all but sealed Biedak’s fate, and the turn made it official. He exited in sixth place, collecting $55,372.

Moments later, Nicolas Milgrom took a stand with A♦Q♠8♣4♣3♦, but Paul Sincere called him off with A♠Q♥Q♦8♦6♦. The dealer put out 9♥7♦5♣, giving Sincere a flopped straight. Milgrom still had some running outs, and the 5♦ turn gave him a glimpse of hope, but the 5♥ river filled Sincere up and sent the Frenchman out in fifth place for $74,693.

Ryan Hoenig then claimed the next knockout, dispatching Shiva Dudani in fourth. All the chips went in on a 6♦8♦8♠ flop. Dudani was ahead, but the 10♣ turn and A♣ river gave Hoenig two pair, enough to scoop the pot and eliminate Dudani for $102,079.

However, the next one to fall was Hoenig himself. On a rivered board of 5♠9♥2♣9♦8♠, he bet the pot, and Zektser came over the top with a pot-sized raise to put Hoenig all-in. After tanking for a minute, Hoenig called. Zektser turned over K♠K♦4♣4♠3♦ for two pair and an 8-5-4-3-2 low, enough to take the pot as Hoenig mucked his hand. His quest for a second bracelet this summer came up just short.

Paul Sincere 2025 WSOP
Paul Sincere

With that, the stage was set for heads-up play between Igor Zektser and Paul Sincere. Zektser held a commanding lead, but both players agreed to pause after a couple of hands and return the next day to finish what they started. Zektser bagged 27,725,000 in chips, while Sincere would return with 9,750,000.

All the early signs in the unscheduled Day 4 pointed towards a quick Zektser’s finish, as a couple of pots went his way. But Sincere wasn’t ready to call it quits just yet. He leveled the stacks and then completely flipped the script as momentum shifted in his favour.

Zektser found himself down to just a handful of blinds, and Sincere had three separate chances to close it out. Each time, however, Zektser managed to double through. In the most pivotal hand of the match, the two clashed in a massive pot with Zektser holding A♦A♠9♣6♥5♥ against Sincere’s A♣K♠K♦4♣2♦. The board ran out Q♦7♠4♥9♠J♦, offering no low, and Zektser’s aces held for the scoop. All of a sudden, it was Sincere who was left with just a couple of big blinds.

A few hands later, it was all over. On a flop of 6♣10♥4♠, the short-stacked Sincere moved all-in and Zektser called with K♣8♣7♥5♦4♦. Sincere revealed Q♦9♣9♥4♥4♣, needing high cards to survive. The turn 3♦ gave Zektser a straight, and when the river failed to pair, it was Igor Zektser standing tall as the 2025 WSOP $1,500 Big O champion, taking home the gold bracelet and $297,285. Sincere earned a hard-fought second-place finish and a career-best $198,134.

* Hands and photos courtesy of PokerNews and WSOP

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Nathan Fryar

Nathan Fryar is a former professional poker player turned poker author.

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