Kristopher Tong has been close to a bracelet before. He was runner-up in 2013 in a mixed hi-lo game, and he took 5th in the prestigious Poker Players Championship in 2023, but this is his first trip to the top step of the podium. And he did it over 207 of the toughest runners in a Championship event with $1,925,100 in total prizes.
Tong said in his interview with PokerNews after the game, part of the 2025 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas, that, while he was very hungry for a bracelet early in his career, lately he’s been focusing more on cash games. “When I was a lot younger, I was dying for a bracelet. Then I kind of got more into just wanting to play big cash games. I wanted to make money. I wanted to make business, and take care of my family. But I’ve definitely changed my opinion on that recently, actually.”
His attitude changed, in part, thanks to his friend, Phillip Sternheimer. He was sitting at home watching his buddy win Event #36: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship and, after he saw what the win meant to Sternheimer and his family, the tournament bug started to itch again.
“I partially flew here to compete in only tournaments because I saw him win one. I wanted to compete and I wanted to win one, and now I want to win more, honestly.”
2025 WSOP Event #55: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kristopher Tong | $452,689 |
| 2 | Maximilian Schindler | $301,786 |
| 3 | Brad Ruben | $206,747 |
| 4 | Jason Mercier | $144,965 |
| 5 | Marco Johnson | $104,089 |
| 6 |  Alex Livingston | $76,581 |
| 7 | Scott Seiver | $57,766 |
| 8 | Walter Chambers | $44,703 |
2025 WSOP Event #55: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship Final Table Recap
The final table of the HORSE Championship was far from an easy table. With the likes of Jason Mercier, Alex Livingston, Scott Seiver, and runner-up Maximillian Schindler in the final eight, Tong was facing a tough crowd.
“I want to definitely compete with all the best players and see where I’m at and get better, because there’s a ton of better players that played this tournament, but it’s a tournament so anyone can win.”
He had the lead going into the final day, but a slow start saw him chipped down and needing to find a recovery. He was a big dog going into heads-up against Schindler, but he managed to spin it back up, taking the win with a straight in Stud Hi/Lo.
He still seems to have some scratching to do, as he confirmed after the game that he’ll be jumping into the upcoming PPC. “I’m definitely feeling really competitive, and I want to fight for more of these for sure. I may go all in and play a huge schedule and fight to win a bunch of these, so we’ll see what happens.”
