Narcis Nedelcu Crushes On Way To WSOP $1,500 Eight-Game Title

The focus of the poker world was on mixed games this week as they took center stage at the World Series of Poker. And while Michael Mizrachi and Esther Taylor were rightfully grabbing a lot of headlines, Narcis Nedelcu was putting in some work of his own in the mixed-game streets.

Nedelcu, who hails from Romania, captured his first career WSOP bracelet in the $1,500 eight-game event. He won a first-place prize of $184,862 in outlasting a record field of 789 entrants in this tournament, which generated a total prize pool of $1,047,398. For his efforts, Nedelcu earned 912 points in the Card Player Player of the Year race, presented by Coin Poker. It’s the fifth POY score for Nedelcu so far in 2025, and he now sits in 81st place overall.

In this event, Nedelcu carried the chip lead from the end of day 2 into day 3, and he never relinquished it. He had half of the chips in play at the start of the final table and eliminated the last five players standing in his way.

Scott Abrams, a WSOP bracelet winner who captured a Big O title in 2023, became a sticky heads-up opponent. Just before Nedelcu secured the victory, Adams pulled himself all the way back into contention. But one big hand in no-limit hold’em and a handful of smaller pots later, Nedelcu put a cap on what was nearly a wire-to-wire victory.

The Path To Victory

Running through a series of opponents in a standard no-limit hold’em format is difficult enough. But Nedelcu’s game of choice as he ran down his last five adversaries was a split-pot game. Nedelcu’s reign of terror began when Elaine Rawn was all-in for her last two bets in Omaha eight-or-better. Her A♣8♣7♥7♦ was plenty live through the J♥9♥6♣ flop, and made a straight on the 10♥ turn. But Nedelcu’s A♠Q♣10♣2♠ had some river magic in store, as the K♠ gave him a Broadway straight and the victory.

Omaha eight-or-better also spelled the end for John Cipriano. With Cipriano all-in pre-flop, Nedelcu and Mark Liedtke battled all the way to the river of an A♥3♠3♣J♣Q♥ board. Nedelcu showed 9♣5♣4♦3♥ for trip threes, and that was good enough to bust Cipriano in fifth.

Liedtke received his eviction in a different split-pot game: stud stud eight-or-better. All of Liedtke’s chips were in the middle by fourth street, and he tabled (9♣7♠)7♥8♦. Nedelcu had (Q♥Q♠)9♠10♣. Nedelcu made two-pair, queens and fives, on seventh street, and Liedtke needed a seven, king or ace to improve and survive. He missed, and he was out in fourth.

Nedelcu went right back to his magic game to end Walter Treccarichi’s run in third place. Treccarichi’s last two bets went in preflop in Omaha eight-or-better with Q♣10♥9♥8♣ and Nedelcu obliged with K♠7♦5♣3♣. Nedelcu flopped two-pair and had Treccarichi drawing dead by the turn of a 5♥3♦2♦J♦A♠ runout.

The Finale

Abrams faced a deficit of 5-to-1 when heads-up play began. Through a single round of games, Abrams piled up chips in limit hold’em, stud eight-or-better, and deuce-to-seven triple draw.

But one unfortunately timed bluff in no-limit hold’em put the brakes on Abrams’ comeback. Abrams was the aggressor on every street of a Q♦10♥7♦K♥4♠ runout. Nedelcu called a big bet on the river and tabled Q♠4♦ for two-pair. Abrams showed a busted open-ended straight draw with J♠4♣, leaving himself hanging on by a thread.

Nedelcu’s fifth consecutive elimination, all of which came in high/low split formats, was his fourth in Omaha eight-or-better. The chips went in on the turn of an A♣J♣4♥Q♥ board, and both players had a king-ten for the Broadway straight. The difference was that Nedelcu’s K♠10♣4♣2♦ had a club flush redraw, and the 8♣ river made that flush to end the tournament with a flourish.

Final Table Results

Photo credit: WSOP / Austin Currington.