Photo credit: Seminole Hard Rock poker blog.
Darren Elias has had an eventful summer in 2025. The four-time World Poker Tour main event champion was agonizingly close to winning his first World Series of Poker bracelet in the $10,000 no-limit deuce-to-seven single draw lowball championship. After a heads-up marathon against Nick Schulman that lasted nearly eight hours, he fell in second place.
Elias bounced back less than two weeks later, finally breaking through to secure a WSOP title with a win in a $888 online event.
In July, Elias’s longstanding WPT title record was matched by Brian Altman, who took down the WPT Championship event on ClubWPT Gold to enter into a tie with Elias.
The latest newsworthy development for the 38-year-old poker pro saw him earn another win on the circuit. Elias emerged victorious from a field of 66 entries in the $10,000 no-limit hold’em eight-max event at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in Florida. Elias earned $219,535 and 360 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. This was his second title of the year, with six POY-qualified final-table finishes so far. As a result, Elias now sits within striking distance of the top 150 in the 2025 POY standings presented by CoinPoker.
This win pushed Elias’ career earnings to more than $14.8 million. He now has 24 recorded titles to his name.
Closing Out The Win
Plenty of big names were at the final table, including Justin Zaki (7th), two-time bracelet winner and 2023 SHRPO main event runner-up Shannon Shorr (6th), 2024 WSOP $100,000 high roller winner Chris Hunichen (4th), and recent WSOP $50,000 no-limit hold’em event final tablist Brock Wilson (3rd).
Elias defeated 2018 WSOP main event eighth-place finisher Artem Metalidi heads-up to lock up the victory. In the final hand, Metalidi min-raised to 100,000 from the button with K♦J♠ and Darren Elias defended his big blind with J♥5♥. The flop came down J♦7♥5♠ and Elias check-raised to 210,000 after Metalidi fired 80,000. Metalidi called and the turn brought the A♥. Elias bet 275,000 and Metalidi called. The 2♣ completed the board and Elias moved all-in. Metalidi called off his last 560,000 with second pair to finish as the runner-up ($125,400). Elias’ jacks up earned him the pot and the title.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Darren Elias | $219,535 | 360 |
| 2 | Artem Metalidi | $125,400 | 300 |
| 3 | Brock Wilson | $76,800 | 240 |
| 4 | Christopher Hunichen | $54,800 | 180 |
| 5 | Robert Hagan | $42,325 | 150 |
| 6 | Shannon Shorr | $32,900 | 120 |
| 7 | Justin Zaki | $28,215 | 90 |
| 8 | Daniel Swartz | $25,080 | 60 |
