One year ago, Evan Sandberg celebrated his first career World Series of Poker Circuit win in the main event at Lake Tahoe. The San Franciscan returned to the scene of that victory in 2025 and, for the second consecutive year, was the last player standing in the WSOPC Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe $1,700 no-limit hold’em main event.
This second time around, Sandberg beat a field of 436 entrants to win the $125,269 first-place prize. In addition to his second WSOP Circuit ring, Sandberg claimed a $5,000 “Ticket to Paradise,” including a $2,500 entry into the $5 million guaranteed WSOP Circuit Championship mystery bounty event at WSOP Paradise in December.
In his previous win in 2024, Sandberg bested a field of 439.
“It’s crazy,” Sandberg told Poker.Org. “The only thing I can say is that in years prior that I’ve been coming to this event, I’ve always really enjoyed it here, even when I wasn’t winning, just because on breaks, you can just go outside. It’s not like you’re in Vegas, out here it’s just beautiful. I can just feel the air outside giving me positivity.”
This win also saw the two-time WSOP online bracelet winner earn 720 points in the Card Player Player of the Year race, presented by CoinPoker. He now has more than $2.3 million in career cashes to his name. His two bracelets were both won in WSOP Online events, with a $2,000 eight-max triumph in 2022 and a $1,000 NLH victory in 2024.
On the way to successfully defending his title in this tournament, Sandberg had to outlast several heavy hitters. That included three-time World Poker Tour champion Eric Afriat, 2024 WPT Rolling Thunder winner Casey Sandretto, and WSOP Circuit ring winners Ryan Awwad, Bradley Hinson, and Melanie Pittard.
Doubling Up
With Afriat’s elimination in seventh place, the final six players locked up a spot on the final day of play. Sandretto and Tim Thorp held a significant chip edge over the other four remaining players, but Sandberg was well within range.
A healthy portion of Sandberg’s stack was at risk at one key juncture during six-handed play. His A♦Q♦ was behind Dustin Fox’s pocket queens, but after flopping a diamond draw, Sandberg spiked a river A♥ to knock out Fox in sixth place ($22,507).
Sandretto couldn’t get anything going on the final day. After doubling up Francisco Trujillo, Sandretto lost the rest of his chips and bowed out in fifth ($30,554) when his A♥10♦ couldn’t overtake Thorp’s pocket sixes.
Sandberg took the last few chips from Pittard’s (4th – $42,280) stack with J♦8♦, by flopping a full house and rivering quad jacks. Trujillo, who had started the day as the short stack, picked up pocket aces and doubled through Thorp, into the lead. Sandberg eliminated Thorp in third place with another helpful runout. His A♠10♠ was behind Thorp’s A♣K♦, but a J♣7♦7♠ flop offered a little extra hope. The pair was briefly chopping the pot after a J♠ turn, but the 8♠ river delivered a winning spade flush for Sandberg.
Sandberg took the majority of the pots during heads-up play. Though Trujillo managed to double up three times, it was never enough to pull him back into contention. On the final hand, Sandberg’s pocket nines beat Trujillo’s A♦K♠, sealing the back-to-back run. Trujillo earned $85,639 as the runner-up, his largest recorded score to date.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Evan Sandberg | $125,269 | 720 |
| 2 | Francisco Trujillo | $85,639 | 600 |
| 3 | Tim Thorp | $59,620 | 480 |
| 4 | Melanie Pittard | $42,280 | 360 |
| 5 | Casey Sandretto | $30,554 | 300 |
| 6 | Dustin Fox | $22,507 | 240 |
| 7 | Eric Afriat | $16,908 | 180 |
| 8 | Ryan Awwad | $12,957 | 120 |
| 9 | Bradley Hinson | $10,134 | 60 |
Photo credit: Poker.Org / WSOP.
