Igor Zektser weathered a rollercoaster heads-up match to close out the title in the 2025 World Series of Poker $1,500 Big O event. There were 1,499 total entries made in the five-card pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better tournament, with Zektser earning $297,285 from the $1,989,922 prize pool after scooping the final pot.
The Los Angeles, California resident also secured his first WSOP gold bracelet as the champion. In fact, this was his first recorded live tournament title, period. Prior to this, his highest finishes had been a trio of runner-up showings in events around the LA area in the early 2010s. His top score was the $68,585 he earned for a fifth-place finish in a $1 million guaranteed $160 event at the Bicycle Casino back in 2018.
With this latest triumph, Zektser increased his career tournament haul to just over $1 million.
Zektser has now cashed four times at the 2025 WSOP, with all four coming in some form of Omaha. Three of the four involved an eight-or-better component. Before scoring this win, his highest finish from those runs was a 46th-place showing in the double board bomb PLO event.
“It feels amazing,” Zektser told PokerNews live reporters after closing out the win. ” I’ve been working for a long time… trying, trying, never giving up. I’m sure it’s been said many times before: It’s every poker player’s dream, right?”
Setting Up The Final Showdown
This event was slated to run from June 7-9 at the Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas. An unscheduled fourth day was ultimately needed before a champion was ultimately decided.
The bubble back on day 2, with only the top 225 making the money. By the time they bagged up that night, the field had been narrowed to 17. Among those who ran deep were notables like Joao Vieira (30th), Viktor Blom (25th), Justin Liberto (24th), defending champion of this event Michael Christ (17th), Owais Ahmed (11th), Lawrence Brandt (10th), and Shawn Daniels (8th).
2020 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond main event winner Shiva Dudani was the first player to walk away with a six-figure score in this event. He was eliminated in fourth place when his second-nut low draw was counterfeited by an ace on the river. He made aces and eights for the high, but that was no good against the aces and tens and qualifying low for recent $10,000 dealers choice championship winner Ryan Hoenig. Dudani earned $102,079 for his efforts.
Despite scoring that knockout, Hoenig was the next to fall. He bet a healthy chunk of his stack after a 9♥5♠2♣9♦8♠ board was dealt, only to have Zektser re-pot. Hoenig went into the tank and eventually made the call for his tournament life, only to muck when Zektser revealed the K♠K♦4♠4♣3♦ for kings up and an 8-5-4-3-2 low. Hoenig was awarded $141,315 as the third-place finisher, just days removed from his big win in the dealers choice event that came with $354,444 and his first bracelet.
One Day More
Heads up play in Event #27: $1,500 Big O. Igor Zektser and Paul Sincere battle it for their first bracelet and a top prize of $297,284.50. #WSOP2025 pic.twitter.com/KOtmyKMCKM
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 10, 2025
Heads-up play began with a 2:1 lead for Zektser. The two played on for a bit before tournament staff gave them the option to play a single level more or call it a night. They opted for the latter, with Zektser having extended his lead to nearly 3:1 by the time they bagged up.
Sincere got off to a strong start early on day 4. He then won a big pot without showdown to surge into a sizable lead of his own. Then it was Zektser’s turn to fight back into the match. He won a big scoop with pocket aces and a straight draw besting the pocket kings of Sincere, who also had the nut low draw. The turn and river were high cards to see Zektser earn a full double. Not long after that, Sincere got all-in on a 10h6c4s flop with Qd9h9c4h4c for bottom set. Zektser had Kc8c7h5d4d for a pair and a wrap straight draw. The 3d came on the turn to give Zektser a seven-high straight and the lead. The 5c on the end improved him to an eight-high straight for the high, and he also made the only low of the two with 7-6-5-4-3.
Sincere took home $198,134 as the runner-up. This was far and away the largest live score yet for the Colorado resident.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize Money | POY Points |
| 1 | Igor Zektser | $297,285 | 960 |
| 2 | Paul Sincere | $198,134 | 800 |
| 3 | Ryan Hoenig | $141,315 | 640 |
| 4 | Shiva Dudani | $102,079 | 480 |
| 5 | Nicolas Milgrom | $74,693 | 400 |
| 6 | Joshua Biedak | $55,372 | 320 |
| 7 | Kevin Ho | $41,595 | 240 |
| 8 | Shawn Daniels | $31,667 | 160 |
| 9 | Jannick Schob | $24,439 | 80 |
Photo credit: PokerGO / Enrique Malfavon.
