In a twist few saw coming, longtime high-stakes regular and PokerGO founder Cary Katz finally added a coveted WSOP gold bracelet to his résumé - snapping a streak of close calls and cashes with a triumphant victory in Event #83: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout.
2025 WSOP Event #83: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout
- Buy-in: $2,500
- Date: July 3 to 6, 2025
- Entries: 1,299
- Prize Pool: $2,890,275
- 1st Place: $449,245
Despite his deep roots in the high roller circuit, Katz wasn't even planning on playing this event. As he told PokerNews after his win:
"I wasn't even supposed to play it. I didn't even have it on my schedule. I was going to rest this weekend and just get ready for the Main [Event]. But you know, I said I had a feeling I kind of want to play this.
I like freezeouts. I'll go over to late register the freezeout and see what happens. And it was a good decision. I'm glad I took my shot."
And what a shot it was.
Over the course of three grueling days at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, Katz navigated through a 1,299-entry field and made it to the final four, securing a spot in an unscheduled fourth day. He returned fresh, focused, and ready to finish what he'd started. With $2,890,275 in the prize pool and a gold bracelet on the line, Katz outlasted Brazil's Breno Drumond heads-up, overcoming both an early chip deficit and the thunderous energy of the Brazilian rail.
"It Feels Amazing"
For a man who's banked over $40 million in career earnings, it's almost hard to believe this was Katz's first bracelet. But after years of near-misses, including three WSOP runner-up finishes, the elusive win finally came home.
"It feels amazing. I just wanted to enjoy every moment. I had a feeling the whole event that, sometimes you just know when you're going to run well."
His previous heartbreaks included a brutal kings-versus-jacks hand back in 2013, a second-place finish in a $1,500 NLH event in 2017, and another silver medal in the 2023 $100K High Roller. But this time, fate and the deck, were on Katz's side.
A Family Win
Katz had more than just cards in his corner. He had his entire family on the rail.
"It means everything to me to have my family there. I had my wife there, I had my son there, my daughter was there. My other daughter was there last night, my son-in-law was there, so it was quite an experience."
Across the table, the vibrant Brazilian supporters made their presence felt, cheering hard for Drumond. But Katz didn't shy away from the atmosphere. In fact, he thrived on it.
"I was almost rooting for them to win hands just so I could hear the cheering, because I was feeding off it. It was beautiful. That was just special, the Brazilians bring so much."
Rest, Rally, and a Rail Flip
Katz ended Day 3 short-stacked and weary, while Drumond held the lead. But the unscheduled Day 4 proved to be just what Katz needed.
"I thought he was playing very well and very aggressively, and I was getting really tired at the end of Day 3. So it was fortunate for me that the time ended and I could come back, get a decent night's sleep, and start back up on Day 4."
The break paid off. Katz doubled early, watched Drumond bust Preston McEwen and Jaehoon Baek, then took control during heads-up play. The final hand? A classic coin flip. Katz's pocket threes held to secure the bracelet and the $449,245 top prize.
"I'm just... I was just thankful that he didn't have a pair when he called me."
Drumond collected $298,690 for second place, then rushed off to continue his run in the WSOP Main Event, minus a third of his stack, sacrificed to this extra day.
Onto the Main
With his first bracelet finally around his wrist, Katz now turns his attention to poker's crown jewel: the WSOP Main Event. He's coming in with a fresh approach.
"I decided this year to shake it up a little bit, decided to skip day one, just kind of like conserve my energy. Coming with 75 bigs on Day 2, it seemed like the right move for me. I won't be that emotionally invested in it, so I can just kind of, I want to just play it loose and just have at it."
Loose, confident, and now, a WSOP champion - Cary Katz is back in the mix. But this time, he's got the gold to prove it.
2025 WSOP Event #83: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout - Final Table Results
|
Place
|
Player
|
Country
|
Prize
|
|
1
|
Cary Katz
|
USA
|
$449,245
|
|
2
|
Breno Drumond
|
Brazil
|
$298,690
|
|
3
|
Jaehoon Baek
|
South Korea
|
$213,800
|
|
4
|
Preston McEwen
|
USA
|
$155,010
|
|
5
|
Gary Hasson
|
Belgium
|
$113,860
|
|
6
|
Michel Molenaar
|
Netherlands
|
$84,730
|
|
7
|
Pawel Brzeski
|
Poland
|
$63,910
|
|
8
|
Razvan Belea
|
Romania
|
$48,860
|
|
9
|
Mihai Manole
|
Romania
|
$37,860
|
Source: https://www.pokernews.com/tours/wsop/2025-wsop/event-83-2500-freezeout-no-limit-hold-em/
