The lights of the Horseshoe Las Vegas ballroom were dimming, but the tension was rising. Two men remained from a field of 615 – one, a Hall of Fame legend; the other, a rising star writing his own legacy. As chips shuffled and cards flipped in the classic draw of Seven Card Stud Eight-or-Better, Slovenia’s Blaz Zerjav battled Huck Seed, the 1996 WSOP Main Event champion, for a bracelet that meant much more than the $153,487 payday.
It was youth versus legacy. But in the end, it was Blaz Zerjav who etched his name into poker history once again, capturing his second World Series of Poker bracelet of the summer, less than a month after conquering the elite $25,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em High Roller.
A Summer to Remember for Blaz Zerjav
Poker in Las Vegas during the WSOP is a pressure cooker. The grind is unrelenting. Players jump from event to event with barely time to breathe. Yet Blaz Zerjav, known more for his no-limit hold’em prowess, proved his versatility by conquering a mixed game format—$1,500 Stud Eight-or-Better—showcasing the range required to be a truly elite tournament professional.
Zerjav’s journey to the title was anything but easy. The tournament drew 615 entries, creating a prize pool of $816,413. The field was packed with notables from every era—modern crushers, mixed game specialists, and multiple bracelet winners.
But when the dust settled, Zerjav stood tall, now a two-time WSOP champion with 49 series cashes and over $3.7 million in career tournament earnings, of which $2.3 million has come from WSOP events alone.
The Road to Victory: Legends and Deep Runs
Among those making deep runs were three-time bracelet winner David ‘Bakes’ Baker (77th), four-time champion Jeff Madsen (35th), and fan-favorite Allen Kessler (29th). The final table was no picnic either, with the ever-dangerous Robert Mizrachi finishing 13th, and Denis Strebkov placing 6th.
Zerjav entered Day 3 second in chips behind Jay Kerbel, and wasted no time asserting dominance. He picked up early knockouts but watched Kerbel maintain control deep into five-handed play. However, Kerbel’s momentum halted when his tournament life ended at the hands of Huck Seed, who scooped him with aces-up and a smooth 8-7-4-3-A low, busting Kerbel in 5th place for $34,842.
It was a vintage Seed performance—steady, tricky, and tough. For a moment, the poker world started whispering: could this be Huck’s long-awaited return to the bracelet spotlight?
Classic Stud Showdown: Zerjav vs. Seed
The final hand came after a dramatic heads-up swing. Seed began the duel with 5.7 million chips to Zerjav’s 9.2 million, but quickly took control. At one point, he held a 6-to-1 chip advantage, threatening to turn back the clock and capture his first WSOP bracelet since 2003.
But Zerjav didn’t blink.
He clawed his way back with a massive pot holding tens-up and followed it with a crushing club flush on sixth street that left Seed on the ropes.
On the final hand, Zerjav’s (10♥2♥)2♦6♣10♣9♣(7♠) bested Seed’s (9♦4♣)4♦K♠10♠9♠(Q♠). With a raise on sixth and a call-all-in from Seed, the river changed nothing. Zerjav’s tens-up held. The room erupted. The student had beaten the master.
Huck Seed’s Vintage Run Falls Just Short
For Huck Seed, this runner-up finish marked a deep and inspiring return. His last bracelet came more than two decades ago in 2003. Yet here he was, playing seven-card stud like a throwback to the 90s.
With over $6.4 million in career tournament earnings, Seed reminded everyone why he’s in the Poker Hall of Fame. From winning the 1996 WSOP Main Event to conquering Razz, PLO, and Stud, his versatility remains a lesson to every new generation of poker players.
He walked away with $102,281 for his performance and a renewed place in the spotlight.
Final Table Payouts and Player of the Year Points
| Place | Player | Country | Prize | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blaz Zerjav | Slovenia | $153,487 | 840 |
| 2 | Huck Seed | USA | $102,281 | 700 |
| 3 | Sergei Tolkachov | — | $70,071 | 560 |
| 4 | Michelle Konig | — | $48,931 | 420 |
| 5 | Jay Kerbel | — | $34,842 | 350 |
| 6 | Denis Strebkov | — | $25,307 | 280 |
| 7 | David Lin | — | $18,758 | 210 |
| 8 | Michael Frejka | — | $14,195 | 140 |
With this win, Zerjav now holds 2,660 Player of the Year (POY) points, pushing him into the top 50 of the global rankings.
Zerjav’s Evolution: From No-Limit Powerhouse to Mixed Game Master
What makes this story even more compelling is the contrast between Zerjav’s two bracelet wins. His earlier victory came in one of the toughest fields of the series—the $25,000 Six-Max No-Limit Hold’em High Roller, where he bagged $1,734,717, the biggest score of his career.
From battling GTO-savvy crushers to navigating the intricacies of split pots in stud eight-or-better, Zerjav’s adaptability is exactly what separates the greats from the merely good.
He told PokerNews:
“Completely different. It’s a different format. It’s a different type of player, a different type of game. But this one is also special.”
He also added about facing Seed:
“He is really tough to play against. I enjoyed every moment of it and learned a few things.”
It’s that humility and hunger to improve—even in victory—that hints this might not be the last time we see Zerjav hoisting gold this summer.
Final Thoughts: A Star Is Born
The 2025 WSOP has already seen numerous breakout stories, but Blaz Zerjav’s summer run is turning into a defining arc. From taking down a high roller field to besting legends in mixed games, he’s quickly becoming a household name in poker circles around the world.
With the WSOP far from over, the poker community will watch closely: can Zerjav add a third bracelet this summer? For now, he can rest—briefly—knowing that he’s already achieved something many poker players only dream of.
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Source: cardplayer