There are moments in poker that transcend the game — where legacy, heart, and grit collide. Shaun Deeb’s victory in the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $100,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) High Roller was one of those rare moments. Inside the packed Horseshoe Las Vegas ballroom, Deeb battled his way through a star-studded field of 121 entries and overcame a chip disadvantage heads-up against one of the sharpest minds in poker, Isaac Haxton, to take down a career-defining win: his seventh WSOP gold bracelet and the single-largest PLO prize in live tournament history — a jaw-dropping $2,957,229.
The win was more than just a payout. It launched Deeb to the top of the 2025 WSOP Player of the Year (POY) standings, putting him ahead of long-time rival Benny Glaser and rekindling his relentless chase for poker immortality.
Shaun Deeb: A Man on a Mission
Before this monumental win, Deeb had already been heating up the 2025 WSOP summer grind. With three prior deep runs — a third-place finish in the $10K PLO 8-or-Better, and runner-up finishes in both the $1,500 Razz and a $600 online NLHE event — the 39-year-old New Yorker was quietly building momentum. But winning the first-ever $100,000 PLO High Roller at the WSOP was the kind of breakthrough only a handful of players in history can dream of.
“I already did the math last night,” Deeb told Card Player, laser-focused on POY calculations. “I’m going to multi-table the sh*t out of the series. I got the money to do it. I just want another banner — join my friends — and tie Daniel [Negreanu].”
A Record-Breaking PLO Prize Pool
The $100K PLO was historic for more than just the winner. With 121 total entries, the event generated a colossal $11,676,500 prize pool, crushing previous PLO records. The final payout easily surpassed the $2.34M earned by Sergio Martinez Gonzalez at the 2024 Triton Jeju PLO event and Jesse Lonis’ $2.3M victory in the 2023 WSOP $50K PLO.
This tournament drew the best of the best — elite pros from across the world who see PLO as the ultimate four-card battleground. And the action didn’t disappoint.
Crushing the Final Table
Deeb wasn’t the chip leader going into the final table. That honor belonged to Isaac Haxton, who came in hot and aggressive. The table also featured Phil Ivey, Alex Foxen, Lautaro Guerra, and other poker legends.
- Sean Rafael, who had just finished 4th in the $10K PLO Championship, busted in 7th place for $419,563.
- Alex Foxen, one of the game’s best closers, exited in 6th for $539,917, bringing his 2025 POY race total to second overall.
- Phil Ivey, the 11-time bracelet winner, saw his run end in 5th place, adding $715,614 to his $51M+ career earnings.
- Lautaro Guerra, Spain’s PLO wizard, was eliminated in 4th for $976,082, pushing his lifetime PLO tournament earnings past $7M.
- Arthur Morris, a rising star and WSOP Circuit Main Event winner, earned his first seven-figure score with a 3rd-place finish worth $1,368,994.
That left Deeb and Haxton to battle for the bracelet, the title, and the massive payday.
Heads-Up Drama: Deeb vs Haxton
Haxton entered heads-up with a slight lead, but Deeb clawed back post-dinner break, using relentless aggression and precise post-flop play. The turning point came when Deeb flopped a set of tens and faded Haxton’s combo draws. From that moment, the momentum shifted.
The final hand was a PLO classic:
- Haxton limped in with K♠K♦J♦7♦
- Deeb potted with Q♠Q♥10♣6♠
- The board ran J♥4♠2♠-10♦-J♠, giving Deeb a winning spade flush
Just like that, Haxton’s kings were cracked, and Deeb stood victorious with $2.95 million and his seventh WSOP bracelet — now tied with legends like Billy Baxter, Men “The Master” Nguyen, and Daniel Negreanu.
Haxton, meanwhile, banked $1,972,860, bringing his lifetime tournament total to nearly $58 million.
A New Era of PLO Dominance
Deeb’s win underscores a significant shift in the high-stakes poker landscape — Pot-Limit Omaha is booming.
“I wish the popularity was more rec-based,” Deeb said. “But obviously, the field size and people see millions of dollars won… people see that and are like, ‘I wanna have a shot.’”
Even though the game is evolving and getting tougher — with top NLHE crushers like Alex Foxen studying PLO full-time — Deeb remains undeterred.
“I can’t believe it,” he admitted after the win. “This is the best one. I’m probably going to play all summer to win.”
Final Table Results – $100,000 PLO High Roller
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun Deeb | $2,957,229 | 1,320 | 550 |
| 2 | Isaac Haxton | $1,972,860 | 1,100 | 450 |
| 3 | Arthur Morris | $1,368,994 | 880 | 400 |
| 4 | Lautaro Guerra | $976,082 | 660 | 293 |
| 5 | Phil Ivey | $715,614 | 550 | 215 |
| 6 | Alex Foxen | $539,917 | 440 | 162 |
| 7 | Sean Rafael | $419,563 | 330 | 126 |
| 8 | Ben Lamb | $336,110 | 220 | 101 |
| 9 | Tomas Ribeiro | $277,839 | 110 | 83 |
Final Thoughts
Shaun Deeb’s victory in the $100K PLO event at the 2025 WSOP was not just another win — it was a defining chapter in his already legendary poker career. With this record-breaking performance, he’s now firmly in contention for another WSOP Player of the Year title and has solidified his place in the upper echelon of poker history. The PLO boom continues, and Deeb just raised the bar once again.
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sources:cardplayer