Cary Katz Finally Wins First WSOP Bracelet in $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout
After decades of chasing gold on the felt, Cary Katz has finally secured his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet. The veteran poker player and PokerGO founder took down Event #83: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout for $449,245, outlasting a field of 1,299 entries at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
This long-awaited victory also pushed Katz’s lifetime live earnings well over the $40 million mark, according to The Hendon Mob. Despite multiple million-dollar scores over his career, including a $2.6 million win at the 2019 Super High Roller Bowl London, the elusive WSOP bracelet had always escaped him—until now.
“I wasn’t even supposed to play this event,” Katz told PokerNews after the win. “It wasn’t on my schedule. I planned to rest and prep for the Main Event, but I had a feeling. I like freezeouts. So I late registered—and I’m glad I did.”
[Cary Katz]
Final Table Results – Event #83: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout
1st – Cary Katz (United States) – $449,245
2nd – Breno Drumond (Brazil) – $298,690
3rd – Jaehoon Baek (South Korea) – $213,800
4th – Preston McEwen (United States) – $155,010
5th – Gary Hasson (Belgium) – $113,860
6th – Michel Molenaar (Netherlands) – $84,730
7th – Pawel Brzeski (Poland) – $63,910
8th – Razvan Belea (Romania) – $48,860
9th – Mihai Manole (Romania) – $37,860
[Pawel Brzeski]
Back-and-Forth Battle at the Final Table
Jaehoon Baek entered the final table with a strong chip lead, holding 72 big blinds, followed by Belgium’s Gary Hasson with 58. Poland’s Pawel Brzeski was the short stack with 13 big blinds. The action kicked off with Mihai Manole (Romania) exiting in ninth place after losing a dominated all-in to Michel Molenaar.
Razvan Belea (Romania) followed in eighth after his ace-high shove was called down by Molenaar’s top pair. Pawel Brzeski (Poland) couldn’t improve against Molenaar’s pocket nines and bowed out in seventh.
Michel Molenaar (Netherlands) was next to go in sixth after a failed short-stack shove. Gary Hasson (Belgium) fell in fifth after running into a flush held by Preston McEwen.
An Extra Day Needed to Crown a Champion
With four players remaining and stacks deep, Day 3 wrapped without a winner. The action resumed on Day 4 with Brazil’s Breno Drumond in the lead. Shortly after play resumed, South Korea’s Jaehoon Baek picked up pocket aces to eliminate Preston McEwen (USA), whose top two pair turned into a cooler.
Baek couldn’t hang on much longer, busting in third after his king-queen suited failed to improve against Drumond’s pocket fours. That set up a heads-up match between Cary Katz and Breno Drumond—with Drumond starting as a 2:1 chip leader.
Katz Seals the Deal with Pocket Threes
Despite the early chip disadvantage, Katz slowly chipped away at Drumond’s lead. In the final hand, Katz moved all-in with pocket threes and was called by Drumond’s ace-jack suited. The board ran out in Katz’s favor, securing him the title, the bracelet, and nearly half a million dollars in prize money.
Drumond took home $298,690 for his runner-up finish, while Katz celebrated a career milestone that had been more than a decade in the making.
\
[Breno Drumond]
