Cary Katz Secures First WSOP 2025 Bracelet in $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout
Cary Katz, founder of PokerGO and a longtime participant in high-stakes poker tournaments, won his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in Event #83: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout. The event took place at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas and drew 1,299 entries, generating a total prize pool of $2,890,275. Katz bagged $449,245 for the win.
Before this result, Katz had accumulated over $40 million in total live tournament earnings. Despite multiple final tables and deep runs in bracelet events, including three second-place finishes, he had not won a WSOP bracelet until this event. His previous runner-up finishes came in the 2013 $5,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em (Event #19), the 2017 $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em (Event #52), and the 2023 $100,000 High Roller (Event #29).
Katz Registers Late, Wins After Four Days of Play
Katz decided to enter the tournament late. According to PokerNews, he had originally planned to rest over the weekend and prepare for the Main Event. However, he opted to register late for the Freezeout event after deciding he wanted to play. The event was scheduled to run over three days, but an unscheduled fourth day was added when four players remained at the end of Day 3.
Heading into Day 4, Katz was one of the final four players, sitting third in chips behind leader Breno Drumond of Brazil and South Korea’s Jaehoon Baek. Preston McEwen of the United States was the fourth remaining player. Katz doubled up early on Day 4 and eventually moved into the lead during heads-up play.
Drumond entered the final day as the chip leader. He eliminated McEwen in fourth place for $155,010. In that hand, McEwen held ace-jack and flopped top two pair on an ace-jack-four board. Baek, holding pocket aces, had flopped top set. McEwen was drawing dead by the turn and was eliminated.
Baek finished in third place for $213,800. He called an all-in shove by Drumond holding K♦Q♦ against Drumond’s 4♠4♦. The board ran out 10♠3♣2♣J♠5♦, and Baek did not improve.
Heads-Up Play: Katz vs. Drumond
Drumond began heads-up play with a chip lead, holding 28,100,000 chips to Katz’s 17,400,000. Katz gained momentum early and won a key hand by calling a bluff with second pair. Drumond briefly doubled through Katz when his 9♠8♠ made a flush against Katz’s A♦10♥, but Katz retained the overall lead.
In the final hand, Katz shoved from the button with 3♥3♣. Drumond called with A♦J♦. The board came 10♥7♥6♣2♠8♠, and Katz’s pocket threes held. Drumond earned $298,690 for second place.
Final Table Results – Event #83
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cary Katz | United States | $449,245 |
| 2 | Breno Drumond | Brazil | $298,690 |
| 3 | Jaehoon Baek | South Korea | $213,800 |
| 4 | Preston McEwen | United States | $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 |
Family in Attendance and a Career Breakthrough
Katz had family on the rail for the win. According to his statement to PokerNews, his wife, son, daughters, and son-in-law were present. He also commented on the lively Brazilian rail cheering for Drumond and described it as a positive and energizing part of the experience.
This victory came more than 12 years after Katz’s first second-place finish in a WSOP bracelet event. As of this result, he had cashed 67 times in WSOP events for nearly $7.8 million.
Katz is also widely known through his involvement in the poker media industry. As the founder of PokerGO and Poker Central, two platforms that cover and stream live poker events, live and online poker communities often recognize Katz as an influential figure in modern poker broadcasting.
Katz has several major results in his career, including a win in the £252,500 Super High Roller Bowl London in 2019 for $2,610,317 and a second-place finish in the 2023 WSOP $100,000 High Roller for $1.6 million. In 2025, prior to this bracelet win, he finished 15th in the WSOP $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, earning $24,323. He also recorded multiple cashes in high-stakes series, including the U.S. Poker Open.
His tournament winnings now exceed $41 million, according to online poker sites and official tournament records.
Main Event Plans
Following his win in Event #83, Katz indicated that he would be entering the 2025 WSOP Main Event. He chose to skip Day 1 and planned to begin on Day 2 with 75 big blinds, explaining this decision was made to conserve energy and avoid becoming emotionally invested too early.
Katz stated his intention to approach the Main Event by playing loose and relaxed. With his first bracelet now secured, he turns to the Main Event with renewed momentum and one of poker’s most elusive accomplishments finally achieved.