GTO analysis of the final hand at WSOP 2025: breakdown of the key moment

A detailed analysis of the final hand of the WSOP 2025 Main Event using GTO strategy. Find out how the fate of the championship bracelet was decided.

The final table of the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event (WSOP 2025) became one of the most talked-about moments in poker history. The $10,000 buy-in tournament, which lasted over a week at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas venues, attracted thousands of participants from all over the world. In the end, the final table saw an exciting battle between two players with completely different backgrounds: amateur John Wasnock and poker legend, four-time Poker Players Championship winner Michael Mizrachi, known as The Grinder. Final Heads-Up: Experience vs. Ambition The tournament reached its climax when only two players remained at the table. John Wasnock, considered a recreational player, faced off in the final stretch against Michael Mizrachi—one of the most decorated professionals of our time. At stake was not only the prestigious WSOP gold bracelet but also massive cash prizes: the winner received $10,000,000, while the runner-up took home $6,000,000—a life-changing event for Wasnock. Before the decisive hand began, the players’ stacks were as follows: John Wasnock (small blind): 75,500,000 chips (30.2 big blinds) Michael Mizrachi (big blind): 509,000,000 chips (203.6 big blinds) The blinds were 1,000,000/2,500,000 with a 2,500,000 big blind ante. Thus, Wasnock started the hand with just over 30 big blinds, while Mizrachi had a massive stack and a clear chip advantage. Detailed Analysis of the Final Hand from a GTO Perspective In this section, we’ll break down each action in the final hand using analysis from GTO Wizard—a popular poker solver that calculates optimal decisions based on Game Theory Optimal (GTO) principles. Preflop: Opening from the Small Blind John Wasnock, on the small blind, was dealt A♠9♦ and raised to 5,000,000. At first glance, this is a standard play in heads-up with these stack sizes. However, according to the solver, the optimal strategy for this hand with 30 big blinds is to limp more often—that is, just call the big blind instead of raising. This approach helps balance the passive range and prevents it from being too weak. While raising isn’t a major mistake, it doesn’t maximize expected value (EV) in the long run. Big Blind Defense Preflop Michael Mizrachi defended his big blind with 10♣3♣ . The solver fully approves this call, as in these situations, almost all suited hands should continue against a small blind raise. For 10-3 suited, this is a clear call, which is exactly what happened. Flop: Dynamics and Mistakes The flop came A♦9♣7♣ . For Wasnock, this meant top two pair (the two highest cards on the board matched his hand), while Mizrachi had a flush draw (four cards of the same suit, needing one more for a flush). Mizrachi checked first, which fully aligns with GTO strategy: in these spots, the big blind defender often checks their entire range to conceal hand strength and avoid giving away information. John Wasnock checked back, and here the solver sees a significant mistake. With such a strong hand on a dynamic board (where there are many possible draws), the optimal strategy is to bet almost always. Betting not only builds the pot but also protects the hand from potential flushes and straights, and forces the opponent to pay to realize their equity (chance to make a strong hand). According to the solver, any bet here is more profitable than checking—this was a missed opportunity for Wasnock. Turn: Flush Completes and Questionable Value Bet The turn brought the 4♣ , completing Mizrachi’s flush. He checked again, and the solver supports this decision: continuing to check the entire range is reasonable, especially after the opponent showed a tendency to slow play on the flop. Now Wasnock bet 10,000,000 into a 12,500,000 pot—almost 80% of the pot. GTO Wizard considers betting with A9 after checking the flop to be generally acceptable, but the chosen size is too large. The optimal bet is about 40% of the pot: this allows value from weaker hands, doesn’t overexpose the opponent’s range, and doesn’t make your hand too vulnerable to a flush. An almost pot-sized bet here overly polarizes Wasnock’s range and makes it easier for the opponent to make decisions with strong hands. Raise and All-In: Final Decisions Michael Mizrachi raised to 30,000,000—this matches the solver’s recommendations. Theory suggests fast-playing some weaker flushes (i.e., raising), while sometimes just calling with the strongest flushes to disguise strength. The raise size was slightly above standard, but according to the solver, the difference between a 2.5x and 3x raise here is minimal in terms of expected value. Wasnock then went all-in, putting in his entire remaining stack, and Mizrachi instantly called. From a GTO perspective, both players made correct decisions at this stage: all A9 combinations should shove, and flushes that raise the turn must call the all-in. River and Hand Result The river was the 5♣ , which didn’t change anything—Mizrachi’s flush remained the best hand. Thus, Michael Mizrachi became the 2025 WSOP Main Event champion, winning his first Main Event bracelet and $10,000,000, while John Wasnock earned $6,000,000 for second place. Player Actions Analysis: What the Solver Approves GTO Wizard gave Michael Mizrachi nearly perfect marks for the hand: defending the big blind, checking the flop and turn, showing aggression on the turn, and correctly calling the all-in—all matched optimal strategy. John Wasnock made two key mistakes: a passive check on the flop with a strong hand and an overly large bet on the turn, which made things easier for his opponent’s strong range. Nevertheless, it’s important to remember: making decisions under the pressure of $10,000,000 and in the final of the world’s most prestigious tournament is no easy task. Wasnock relied on his intuition, and his result was one of the biggest prizes won in the summer of 2025. WSOP 2025 Main Event Payouts and Final Table 1st place: Michael Mizrachi — $10,000,000 2nd place: John Wasnock — $6,000,000 Who Are Michael Mizrachi and John Wasnock? Michael Mizrachi is one of the most famous professional poker players of our time, a four-time Poker Players Championship winner. His nickname, The Grinder, reflects his ability to steadily build his stack and deliver strong results over the long run. For Mizrachi, this bracelet became the most prestigious of his career. John Wasnock is an amateur player who managed to make it through a huge field of professionals and reach the final heads-up. His result is a vivid example that even recreational players can achieve incredible success in the world’s biggest tournaments. Expert Opinion: Lucas "RobinPoker" Robinson’s View Professional player and popular streamer Lucas "RobinPoker" Robinson, known for his 2021 Twitch world record (1,000 hours of online poker streaming in 100 days) and participation in the first season of "Game of Gold," noted that the hand between Mizrachi and Wasnock is a great example of how even small deviations from GTO can cost millions of dollars. Robinson emphasizes that analyzing hands with solvers is useful for any player, regardless of skill level. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, this hand is a clear lesson in the importance of balancing theory and practice. Even at the highest stakes and in the world’s biggest tournaments, players make mistakes that can be minimized through regular hand reviews and studying GTO strategies. Using solvers like GTO Wizard helps find optimal decisions and identify weaknesses in your own game. Another important takeaway is the significance of adapting to your opponent and the situation. As Wasnock’s example showed, even a strong hand can be misplayed if you don’t consider board dynamics and your opponent’s range. For PPPoker players, it’s important not only to know the theory but also to apply it in practice, especially in key tournament moments. Finally, John Wasnock’s success story is inspiring: there’s always room for surprises in poker. Even if you’re not a professional, smart strategy, discipline, and learning from your mistakes can put you in contention for big prizes—both in PPPoker online clubs and at the world’s largest live series.