Event #25: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha

Iowa's Tyler Groth triumphed in the Event #25: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha after edging out a 1,058-player field to take home the $179,126 first prize along with his first WSOP bracelet. "I am an O8 [Omaha Hi-Lo] player and took on a lot of great PLO players. I am in shock, I am really shaking," he said.

The 32-year-old came back for the final day third in chips with 11 players remaining. Nobody had a better start to the finale than Groth, who hit a full house twice and got paid for both of them, finding himself atop the leaderboard soon.

Ultimately, Groth had also the strongest finish, but his journey towards the title wasn't all smooth for him as the former broker and now-professional player experienced some tough moments on his way to victory.

The remaining players merged to a single table when Darren Taylor knocked out Jesse Chinni. Ten-handed play carried on for quite some time, with several doubles delaying further eliminations. In the end, it was former November Niner Bruno Politano who bubbled the official final table. Representing Brazil, the 888 Ambassador came back as the shortest stack and fought bravely, but he eventually parked in tenth place. Politano's aces were cracked by Allan Le, who flopped a diamond flush to send Politano to the rail.

At that time, Groth was already downed to a short stack. Groth lost the vast majority of his chips in a collision to Darren Taylor when he flopped the bottom set of sixes against a set of kings, only to see the fourth six in Taylor's hand, preventing him from improving to quads.

But Groth bounced back, sending Casey Carroll to the payouts in ninth place. The cards were turned face up preflop, with Carroll ahead with aces against kings. Groth, however, spiked another king on the flop.

Mark Zullo was a third victim in a row to exit with aces in their hands. Zullo's elimination was a sour one. He was all in on the flop with the top set but Igor Sharaskin had flopped a flush draw and he hit a third club on the turn to bust Zullo in eighth place.

After laddering up three positions on the last table, short stacked Daniel Spencer finally left the tournament in seventh. Spencer's double suited one-gapper airballed the board, leaving the pot to Taylor's ace-high.

Sitting next to each other, Groth and Taylor were setting the pace of the final table, both maneuvering big stacks. But it was the start-of-day chip leader Sharaskin took care of Adam Brown who walked away in sixth.

Fresh on the back of his third place in the $565 Pot-Limit Omaha Event, Sharaskin wasn't meant to top his previous result. He ended up all-in on the turn with a huge draw only to find himself drawing dead, running into Groth's full house.

Groth's already huge stack was boosted massively as he controlled more than a half of the chips in play with four players remaining. Next to leave the table was Darren Taylor, who suffered in a set-under-set cooler, with Allan Le holding the best hand and also blocking Taylor's chances for quads.

Le was the only player on the final table who previously reached the pinnacle of the WSOP, with the 2016 $1,500 Mixed PLO/8; Omaha/8; and Big O title under his belt. Le was second in chips, trailing to Groth's monster stack while Jonathan Zarin handled the smallest stack.

Zarin, however, had already doubled several times during the day, and the key confrontations kept going his way. Zarin doubled through both Groth and Le, and his tenacity eventually cost Le a heads-up chair. Le ran kings into a flopped two pair of Groth and couldn't recover on either turn or river.

"Well, you know, you got an ace-deuce double-suited hand. I was just going to play position. I knew he was gonna push, so all I needed to do was nail a flop ... and I hit the flop. That was when I probably felt I gonna win. I hope my name gets known after this," Groth analyzed the hand in hindsight.

Groth was on his way for the bracelet, coming to the final duel with more than a five-to-one chip lead. Zarin, however, remained relentless. He scored a double and then won another major pot to reduce the gap, but Groth never gave up the lead and soon regained the ground when he rivered a straight. Soon after the Level 29 started, it was all over. Zarin met with another unlucky river card, when he triple barreled for all of his chips with a full house. Groth, however, held aces and an ace on the river brought him a bigger full house to help him finally deny Zarin's resistance.

"You played great, take it easy," Zarin added before heading to the payout desk. He received $110,655 for his efforts but the spotlight was on Groth who became the newest WSOP first-time winner.

Originally from Stone Lake, Iowa, Groth now lives here in Las Vegas, pursuing his poker career. "I moved here to finally give live pro a go. I had an online career, and in 2011..." he said, pointing at the Black Friday events. "I literally quit my job and I was like, you know what, no more bosses, I am going back to poker. This is my first real run, that was probably my eighth or ninth World Series Event."

While Groth had previously notched only one cash worth $2,906 at the WSOP Circuit, his first reward from the major series is much thicker as the champion collected $179,129 for his fine performance. "The only time I felt pressure was when we first sat down at that table and there was lights, and it took a while to get into the zone," Groth added.

Event #25 Final Table Results

Jonathan Zarin showed a bluff when betting the       river and flashed      for the rail.

Besides that, Tyler Groth won most of the pots after coming back from the break to chip up slightly.

Tyler Groth	4,185,000	200,000
Jonathan Zarin	1,105,000	-200,000

The end of the level was reached, and the players were sent on a 15-minute break. Tyler Groth maintains a decent chip lead over Jonathan Zarin, who will start the next level with just over 16 big blinds.

Tyler Groth	3,985,000	35,000
Jonathan Zarin	1,305,000	-35,000

After a limped pot preflop, Tyler Groth bet the     flop for 100,000, and Jonathan Zarin called. After the   turn, both players invested yet another 300,000, and there were already close to one million chips in the middle.

The   river completed the board, and Groth bet 600,000. Zarin stared at his opponent and eventually called to see Groth announce six-deuce for a straight. Groth turned over     , and Zarin sighed, turned around to his rail, and asked, "How does he have it?"

Tyler Groth	4,460,000	845,000
Jonathan Zarin	830,000	-845,000

After the two big clashes, Tyler Groth and Jonathan Zarin went back to limping in each hand, and barely any notable pot has been played out since. One, in particular, saw Zarin check the     flop, and Groth checked behind. After the   turn, Zarin checked, and called a bet of 100,000 before checking again the   river.

Groth checked behind and mucked when Zarin announced a full house, rolling over      as the winning hand.

Tyler Groth	3,000,000	-85,000
Jonathan Zarin	2,290,000	85,000

Tyler Groth won the first hand of heads-up, and the second hand provided fireworks. Groth raised the pot, Jonathan Zarin three-bet the pot, and Groth moved all in, with Zarin calling all in for his last 790,000.

Jonathan Zarin:     
Tyler Groth:     

"Let's see some black cards, please," Groth said to the dealer. The     flop wasn't much of a help yet, but Groth picked up a flush draw with the   turn, while Zarin still had a heart flush draw. The   river gave Zarin a flush and a double-up.

Tyler Groth	3,710,000	-730,000
Jonathan Zarin	1,580,000	730,000

Jonathan Zarin has been on ropes, but he surged back thanks to another double-up.

Zarin was in the big blind, facing raise to 110,000 from Allan Le. Zarin responded with a pot-reraise, making it 355,000. Le called, and they got the rest in on the     flop.

"Aces and nut-flush draw," Zarin said, already with a victorious voice. He turned over     .

Le held      and was drawing for a two pair or a non-heart five to eliminate Zarin. None of his outs emerged on the   turn and the   river, and he had to pay Zarin those 135,000 leftovers.

Two hands later, Le three-bet Zarin from the small blind, putting in 350,000 over a raise to 100,000. Zarin called, and they went on the     flop, where Le continued with a tiny bet of 75,000. Zarin shoved all in for 605,000, forcing a fold from Le to scoop another important pot.

Zarin laddered ahead of Le on the leaderboard, as the only bracelet winner at the table is now playing the shortest stack.

Jonathan Zarin	1,480,000	850,000
Allan Le	1,225,000	-805,000

Tyler Groth min-raised from the small blind, and Jonathan Zarin defended his big blind.

Groth continued with a min-bet on the     flop and received a call again, before the turn   went check-check.

Groth bet 100,000 on the   river, and Zarin paid him off, only to see      — the nuts. Groth won only five big blinds from Zarin, but that was enough to cut the latter's stack back under 20 big blinds.

Tyler Groth	2,200,000	100,000
Jonathan Zarin	900,000	-500,000

It's quiet before the storm, with no major pots emerging since dinner, so far. Le's strategy in blind-versus-blinds spots has become limping the small blind to Groth.