2023 WSOP Week 5 Roundup: Moldova and Poland Win Gold

Written by Jennifer Newell

Last updated on September 1st, 2023

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It is more than half over. The 2023 World Series of Poker is in its second half, and the WSOP Main Event will start in just a few days. It is the culmination of a summer of poker, with the biggest series hitting its stride and heading into the stretch. If you want to catch up on the action, take a look at the weekly recaps from the start: –Week 1 recap –Week 2 recap –Week 3 recap –Week 4 recap Now, let’s get into the fifth week of WSOP tournament results.

Event 47: Third for Dzivielevski

The $1,500 HORSE event brought in 836 entries, from which several big names emerged as final table players. Frankie O’Dell busted in fourth, but Randy Ohel took on Yuri Dzivielevski for the title, and the latter won. It was his third bracelet, and the Brazilian poker pro had a massive rail to celebrate with him. Hard work of late paid off for Dzivielevski. “I’m working a lot on my game,” he told PokerNews after his win. He also commented on his cheering section. “It gives an extra power that I cannot explain. … I’m feeling very loved for all this crowd. Pretty happy.” https://twitter.com/WSOP/status/1672166833779281921?s=20

Event 48: Hallett Beats Baxter

The first of two WSOP tournaments dedicated to players over 50 delivered 8,140 entries and a prize pool of more than $7.2M. Two players from the old school group of poker players made the final table, but Dan Heimiller finished third and Billy Baxter ended up falling to Lonnie Hallett in the heads-up match. Hallett was happy and taken by the moment. “I just can’t believe it,” he said, “such a huge field; it’s almost impossible to do, and somehow it happened. I’m grateful and can’t believe it. I’m so happy.”

Event 49: Wang Wins

It was the first tournament Pengfei Wang every played in a casino. He played cash games in the Los Angeles area but decided to give this tournament a shot. And he found himself flying through a field of more than 2K players in a super turbo structure. He hit the final table with competitors like Alejandro Lococo and Tony Gargano. He stayed focused, though, and pulled off the win. Wang admitted that he was the short stack near the final table bubble. “But when I reached the top three,” he said, “I felt the bracelet was more important to me than the money.” He now has a WSOP gold bracelet to show for it.

Event 50: Garza Gains Bracelet and Fiancé 

It was the largest PLO Championship with 731 entries, but that wasn’t the story of the tournament. The $6.8M prize wasn’t the story, either. It was AP Louis Garza winning the tournament and proposing to his girlfriend, Carla, just after he won the WSOP bracelet. He explained his outgoing personality at the table as a part of the game. And the proposal? “Don’t think any other time would be right besides now because I don’t think I would even be right here without her,” he told interviewers after the hubbub died down. https://twitter.com/PokerNews/status/1672879839328747520?s=20

Event 51: Savakinas and Takana Tag Team

Arguably one of the most fun tournaments at the WSOP, the tag team event garners big crowds and a more gender-diverse field than any other event. This year, Michael Savakinas and Satoshi Tanaka outlasted all the other two-player teams and grabbed one bracelet each. The friendship between the two led to their success. Tanaka explained, “I think we get along outside of poker, too, so naturally, if things go wrong in poker, we help each other out, but not just poker-wise – with everything.”

Event 52: Pupillo Pips It

Nick Pupillo is a familiar name in most poker circles, but he had yet to claim a WSOP bracelet to go with his WSOP Circuit rings. He found an opportunity in the Mixed Triple Draw event and outlasted names like Robert Mizrachi, John Monnette, Joao Vieira, and Ray Henson to make the final table. In the end, he won that bracelet. “It’s pretty surreal,” he admitted. “It feels good. I love the mixed games. It really felt like my tournament.”

Event 53: Moldovan Becomes Millionaire

The Millionaire Maker was one of the many tournaments at the 2023 WSOP for the record books. The tournament had 10,430 entries and a prize pool of nearly $14M. That was enough to make the final two players millionaires. The final table was a truly global affair, with players representing Hungary, Brazil, Russia, Germany, France, the United States, Canada, and Moldova. But it was Pavel Plesuv of Moldova who won the largest prize. “It feels amazing,” he said. “It’s really nice to win my first bracelet in such a big field and for such a big amount as my best cash. It feels amazing.”

Event 54: Gorodinsky Gets Three

The HORSE Championship event at the World Series is a tough one to win, especially when there are 185 players and a $1.7M prize pool on the line. But Mike Gorodinsky is no stranger to tough, pro-filled tournaments, and he blasted past names like Scott Seiver, Brian Yoon, and Alex Livingston to claim his third WSOP bracelet. Gorodinsky did feel like he had momentum going into the last day of play. “I felt pretty comfortable and confident the whole way,” he told PokerNews. Even so, he acknowledged that he didn’t expect to feel that way as he was trying to break a cold streak. https://twitter.com/gordoMG/status/1673573755573108738?s=20

Event 55: First Bracelet for Poland

Players from the poker room will remember Marcin Horecki as a regular player at large tournament series, but he has been gone from the tables for about five years. That break led him to the 2023 WSOP, though, and everything lined up. He ultimately defeated Mike Matusow for his first WSOP gold bracelet, which also happened to be the first ever awarded to a player from Poland. “I’m kind of old school,” Horecki told reporters, “a grandfather, let’s say, among Polish poker players. In actuality, I’ve been retired for five years, so I came back just to play for fun, and it seems I did not forget the game.” https://twitter.com/MarcinHorecki/status/1674180842946535425?s=20

Event 56: Genovese Wins Warriors

The Salute to Warriors tournament benefits the USO and other veterans’ organizations. It is a popular tournament for that reason, as well as it is an opportunity for players to honor their friends, family members, or their own service to the United States. This year, retired firefighter Steven Genovese won the tournament. On emerging victorious from an event with 4,303 entries, Genovese said, “It feels amazing! I was pinching myself the whole time!”

Event 57: Lau Loves PLO

Ka Kwan Lau loves PLO so much that he played the $25K Pot Limit Omaha High Roller tournament. And his abilities in the game are well-known in most poker circles. This time, however, he holds a gold bracelet to show his prowess. And the $2.3M that went with it was a nice bonus as well. Lau said that the key to his success is loving poker and grinding hard. And his reward was this win. “I feel great. It feels like I have been missing something, and now it is complete. I am very happy with that.”

Event 58: Daly Dominates

The $3K LHE 6-Handed event saw increased participation from the previous year. Jason Daly was there for it and quickly worked through the final table to grab the gold. “It means a lot,” he said. “On the grind, I moved out to Vegas when I was 21, and that didn’t work out. I’m 41 now, so I’ve come full circle. It’s the first Limit Hold’em tournament I’ve ever played, so it’s pretty cool. It’s a bucket list item, and I’m just kind of speechless right now.”

Event 59: German Gold

The $3K NLHE Freezeout was a big event with nearly 1,600 players and more than $4.2M in the prize pool. The field was filled with pros, especially near the end, with players like Jesse Lonis and Dario Sammartino at the final table. But Robert Schulz and Julien Sitbon put on the best show as they fought for more than six hours heads-up. Schulz did emerge the winner. After the win, Schulz explained his feelings, “Exhausted, relieved, and yeah, proud as well. I think I played fine.”

Event 60: No Mercy Mercier

That’s what they used to call him. When Jason Mercier was a member of Team PokerStars and playing poker all the time, he was a tough opponent. While he doesn’t play nearly as often anymore, he remains a formidable opponent. This year, he claimed his sixth bracelet. https://twitter.com/WSOP/status/1674616517642842112?s=20

Event 61: Ilk Outlasts Super Seniors

The event reserved for poker players over the age of 60 garnered more than 3K entries. And when the dust settled, Klaus Ilk claimed the win for Austria and a first bracelet for himself. He noted that the money very important, as was winning for Austria. And he attributed the victory to a mixture of skill and luck. “The poker gods were definitely with me,” he said, “and I guess I played my best poker.”

Event 62: Simon Secures Bracelet

The mix of everyone’s favorite games – No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha – brought more than 2K entries into the tournament. Out of the crowd emerged David Simon and David Prociak to play head-sup. Simon pulled out the win to claim his first WSOP gold. “To have a result like this is not so much validation or anything, because I’ve never really put myself on that level, but it definitely just increases my confidence level and makes me so thankful for all my friends and family who have been so into everything that I’ve been doing,” Simon explained.

Event 63: Miller Makes Comeback

The Stud-8 Championship was a tough tournament, especially with a final table that included Chino Rheem and Andres Korn. And when it got to heads-up, Bryn Kenney had a massive lead over Ryan Miller. But the latter mounted an impressive comeback to claim his first gold. Miller told reporters, “I’ve waited a long time, and I wasn’t sure if it would ever come, but I’m super excited to get (a bracelet). I feel like I put a lot of time in poker and was deserving of one, and now it finally came, and it’s great to get it in a championship event.” https://twitter.com/WSOP/status/1675036533014003712?s=20