2025 Winter Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 8
$1,700 WPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$300,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  425
Prize Pool:  $637,500
January 30 – February 3, 2025

The 2025 Winter Poker Open wrapped up its final weekend with the headliner, the WPO Championship, with a $1,700 buy-in and $300,000 guaranteed prize pool. The tournament drew 425 entries, more than doubling that guarantee, and Scott Heiligman conquered a tough final table to take the title outright for $127,020.

Our players helped put together a prize pool worth $637,500 and the last 55 players made the money for a Day 2 bag. David Moses took advantage of the best-stack-forward format to get paid twice, a min-cash for his smaller bag, and he finished 31st with his biggest.

The tournament quickly played down to its final table, and it became a battle. Nine tough players, including Ryan Hogan coming off a series in Hollywood where he cashed for more than $300K in two tournaments.

They played nearly four hours four-handed before Sandro Vianna De Sa was eliminated. Gabe Fuller was a masterful short-stacked player, working his way up to third when they finally sent him out.

Hogan had the chip lead at the start of heads-up play, but Heiligman battled back and took the title outright, winning a big tournament against tough players.

Congrats to Scott, and thank you to everyone who came out!

Results:

$1,700 WPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool: $637,500 | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante

With the board reading , Scott Heiligman bet 2,000,000 and Ryan Hogan called.

The river was , Heiligman checked, and Hogan moved all in. Heiligman thought for several moments before he called.

“Good call,” Hogan told him.

Heiligman showed for flopped two pair and Hogan flipped over . Heiligman was the player at risk for his last 4,650,000 to leave Hogan with only 650K.

Hogan doubled up twice before Heiligman was able dispatch him to take the prize of $127,020.

1st: Scott Heiligman – $127,020 + WPO Trophy
2nd: Ryan Hogan – $84,520

Full recap to come later.

$1,700 WPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool: $637,500 | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 425

Seat 3: Scott Heiligman – 7,650,000 (31 bb)
Seat 4: Ryan Hogan – 9,250,000 (37 bb)

1st: $127,020 + WPO Trophy
2nd: $84,520

$1,700 WPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool: $637,500 | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 425

Scott Heiligman folded his button, Ryan Hogan moved all in from the small blind and Gabe Fuller called for about 1,000,000.

Hogan:
Fuller:

Fuller had two live cards, had a glimpse of a jack in the window, but both made a pair on the flop. The turn and river finished board, Hogan made a boat, and Fuller’s great run came to an end.

Ryan Hogan – 9,350,000 (37 bb)
Gabe Fuller – Eliminated in 3rd Place ($62,230)

$1,700 WPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool: $637,500 | Structure | Payouts
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 425

Scott Heiligman moved all in for 2,650,000 from the small blind and Sandro Vianna De Sa called in the big blind.

Heiligman:
Vianna De Sa:

Yet another flip at the final table and Heiligman slammed the door pretty hard when he flopped a diamond flush on the board. It finished turn and river to send the pot to Heiligman.

Vianna De Sa was down to four bigs and eliminated by Gabe Fuller two hands later.

Scott Heiligman – 5,500,000 (28 bb)
Sandro Vianna De Sa – Eliminated in 4th Place ($46,280)

$1,700 WPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool: $637,500 | Structure | Payouts
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 425

Gabe Fuller opened to 400,000 and Scott Heiligman moved all in for 1,575,000 from the button. The blinds folded and Fuller called with the bigger stack.

Heiligman:
Fuller:

Heiligman needed to improve to double up but missed the flop. The turn was no help but he hit the river to double.

Scott Heiligman – 3,650,000 (18 bb)
Gabe Fuller – 2,100,000 (11 bb)

$1,700 WPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool: $637,500 | Structure | Payouts
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 425

Not much happened over the previous level, but stacks fluctuate a lot when four-handed, and each orbit is getting expensive. Everyone held the chip lead at some point now; here’s a look at the counts on the break.

Seat 2: Gabe Fuller – 4,050,000 (20 bb)
Seat 3: Scott Heiligman – 2,075,000 (10 bb)
Seat 5: Sandro Vianna De Sa – 6,750,000 (34 bb)
Seat 8: Ryan Hogan – 4,025,000 (20 bb)

1st: $127,020 + WPO Trophy
2nd: $84,520
3rd: $62,230
4th: $46,280

$1,700 WPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool: $637,500 | Structure | Payouts
Level 20:  100,000/150,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 425

Seat 2: Gabe Fuller – 1,750,000 (12 bb)
Seat 3: Scott Heiligman – 5,700,000 (38 bb)
Seat 5: Sandro Vianna De Sa – 5,825,000 (39 bb)
Seat 8: Ryan Hogan – 3,500,000 (23 bb)

1st: $127,020 + WPO Trophy
2nd: $84,520
3rd: $62,230
4th: $46,280

$1,700 WPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool: $637,500 | Structure | Payouts
Level 28:  75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 425

Gabe Fuller open-shipped for 1,175,000 from the button and Scott Heiligman quickly called from the small blind.

Fuller:
Heiligman:

They were racing again and Fuller needed to improve to double once again. The flop changed little, the turn left Fuller drawing thin but he paired his ace on the river.

“I love you,” Fuller joked with the dealer after his third double.

Gabe Fuller – 2,600,000 (21 bb)
Scott Heiligman – 5,750,000 (46 bb)

$1,700 WPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool: $637,500 | Structure | Payouts
Level 28:  75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 425

It folded to Gabe Fuller, he moved all in for 875,000 from the small blind and Scott Heiligman quickly called in the big blind.

Fuller:
Heiligman:

Fuller had two live cards and paired his eight on the flop to take the lead. Neither the turn nor the river changed anything and Fuller doubled again to stay alive in the Championship.

Gabe Fuller – 1,875,000 (15 bb)
Scott Heiligman – 7,600,000 (61 bb)