2025 Winter Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 10
$250 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)
$10,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  135
Prize Pool:  $27,675
February 3, 2025

The last tournament on the 2025 WPO schedule was the popular $250 Seniors 50+ Event. The tournament drew 135 entries, nearly tripling the $10,000 guarantee, and we had a familiar face as the last player standing.

Robert Fiore earned the Event 10 title along with $5,898 in a heads-up deal, and he also set a little history by going back-to-back in this tournament. Fiore was the 2024 Pinktober Poker Open Seniors Event champ; now we’ll see if he can get three during the Tampa Poker Classic.

Congrats again Robert!

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:

2025 Winter Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 9
$400 No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$25,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  158
Prize Pool:  $52,930
February 2, 2025

Primary Event Schedule

10AM: Event 10 – $250 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)

• $10,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 25,000 in chips
• Levels last 30 minutes
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9 (2:30pm)
• This is a one-day tournament and play to completion
• Event 10 Structure Sheet

$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)