$3 Million River Shock: Shaun Deeb Stuns Haxton and Ties Negreanu’s Bracelet Record
The World Series of Poker has never been short on drama, but Thursday night at the Horseshoe Event Center in Las Vegas delivered one of those rare stories that will be retold for decades. Shaun Deeb, a man as polarizing as he is brilliant, stood toe-to-toe with Isaac “Ike” Haxton in a $100,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller. Hours later, Deeb was not just the winner of nearly
It was a night where legends faltered, fortunes swung wildly, and the line between glory and heartbreak was drawn by a single spade on the river.
A Final Table for the Ages
Event #79 wasn’t just another high-stakes tournament. It was a crucible stacked with some of the sharpest minds in the game. Eight players returned to battle, each chasing a life-changing payday. The names read like a hall of fame lineup: Phil Ivey, Alex Foxen, Ben Lamb, Arthur Morris, Lautaro Guerra, Haxton, and Deeb.
The day began with Isaac Haxton as the runaway chip leader. Calm, calculating, and ruthless, Haxton quickly asserted dominance, knocking out Sean Rafael and Alex Foxen in quick succession. Then, in a brutal clash of titans, his pocket aces held up against a desperate Phil Ivey, sending the living legend to the rail.
By the time the field shrank to four, it looked like destiny belonged to Haxton. He towered over the table with chips, while Deeb—known for his resilience—clung to life with a short stack.
But poker gods have a twisted sense of humor.
The Climb of Deeb
For most of the day, Shaun Deeb wasn’t the favorite. He wasn’t even in the conversation. Twice he was on fumes, twice he fought back, and twice the rail gasped as he survived elimination. The key turning point came against Arthur Morris, who had flopped top set. Deeb, stubborn and unshaken, clawed his way through, leaving Morris short-stacked and vulnerable.
Moments later, Morris was gone, his run ending in third place for $1.36 million. The stage was set: Deeb versus Haxton, heads-up for the bracelet, the title, and the kind of money that can rewrite a career.
The Duel with Haxton
The dinner break ended, and the two men returned to a battlefield charged with tension. Haxton still held the edge, but Deeb wasted no time flipping the script. He seized pots, pressured relentlessly, and soon turned a small disadvantage into a commanding lead.
Haxton managed one brief double-up, a flicker of hope. But destiny doesn’t negotiate, and when the final hand unfolded, it was clear whose night this was.
On a jack-high board, both men committed their chips with overpairs. Haxton looked steady, certain his hand was good. But Deeb had the extra weapon: the spade. And when the river delivered the flush, Haxton’s shoulders slumped while Deeb’s rail erupted into chaos. Shouts, cheers, disbelief—everything poured out at once.
The hand didn’t just end a tournament. It crowned a moment that will be replayed as one of the defining images of the 2025 WSOP.
A Historic Seventh Bracelet
For Deeb, the victory meant more than just $2.95 million—the biggest score of his career. It meant history.
He now holds seven WSOP bracelets, tying Daniel Negreanu, a man whose name is synonymous with modern poker greatness. To tie Negreanu is to enter rarefied air, a place where only the true giants of the game can breathe.
But Deeb isn’t satisfied. He has made it clear: he wants more. More bracelets, more recognition, more proof that his legacy belongs among the very best who have ever shuffled a stack of chips.
The Player of the Year Race
And then there’s the Player of the Year race, where this victory catapulted Deeb into the lead. With more than 3,400 points, he now sits ahead of Benny Glaser and Martin Kabrhel.
What makes Deeb different is his obsession. He doesn’t just want to win; he wants to dominate. He has even hinted he may skip the WSOP Main Event—the dream tournament for so many—because it doesn’t help him in the POY chase. “The Main Event is the worst tournament for Player of the Year,” he explained bluntly.
That’s Shaun Deeb in a nutshell: practical, ruthless, willing to sacrifice glory for points if it means capturing the title he craves most.
Haxton’s Pain, Deeb’s Glory
Isaac Haxton deserves his share of the spotlight. Few players have been as consistent, as feared, or as successful in recent years. His second-place finish here earned him nearly $2 million and further cemented his reputation as one of the greats.
But poker doesn’t remember second place. The headlines belong to Deeb. The rail cheers belong to Deeb. And on this night, the bracelet—number seven—belongs to Deeb.
A Legacy in the Making
Poker is about more than money. It’s about history, about legacy, about where your name falls when the game’s story is told a hundred years from now.
Shaun Deeb, once dismissed as brash and unpolished, now stands shoulder to shoulder with Daniel Negreanu in the record books. And with years ahead of him, few would bet against him adding more to that total.
The river spade that sealed this victory was more than just a card. It was a symbol: of resilience, of destiny, of a man who refused to bow when the chips were down.
And in that moment—standing tall, hoisting bracelet number seven, with nearly $3 million in front of him—Shaun Deeb didn’t just win a tournament. He carved his name into poker’s history, where it will stay forever.
