Zixuan Liu outlasted a field of 1,733 entries to capture the top prize of $219,149 and his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet in Event #85: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Following the biggest victory of his poker career, an emotional Liu reflected on what the win meant to him.
“This is the turning point of my entire life.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zixuan Liu | China | $219,391 |
| 2 | Justin Shiao | United States | $146,167 |
| 3 | Anthony Lasala | United States | $105,650 |
| 4 | Jeffery Rozier | United States | $77,251 |
| 5 | Tyler Phillips | United States | $57,149 |
| 6 | Yehuda Yosef | United States | $42,781 |
| 7 | Daniel Yoshiba | United States | $32,410 |
| 8 | Bruce Diamond | United States | $24,852 |
| 9 | Dennis Hotz | Germany | $19,292 |
| 10 | Joseph Block | United States | $15,163 |
Winner’s Reaction
Remarkably, this was only Liu’s second-ever WSOP event. His debut came earlier in Event #78: $600 Deepstack Championship No-Limit Hold’em, where he finished 21st for $11,176.
Away from the poker table, Liu works as a software engineer for TikTok in Cupertino, California. After looking for a hobby several years ago, he discovered poker and quickly fell in love with the game.
With his wife, Zhen Zhang, and daughter, Aria Liu, visiting family in China, Liu decided to take a solo trip to Las Vegas to test his skills. It proved to be a life-changing decision.
Throughout the tournament, Liu kept his wife updated on his progress and said she would be the first person he called after the victory.
As for his prize money, Liu already knows how he plans to spend part of it.
“I’m going to buy my wife a new car. She is so supportive of me.”
Day 2 Action
Day 2 began with just 53 players remaining, and the pace was relentless from the opening shuffle. Before long, the field had been reduced to the final 18, who moved to the feature tables at Paris Las Vegas. Eliminations continued at a rapid pace until the official final table of ten was set, with every player chasing poker’s ultimate prize, the WSOP gold bracelet.
Among the most accomplished players still in contention were 25K Fantasy Draft selection Tyler Phillips and Bruce Diamond, who had recently finished third in the Seniors Event.
Liu scored one of the key eliminations of the day when his king-queen outflopped Phillips’ pocket threes. Diamond and Dennis Hotz were both sent to the rail by Daniel Yoshiba after Yoshiba flopped Broadway, while eventual runner-up Justin Shiao built momentum throughout the day, including eliminating 2003 WSOP Main Event champion Greg Merson. Liu also eliminated opponent Anthony Lasala, hitting a flush on the turn. Lasala held the biggest rail with a poker group from his hometown.
Heads-Up Play
Liu entered heads-up play holding a commanding chip lead over Shiao. Although the match lasted less than an hour, Shiao steadily chipped away at the deficit and briefly threatened to make it a contest. Liu later admitted Shiao had been the toughest opponent he faced all day.
“He was my toughest opponent of the day. Earlier I tried to bluff him with king-queen, and when I hit my queen on the river, I thought I was good, but he had the ace. That really scared me.”
Ultimately, Liu regained control. On the final hand, he got all of the chips into the middle holding a full house against Shiao, ending the tournament before the scheduled dinner break.
Never Giving Up
Liu’s run nearly ended much earlier in the tournament. At one stage, a failed bluff left him with just four big blinds.
The following hand, he looked down at ace-nine but trusted his instincts and folded. Soon afterward, he picked up pocket tens, doubled his stack, and never looked back. From there, he slowly rebuilt his stack one pot at a time.
Liu credits much of his success to a strict set of personal rules that guide his decision-making at the table.
“When I don’t follow my own rules, that’s when I get into trouble,” he explained.
Although he admitted he strayed from them a couple of times during the tournament, he managed to stay composed, refocus, and return to the disciplined approach that ultimately earned him poker’s most prestigious prize.
Liu had originally planned to return to work the following day, but those plans have changed.
“I’m going to request one more day off so I can attend the bracelet ceremony, because that is really important to me.”
With a WSOP bracelet now on his wrist and a career-best score on his résumé, Liu’s breakout performance may prove to be only the beginning of his poker journey.
