In different skilled sports activities and endeavors, seniors occasions and excursions showcase previous their prime athletes competing on a barely much less punishing stage, usually lowering the tempo or depth. That’s something however the case with regards to match poker, particularly on the World Series of Poker.
The stage of play, mixed with the great sums which can be usually on the road, pit the 50-and-over crowd in opposition to one another for some of the largest prizes of the summer season. In the $5,000 WSOP seniors excessive curler, Juan Rodriguez claimed a life-changing sum, alongside along with his first profession bracelet.
Rodriguez, initially from Peru, and a long-time Indiana resident now residing in Florida, outlasted 844 gamers on his approach to a $637,011 first-place prize. After 4 days of poker, Rodriguez claimed the best share of a $3,882,400 prize pool, finally defeating Nariman Yaghmai of Iran heads-up in dramatic trend to clinch the victory.
A rivered king on the ultimate hand, which sealed Rodriguez’s victory, triggered a celebration from each Rodriguez and his contingent of family and friends cheering him on from the rail. He’s simply the third Peruvian-born participant within the historical past of the WSOP to win a bracelet.
Navigating The Field
The third version of the WSOP’s $5,000 seniors excessive curler, which debuted in 2024, had its highest turnout thus far with 844 entries. Mark Checkwicz received the inaugural working of this occasion in 2024, and David Baker claimed his fourth profession bracelet in his 2025 seniors excessive curler victory, price $646,845.
This four-day occasion, held simply forward of the normal $1,000 buy-in seniors occasion on the schedule, examined the endurance of all concerned. There had been 291 gamers remaining after day 1, and 44 who performed their approach to the tip of day 2.
Rodriguez began day 3 of the match simply exterior the highest 10, and by the point the sector reached a remaining desk late on that third day, Rodriguez was one of the shortest stacks remaining. Gary Herstein (ninth place, $51,804) and Luke Graham (eighth place) every went out earlier than day 3 concluded. On the final hand of day 3 motion, Rodriguez doubled up with pocket jacks in opposition to A♣10♠, setting himself up for an actual probability on the bracelet.
Qing Lu began the ultimate day within the chip lead, however the chip counts rapidly bunched up. Any of the six gamers trailing Lu may double up into the chip lead on any given hand. Rodriguez did simply that, profitable a coin flip with A♠J♦ in opposition to Arie Kliper’s pocket tens to surge to the entrance of the pack. Rodriguez received one other coin flip, this time with pocket nines in opposition to Kenneth Kim’s A♣J♥, to remove Kim in seventh place ($88,469).
Kim was the lone bracelet winner heading into this remaining desk, guaranteeing a first-time champion. From that time on, the lead primarily belonged to Rodriguez for the rest of the occasion.
Getting Down To Business
Kliper grew to become Rodriguez’s subsequent sufferer. He shoved his final 13 large blinds from the button with A♥6♥, and Rodriguez known as with A♦9♣ within the small blind. The board paired on the flip, however Rodriguez’s 9 in the end performed as Kliper was eradicated in sixth place ($118,541). This was Kliper’s second remaining desk look in three years on this match. He completed runner as much as Checkwicz within the inaugural version.
After a short dip in chips, Lu re-established her momentum and pushed in the direction of the highest of the chip counts. In a battle of the blinds, Rivera jammed 10 large blinds and ran head-first into Lu’s pocket kings. Rivera was drawing lifeless by the flip of a clear runout, resigned to ending in fifth place ($161,446).
Rodriguez appeared poised to run away with the match, however a troublesome runout briefly stemmed his momentum. His pocket queens had Chad Lipton on the ropes with A♥3♥, and whereas Lipton didn’t join on his flopped coronary heart flush draw, a river A♠ earned him a large double up.
Yaghmai grew to become the beneficiary of Lipton’s chips. His Okay♦Q♥ dwarfed Lipton’s Okay♣8♣, sending Lipton to the rail in fourth place ($223,439). Yaghmai coolered Lu out of the match, too, flopping prime and backside pair on a Q♣3♥2♦ board to beat Lu’s Okay♥Q♦. Lu was out in third place ($314,158), and Yaghmai led Rodriguez going into heads-up play.
Rodriguez rapidly reclaimed the lead, prolonged it, and with Yaghmai diminished underneath 20 large blinds, the ultimate hand materialized rapidly. Rodriguez exerted most stress, shoving the button with Okay♣8♣. Yaghmai known as, and remained forward by means of the flip with A♦3♥. The Okay♠ landed on the river, making Rodriguez’s pair, ending the match with a dramatic aptitude.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout |
| 1 | Juan Rodriguez | $637,011 |
| 2 | Nariman Yaghmai | $448,634 |
| 3 | Qing Lu | $314,158 |
| 4 | Chad Lipton | $223,439 |
| 5 | Marc Rivera | $161,446 |
| 6 | Arie Kliper | $118,541 |
| 7 | Kenneth Kim | $88,469 |
| 8 | Luke Graham | $67,130 |
Photo credit score: WSOP / Tyler Abrams
