Marcin Horecki Dismisses Mike Matusow to Win WSOP $1,500 Stud Eight-or-Better Event

From a field of 566 entries, 2023 World Series of Poker The $1,500 seven card stud eight-or-better event concluded with a battle between Marcin Horecki and four-time bracelet winner Mike Matusow. Ultimately, Horecki took the title, earning his first bracelet and first prize of $155,275. The Polish player now has nearly $1.2 million in total tournament earnings following this latest win.

Matusow took home $95,957 as runner-up. The 54-year-old 2023 Poker Hall of Fame the finalist is approaching a career-high $9.8 million after posting his seventh podium finish in the series.

Horecki became only the second Polish player ever to win an average of WSOP bracelet and the first to do so in a live event. In 2021, Dominik Panka won a $2,100 buy-in bounty event during the WSOP on line festival to become the first Polish player to take gold.

Horecki entered the third and final day of this tournament in 14th place with 18 contenders remaining. James Cheung started at the top of the standings and finished fourth.

Brian Rast entered Day 3 with the eighth chip, just one spot behind Matusow in the chip leaderboard. The six-time bracelet winner and three-time Poker Players Championship the winner ultimately finished seventh in this event, adding $18,709 to his lifetime total of more than $24.8 million in tournament earnings.

Horecki eliminated Cheung and Scott Numoto (3rd – $66,950) to take about a 3:1 chip lead into heads-up play against Matusow. Horecki walked away multiple times, only for Matusow to fight back. Horecki hit the big time by winning a big pot with trip tens against Matusow’s kings, who was short after that hand. He was forced to fold a pot not long after and was down to less than a single large bet. Even after managing to double up twice, Matusow was still dangerously short.

The final hand saw Matusow move all-in on fifth street with (A8)84j. She was facing the (K6)48j by Horecki. Matusow took the K in sixth, while Horecki improved to pocket jacks with the J. Matusow was unable to improve to a better high, hitting 7 on the end. The 2 because Horecki left him with a couple of winning hacks for the top, which was enough to take down the pot and the title.

Here’s a look at the prizes and ranking points awarded at the final table:

Visit the Card Player 2023 World Series of Poker page for schedules, news, interviews, and the latest results from the event. WSOP coverage sponsored by Global Poker.

Winning photo credit: WSOP / Rachel Kay Miller.