Coolers and Career Milestones: Garza and Glaser Add to Their WSOP Legacies

Lou Garza Pulls Off Dramatic Comeback to Win $25K PLO/NLH High Roller

Event #14 was always going to be one of the heavyweight battles of the series. A $25,000 buy-in and a dual-discipline format — rotating between Pot-Limit Omaha and No-Limit Hold’em — meant the field was peppered with crushers, both cash and tournament alike. From an initial 318 entries, only nine players returned for the final day, with most eyes on 2011 WSOP POY Ben Lamb, who entered as the overwhelming chip leader.

But it was Lou Garza, bracelet winner and longtime PLO specialist from Texas, who stole the show.

The final table started with Lamb flexing his chip lead, winning almost every pot he contested and forcing shorter stacks into uncomfortable ICM spots. Garza, seated to Lamb’s right, had to weather the storm early but found a much-needed double-up when he picked up pocket kings against Brandon Mitchell’s king-nine. That gave Garza some breathing room — and from there, the momentum slowly started to turn.

Robert Cowen was next out, falling during a PLO orbit when Lamb cracked his aces with a big wrap. Then came the elimination of Chongxian Yang, whose short stack went in preflop against Garza. Yang couldn’t catch up, and just like that, it was heads-up for the bracelet.

At that point, the outlook for Garza was bleak — he was down nearly 4:1 in chips. But what followed was one of the most compelling comebacks of the series so far. Garza found a few value spots during the NLHE segment, including a perfectly-timed wheel on the turn. Then came a bold triple-barrel bluff with nine-high on a four-flush board, forcing Lamb to lay down top pair. That hand completely flipped the dynamic.

Lamb fought back during the PLO stretch, but Garza held firm, mixing bluffs and value raises with a fearlessness that clearly threw Lamb off balance. The chip lead swung once more, but when Garza rivered trips and check-raised the turn against Lamb’s double-barrel, the tide fully turned.

The final hand saw Lamb shove his remaining stack with king-ten suited. Garza looked down at aces, snapped, and held. Just like that, bracelet #2 and $1.3 million were his.

Top 5 Payouts – Event #14: $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Lou Garza		$1,302,233
2	Ben Lamb		$868,140
3	Chongxian Yang		$598,285
4	Robert Cowen		$421,524
5	Brandon Mitchell		$303,773

🏆 Who Is Lou Garza?

Lou Garza has long been one of the more feared names in PLO circles, but over the last two years, he’s expanded his reputation well beyond a niche. With this win, Garza now boasts two WSOP bracelets — both in PLO events — and two seven-figure scores.

Originally rising through the ranks in Texas, Garza made his name with strong performances in both WSOP Circuit events and high-roller series like the PGT Poker Masters. His first big score came in 2018 with a deep MSPT run, followed by a 2021 SHRPO second-place finish worth $674K.

He won his first WSOP bracelet in 2023 by taking down the $10K PLO Championship. Now, just two years later, he’s doubled up — with a win that showed not just technical skill, but serious mental resilience under pressure.

Photo Credit: Alicia Skillman & Luther Reed

Benny Glaser Wins Second Bracelet of the Week, Seventh Overall in $1,500 Mixed

Four days after clinching the $1,500 Dealer’s Choice title, Benny Glaser did what only the most versatile players in the world can pull off — he won another mixed-game bracelet. Event #15, the $1,500 Mixed: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, drew 1,239 entries, and by the time Day 4 wrapped up, it was Glaser holding the hardware yet again, along with $258,193.

It wasn’t a smooth path to victory. Day 4 began with three players remaining: Glaser, David Shmuel, and Travis Pearson. Shmuel was first to fall, getting in good with a flopped set in Big O, only for Pearson to boat up on the river in a painful cooler.

Heads-up play between Pearson and Glaser was anything but straightforward. Pearson held a 2:1 chip lead and looked poised to take it down, especially after cooler-ing Glaser in a flush-over-flush spot. But Glaser clawed back with a full house against a straight, then chopped a crucial pot with two pair after misreading the situation and prematurely reaching out for a handshake.

In a bizarre symmetry, Pearson did the same just a few hands later — thinking he had the high locked up with a queen-high flush, only to realize Glaser had a better king-high. Another chop.

Eventually, Glaser grinded his way to a chip lead by taking down a string of medium pots and managed to close it out after Pearson jammed light in an Omaha Hi-Lo hand. Glaser’s top pair held, and just like that, bracelet number seven was his.

With this win in Event 15: $1,500 Mixed PLO Hi-Lo 8 – Omaha Hi-Lo 8 – Big O, @BennyGlaser skyrockets to the lead in the 2025 Player of the Year race.

More POY updates to come this week!#wsop2025 pic.twitter.com/bn82SMVSKK

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 6, 2025

Top 5 Payouts – Event #15: $1,500 Mixed: PLO Hi-Lo 8 or Better

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Benny Glaser		$258,193
2	Travis Pearson		$172,077
3	David Shmuel		$121,736
4	Sean Remz		$87,325
5	Shane Howeth		$63,527

🏆 Who Is Benny Glaser?

Benny Glaser is already considered one of the best mixed-game players in the world, and at this point, it’s hard to argue against him being in the conversation for all-time great. With seven WSOP bracelets — all in non-Hold’em events — and dozens of online titles in SCOOP and WCOOP events, Glaser is the archetype of modern mixed-game mastery.

His 2025 performance so far mirrors his iconic 2016 run, where he won two Omaha events within a week. This latest bracelet puts him alongside names like Daniel Negreanu, Scott Seiver, and Billy Baxter in the seven-bracelet club.

Glaser has made it clear he’s targeting WSOP Player of the Year, and this win only strengthens his position. With more mixed events on the calendar — including potential high-roller entries like the $100K PLO — he’s likely far from done.

Here’s what Glaser himself had to say:

Benny Glaser just went back-to-back…🏆 After taking down Event #15: $1,500 Mixed: PLO Hi-Lo 8 or Better, he now holds seven WSOP bracelets—and two of them came this week.

Yes, you read that right: this is his second bracelet of the series, just days after winning Event #8:… pic.twitter.com/rqYmUxQBPB

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 6, 2025

Photo Credit: Alicia Skillman