PhD Student Turns First WSOP Cash Into Bracelet and $346K Score

Despite nearly $400,000 in prior live tournament earnings, Honghao “Theo” Zhang had never recorded a World Series of Poker cash before this week. That changed in Event #13: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, where the 26-year-old PhD student from Georgia Tech not only made the money, but turned his first WSOP payout into a bracelet-winning performance worth $346,108.

Zhang entered the final day among the larger stacks but appeared destined for an early final table exit after slipping to the bottom of the counts at one point on the final table. Instead, he mounted a remarkable comeback, eliminating David Rees in third place, and then dominated heads-up play against Harlan Karnofsky to capture the largest share of the $2,442,600 prize pool generated by the event’s 1,840 entries.

Event #13: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Final Table Results

While Zhang’s first WSOP cash resulted in a bracelet, the victory was hardly the product of beginner’s luck. Speaking to PokerNews after his win, Zhang thought his edge was still big enough even when he was the shortest stack three-handed.

“I was still very confident,” Zhang said. “I’d already played with both opponents long enough to understand their styles and how they approached different situations. I just stayed patient and waited for my spots.”

Zhang only began playing poker in 2023 and balances the game with his studies as a PhD candidate in Operations Research at Georgia Tech. While he regularly plays cash games and travels the tournament circuit, he does not see poker becoming his full-time profession anytime soon.

“I’m still a student,” Zhang said. “Poker isn’t full-time for me. It’s a hobby, but I like it.”

Chip Leaders Fall Early

With all nine players returning for the final day still chasing their first WSOP bracelet, a maiden champion was guaranteed before a card was dealt. Thai Dinh had come closest to breaking through, having finished runner-up in last summer’s $600 Ultra Stack, while Michel Molenaar and daily tournament standout Justin Arnwine were among the most accomplished players left in the field.

Karnofsky and Rees were the early movers, turning middling stacks into the two biggest chip counts before the final table was formed.

Rees got the ball rolling by eliminating Rania Nasreddine, while Karnofsky surged up the leaderboard after taking a huge chunk from Arnwine with pocket kings. He then continued his ascent, winning several key pots against start-of-day chip leader Molenaar to build a commanding advantage. Molenaar stopped the bleeding somewhat by sending Arnwine to the rail on the final table bubble.

By the time the final table began, Karnofsky and Rees sat comfortably atop the counts, with Karnofsky holding more than twice as many chips as his nearest rival. Molenaar, Zhang, Daniel Hill, and Julien Duveau occupied the middle of the pack, while Dinh started as the short stack.

Dinh quickly worked his way back into contention, doubling through Zhang and later dragging another sizeable pot from Karnofsky before the first break.

Upon the restart, Karnofsky, sporting a hat and T-shirt featuring a raised middle finger directed at GTO, continued to make life difficult for Molenaar. The Dutchman shoved his stack on the river with two pair, only to run into Karnofsky’s nut flush and exit in seventh place.

The hand allowed short stack Duveau to ladder one spot. Karnofsky dispatched him in sixth after spiking a three-outer, giving the chip leader more than half of the chips in play. He then made it three eliminations in a row by sending Hill to the rail with a straight, before Rees caught Dinh bluffing with a jack-high river shove to reduce the field to three players within the same level.

Zhang Rises to the Top

Zhang entered three-handed play as the shortest stack but quickly found his footing, winning the majority of the early pots. He then befitted from a huge clash with Rees, where he went runner-runner to make a flush against Rees’ aces and tens after the chips went in on the river. The pot eliminated Rees in third place and brought Zhang virtually level with Karnofsky heading into heads-up play.

Zhang caught Karnofsky speeding early on in heads-up to build an almost 3:1 lead, and then quickly had Karnofsky down to nine big blinds. A double for the latter brought some breathing room but Zhang closed it out when his ace-five held against Karnofsky’s ace-four.

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game.

Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

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