Ferenc Deak Fulfills Promise to Son by Winning First Bracelet in $1,000 Mystery Bounty PLO ($329,890)
Some do it for the money, some do it for the glory, and a select few do it for their family. "I promised my son I would come back with the trophy," Ferenc Deak shared after he emerged victorious in Event #86: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha of the 2025 World Series of Poker. Deak kept his promise, as he captured his first bracelet in the event, also awarding him the $329,890 first-place prize, by far the largest cash of the Hungarian's career.
The event needed an extra day to crown a winner after a massive turnout of 5,284 entries eclipsed last year's number by over 1,000 and created a prize pool of $3,064,720. After six additional hours of play, Deak ultimately disposed of his final opponent, Paulo Drummond after a short heads up battle. Drummond was awarded $219,890 for his runner-up finish after an unlucky river card sealed the deal.
Event #86: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferenc Deak | Hungary | $329,890 |
| 2 | Paulo Drummond | Brazil | $219,890 |
| 3 | Carlos De Lima | Brazil | $164,090 |
| 4 | Quan Tran | United States | $123,380 |
| 5 | Richard Harroch | United States | $93,480 |
| 6 | Lukas Hafner | Austria | $71,370 |
| 7 | Sean Chen | United States | $54,910 |
| 8 | Christoph Milbradt | United States | $42,580 |
| 9 | Davis Modans | Latvia | $33,280 |
Winner's Reaction
"It's funny because I always thought about standing here and what I would say [after winning a bracelet], but honestly, I'm speechless. It felt like it was just written in the stars. It was meant to be like this," Deak shared after the winner's photos were shot. "I've had a rough year and kept my head high, and I always knew that all the downs, everything I've been going through, is going to manifest in something like this."
Deak, who specializes in pot-limit Omaha because of the action and "because it is just more fun," steamrolled the final table in about 90 minutes. "I had a nice ice bath this morning, and it helped me stay present at all times. I was not thinking of anything else, just staying present and not even focusing on a bracelet at all."
Deak Brings Bracelet Home
The 29 returning players were reduced to three tables of nine mere minutes into the day. Danny Wong (26th - $13,440) was one of the big names in contention, but he quickly met his Waterloo in a three-way all-in. Meanwhile, Deak maintained his position in the middle of the pack, reaching the final two tables as fourth on the leaderboard.
After the final 25K Fantasy pick, Lawrence Brandt, met his exit in 14th place for $16,660, Deak won two big pots that saw him take over the chiplead for the first time. "With two tables left, that's where I set myself up for going very, very deep," Deak shared.
Not much later, Deak eliminated William Titcomb in 11th place to start the unofficial ten-handed final table as a big chipleader, possessing nearly twice as many chips as his next contender, eventual heads up opponent Drummond. Although most of the early eliminations of the final table were provided by the Brazilian duo of Drummond and Carlos De Lima, Deak won plenty of other pots to maintain his lead. Five-handed, Deak got the best of Drummond in a huge pot, seeing Deak obtain a nine-figure stack for the first time.
Deak went on to quickly eliminate Richard Harroch in fifth and Carlos De Lima in third, with Drummond knocking start-of-day chipleader Quan Tran in fourth, to set up the heads up battle.
Initially, Drumond seemed to start making a comeback as the first few pots were sent his way. Not long after, the players went all in for the first time. Deak had flopped two pair, but Drummond was a favorite to double up with a set. Deak rivered a full house to best the Brazilian, however, sealing the deal and capturing the bracelet he promised his son.
During all trials and tribulations that come with the grind of tournament poker, Deak's most important motivation remained constant: "All this adversity I've been going through, it was worth it. I just kept thinking of my family."
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the massive Mystery Bounty PLO event, but there is still plenty more to come from the 2025 World Series of Poker. With the Main Event and plenty of other events ongoing, be sure to check out our WSOP hub to find all the latest news.