Event #53: $1,500 Millionaire Maker No-Limit Hold’em Falls Prey to Moldova’s Pavel Plesuv

Moldova’s Pavel Plesuv has won the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $1,500 ‘Millionaire Maker’ No-limit hold’em event. Plesuv bested a massive field of 10,416 entries, earning his home country’s first-ever WSOP gold bracelet.

In addition to the prestigious bracelet, Plesuv pocketed a record $1,201,564. His tournament earnings now stand at an impressive $7.6 million, with over $2.2 million stemming from his WSOP performances.

Before becoming the first Moldovan to win a WSOP gold bracelet, Plesuv was already a notable figure on the global poker scene, securing the WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open $3,500 buy-in event in 2018.

Despite the tournament drawing a record 10,430 entries, Plesuv maintained a steady lead. After surviving three days of intense play, he headed into the final round with nearly twice the average stack. The final stretch was marked by fierce clashes, dramatic eliminations, and intense showdowns, with the $13,905,360 prize pool looming large.

As Plesuv moved into heads-up play against Florian Ribouchon, he held a considerable lead of 222,700,000 to Ribouchon’s 37,400,000. After a few successful pots, Ribouchon increased his stake but was still significantly trailing when the final hand was dealt. The climax of the event saw Plesuv triumph with a pair of kings against Ribouchon’s pocket jacks, thus clinching the title and the seven-figure payday!

In the end, Ribouchon earned an impressive $1,003,554 as the runner-up, but the day belonged to Plesuv, who added a new feather in his cap and carved out a unique place in WSOP history.

Final Table Result