Poker Hand Matchup: Joey Weissman vs. Justin Zaki
Joey Weissman	Win Pre-Flop	Win Post-Flop	Win Post-Turn
Starting Stack: 3,745,000	72.12 %	83.43 %	75.0 %	Winner!
Justin Zaki	Win Pre-Flop	Win Post-Flop	Win Post-Turn
Starting Stack: 5,100,000	25.32 %	15.15 %	25.0 %

Posted On: Mar 12, 2025

Outcome

Preflop, with two players remaining and blinds of 30,000-60,000 with a big blind ante of 60,000, Joey Weissman raised to 140,000 from the button. Justin Zaki called from the big blind. On the flop Zaki checked, and Weissman bet 85,000. Zaki check-raised to 280,000, and Weissman called. On the turn Zaki bet 500,000, and Weissman called. On the river both players checked.

Analysis

The final two players in this prestigious event battled it out after the flop brought a pair of jacks and a low card. Joey Weissman had raised preflop with A-10 while Justin Zaki, who held the lead when the hand began, defended his big blind with 10-3 suited. Zaki started off the post-flop showdown with a check. Weissman let loose a quarter-pot continuation bet and Zaki responded with a check-raise, seemingly hoping to take it down right there against Weissman’s weakest holdings. Weissman was not yet ready to release ace high, though, and made the call. Zaki would likely check-raise a variety of different holdings on this flop texture, but the three-to-a-flush combo he actually had was a particularly good candidate. One key reason is that any club turn would allow him to continue applying pressure via a semi-bluff with a well-disguised draw. Such was the case when the Q rolled off on the turn to give Zaki a backdoor flush draw. He fired 500,000 into the pot of 900,000, putting Weissman’s ace-high in a very tough spot. Weissman found the call, though, and the river brought a third jack. Zaki ultimately decided against continuing his bluff. His check was met with a swift check back from Weissman, who was relieved to be able to show down his ace high without having to put any more chips into the pot. He revealed his winning hand to drag the chips and take the lead. The heads-up match was far from over, though, as the two contenders went on to play for more than an hour after this clash before a winner was decided.