Moshe Refaelowitz picks up first WSOP bracelet

Moshe Refaelowitz was left standing atop a mountain of chips at the end of Event #70: $400 Colossus of the 2023 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas after defeating one Dae Woong Song just two hands after their last break. After max late registering on Day 1, Refaelowitz was able to spin his stack up, maintaining a steady composure throughout all three grueling days.

Refaelowitz is based out of Miami, Florida, but represents his Israeli heritage. A competitor through and through, Refaelowitz used to be on Israel's national football team as a safety and receiver, but poker has been his main focus as of late.

"I feel amazing, I'm overwhelmed,” said Refaelowitz. “It's a dream come true and I'm grateful.”

This is only his second year coming to the World Series, but last year he made it all the way to Day 6 of the Main Event, so he's no stranger to the long days of competition. He had a nice boon at the Wynn's $2,200 Mystery Bounty to start his trip to Vegas when he pulled a $50,000 bounty on Day 2. He actually hadn't planned on playing the Colossus but registered on a whim.

Refaelowitz went on to dedicate this bracelet to his wife, who has wholeheartedly supported him in his dreams to compete professionally at this beloved card game. PokerNews spoke with him just before the end of the dinner break, when there were still four players left, and he said that he had promised his wife he would come home with the hardware. Promise fulfilled; she was the first person he called when the last card was dealt.

Refaelowitz wasn't the only one who got a hefty reward for their deep run, as everyone at the final table got a rather handsome reward for their efforts, as they all got a significant portion of the $4,989,540 prize pool.

Plenty of notable players fought hard to make it into the money but fell short of the final table, including the likes of Kevin Martin, Benjamin Spragg, and five-time bracelet winner Allen Cunningham.

Day 3 saw four bracelet winners in contention for their second piece of poker gold, but James Dempsey, John Gorsuch, Jason Wheeler, and Ashkan Razavi all dropped off one by one.

Jesse Kertland, Day 3 start-of-the-day chip leader, wasn't able to keep his momentum going and ultimately fell in 25th place for $19,020. Darrick Arreola had a tremendous chip lead at the final three table redraw that ultimately carried him all the way to a final.

Refaelowitz went into the final table with a significant chip leap, only closely trailed by Arreola. The latter was the first to draw blood when he eliminated Max Kingstone in tenth place ($37,020) with eight high.

Refaelowitz was next to draw blood when he made a straight against Colin Robinson to send him to the sidelines in ninth place.

Back and forth, Arreola took another player down when William Ackerman got it in as an underdog and was unable to find the miracle.

Nikhil Nair had quietly been accumulating chips throughout the day, defying his apparent lack of experience, as this was his first WSOP event this year and his third ever documented cash. Ultimately, his chips went to Pete Chen in a spot where they had opposing Broadway cards.

Jose Orozcogomez had a tremendous rail on his side, and when he did get the last of his chips in, he was a favorite but Refaelowitz caught a six to send him to the payouts in sixth place.

Chen started to catch fire and looked like he might run away with it after he woke up with queens in the big blind against a shove from David Danlag, who was sent packing in fifth when his threes couldn't improve.

Arreola's chip advantage quickly dissipated after a series of hands where he folded before the showdown but had committed chips either preflop or post-flop. Ultimately, he got short, and got it in bad against Refaelowitz who he had been saying for hours he couldn't win a hand against. Arreola was left settling for fourth place.

Chen, who has over $4,000,000 in lifetime tournament earnings, played with absolute precision but once he got short he was forced to take a risk against Refaelowitz that sent him out in third place.
Refaelowitz went into the heads-up battle with a monstrous stack, but Song was able to double through him early and even the scales. Several small pots went back and forth. Song had pulled ahead in chips about an hour after the dinner break and was put to a big decision by Refaelowitz, who later said this was an all in bluff.

Shortly after that, they went on a 15-minute break, and the tournament concluded almost immediately after their return, when Refaelowitz found the diamond he needed to eliminate Song.

Final table results:
Rank Name Country Prize [USD]
1 Moshe Refaelowitz Israel $501,120
2 Dae Woong Song South Korea $300,410
3 Pete Chen Taiwan $216,320
4 Darrick Arreola United States $165,180
5 David Danlag United States $126,830
6 Jose Orozcogomez Mexico $100,130
7 Nikhil Nair United States $76,130
8 William Ackerman United States $59,510
9 Colin Robinson United States $46,800