There were two big winners in Event #45: $500 SALUTE to Warriors No-Limit Hold’em at the WSOP 2025—Joey Couden and the veterans causes this special event supports. Couden conquered a massive field of 3,937 entries at Horseshoe Las Vegas to win his second World Series of Poker gold bracelet along with $187,937 in prize money.
But beyond the felt, the event raised over $155,000 for veteran organizations like the United Service Organizations (USO) and other military-focused charities. A portion of each buy-in—$40—was donated directly to these causes, making this one of the most impactful tournaments on the WSOP 2025 schedule.
Couden Continues His WSOP Legacy
With this victory, Couden pushes his career tournament earnings past $3.2 million. His first bracelet came in 2018 when he took down the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-Or-Better event. Known for his versatility and resilience at the tables, the Ohio native dominated the final day of play to add another milestone to his WSOP résumé.
The final prize pool ballooned to $1,614,170, with 591 players making the money. Some notables who cashed include:
- Barry Shulman (225th)
- Victoria Livschitz (215th)
- Tony Ma (172nd)
- Vinny Pahuja (166th)
- Safiya Umerova (128th)
Final Day: From 32 to Champion
Day 3 began with 32 players, with Couden already in the chip lead. He maintained control throughout, watching eliminations pile up while keeping his stack intact.
Final Table Eliminations:
- 10th: Samuel Choae – $14,063
- 9th: Luciano Melo – $17,901
- 8th: Tim Caziarc – $22,998
With seven players remaining, Couden delivered a critical blow when his A♣10♣ outflopped A♦K♦ to eliminate Roger Hendren (7th – $29,818). From there, Couden went on a heater:
- Eliminated Brandon Sowers (6th – $39,015)
- Cracked Alexander Savchenko‘s A-J with pocket aces (5th – $51,511)
- Took out Yu Hsiang Huang (4th – $68,619) with J-9 against K-2
- Sent Ofer Saha home (3rd – $92,221) by winning a race with A-5 vs. 2-2
Heads-up play against Richard Buckingham began with Couden holding a dominating chip lead. It didn’t take long for the chips to go in: Buckingham shoved with 3♠3♥, only to be outdrawn by Couden’s Q♥J♠ after the board ran out Q♠J♦2♠8♥7♦, giving Couden queens up and the title.
WSOP 2025 Event #45: Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joey Couden | United States | $187,937 |
| 2 | Richard Buckingham | United States | $125,034 |
| 3 | Ofer Saha | United States | $92,221 |
| 4 | Yu Hsiang Huang | Taiwan | $68,619 |
| 5 | Alexander Savchenko | Russian Federation | $51,511 |
| 6 | Brandon Sowers | United States | $39,015 |
| 7 | Roger Hendren | United States | $29,818 |
| 8 | Tim Caziarc | United States | $22,998 |
| 9 | Luciano Melo | Brazil | $17,901 |
| 10 | Samuel Choae | United States | $14,063 |
More WSOP 2025 coverage is on the way as bracelet events continue daily at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates, winner stories, and all your WSOP 2025 content.
