WSOP Glory Awaits in Event #43: $500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em
Anthony Koutsos had the dream of every player at the World Series of Poker come true.
The San Francisco real estate agent’s largest previous cash was $6,000. He had never cashed in a WSOP event. Then, at the 2021 WSOP, he won the $500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout, outlasting a massive field of 2,930 players to take home $167,272 and the prestigious gold bracelet.
A similar fate awaits one lucky player when Event #43: $500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em begins today at 11 a.m. local time. Another large field will gather in the Paris Ballroom, an eclectic mix of seasoned pros and amateurs taking their shot at WSOP glory, just like Koutsos did last year
2021 $500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em Final Table
| Place | Player | Country | Winnings |
| 1 | Anthony Koutsos | United States | $167,272 |
| 2 | Charbel Kanterjian | Canada | $103,403 |
| 3 | Dongsheng Zhang | United States | $77,600 |
| 4 | Jonah Lopas | United States | $58,685 |
| 5 | Sundiata DeVore | United States | $44,725 |
| 6 | Jacob Rich | United States | $34,353 |
| 7 | Ronald Ibbetson | United States | $26,595 |
| 8 | John Moss | United States | $20,753 |
| 9 | Fausto Valdez | United States | $16,324 |
Play on Day 1 will consist of 22 half-hour levels. There will be a 75-minute dinner break after Level 12, which should come around 5:40 p.m. Late registration is open through the end of the dinner break and since this is a freezeout, no reentries are allowed.
This is a two-day event, so action should be fast and furious. A starting stack of 25,000 will be worth only 10 big blinds after just six hours of play.
It is the perfect opportunity for a player to realize their dream, and PokerNews will be on hand to capture all the action until one champion is left standing.
flop to the 
turn. Both blinds checked again but this time the late position player did not check behind, instead firing off a delayed continuation of 1,600. Mezrich called and the big blind folded to send action heads up to the river. 
river Mezrich led out for 1,100 and was quickly called by his opponent. Mezrich, who at last year's WSOP finished second in Event #8: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack for a career best $173,960, turned over 
for top two pair, good enough to scoop the pot.
flop changed nothing except to give the cutoff player a gutshot to go with his superior pocket pair. No help came for French on the 
turn either, leaving him drawing to just two outs. His razor thin equity did not matter though as French was able to spike the 
on the river to eliminate his opponent in brutal fashion.
turn did give Hinkle a gutshot. "I want a three just for the hell of it", said Hinkle prior to the river. That river was in fact the 
, giving Hinkle a wheel to survive and in doing so putting a large dent in a bemused England's stack.
turn double paired the board, meaning Lococo's kicker no longer played and the two looked on course for a chop pot. It was not to be, however, as the 
flop. The 
turn and 
wrapped up the hand as Shak starting counting out his stack while the meaningless 
flop kept Herget ahead but Yea binked the 
to keep Stevermer chipping up while sending the small blind player out of the tournament.
