The 2025 Arizona State Poker Championship drew a record-setting field of 3,546 players to Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, and it was Brandon Mitchell, competing in his home state, who beat the field. The $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament concluded with Mitchell, a former police officer, earning $525,700 — a career-best score that pushes his live tournament winnings to nearly $1.5 million.
From Deep Deficit to Champion
Mitchell overcame a deep deficit to secure the win. In the heads-up battle against David Levy, who had entered the final table with a massive chip lead, Mitchell won a monster pot to move into the lead. Shortly after, his K-5 held up against Levy’s K-2 to lock up the title.
Final Table Results
The tournament produced six-figure payouts for six players:
- 1st: Brandon Mitchell – $525,700
- 2nd: David Levy – $310,000
- 3rd: Nicholas Rogers – $210,500
- 4th: Hayley Hanna – $157,900
- 5th: Zachary Powers – $131,600
- 6th: Christopher Collins – $105,300
- 7th: Senh Cong – $78,900
- 8th: James Pausch – $65,800
- 9th: Mark Evangelista – $52,600
Levy led the way throughout much of the final table with his overwhelming stack. Rogers took third place, while Hanna’s fourth-place finish of $157,900 quadrupled her previous live tournament cashes.
Mitchell’s Poker Achievements
This victory continues Mitchell’s run of results. In June 2023, he took down a $1,100 buy-in event at Wynn Las Vegas for $327,817. He also finished fifth place at the 2025 World Series of Poker in the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller for $303,773.
The Arizona State Poker Championship win is a life-changing score for Mitchell in his home state’s biggest poker tournament of the year.
