2024 WSOP $25K Fantasy Hands of the Week: Aces No Good for Ivey & Wasserson, Royal Flush For Winter

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Jun 19, 2024 5 min read

The $25K Fantasy league rolls on, and as of June 19, Team The Dinkers (Josh Kay) is still on top with 662 points, which is a good bit ahead of both Team Sternheimer (523 points) and Team Sepiol (461 points). Of the 19 teams, Team Chingas is on the bottom with 83 points while all other teams have at least 207 points. Check out 25Kfantasy.com to see the current standings.

PokerNews has been tracking $25K Fantasy players in our live updates and has even made it simple to follow the action by tagging all players with a $25K Fantasy badge. That allows you to utilize our chip count filter option to follow only those players (just tick the $25K Fantasy badge); what’s more, each blog will have a “$25K Fantasy” tab that if you click all you will see are hands played by $25K Fantasy players.

Check out this video to see how it all works:

As a result, we can capture some of the biggest, best, and most game-changing hands involving the $25K Fantasy roster. Here are five from the last week of action in the 2024 WSOP.

Check out the full $25K Fantasy Standings here!

Even Phil Ivey Takes the Occasional Bad Beat

On Day 2 of Event #26: $25,000 High Roller, just 22 players remaining in Level 18 (30,000/60,000/60,000) when reporter Michael Giacobbe saw Ben Heath open the action with a raise to 120,000 from under the gun. Yingui Li (Team Lady Gaga) three-bet to 425,000 from the button before Phil Ivey (Team Sepiol) moved all in for 1,900,000 from the small blind. Heath got out of the way, but Li made the call.

Phil Ivey: A♣A♥
Yingui Li: K♥K♣

The board ran out K♦Q♣J♣Q♦3♠ and Li found a King to send Ivey to the payout desk in 22nd place for $62,737.

Adam Hendrix Chopped into Day 3

In Event #36: $800 8-Handed NLH DeepStack there were 10 players remaining headed into the last hand of the day, which took place in Level 37 (400,000/800,000/800,000). That is when reporter Laura Fryer saw chip leader Timur Margolin raise to 2,100,000 from the small blind and Adam Hendrix (Team Wilson) effectively moved all in, leaving two 500,000 chips behind. Margolin shoved all in, forcing Hendrix into the tank. After hearing an "all in and a call" from the other table, Hendrix threw in his last two chips and the players flipped their cards.

Adam Hendrix: 6♥6♦
Timur Margolin: 9♣9♦

The flop came 5♠10♠2♠ and Hendrix needed to improve to stay in the tournament. The 9♠ came on the turn, which gave Margolin a set of nines, but some hope for Hendrix of a chop. The dealer peeled the A♠ river, bringing in the flush on the board for the chop. Hendrix was saved, and with a player busting at the other table, he advanced to the nine-handed feature table on Day 3. Hendrix went on to finish in fourth place for $125,074, while Margolin won it all for $342,551 and his third WSOP gold bracelet.

Ausmus Sniffs Out Reichards' Bluff

In Event #34: $2,500 Freezeout NLH, it was the final table on Day 3 in Level 32 (125,000/250,000/250,000) when reporter Joseph Berg watched Jeremy Ausmus (Team Noori) raised to 500,000 from early position. Josh Reichard (Team Oz) then called out of the small blind.

The flop was 3♣10♣2♣. Reichard checked, Ausmus bet 300,000 and Reichard called. Action checked through on the 7♠ turn card.

The river was the 2♠ and Reichard decided to wager 2,100,000 leaving one 25,000 chip behind. Ausmus thought long and hard about his decision and eventually flicked a chip in the middle signifying a call.

Jeremy Ausmus: A♥Q♥
Joshua Reichard: J♥8♣

Ausmus's ace-high call was a risky one, but it paid off for the six-time bracelet winner who took down the pot. Reichard busted a short time later in sixth place for $82,702 while Ausmus finished in third for $209,358.

The hand above also aired on PokerGO:

Royal Flush For Winter

In Event #39: $50,000 High Roller, it was Day 2 in Level 11 (10,000/20,000/20,000) when reporter Kai Cocklin caught the rarest of hands.

The cards were already on their backs and a full board of Q♥6♠K♥4♦A♥ was showing with both Dan Sepiol, who captured his first bracelet earlier this month, and Sean Winter (Team DPMC) having committed their stacks during the hand.

Sepiol had A♠K♠ for top two pair but Winter had the ultimate nuts with J♥10♥ for a rare Royal Flush!

Blom’s Stack Soars After Double KO

In the same tournament, albeit one level before in Level 10 (8,000/16,000/16,000), veteran reporter Dan O'Hair saw Martin Kabrhel, Viktor Blom, and one other player were all in preflop with Blom covering both players.

Martin Kabrhel: A♦A♠
Opponent: K♥Q♣
Viktor Blom: A♣K♣

Kabrhel looked in good shape to triple up, but the K♦6♣K♠ flop vaulted Blom into the lead with trip kings with an ace kicker.

The 9♠ turn and 4♣ river changed nothing and Blom scooped the large pot while eliminating two players.

“That was sick,” Eric Wasserson added as Blom collected the pot.

Kabrhel was seen re-entering shortly after being eliminated. That hand ultimately helped propel Blom into a third-place finish for $951,727, the third-highest live score of his career. Granted, Blom isn't a $25K Fantasy player, but he is the legendary 'Isildur1' and we just wanted to include this beauty of a hand.

Wasserson's Aces Crumble to Mateos' Queens

Later on in the same tournament, the money bubble was near when Kai Cocklin caught another big hand in Level 14 (20,000/40,000/40,000). That is when Eric Wasserson (Team Negreanu) raised to 80,000 from middle position and Adrian Mateos (Team Lucky) three-bet to 240,000 out of the hijack. When the action got back to Wasserson, he shoved all in for around 1,700,000, and Mateos made the call.

The two players seemed to know what each other had, and while the dealer was waiting for the go-ahead to run the board, Wasserson pushed all of his stack next to that of Mateos'.

"I know it's coming. I'm running so good," remarked Mateos.

Eric Wasserson: A♥A♣
Adrian Mateos: Q♥Q♦

A flop of 9♥K♥K♣ didn't change anything but Mateos' words came true as the Q♠ landed on the turn, which improved him to a full house.

Wasserson needed an ace or a king on the river to stay alive but the J♦ wasn't what he was looking for, which meant he was eliminated in 29th place just two spots shy of the money. As for Mateos, he went on to finish in fourth place for $681,554.

Follow the $25K Fantasy league all summer long in the PokerNews hub here!

PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.

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