The 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) kicked off its first five-figure buy-in event today with Event #6: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship, held at the Horseshoe and Paris in Las Vegas.
Sixty-four players began their quest for a coveted WSOP gold bracelet at noon local time. By the end of Day 1, the first two rounds had concluded, narrowing the field to just 16 remaining competitors.
The Day 1 survivors are battling it out for the lion's share of the $1,504,000 prize pool, where the eventual champion will walk away with $500,000 and a shiny new bit of bling to adorn their wrist.
However, half of the remaining players will leave empty-handed as only the top eight players will make the money. Any player who makes it through Round 3 will lock up an $86,000 min-cash.
$25,000 Heads-Up Championship Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 |
| 2 | $300,000 |
| 3-4 | $180,000 |
| 5-8 | $86,000 |
Defending Champion Exits in Round 1
Defending champ Chanracy Khun was among the 32 entrants to bow out at the first hurdle after Chance Kornuth's queens remained best against the former's ace-five suited.
There were a plethora of dream matches in the first bracket, with Stephen Chidwick vs. Jeremy Ausmus, John Smith vs. Dario Sammartino and Joao Vieira vs. Nik Airball being a trio of fascinating encounters.
Chidwick, Smith and Vieira overcame their opponents, but the same could not be said for the likes of $25K Fantasy Draft picks Shaun Deeb, Alex Foxen, and Chris Brewer, who were all sent for early showers.
More Big Names Fall in Second Round
Serbia's Marko Grujic (not the former Liverpool FC midfielder) quickly advanced to Day 2. Grujic flopped top two while David Farber had middle pair and flush draw. The board ran out with bricks to allow Grujic plenty of rest time before tomorrow's restart.
Artur Martirosian picked up queens to leave Stephen Chidwick on fumes. The Englishman exited a few hands later when Martirosian continued to run hot and made a boat against the Chidwick's top pair.
There was another surprising upset when Joseph Miller downed Kornuth with a set of kings. Likewise, 2023 WSOP Player of the Year Ian Matakis was felled by Darius Samual.
Other players to make it through to Day 2 include Faraz Jaka, Patrick Kennedy and Matthew Wantman.
Plan for Day 2
Day 2 of the Heads-Up Championship resumes at 12 p.m. local time in the Gold section of Horseshoe.
Each player will return with 600,000 chips and will have plenty to play with as the blinds will be 1,000/2,500 when the restart whistle blows.
Tomorrow's action will end after two more rounds of play. Day 3, which takes place on Saturday, June 1, will host the semi-finals and grand finale and will be streamed on PokerGO.
Round 3 Bracket
| Player 1 | Player 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cary Katz | vs. | Artur Martirosian |
| Patrick Kennedy | vs. | Michael Steele |
| Darius Samual | vs. | Matthew Wantman |
| Weston Mizumoto | vs. | John Smith |
| Nikolai Mamut | vs. | James Gorham |
| Marko Grujic | vs. | Joseph Miller |
| Faraz Jaka | vs. | Sam Soverel |
| Owen Messere | vs. | Kane Kalas |
As always, be sure to stick with PokerNews throughout the entirety of the 2024 WSOP to keep up with all the action.
