Smith Falls; Martirosian Seeks Third Bracelet After Day 2 of $25,000 Heads-Up Championship
Day 2 has come to a close at Event #6: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship. Action took place in the Thunderdome at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas, as onlookers gathered to watch the final 16 players battle it out for for a piece of the $1,504,000 prize pool.
The round of 16 commenced at noon local time, with the remaining players needing one more win to secure the $86,000 min-cash. When play wrapped up, only four entrants remained in the prestigious event, who are all still in the hunt for the $500,000 first place prize and WSOP bracelet.
$25,000 Heads-Up Championship Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 |
| 2 | $300,000 |
| 3-4 | $180,000 |
Full Bracket
Day 2 Action
Cary Katz fell short of the money when his pocket kings were cracked in a three-bet pot versus Artur Martirosian. The chips went in on the flop when Martirosian picked up a flush draw, and he prevailed when a third spade landed on the river.
Kane Kalas was in great shape to advance to the money round when he got it all-in preflop with ace-king, putting his opponent, Owen Messere at risk with ace-eight. Messere found an eight to double up and take the lead, and would go on to win the match.
Sam Soverel got off to an early 2:1 chip lead over Faraz Jaka but couldn't close out the match. Jaka rallied back and went on to advance.
Weston Mizumoto was knocked out by John Smith after Smith grinded out quite the comeback. Smith advanced to the Round 4, and his dream of winning the event was kept alive.
Round 3 Results
| Winner | Defeated |
|---|---|
| Artur Martirosian | Cary Katz |
| Patrick Kennedy | Michael Steele |
| Darius Samual | Matthew Wantman |
| John Smith | Weston Mizumoto |
| Nikolai Mamut | James Gorham |
| Marko Grujic | Joseph Miller |
| Faraz Jaka | Sam Soverel |
| Owen Messere | Kane Kalas |
In the Elite Eight, Martirosian made quick work of Patrick Kennedy, who was unable to gain any momentum and was the first to be eliminated.
A short while later, Messere couldn't pull off the comeback after being short-stacked and lost a flip with pocket deuces to Jaka.
In the back and forth match between Nikolai Mamut and Marko Grujic, Mamut ultimately came out on top.
All eyes were on Smith in the final matchup of the Elite Eight versus Darius Samual. Smith, who locked up his fourth cash in the event since 2014, wasn't going out without a fight. In three of the four rounds of play, it was Smith grinding it out at the last table to end the round. Smith couldn't find the ticket into the semi-finals, but his gritty performance and track record in the event speaks for itself.
Winners of Elite Eight
| Winner | Defeated |
|---|---|
| Artur Martirosian | Patrick Kennedy |
| Darius Samual | John Smith |
| Nikolai Mamut | Marko Grujic |
| Faraz Jaka | Owen Messere |
Action will resume for Day 3 at noon local time in the Thunderdome. The final four players will return with 2,400,000 chips with blinds starting at 6,000/12,000 and complete the last two rounds to determine the champion. Martirosian will face off against Samual while Jaka will take on Mamut.
Martirosian is seeking his third World Series of Poker bracelet, while Jaka is chasing his second. Mamut and Samual are on the hunt for their first piece of gold.
Look Ahead to the Semi-Finals
| Player 1 | Player 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Artur Martirosian | vs. | Darius Samuel |
| Nikolai Mamut | vs. | Faraz Jaka |
Be sure to follow PokerNews throughout the remainder of the 2024 WSOP to stay up to date with all future event coverage.