PokerNews got to the table as things were heating up in a heads-up pot between Jeremy Becker and four-time bracelet winner Julien Martini.
The board read J♥A♦3♠7♦K♣ and while the full river action wasn't clear, Martini has put out 26,000 before Becker raised to put the Frenchman all in. Martini gave it some thought and called for around 35,000 more.
Becker could only show a bluff as Martini revealed K♥J♠ to double up with two pair.
Jeremy Becker won more than a dozen Wynn trophies in 2023 alone, and he has already picked up two more in 2024. Now, the daily assassin is taking his shot in the Wynn Millions Championship.
PokerNews spent an orbit with Becker as he grinds up a stack late into the Day 1b flight in preseason warm-up for his summer crossbook with Landon Tice.
Hand #1 (UTG+1): Jeremy Becker opened to 2,500 and got three calls to see a flop of 10♣A♣5♠. The flop checked through, and Becker bet 4,000 on the 8♥ turn, bringing three folds to win him the pot.
Hand #2 (UTG): Becker folded.
Hand #3: (Big Blind): A player in middle position opened to 2,500 and Becker defended out of the big blind. Beckecer checked on the flop of 9♥6♠3♣ and his opponent continued for 3,000. Becker called. Becker then check-called again on the K♠ turn when faced with a bet of 8,500.
Becker checked once more on the Q♦ river and his opponent fired a bet of 24,000. Becker took some time before calling, leading his opponent to muck face-down to win Becker the pot without showdown.
Jeremy Becker
Hand #4 (Small Blind): The under the gun player opened to 2,600 and the cutoff called before Becker three-bet to 13,000 in the small blind to bring folds from both his opponents.
Hand #5 (Button): Action folded to Becker on the button and he followed suit.
Hand #6 (Cutoff): As Wynn Millions champion Andrew Moreno joined the table, an early position player opened to 2,500 and Becker called in the cutoff before the big blind also called. The flop of 5♦7♣K♣ checked through and the initial raiser bet 4,000 on the 4♠ turn. Only Becker called. Becker then called a bet of 11,000 on the K♠ river and saw the bad news as his opponent showed a full house with 5♠5♣.
Hand #7 (Hijack): The under-the-gun player opened to 2,500 and Becker called in the hijack before Chino Rheem three-bet to 13,000 in the big blind. The initial raiser and Becker both folded.
Hand #8 (Lojack): Becker opened to 2,500 in middle position and Rheem called on the button before Moreno moved all in for a starting stack. Becker called and Rheem folded A♦6♦ face-up.
Andrew Moreno: A♠K♣
Jeremy Becker: A♥Q♥
Becker was pipped and couldn't improve as the board ran out J♥2♠J♣4♣J♦ to earn the inaugural Wynn Millions champion a double.
Hand #9 (Middle Position): Becker folded in middle position.
Chino Rheem opened to 2,300 in early position and a late position player called before the cutoff three-bet to 9,000 to bring folded from both opponents. The next hand, Rheem again opened to 2,300 and the blinds called.
Action checked to Rheem on the flop of 3♠J♣Q♠ and he continued for 3,000. Only the small blind called. The small blind checked again on the 4♦ turn and Rheem sized up to 10,000. His opponent called.
The opponent checked a final table on the 5♣ river and Rheem took a moment before checked back. The opponent showed a pair of jacks with K♦J♦, but it was no good against Rheem's pair of queens with Q♦10♠.
Ryan Leng opened in early position and recent $2,200 NLH 6-Max champion Cherish Andrews called from the next seat as Samuel Laskowitz came along in the big blind.
Laskowitz and Leng checked on the 8♣A♥5♥ flop and Andrews bet 2,500. Laskowitz called and Leng folded. Laskowitz checked again on the 3♥ turn and Andrews sized up to 14,000. Laskowitz again called.
Laskowitz checked once more on the 5♣ river and Andrews put him to the test by betting 36,000 for all of her opponent's stack. Laskowitz went in the tank for over a minute before folding.
