button in SafariArtur Martirosian Beats Final Table's 'Best Opponent' to Win Fourth WSOP Bracelet
There are high-stakes poker end-bosses, and then there is Artur Martirosian. Just 28 years old, the Russian all-time money leader had three bracelets and $32.2 million in career earnings heading into the final table of Event #24: $25,000 High Roller Six Handed No-Limit Hold’em at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, and he now has a fourth bracelet and $1,286,285 more in career earnings.
Martirosian was a big stack for most of Day 2 and he kept that momentum up at Day 3's final table, entering second in chips and soon taking over the chip lead from third-place finisher Sean Winter before besting his friend Pavel Plesuv in a marathon heads-up match.
“It was kind of smooth," Martirosian told PokerNews in a winner's interview about his bracelet run. "(The) whole final table, I grinded and grinded and grinded. I was chip leader almost (for the entire) final table."
The $25,000 buy-in event drew 242 of poker's most accomplished players for a prize pool of $5,687,000. The final table included four-time bracelet winner Chance Kornuth, a pair of Austrian crushers in Marius Gierse and Klemens Roiter, and Yosuke Miki, who was looking to bring Japan yet another bracelet this summer.
$25,000 High Roller Six Handed Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Artur Martirosian | Russian Federation | $1,286,285 |
| 2 | Pavel Plesuv | Moldova, Republic of | $857,510 |
| 3 | Sean Winter | United States | $597,635 |
| 4 | Yosuke Miki | Japan | $421,718 |
| 5 | Marius Gierse | Austria | $301,347 |
| 6 | Chance Kornuth | United States | $218,091 |
"It Is Special"
"It was tough heads up. (He was the) best opponent from (the) final table, after me."
Martirosian only had time for a quick interview, telling PokerNews that he was in need of a hearty meal after the eight-hour grind. But he took time to make it clear that, despite all of his prior accomplishments, including winning last year's $25,000 Heads Up Championship, this was a special victory.
“It is special, (the WSOP is) only once a year, and not every year you can win," he said with a light laugh.
Despite being in control of the tournament from Day 2 onward, Martirosian said that Plesuv, a fellow online crusher, made for a formidable heads-up opponent. In fact, he called Plesuv the best player at the final table — other than himself.
“I know Pavel pretty well and we are good friends and he’s a good player. It was tough heads up. (He was the) best opponent from (the) final table, after me,” laughed Martirosian.
But the player in his late 20s said it is too early to be thinking about what other goals he wants to accomplish in poker. "Not really, maybe later," he said when asked if he had any next goals.
Martirosian celebrated his bracelet victory with yet another high-stakes crusher from across the pond, velvet tracksuit enthusiast Aleksejs Ponakovs, who proudly rubbed Martirosian's shoulders as they posed for winner's photos.
King Artur
The days began with a level and a half off stream on the side feature table, with Winter declaring that "it's like I have no idea where I am right now" in his first appearance in the new Thunderdome.
There were no bustouts before the seven remaining players moved to the main feature table to play on stream, and the highlights began quickly.
Kornuth doubled multiple times at the side table, including with aces, but he ran worse at the new table. He was eliminated in sixth place as his ace-king was out-flopped by Yosuke Miki's ace-queen to end the poker coach's run at a fifth bracelet.
Shifting Gierse a bit, Marius Gierse was the next out as he flopped two pair while all in against Martirosian, who flopped the nut flush and stayed ahead as the Austrian was eliminated in fifth place.
Martirosian stepped on the gas from there, sending Miki out in fourth place as his ace-jack pipped the Japanese first-bracelet hopeful's ace ten.
Winter is the coldest season, so it was fitting that one of the best poker players without a bracelet went out in third place as his top pair top kicker was crushed by the set of Plesuv.
The pick-up for Plesuv made way for an hour-long heads-up battle, which briefly saw Plesuv taking the lead, before a final flip that saw Martirosian's pocket fours holding up against Plesuv's ace-nine.
That wraps up PokerNews' coverage of $25,000 High Roller Six Handed at the 2026 WSOP. Take a look at the live reporting portal for more coverage from the summer action in Las Vegas.
