Thierry Gogniat made it 80,000 to go in the cutoff, and big blind Zdenek Zizka defended.
Both players checked the Q♠J♣3♣ flop, prompting Zizka to bet 45,000 on the K♠ turn. Gogniat called, and did so too when Zizka made the minumum bet of 40,000 on the K♦ river.
Zizka tabled J♠7♥ for two pair, but was outclassed by Gogniat's A♣10♥ for a turned straight.
Nazar Buhaiov raised to 80,000 in the hijack and Ricardo Alves called in the big blind.
The flop came K♦Q♥5♥ and Buhaiov bet 90,000. Alves called to the K♣ turn, where Buhaiov bet another 200,000. Alves again called.
The 7♦ fell on the river and Buhaiov moved all in. Alves took a minute before calling for his last 1,065,000 and turning over Q♠J♣ for two pair. Buhaiov, though, had K♥10♠ for trips to win the pot and send Alves to the rail in 21st place.
Zdenek Zizka limped in from the cutoff and Jorge Abreu and Raphael Bilger came along from the blinds.
The flop came Q♣5♦9♠ and Bilger bet 125,000. Zizka and Abreu both called.
Bilger bet another 450,000 on the 9♦ turn, and only Abreu called this time. He checked to Bilger on the J♦ river, and this time Bilger checked back.
Abreu showed A♠Q♥ for two pair, and Bilger mucked J♥10♥.
"Very aggressive, sir," Abreu said to Bilger after the hand.
Tomas Jozonis raised to 80,000 in the hijack. Joris Ruijs called on the button, seeing the dealer fan the J♣10♠7♥ flop.
Jozonis checked to Ruijs before calling the latter's bet of 75,000. The 8♥ turn was checked by both players, after which the 9♣ river put a straight on the board.
Jozonis fired a bet of 450,000, which Ruijs snapped off once he had taken another look at his cards. Jozonis tabled J♥J♦, playing the board, but Ruijs had a higher straight with his Q♥J♠ to rake in the chips.
Nazar Buhaiov raised to 80,000 in early position and Julien Mariani called on the button.
Buhaiov continued for 125,000 on the 7♣6♥4♥ flop, and Mariani called. Both players then checked the A♣ turn.
Buhaiov bet 75,000 on the 9♦ river, but this time Mariani came back with a raise to 405,000. Buhaiov snap-called with A♦2♣, but Mariani had A♥J♦ and won the pot with his jack-kicker.
It folded to Joachim Meisolle on the button, who raised to 120,000. Tsugunari Toma quickly moved in his stack from the big blind, much to the dismay of Meisolle.
Meisolle spent one of his time banks before he called off his stack of 940,000, putting his tournament life at risk.
Joachim Meisolle: A♦Q♥ 
Tsugunari Toma: A♥J♣
Meisolle solidified his lead by pairing on the 9♦Q♦6♠ flop, and left Toma drawing dead after the 7♣ turn. The stacks were carefully counted after the 4♥ river, and Toma was left with 30,000 chips.
The next hand, Pawel Wojciechowski made it 80,000 to go in the hijack. Tsugunari Toma committed his last chips in the small blind, forcing a showdown.
Tsugunari Toma: 8♠4♠
Pawel Wojciechowski: A♣J♠
Toma could not find a hit on the 6♠3♣9♥K♥3♦ board, securing his elimination in 22nd place.
Level: 25
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 40,000
In the 942nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow are joined by Jeff Platt at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas. The quartet talks about Platt's new role with the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and what all that entails.
Find out what all you can expect from the 2026 WSOP as the former cohost of the PokerNews Podcast talks about being a face of the brand, live viewer experience, storytelling, the Poker Hall of Fame, and much more. Plus, Platt shares some of his favorite WSOP moments that he's been a part of over the years, moments that include Doyle Brunson and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi.
Find out all about those stories and more in this week's episode of the PokerNews Podcast! Oh, and be sure to check out the audio version of the PokerNews Podcast that is available on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
The 22 remaining players have been sent on a 20-minute break.
Level 24 Highlights
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