Event #8: $25,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship Day 1 | 2023 World Series of Poker

06-02-2023 17:42 UTC-7

Winter Makes the Right Decision to Bust Ponakovs; Khun Also Through

David Salituro

Level 15 : 800/1,600, 0 ante

Aleksejs Ponakovs bet 65,000 on a flop of 3♦5♥A♣ and Sean Winter called.

The turn came the 7♥ and Ponakovs led out for another 40,000. Winter again quickly called as the 2♥ fell on the river.

Ponakovs now jammed all in for around 85,000 and sent Winter deep into the tank. "I mean, would you do this with ace-queen," Winter pondered to himself.

Winter eventually slammed in the chips to call and Ponakovs, sure enough, turned over A♠Q♠. Winter, though, had A♦K♣ and his king-kicker was enough to send him through to the next round.

Chanracy Khun joined him on another table after making short work of newly-crowned WSOP bracelet winner Alexandre Vuilleumier. According to Khun, he limped in, Vuilleumier raised to 5,600, and Khun moved all in.

Vuilleumier called off his short stack with Ax9x but couldn't win a race against Khun's pocket threes.

Player	Chips	Progress
Chanracy Khun	600,000 300,000	300,000

Sean Winter	600,000 224,000	224,000
Alexandre Vuilleumier	Busted

Aleksejs Ponakovs	Busted

Tags: Aleksejs Ponakovs Alexandre Vuilleumier Chanracy Khun Sean Winter

06-02-2023 17:35 UTC-7

Chidwick Extracts Value from Tice

Ollie Garland

Level 15 : 800/1,600, 0 ante

The pot stood at approximately 10,000 as the board read 3♣J♠10♥9♣A♠. Stephen Chidwick in the big blind checked the action over to Landon Tice who placed a bet of 6,000 into the middle.

After some deliberation, Chidwick check-raised to 18,000. Tice flicked in one chip to make the call. Chidwick tabled A♣2♣ and claimed the pot as Tice knocked the table as he said "Nice hand".

Player	Chips	Progress
Stephen Chidwick	360,000 60,000	60,000

Landon Tice	240,000 -60,000	-60,000

Tags: Landon Tice Stephen Chidwick

06-02-2023 17:33 UTC-7

Gaston Gets the Best of Pawar

Adam Lamers

Level 15 : 800/1,600, 0 ante

Tyler Gaston held an early lead in his heads-up match with Ranjeet Pawar and the two players got all of their chips in the middle preflop. Gaston's hand was the only one left standing with his A♥J♥ face up on the felt.

The board read 7♣4♦2♦J♠3♣ and Gaston's top pair was enough to eliminate Pawar and advance to Round 3 tomorrow.

Player	Chips	Progress
Tyler Gaston	600,000 250,000	250,000
Ranjeet Pawar	Busted

Tags: Ranjeet Pawar Tyler Gaston

06-02-2023 17:32 UTC-7

Zinno Avoids Catastrophe Thanks to Lucky Runout

David Salituro

Level 15 : 800/1,600, 0 ante

Anthony Zinno three-bet to 18,000 preflop before Jonathan Jaffe reraised to 50,000. Zinno used a time bank before he came back with a reraise to 120,000.

Jaffe used his own two time banks before. he called. The flop came 4♣6♦3♣ and Zinno continued for 75,000. Jaffe then shoved all in and Zinno snap-called with a nearly identical stack.

Zinno opened up K♣K♠, but found out the bad news when Jaffe showed A♦A♥. At risk of decimation early in the match, Zinno saw the 7♦ fall on the turn, followed by the 5♦ on the river to put a straight on the board and chop the pot.

"It's only fair. Aces versus kings fairly deep in a heads-up match," Jaffe said with a smile as he was denied the massive pot.

Jaffe is sitting right underneath a big screen inside the Paris Ballroom that is showing an old episode from the 2013 Main Event where he was seated at the feature table. "It doesn't go well," he said while watching himself from a decade ago.

Player	Chips	Progress
Anthony Zinno	310,000 10,000	10,000

Jonathan Jaffe	290,000 -10,000	-10,000

Tags: Anthony Zinno Jonathan Jaffe

06-02-2023 17:31 UTC-7

Polk Jumps Out to a Lead

Adam Lamers

Level 15 : 800/1,600, 0 ante

Doug Polk opened to 4,200 on the button and Thomas Eychenne three-bet to 17,600 in the big blind. Polk countered with a four-bet to 52,400 and Eychenne just called.

The flop came 9♠8♥4♣ and Eychenne checked to Polk who slid out a bet and Eychenne promptly mucked his cards.

Player	Chips	Progress
Doug Polk	406,000 106,000	106,000

Thomas Eychenne	194,000 -106,000	-106,000

Tags: Thomas Eychenne Doug Polk

Level: 15

Blinds: 800/1,600

Ante: 0

06-02-2023 17:21 UTC-7

Szabo Gives Up on the River

David Salituro

Level 14 : Blinds 600/1,200, 0 ante

There was already 60,000 in the pot as Gabor Szabo and Conor Beresford saw a flop of Q♥A♥8♣. Beresford bet 17,500 and Szabo called.

Both players checked the 2♦ turn before Szabo led out for 6,000 on the 3♠ river.

Beresford now came back with a raise to 37,000 and Szabo used a time bank before mucking.

Player	Chips	Progress
Conor Beresford	345,000 45,000	45,000
Gabor Szabo	255,000 -45,000	-45,000

Tags: Conor Beresford Gabor Szabo

06-02-2023 17:21 UTC-7

Perez's Rivered Jack Does the Job

Ollie Garland

Level 14 : Blinds 600/1,200, 0 ante

Daniel Negreanu and opponent Roberto Perez were both facing a board of K♦4♣9♣. Perez checked to Negreanu who bet 2,000. Perez quickly raised to 7,000 and both players went to the turn.

The A♠ slowed down proceedings as Perez checked and Negreanu checked behind.

The J♥ had a repeat of the action and Perez tabled Q♥J♣ making a pair on the river to take down this hand. Negreanu mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Roberto Perez	332,000 32,000	32,000
Daniel Negreanu	268,000 -32,000	-32,000

Tags: Daniel Negreanu Roberto Perez

06-02-2023 17:18 UTC-7

Hellmuth Resting

Matt O'Halloran

Level 14 : Blinds 600/1,200, 0 ante

The @WSOP brings interesting decisions for me. I am one of the FAVS in todays $25,000 “Heads Up” tourney, but I ski… https://t.co/BmUhkpmP23
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth)

06-02-2023 17:12 UTC-7

Wasserson and Mateos Play a Big One

Adam Lamers

Level 14 : Blinds 600/1,200, 0 ante

Eric Wasserson raised to 3,000 on the button and Adrian Mateos reraised to 14,000 out of the big blind. Wasserson called and the flop came 10♥7♥7♦. Mateos continued with a bet of 14,000 and Wasserson looked back at his cards before calling.

The turn brought the 3♣ and Mateos sized up a bet of 40,000. Wasserson still called and the 4♣ landed on the river. Mateos announced a bet of 110,000 this time and Wasserson jammed all in which prompted a fold from Mateos.

Player	Chips	Progress
Eric Wasserson	469,000 169,000	169,000
Adrian Mateos	131,000 -169,000	-169,000

Tags: Eric Wasserson Adrian Mateos