Event #29: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em
Day 3 Completed
2025 World Series of Poker
Event #29: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2025 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$2,500
Prize Pool
$3,321,925
Entries
1,493
Level
36
Blinds
300,000 / 600,000
Ante
600,000
Entries
17
Players Left
1
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
It was like a rollercoaster ride in Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas, with emotions going up and down watching the heads-up match between Mark Darner and David Mcgowan in Event #29: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em. Just when you thought the match was over, something would happen to keep the excitement going.
After a thrilling battle, it ultimately ended with Darner taking home the top prize of $496,826 and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet. The event attracted a total field of 1,493 entries, amassing a total prize pool of $3,321,925.
Darner was a dark horse heading into the final day with an average stack, and entered the final table third from the bottom. But his strongest supporter, his wife, who railed him throughout the heads-up match, said that they felt good about the tournament from Day 1. Although he denied it on record, his wife claimed that he dressed earlier in the day for the cameras.
Event #29: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Darner | United States | $496,826 |
| 2 | David Mcgowan | United States | $331,163 |
| 3 | Christopher Puetz | Germany | $238,204 |
| 4 | Dylan Linde | United States | $173,435 |
| 5 | Jon Vallinas | Spain | $127,841 |
| 6 | Yaroslav Ohulchanskyi | Ukraine | $95,415 |
| 7 | Alexander Greenblatt | United States | $72,119 |
| 8 | Dragos Trofimov | United Kingdom | $55,212 |
| 9 | Ian O'hara | United States | $42,819 |
Darner’s Road to Victory
Coming from the bottom, Darner’s strategy was to stay patient and wait for his spots. And those spots to build his stack rose when he eliminated Dragos Trofimov with pocket sevens in eighth place and Alexander Greenblatt with ace-three soon after in seventh. But what placed him second in chips was defeating Day 3 chip leader Jon Vallinas in a battle of the blinds, where he eliminated the Spaniard in fifth place.
Despite his rise up the leaderboard, the real change was the dinner break, where he requested a 75-minute break instead of the normal 60 minutes.
“The 75-minute dinner break was because I was sober. So we had to have four to five cocktails. And that’s when I knew I was going to win.”
Short-Handed Comeback
Mcgowen was the runaway chip leader, holding 60 percent of the total chips when there were three players left. Darner was able to catch up to Mcgowen by standing firm against Mcgowen’s aggression and pushing back at the right time.
Entering heads-up, their chip stacks were almost level, and it stayed that way for some time until Darner’s fortune started to turn. Short-stacked, he called Mcgowan’s all-in with nine-seven, thinking he’d be eliminated. But Darner turned a straight, and doubled up one hand after another until he took the chip lead.
“I was thinking I’m probably dead. But I also said to him, I’ve seen crazier stuff heads-up.”
The heads-up match, however, wasn’t as straightforward as that. The chip lead transferred between the two players multiple times until it ended with Darner’s kings holding up against Mcgowan’s ace-eight.
“There was a point heads-up that I kind of figured him out. I was getting better cards, too. It took me a minute, but the last 45 minutes went pretty smoothly.”
And with that, Darner and his wife intend to stay for the whole summer and hopefully win some more bracelets. But for tonight, there will definitely be more drinking to be done.
Stay with PokerNews for continuing coverage of the 2025 World Series of Poker from Las Vegas.
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
David Mcgowan moved all in for roughly 9,500,000 and Mark Darner called immediately.
David Mcgowan: A♦8♥ 
Mark Darner: K♣K♦
Darner was a favourite to win the bracelet, but that hasn't counted for much in this heads-up battle so far.
The flop 7♥7♣Q♥ was a safe start, and the turn 10♠ was also clean for Darner.
The river rolled off the 6♠, and Mcgowan had to settle for second.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
52,225,000
9,925,000
|
9,925,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
David Mcgowan moved all in from the button for his 9,700,000 stack and Mark Darner snapped.
David Mcgowan: A♦2♠
Mark Darner: A♣K♠
Darner had Mcgowan outchipped and outgunned.
The flop 9♠J♣J♠ kept Darner in the lead, and with the turn J♥, he had one hand on the bracelet.
However, the river brought the case jack, coming J♦, and gave both players four-of-a-kind with an ace kicker.
The dealer chopped the pot, and play continued.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
42,300,000
1,300,000
|
1,300,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
9,700,000
1,200,000
|
1,200,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Mark Darner open-shoved all-in on the button and David Mcgowan, with only around 5,000,000 behind, snap-called taking them to showdown.
David Mcgowan: K♥K♣
Mark Darner: Q♥10♥
The room was so quiet you could here a pin drop when the flop dropped 10♦A♥X♥. Mcgowan's kings held. Darner, however, had caught a pair and a flush draw.
The turn 5♥ completed Darner's flush prompting Mcgowan to tap the table and get up from his seat when the river 7♥ fell on the river, giving him the higher flush.
There was an audible "Aw.." in the room as Mcgowan sat back down with a huge smile on his face. The next dealer had to say, "Isn't this fun?" encouraging the crowd to cheer.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
41,000,000
2,000,000
|
2,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
10,900,000
2,100,000
|
2,100,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Mark Darner limped the button, and David Mcgowan raised from the big blind to 3,000,000, which Darner called.
The duo saw a flop of 10♠4♣Q♥. Mcgowan continued for 4,000,000, and Darner called.
Both players checked the 2♥ turn and Mcgowan checked again on the 3♦ river. This gave Darner the green light to take over the betting lead, doing so for 6,500,000.
The bet was for half of McGowan's remaining stack, and after giving it some thought, he elected to fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
39,000,000
11,000,000
|
11,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
13,000,000
11,000,000
|
11,000,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Mark Darner raised to 1,200,000 on the button and got called by David Mcgowan taking them to the flop.
Flop came J♦6♥2♣. After a check, Darner continued with another 1,200,000. Mcgowan called again.
Mcgowan checked the 9♦ turn. This time, Darner cranked up the heat and bet 4,500,000. Mcgowan wasted no time in announcing all in and Darner snap-called.
David Mcgowan: J♣9♠
Mark Darner: A♥A♠
Mcgowan was looking at a potential double up. The 3♣ river was dealt putting Mcgowan back in the game.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
28,000,000
11,500,000
|
11,500,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
24,000,000
11,500,000
|
11,500,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Mark Darner limped the button from a stack of 19,200,000. David Mcgowan then moved all in from the big blind and Darner snapped.
Mark Darner: 8♦8♠
David Mcgowan: 6♥6♦
Darner, who was at a near 25/1 chip deficit not too long ago, was at risk but in good shape to double up.
The board of 7♣5♦7♠Q♥3♣ was no help to Mcgowan, and Darner took the pot as well as the chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
39,500,000
17,000,000
|
17,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
12,500,000
17,000,000
|
17,000,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
With the chip stacks very close, blinds and min-raises are going back and forth between David Mcgowan and Mark Darner.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
29,500,000
4,500,000
|
4,500,000 |
|
|
22,500,000
4,500,000
|
4,500,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 36
Blinds: 300,000/600,000
Ante: 600,000
