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Event #7: $25,000 Heads Up Championship
Day 2 Completed
2025 World Series of Poker
Event #7: $25,000 Heads Up Championship
Day: 2
Event Info
2025 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
$25,000
Prize Pool
$1,504,000
Total Entries
64
Level
66
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
0
Entries
16
Players Left
4
Players Left 1 / 64
Filter
Level 45
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 0 ante
The curtains have drawn on Day 2 of Event #7: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship. Action took place in the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas, where 16 players returned having navigated their way through rounds one and two the previous day.
Play resumed a little before 1 p.m. local time, and plenty of onlookers had gathered at the rail to watch some of the game's elite battle it out. Players were scheduled to play two matches, knowing that a win in round three would secure a minimum cash of $86,000. However, they each had one eye on a bigger slice of the $1,532,800 prize pool.
As play concluded for the day, four players survived, each only two more victories away from a $500,000 payday and a coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
Semifinal Matches
| Player 1 | Player 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Artur Martirosian | vs. | Patrick Leonard |
| David Chen | vs. | Aliaksei Boika |
Full Bracket
Day 2 Action
Four-time WSOP bracelet winner, Chance Kornuth, was the first to progress to the quarter-finals, beating Killian Desnos. Desnos entertained on Day 1 and continued similarly today. Blind raises and a devil-may-care playing style stumped opponents in the previous rounds, but Kornuth didn’t take long to figure it out and dispatched Desnos in timely fashion.
There was also a blockbuster match-up between heads-up specialist Kevin Rabichow and two-time bracelet winner Artur Martirosian. Martirosian, who made it to the final four of this very event at the 2024 WSOP, got himself one step closer to the title after winning a crucial pot and shortly after eliminating Rabichow.
Another eye-catching collision saw Patrick Leonard take on Martin Zamani. Leonard put a big dent in Zamani’s stack early on and ended the match soon after to progress.
David Chen held a significant chip lead versus Richard Green, but Green dug in to turn the contest on its head. Chen found himself with less than five big blinds at one point, but two important double-ups saw him fight his way back into it. After a bit more back and forth, Chen managed to punch his ticket to the next round.
Poker powerhouse Alex Foxen lost to Frenchman Thomas Eychenne. Eychenne got out to an early lead and Foxen never found a way back.
The quarter-final lineup was completed by Mike Shi, Harvey Castro and Aliaksei Boika.
Round 3 Results
| Winner | Defeated |
|---|---|
| Patrick Leonard | Martin Zamani |
| David Chen | Richard Green |
| Artur Martirosian | Kevin Rabichow |
| Chance Kornuth | Killian Desnos |
| Mike Shi | Matthew Wantman |
| Harvey Castro | Joao Vieira |
| Aliaksei Boika | Brandon Brown |
| Thomas Eychenne | Alex Foxen |
Quarterfinal Round
Leonard was the first to progress to the semi-final. Taking on Shi, Leonard caught an early bluff to take control of the tie. He continued to pressure his opponent, and it wasn’t long before he had complete control of the match before sealing the deal.
Next to emerge victorious was Boika in a topsy-turvy match versus Castro.Flopped quads drew the players back level before they exchanged double-ups. Boika then gained some momentum, and when Castro committed to a river bluff, Boika made the call and ended the match.
Kornuth got the better of the early exchanges in his heavyweight match-up versus Martirosian and looked to have complete control with a near 9 to 1 chip lead. Martirosian staged a remarkable comeback, though. Eventually winning the crucial all-in to progress to the semi-final.
The fourth and final match to finish up this evening was the showdown between Eychenne and Chen. Early aggression gave Chen momentum, and he never looked back. In the end, though, it was a cooler that decided the winner. Top pair versus a set.
Quarterfinal Results
| Winner | Defeated |
|---|---|
| Artur Martirosian | Chance Kornuth |
| Patrick Leonard | Mike Shi |
| David Chen | Thomas Eychenne |
| Aliaksei Boika | Harvey Castro |
Action will resume for Day 3 Sunday at 12:15 p.m. local time in the Horseshoe Event Center. Play will also be streamed on the PokerGO YouTube channel.
Martirosian is seeking his third World Series of Poker bracelet, while Leonard is chasing his second. Chen and Boika are looking to secure their first.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 |
| 2 | $300,000 |
| 3-4 | $180,000 |
Be sure to follow PokerNews throughout the remainder of the 2025 WSOP to stay up to date with all future event coverage.
Level 45
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 0 ante
Level 45
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 0 ante
Level 45
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 0 ante
Thomas Eychenne limped the button and David Chen checked his option.
The flop went check-check on J♠4♥2♣ and on the K♥, Chen checked again. Eychenne then bet 110k, and Chen called.
The 8♥ fell on the river and Chen checked. Eychenne moved all in for his last 350,000. Chen snap called and the cards were on their backs. Eychenne made top pair on the turn with K♠10♣, but was no good as Chen flopped a set with his J♥J♣.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,400,000
870,000
|
870,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 45
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 0
Level 44
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 0 ante
Chance Kornuth's run at his fifth bracelet is over as he was eliminated in his match against Artur Martirosian.
The hand began with a raise from Kornuth to 120,000 and a call from Martirosian.
Kornuth led out for 80,000 on the flop of 10♣A♠6♠ and Martirosian came along with a call.
Kornuth continued his aggression on the 9♠ turn, leading out for 200,000. Martirosian slid out a call to create a large pot heading into the river.
Kornuth committed the rest of his stack on the 5♦ river and was snap called by Martirosian.
Chance Kornuth: A♥9♣
Artur Martirosian: K♠10♠
Artur Martirosian's turned flush sunk Kornuth's turned two pair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,400,000
630,000
|
630,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 44
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 0 ante
Chance Kornuth raised to 65,000 on the button and Artur Martirosian called from the big blind. The flop came K♦Q♦2♦ and both players checked to the 4♥ on the turn.
Martirosian led out with an overbet of 180,000 and Kornuth called to see the 3♥ on the river. Martirosian announced another large bet of 400,000 and Kornuth wasted little time to call. Martirosian flipped over 6♣5♦ for a rivered straight and Kornuth was unable to beat it.
"I would've called a shove," Kornuth pointed out.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,770,000
630,000
|
630,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
630,000
630,000
|
630,000 |
|
|
||
Level 44
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 0 ante
Chance Kornuth and Artur Martirosian are entangled in a tough battle as they spar back and forth in their heads-up match.
Martirosian fell behind in the match but has clawed back to close to even.
Kornuth raised to 65,000 in their most recent hand, which was called by Martirosian.
The flop of 10♥8♠8♦ led to a check from Martirosian before Kornuth fired out 35,000. Martirosian responded with a raise to 140,000, ending the hand as Kornuth's cards hit the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,260,000
215,000
|
215,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,140,000
215,000
|
215,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 44
Blinds: 15,000/30,000
Ante: 0
