Players in the field have been sent on their first 20-minute break of the day.
So far, Day 2abc has drawn over 200 new registrants, bringing the total number of entrants for the 2025 Main Event to 8,972 and counting.
Here are some highlights from the past level:
Action was joined with 16,000 in the middle, and three players had arrived at the river on a A♣7♣5♣8♦10♦ board.
The player first to act checked, as did Richard Bai in the hijack. Karim Salum then moved all in from the cutoff for 11,900.
He got over the first hurdle, with one player folding, but Bai was less trusting of the bet.
A curious Bai thought through the hand and decided to make the call.
It was probably good news as Salum stood up to leave at the same time as turning over his cards. Sure enough, he showed 7♦6♦, which could not beat Bai's A♥3♥.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
259,000
59,000
|
59,000 |
|
Busted |
A completed board of 4♣2♠2♥5♣5♥ was spread across the table with around 45,000 in the pot already. The action was on Martin Kabrhel in the cutoff who dropped in a rainbow bet, one of each color, making it 31,600.
Michael Zelman thought for a minute before splashing in a raise to 85,000. Kabrhel tried to engage in some table talk, even pointing out the large dog looming in the background of Zelman, but got no response at all. Kabrhel eventually called and Zelman turned over 5♦4♦ for a full house and Kabrhel sent his cards to the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
300,200
92,000
|
92,000 |
|
53,500
130,500
|
130,500 |
|
||
Lee Markholt raised to 2,200 in the hijack and Matias Ruzzi three-bet to 7,800 on the button. In the big blind, John Monnette pitched his cards and Markholt opted to move all in for 27,500. Ruzzi called.
Lee Markholt: A♣K♣ 
Matias Ruzzi: 9♥9♣
The board ran out 9♠J♠Q♠J♥3♦ and the nines full of jacks was good for Ruzzi while Markholt was eliminated from the tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
316,000
194,700
|
194,700 |
|
52,000
52,000
|
52,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Jessica Teusl raised to 2,200 from middle position and in the big blind, Blake Barousse called.
The flop rolled out Q♥6♥Q♣ and both players checked to the 8♣ turn where Barousse bet 3,500 and Teusl called.
Barousse checked the river 3♦ over to Teusl.
"I'll keep it cheap," said Teusl as she put together a bet of 3,500. "This is just to get even."
"We're even now?" asked Barousse, referencing a hand from earlier where he held aces against Teusl.
"If you make this call, yes," replied Teusl.
After some more thought, he tossed in the chips and mucked after Teusl showed A♥A♦ for aces and queens.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
131,000
19,500
|
19,500 |
|
77,100
21,100
|
21,100 |
|
||
Philip Sternheimer raised to 2,300 from the cutoff and was three-bet to 10,000 by Jessica Vierling in the big blind. Sternheimer called.
The flop came K♥6♦9♥ and Sternheimer called a 5,500 bet from Vierling.
The 4♣ fell on the turn and Vierling announced a bet of 10,000. Sternheimer weighed his options and then shoved, which was enough to put Vierling all in for her last 20,000.
Vierling laid her hand down and Sternheimer showed 7♦7♥ before collecting the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
105,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
|
|
||
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
Joshua Remitio just got moved into the Horseshoe Events Center and took his seat at Table 420. Once that current hand was finished, he was asked by Montgomery Cole to give some background information.
"Since you're the new guy at the table, can you tell us a little bit about your play style?" Cole asked.
"I'll bluff the flop and the turn, but never the river," Remitio replied. "I three-bet aces and seven-deuce, the rest I just flat-call."
Little does Cole know, that he could go back and see many of the hands Remitio played en route to his fourth-place finish in the 2021 WSOP Main Event where he cashed for $2.3 million. That was the start of Remitio's poker career which has now seen him claim three gold bracelets in the online streets in the past two years.
"Now your turn. You guys have to give me the lowdown," Remitio bargained, but didn't get much help.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
252,000
172,000
|
172,000 |
|
|
128,300
33,500
|
33,500 |
|
53,000
14,700
|
14,700 |
|
||
Heads-up on a flop of 2♠4♦8♣, Calvin Anderson bet 5,200 from the cutoff and Atanas Malinov called in the hijack.
Both players checked the 7♠ turn before Malinov bet 19,000 on the 9♣ river. Anderson shot out of his seat to take a good look at Malinov's remaining stack, taking off his sunglasses and headphones as he spent several minutes considering the decision. He eventually folded and Malinov took the pot.
At the same time at another table, Jason Mercier and Jon Towers arrived at the river on a board of 10♥9♠J♥5♠K♣ with around 25,000 in the pot when Mercier moved all in from the button.
Towers took a minute before calling for his last 35,000 in early position, and Mercier showed A♥Q♠ for the rivered straight. Towers tossed J♣10♣ into the muck as he made his way to the exit.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
320,000
167,000
|
167,000 |
|
||
|
|
220,000
8,500
|
8,500 |
|
180,000 | |
|
|
||
|
130,000
44,000
|
44,000 |
|
|
Busted | |
Lei Yu raised to 2,500 in first position and Vanessa Selbst called in early position.
The flop rolled out 9♥J♥9♦ and Yu bet 3,000 to see Selbst call.
On the turn 4♣, Yu bet 6,000 and Selbst elected to call a second time.
Both players checked the river 2♦ and Yu turned over 7♠7♦ for nines and sevens. It was no good against Selbst who turned over 8♥8♣ for nines and eights, leaving the WSOP bracelet winner to take down the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
196,000
58,800
|
58,800 |
|
|
||
|
37,000
23,800
|
23,800 |
|
|
||
Jacques Ortega raised in middle position to 2,500 and action folded to Marijan Rankic in the big blind. Rankic responded with a three-bet to 11,000, and in unusual circumstances, this is where the hand ended.
After Rankic had put the chips out for his three-bet, the dealer instinctively pulled in his cards, adding them to the pile of already mucked cards.
The pot was heads-up, but only one player had cards.
The floor was called, and they ruled that Ortega would win the pot, as the last player with an active hand. Rankic, though, would receive some leniency given the circumstances, and was only forced to pay the 2,500 initial raise.
There were no complaints at the table with regard to the ruling.
Rankic advised it was pocket queens that had been pulled into the muck. "Queens?" asked Ortega, "I had ace-king".
"Maybe it was good for me then", responded Rankic, with both players having avoided the inevitable coin flip.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
188,000
188,000
|
188,000 |
|
60,400
36,900
|
36,900 |
