Michael Addamo and Levan Karamanishvili had built a pot of around 30,000 as they went heads-up to the turn on a board of 5♥4♣6♥9♠. Addamo then bet 7,000 from the cutoff.
Karamanishvili came back with a raise to 20,000 under the gun, and Addamo called. The river was the 3♠ and Karamaishvili checked over to Addamo, who moved all in for 39,400. Karamanishvili quickly folded.
Addamo shares a table with Czech high roller Roman Hrabec.
With around 18,000 in the middle to the J♠7♠7♦ flop, Luis Vazquez checked from under the gun and John Pointer bet 6,200 on the button. Vazquez called and checked again the 6♣ turn to then call a bet of 25,000 by Pointer.
That led them to the Q♦ river on which Vazquez bet 52,000. Pointer tanked while checking his stack behind of around 69,000. When he made the move and jammed, a frustrated Vazquez snap-folded and gasped, "Can't you do that faster?"
With around 25,000 already in the middle on a 10♥3♣5♣J♥ board, Andrius Chmieliauskas fired out 15,000 and Asako Kitamura raised to 40,000. Chmieliauskas then counted out his stack and moved all in for about 50,000, which Kitamura quickly called.
Andrius Chmieliauskas: 3♥3♦
Asako Kitamura: J♠J♦
Chmieliauskas had flopped a set, but only had one out as Kitamura had turned a bigger set. The Main Event is full of twists and turns, but unfortunately for Chmieliauskas, not on this occasion as he couldn't find his one-outer on the 8♥ river, ending his run.
Around 35,000 was already in the pot as Mattia Festa, Christian Williams, and Jimmy Williams went to the turn on a board of 8♣A♣J♠2♠. Festa then bet 25,200 from under the gun and Christian called in middle position.
Jimmy then moved all in for 31,500 in the big blind and Festa reshoved for 83,400. Christian let out several deep sighs and tanked for a few minutes. "I'm going to hate myself," he eventually said as he folded.
Jimmy showed A♥K♦ for top pair, but Festa had 8♥8♠ for a set. The river was the K♣ and Festa took the pot to send Jimmy to the rail.
"Dammit," Christian said after the hand.
"You were winning on the river?" Festa asked him.
"I had a jack with two clubs," Christian replied, revealing his would've made a flush if he called.
Action was picked up on the river in a sizable pot between Marc Spitaleri in early position and Edward Crooks in the hijack.
The board read A♠3♠A♣J♠6♣ and Spitaleri checked over to Crooks who bet 45,000. Spitaleri went into the tank and eyed up Crooks, before electing to toss in the 45,000.
Crooks tabled 10♣10♠ for aces and tens, but Spitaleri beat that hand holding A♦4♦ for three aces.
"It's hard to fold three aces," said Spitaleri as he raked in the pot, "I don't even like to fold my laundry."
Takahiro Murai opened to 1,600 from early position and was called by two players, including Jimmy Dudley on the button. Phil Hellmuth reraised to 8,000 in the small blind and Murai shoved all in for 66,100. The action folded back to Hellmuth who went into the tank for over three minutes before the clock was called.
"Who called the clock?" Hellmuth questioned right away. Collin Ball put up his hand, only to have Hellmuth question how long he had been thinking for. The Poker Brat eventually made the call and the cards were face up.
Takahiro Murai: A♣K♣
Phil Hellmuth: Q♠Q♥
The board ran out 10♥9♥2♦J♥J♣ and Dudley exclaimed that he folded pocket jacks which would have made quads. However, Hellmuth was the winner of the pot and he took a quick video with Murai before he sent him on his way.
Steven Mangum raised from the cutoff before Kevin Rabichow three-bet to 5,600 on the button. Oscar Kathrud then moved all in for 24,700 in the small blind.
Mangum put in the 5,600 to call Rabichow's bet, not noticing that Kathrud had shoved. The floor had to be called over, and it was ruled that he could choose to leave the 5,600 in the pot and fold, or call Kathrud's all-in. He eventually folded, while Rabichow took a minute before calling.
Oscar Kathrud: 10♥10♠
Kevin Rabichow: J♣J♠
Rabichow had Kathrud dominated with his jacks, and the 8♦5♠5♣Q♣9♣ board provided no help to Kathrud as he was sent to the rail. Mangum then admitted he folded ace-queen.
"I probably would've folded if you called," Rabichow told him.
The words that have defined the 2025 World Series of Poker aren’t “Shuffle Up and Deal,” call, raise, or fold. It’s the phrase “Not Like That!”
When those words are heard ringing throughout the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas, it can only mean one thing: Martin Kabrhel is there, and he’s in fine form. The Czech high roller already has one bracelet this summer, in the Mini Main Event, and has his sights set on another deep run when he and thousands of others combine for Day 2abc of EVENT #81: $10,000 WSOP MAIN EVENT No-Limit Hold’em World Championship at noon local time.
Kabhrel begins the day with an above-average stack of 168,700 after an opening flight in which he was up to his usual tricks. It was a good start, but he’s still far behind the chip leader, two-time bracelet winner Andriy Lyubovetskiy (392,400). Victor Vo (352,000), Justin Yaker (348,000), Bin Weng (336,000), and Marc Spitaleri (309,500) round out the top five at the start.
Day 2abc Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Andriy Lyubovetskiy
Ukraine
392,400
491
2
Victor Vo
United States
352,000
440
3
Justin Yaker
United States
348,000
435
4
Bin Weng
United States
336,000
420
5
Marc Spitaleri
United States
309,500
387
6
Eric Bunch
United States
309,300
387
7
Michael Mizrachi
United States
297,000
371
8
Jeremy Dan
United States
282,000
353
9
Dakota Baggett
United States
270,400
338
10
Raoul Kanme
Netherlands
270,000
338
Day 1 is about the atmosphere, of homegame heroes achieving a lifetime dream and enjoying the moment while the seasoned pros try to navigate the minefields. Beginning on Day 2, it starts to dawn on players just how much of a grind and marathon the Main Event is. More than 2,500 begin the day, but thousands of others have already fallen, victims of the pitfalls that await on any given hand.
Among those who survived their opening flight and return today include Michael Mizrachi (297,000), inaugural WSOP Paradise champion Stanislav Zegal (256,400), Calvin Anderson (230,200), last year’s sixth-place finisher Andres Gonzalez (219,500), 2019 finalist Nick Marchington (217,300), and 2017 finalist Alex Lynskey (216,600). Further down the leaderboard are WSOP Europe champion Max Neugebauer (193,300), James Obst (178,300), Roman Hrabec (162,500), Yuri Dzivielevski (161,300), Michael Addamo (92,600), and last year’s fifth-place finisher Boris Angelov (82,500).
Michael Mizrachi begins with a top-ten stack
Phil Hellmuth, after making his usual flamboyant entrance a few days ago after months of claiming he wasn’t going to play the Main Event for the first time in nearly 40 years, has 85,000, but that is eclipsed by his son Phillip Hellmuth III (87,200), who is making his Main Event debut. Mike Matusow (158,200), Daniel Negreanu (122,500), and Johnny Chan (57,800) also headline the field today.
The four starting flights built up a field of 8,694. A total of 2,680 advanced from the first three days. Late registration remains open for the first two levels of today’s Day 2abc and tomorrow’s Day 2d, so there is a chance the field passes the 10,000-mark for a third straight year. The action picks up on Level 6 with blinds of 400/800 and an 800 big blind ante. Levels remain 120 minutes, with a 75-minute dinner break after Level 8.
The diamond-encrusted bracelet, the one thing every player dreams of having around their wrist, was unveiled yesterday. It is a tangible sign of just what is at stake in the biggest poker tournament in the world. The road to poker immortality continues today, and PokerNews will be following all the action and providing live updates.
