2026 World Series of Poker
On the heads-up turn of 7♣5♦4♣8♥, Elior Sion and Gruffudd Pugh-Jones both invested 24,000, and the former then checked the 3♠ on the river. Pugh-Jones bet the pot for 91,000 to win the pot uncontested.
Soon after that, Arthur Morris opened to 21,000, and Barrett Threadgill called. Sion potted to 90,000 in the small blind and Morris repotted. Threadgill folded, and Sion reluctantly got his stack of around 350,000 into the middle.
Elior Sion: K♣K♦6♦6♣
Arthur Morris: A♠A♣9♦4♠
Morris was ahead with pocket aces, and then the J♣9♥7♦Q♥9♣ runout improved Morris to trip nines, and he scored the knockout.
Bryn Kenney and Biao Ding were playing for stacks with a massive pot preflop to the 10♥3♦2♣ flop, after which the remainder of Kenney's chips were committed as well.
Bryn Kenney: K♥7♦5♥4♦
Biao Ding: A♥A♣6♥5♣
The 7♥ turn and 3♣ river failed to improve Kenney enough to crack Ding's aces, and he was sent to the rail, for now.
Sean Perry made it 26,000 in the cutoff. Ka Kwan Lau three-bet the pot on the button, to which Perry responded by grabbing his phone to record as he moved all in for 179,000.
Lau quickly called, and the cards hit the felt.
Sean Perry: A♠A♦8♦7♦
Ka Kwan Lau: A♣K♣Q♦7♥
Lau flopped a flush draw on 7♣10♣10♥, but Perry filmed his aces holding on the 4♥3♦ runout to double up.
The action was joined as Esther Taylor had her stack of 19,000 in the middle preflop, and was at risk versus Aaron Mermelstein.
Esther Taylor: J♣10♠10♦3♥
Aaron Mermelstein: A♥Q♣5♣2♥
Mermelstein had a world of outs on the 2♠9♥7♥ flop, but the 6♣ turn and 7♣ river were unforthcoming, seeing Taylor double up.
Aaron Mermelstein limped in from the hijack, and Esther Taylor followed suit in the cutoff. Small blind Dylan Smith then raised to 26,000, which both opponents called.
Smith continued for 10,000 on the 6♣J♣A♣ flop. Mermelstein responded with a raise to 45,000, which folded out Taylor. Smith called, and check-called when Mermelstein sized up to 125,000 on the Q♠ turn.
The 2♣ river saw Smith check again. Mermelstein put his opponent all in for 203,000. Smith spent a long time in the tank, using several time extensions before letting go of his cards.
In a single-raised pot to the A♦Q♣7♦ flop, Chuan Hao Zhang and Geoffrey Mooney got their shorter stacks into the middle, both having entered today.
Chuan Hao Zhang: Q♥J♣10♣3♥
Geoffrey Mooney: A♣Q♦8♣3♠
Mooney's aces-up was crushing Zhang's pair of queens. The J♦ turn gave Zhang a lesser two pair and some more outs, but the 2♣ river blanked to see his run end, though, he can still reenter.
Aaron Katz raised to 21,000 in early position, and Lautaro Guerra called on the button. Konstantinos Bouloutsos then three-bet to 50,000 in the big blind. Katz responded by moving all in for 82,000, which saw Guerra fold, but Bouloutsos called.
Aaron Katz: A♠A♥J♦J♣
Konstantinos Bouloutsos: A♦K♣10♦3♥
Katz flopped a set on the K♥J♠4♣ flop, and stayed in the lead across the 5♦ and 10♣ runout, earning a double-up.
"Doubled up and still short," one of Katz's tablemates said.
"For now," Katz responded.