Alan Keating a No Show; Nikolai Mamut and Brandon Wilson Advance in $25,000 Heads-Up Championship

The lineup for the Round of 16 is complete in Event #7: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship, as the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas played host to Day 1b today, seeing the sold-out bracket of 64 players reduced to just 8 by day’s end.   

The 2026 edition of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the first to feature a second starting flight for this event, giving those who did not advance on Day 1a a second bite at the cherry. With both starting flights selling out, the prize pool rose to $3,008,000, to be shared among the top 16 finishers, with the winner set to receive $750,000 and a coveted WSOP gold bracelet.

The day began with an unexpected walkover. Alan Keating was drawn to face Piotr Krupa, but when play got underway, the high-stakes cash game regular was nowhere to be seen. With his stack being blinded away, it was Keating himself who contacted tournament officials to inform them that he would forfeit the match, awarding Krupa a bye into Round 2.

Krupa's run ended there, however, as he fell to Nikita Kuznetcov, who had earlier defeated Adrian Mateos and became the first player to advance from the day after subsequently defeating Thomas Eychenne.

One player who made the most of a second chance was Nikolai Mamut, who found redemption by stringing together three consecutive victories to advance to the Round of 16. After defeating Klemens Roiter in the opening round, he faced the daunting task of taking on Doug Polk in Round 2.

The match appeared to be slipping away from Mamut, who had Polk all-in and at risk twice early on, but Polk first cracked pocket aces before going on to crack pocket tens to survive both times. Those pots left Mamut staring at a 10-to-1 chip deficit, but he battled back and, after winning several all-ins of his own, eliminated Polk. He then defeated Shota Nakanishi, who had earlier dispatched Phil Ivey, to advance.

In the quarter of the draw featuring reigning champion Artur Martirosian, it was Julien Sitbon who emerged on top. Although he avoided Martirosian, who had fallen in the opening round, Sitbon still faced a tough path to Day 2.

The Frenchman first defeated Mike Shi before overcoming Martin Kabrhel in Round 2. He then beat Martin Zamani to secure his place in the next stage.

Brandon Wilson was the final player to book his spot on Day 2. After defeating Michael Steele in his first match, he then saw off Harvey Castro, before finishing the day with a victory over Thomas Muehloecker.   

Completing the lineup for Day 2, Biao Ding, Thomas Boivin, Ryuta Nakai, and Florian Pesce each successfully navigated three matches to secure their place in the next round.

Day 1b Bracket

Joining the survivors from yesterday's flight, the eight players who advanced today will return on Sunday, May 31, at noon local time to contest two more rounds. Each has already secured a minimum payday of $60,000, but all of whom will be aware that just four more match victories stand between them and the $750,000 top prize and a coveted WSOP gold bracelet.

The day will begin with a fresh draw before the Round of 16 begins. Once those two rounds are complete, the four remaining players will return the following day for the semifinals and final, where a champion will be crowned.