WSOP Day 5: Alan Keating No-Show at Heads-Up, Schulman and Seiver Battle for Eighth Bracelet

Bizarre End for Alan Keating in $25K Heads-Up Championship

One of the most talked-about moments of the fifth day was the unexpected (non)performance of cash game specialist Alan Keating in the prestigious Event #7: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship.

Keating, who rarely participates in tournaments, paid the $25,000 buy-in but did not show up for his opening match against Piotr Krupa. His stack gradually blinded out, while Krupa advanced to the second round without playing a single hand.

Keating later explained to the media that he was too exhausted after a marathon session at a Texas club, The Lodge, where he won over a million dollars, and he chose rest and an evening concert by No Doubt at the Las Vegas Sphere over poker.

Stars like Phil Ivey, Shaun Deeb, Martin Kabrhel, and defending champion Artur Martirosyan also bowed out prematurely during flight 1b.

After two flights, the field of 128 entries narrowed to an elite final sixteen, who will compete for the golden bracelet. These players advanced to Day 2:

Advancing from flight 1a:

• Daniel Negreanu

• Michael Mizrachi

• Alex Foxen

• Cary Katz

• Justin Saliba

• Dimitar Danchev

• Henri Puustinen

• Barak Wisbrod

Advancing from flight 1b:

• Brandon Wilson

• Biao Ding

• Ryuta Nakai

• Nikolai Mamut

• Thomas Boivin

• Florian Pesce

• Nikita Kuznetsov

• Julien Sitbon

Seiver and Schulman Chase Eighth Bracelet in Badugi

The second day of Event #8: $1,500 Badugi offered a thrilling dose of action, culminating in the formation of the final ten. The tournament, which attracted 554 entries and created a prize pool of $735,435, reached its final phase. Leading the pack before the final day is American Michael Casella with a massive stack of 4,065,000 chips, nearly double that of his closest competitor.

However, the biggest attention goes to the names trailing behind. In second in the standings is seven-time bracelet winner Scott Seiver, while Nick Schulman lurks from fourth place. Both elite pros have a great chance to secure their eighth gold bracelet. The battle for the title and the top prize of $141,963 promises exciting drama, with other notable names like Gary Benson and Yuri Dzivielevski still in the mix.

The second round was unforgiving to several legends. Right before the finals, 2003 Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker was eliminated in 12th place after an unlucky river, earning $7,095. Other stars also achieved paid placements, including Max Neugebauer (19th place), Benny Glaser (25th place), and Ryan Riess (27th place).

Current standings Event #8: $1,500 Badugi after Day 2

Gorilla Faces Off Against Chinese Patience

In Event #5: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, we witnessed one of the biggest comebacks of the series, shattering Jesse Lonis's hopes for his third bracelet.

Lonis entered the final day as an absolute leader, while his eventual conqueror Yang Wang started as the second smallest stack. Lonis, who boldly declared it the "time of the gorilla" on social media before the final, ultimately fell victim to Wang's disciplined gameplay.

Chinese player Yang Wang admitted that extreme patience was key. The turning point came when Wang successfully bluffed Lonis and then asked if he wanted to see the cards. Lonis agreed, but seeing the bluff visibly unsettled him, which Wang capitalized on.

The end of the tournament was particularly cruel for Lonis. On the final hand, players went all-in pre-flop. Lonis, holding A s K s Q d 9 s, was ahead with top pair and a nut flush draw after the flop, 8 s A h 5 s. But the turn, T d, gave Wang, holding Q c T c 9 d 5 d, two pair, and the river, T s, secured a full house for Wang, despite Lonis's flush.

Yang Wang thus secured his first bracelet, surpassing the $6 million mark in lifetime earnings.

Final Table Results WSOP Event #5: $5,000 PLO

Brian Yoon's Fall in Heads-Up

A similarly dramatic story unfolded in Event #6: $1,500 Seven Card Stud, where British player James Cheung marched to the title. It was a special moment for Cheung, made even more significant by the fact that three years ago, during his first visit to WSOP, his opponent was none other than five-time bracelet winner Brian Yoon.

Fate brought them together again in the heads-up of the tournament. James Cheung, who primarily plays cash games, confirmed that winning a bracelet is an absolute career highlight, and he's immensely relieved to have achieved it.

He sealed his victory in a dramatic heads-up showdown, calling Yoon's all-in with a set of kings, knowing it was over for Yoon. When the victory became official, Cheung's celebratory shout echoed throughout the Paris Ballroom, reportedly heard across the entire casino. 

Final Table Results Event #6: $1,500 Seven Card Stud

Mini Mystery Millions Surpasses 20,000 Entries

The opening Event #1: $550 Mini Mystery Millions firmly established itself as one of the festival's top attractions. After all six opening flights, the total number of entries reached an astounding 20,488, making it the seventh largest live poker tournament in history.

Thanks to the reduced buy-in from the original $1,000 to $550, participation soared past last year's numbers, generating a total prize pool of approximately $5.26 million, with an additional $4.1 million in Mystery bounties.

The strongest day was flight 1e with 6,805 entries, from which Argentina’s Martin Pineiro emerged with the largest stack, 4,205,000 chips, heading into Day 2 as the chipleader. 

Nearly 800 players advanced to the second day, all guaranteed a financial prize, but their main focus will be on opening envelopes. Among the bounty prizes lies the main Mystery bounty of $1,000,000.

James Chen Leads Star-Studded Field

The prestigious Event #9: $10K Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship kicked off, attracting top-notch talent in this technical discipline. After the first day, the field of 162 players was reduced to 78, with late registration still open during the first level of the second day.

Currently leading is James Chen, excelling in this format, having finished second in the tournament in 2023 and holding his only WSOP bracelet from the $1.5K version in 2024.

Showing exceptional form is fresh triple champion Jason Daly, who packed the seventh-largest stack after triumphing in Event #4. Accompanying him into the second day are legends like Robert Mizrachi, Todd Brunson, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman, and Brian Rast. Meanwhile, early exits included stars such as Shaun Deeb, Viktor Blom, Chris Brewer, and Allen Kessler.

Sources: WSOP, X, PokerNews