We’ve been waiting for Martin Kabrhel and Daniel Negreanu to collide at this year’s WSOP, and it finally happened on Day 2 of the $100K High Roller. The two players quickly attracted a scrum of media around them, but, unfortunately, the fun didn't last long.
At least Kabrhel’s bustout hand came at the hands of Negreanu. Kabrhel shoved the button with 
and Negreanu reshoved for a little more with 
.
The ten-high flop was Kabrhel’s and he started talking. “Maybe you can hit an ace,” he said. He timed the “and maybe not” for the river card being flipped, but an ace hit, and Negreanu dropped a huge “Haha!” for his vlog and promised to send Kabrhel a book on all the mistakes he made.
That all happened before late registration closed and Kabrhel bought straight back in, along with a load of other big names.
The late influx saw the numbers tick up to 103 when late reg closed, nine down on last year when Chris ‘Big Huni’ Hunichen won his first bracelet and $2.8 million. He was looking for a defense of the title that led to him getting his winning hand — 
— tattooed on his left arm.
Big Huni busted his first bullet early on Day 2 despite starting with a stack of over 1 million but was one of the players looking for a last-minute spin-up with a 15 big blind stack.
Day 2 max late-reggers
- Martin Kabrhel
- Kristen Foxen
- Bryn Kenney
- Andrew Lichtenberger
- Nick Petrangelo
- Chris Hunichen
- Jesse Lonis
- Brian Rast
- Chance Kornuth
- Phil Ivey
- Biao Ding
Let’s just spend a minute thinking about how enjoyable it must be to be able to drop $100K for a 15 big blind stack.
Andrew Lichtenberger was coming in fresh off a runner-up finish in the $50K High Roller for a $1.3 million score. His nickname is 'LuckyChewy', and he found kings almost immediately after late-regging and got a full double up into the bargain.
Others didn’t fare so well. Poker’s number one all-time money winner, Bryn Kenney, hit the rail, along with Alan Keating.
Lichtenberger was on a heater, though, and quickly built a pile of chips almost 3x his 600K starting stack when he busted Danny Tang.
Kabrhel busted his second bullet, and Kristen Foxen was taken out by Ike Haxton before Negreanu hit the rail, making two pair against a set of nines belonging to David Chen. He left the room putting his thoughts about that hand down for his latest vlog.
Phil Ivey makes first deep run of the summer
Meanwhile, another late-regger was quietly moving up the leaderboard. Phil Ivey hasn’t had a great WSOP so far and was yet to cash, but if there’s a good event in which to break your duck, it’s the most expensive buy-in of the series so far. And, by the dinner break, with the field down to 18 players and 16 getting paid, Ivey was sitting third in chips.
He got a load when he eliminated Stephen Chidwick in a huge flip and got even more when he flopped a set to bust Jesse Lonis and his overpair. When you’re hot, you’re hot.
Play slowed down around the bubble, but after Matthew Frankland’s elimination saw the field down to 17, it was a moment of genius from Haxton that saw Taylor von Kriegenbergh bubble the event.
He called a raise from Haxton in the big blind with 
. Haxton had 
and decided to check back the 
flop. The 
turn was the card von Kriegenbergh thought he wanted but really didn’t, and he called a shove from Haxton to see the bad news.
Ivey was still third in chips and had just recorded his first cash of the series. All players were now guaranteed $203,960 with $2,649,158 up at the top with the bracelet.
We’re also guaranteed a new champion. Big Huni managed to get through the bubble, but his luck ran out in 15th when he shoved his last 860K with 
. Ben Heath tank-called on the button with 
and held through the 
board.
Ivey is human after all
There was even time for a rare misstep from Ivey.
Joao Vieira raised with 
and Ivey called from the big blind with 
.
Ivey called a 130K bet on the 
flop and hit gin on the turn. This time it was Vieira’s turn to call a bet of 300K.
Ivey checked the 
river, and that put Vieira into the tank. Eventually he shoved his final 1.2M into the 1.4M pot. Ivey thought for a few seconds and folded.
Aram Oganyan took a big chip lead when he found aces as Landon Tice picked up AK, and Adrian Mateos found himself on the rail when he shoved over a Heath cut-off open from the big blind with 
. Heath called with 
and survived an open-ended sweat on the 
runout to knock out the Spanish pro.
The elimination of David Peters took us to a single table where we lost Ivey in a cooler.
Vieira raised with from the cut-off, and Ivey jammed from the small blind. Unfortunately for him, Haxton woke up with 
in the big blind and had Ivey covered.
The 
board was clean for Haxton and Ivey secured his first cash of the 2025 WSOP, worth $247,130.
Aces vs. kings late on Day 2
Then came the monster clash.
Haxton raised with and Lichtenberger three-bet on the button to 1.075M with 
.
Vieira found in the big blind, and he four-bet to 2.4M. Haxton five-bet to 6.9M and that put the action back on LuckyChewy, who folded quickly. Vieira's aces likely saved his tournament life there.
Vieira quickly made the call, and the dealer fanned out the cards for a 15,175,000 pot. Haxton had Vieira covered by 1.1M.
Board: 
.
That put Vieira up to second, and Haxton was left with just 5.5 big blinds.
Haxton survived to the end of the day — and actually thrived, winning a few pots without showdown and finishing fifth of the eight players who will come back tomorrow to play for the bracelet.
$100K NLH High Roller Day 2 results
- Aram Oganyan: 21,425,000
- Joao Vieira: 13,200,000
- Vinny Lingham: 6,125,000
- Thomas Boivin: 5,575,000
- Isaac Haxton: 5,050,000
- Ben Heath: 3,700,000
- Andrew Lichtenberger: 3,675,000
- Emilien Pitavy: 3,050,000
- Phil Ivey: Eliminated – $247,130
