The Muck · WSOP Daily Brief
Day 18 Edition
Day 17 produced zero bracelets and a historic amount of personal suffering for Artur Martirosian, who had his pocket aces cracked twice in a row - first by Christopher Nguyen (K-Q two-paired the board), then by Teun Mulder (J-10 rivered a straight) - to bubble the $100,000 High Roller in 19th place, three days after winning the $25K Six-Handed for $1.28 million. Martirosian reportedly said 'not twice' on the WSOP livestream before the second hand. He then picked up his bag and left. Nguyen now leads 9 finalists into the $100K final table today with $2,841,432 on the line. Separately, Phil Hellmuth posted a three-minute rant video about his PLO8 Championship elimination, Phil Ivey remains cashless after 17 days, and Jean-Robert Bellande leads the $3K NLH into its final three players.
Story 01 of 6
Artur Martirosian, who won the $25,000 Six-Handed NLH bracelet just three days ago, bubbled the $100,000 High Roller in 19th place after having pocket aces cracked in back-to-back hands on Day 2. In Hand 1, Christopher Nguyen four-bet jammed king-queen for 3,480,000 into Martirosian's big blind three-bet. Martirosian snap-called with A-A. The flop (5-2-7) gave Nguyen a flush draw, the K on the turn gave him top pair, and the Q on the river completed his two pair to crack the aces. In Hand 2, reduced to 495,000 chips, Martirosian shoved A-A again. Teun Mulder called with jack-ten of spades. Martirosian was reportedly heard saying 'not twice' on the WSOP livestream. The board ran out 8-Q-6-6-9, giving Mulder a straight to eliminate Martirosian on the bubble. Martirosian exited without speaking, missing a $201,754 min-cash. The bubble pop left 18 players in the money.
Why it mattersMartirosian entered the $100K attempting a back-to-back High Roller double - three days after taking down the $25K Six-Handed. He was one of the strongest players in a 115-entry field with over $191 million in collective final-table earnings. Having aces cracked twice in consecutive hands to miss the money by one spot is the kind of sequence that gets cited in poker suffering conversations for years. The 'not twice' moment on livestream, before the second hand, adds a layer of narrative horror.
Story 02 of 6
Event #36: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em reached its final table of nine overnight, with Christopher Nguyen (Austria) leading at 17,200,000 chips (72 big blinds). Nguyen went on a late run that began when he cracked Martirosian's aces with K-Q and ended when he bluffed off Alex Foxen to secure the chip lead. Yuri Dzivielevski (Brazil, five-time WSOP bracelet winner) enters second with 11,800,000. Alexandros Theologis (Greece) is third with 9,955,000 in his first WSOP major final table appearance. Teun Mulder (Netherlands) is fourth with 8,845,000. Martin Kabrhel (Czechia, chasing bracelet #6) is seventh with 5,215,000. Sam Soverel (US) is eighth with 3,420,000. Alex Foxen (US, $57.3M career earnings) enters as the shortest stack at nine big blinds. Total prize pool: $11,040,000. Top prize: $2,841,432. The nine finalists have accumulated over $191 million in live tournament earnings combined. During Day 2 play, Kabrhel and Soverel had an on-stream dispute about RFID card scanning - Kabrhel complained that Soverel had not scanned his cards, Soverel ignored the request, PokerGO founder Cary Katz tried to deescalate, and Soverel eventually scanned after the hand. The event is currently in play today, with 5 players remaining and Teun Mulder reported as the new chip leader. Ren Lin - who led Day 1 with 3,175,000 chips - is confirmed not in the final nine. He cashed somewhere in the 10th-18th range.
Why it mattersThe $100K High Roller is the highest buy-in non-super-high-roller event of the summer. Nine players are left, and the combined resume is staggering. Dzivielevski going for bracelet six at this buy-in is a significant plot. Kabrhel going for six in his characteristically theatrical fashion is always watchable. And the fact that the chip leader who led Day 1 - Ren Lin, banned from GGPoker for online cheating last year - did not make the final table is a story in itself. Also notable: Christopher Nguyen previously denied Ren Lin a bracelet in the WSOP Europe High Roller, and now he leads the field Ren Lin couldn't crack.
Story 03 of 6
Phil Hellmuth cashed 37th ($21,162) in Event #33: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship after a Day 2 elimination on a bad beat. He was in strong shape late in the session when an opponent called off 520,000 chips on the turn drawing to three outs and hit on the river. Hellmuth posted a three-minute video to social media shortly after busting. In it, he described the situation, acknowledged his blessings, said he's been losing these spots for 'three years, four years, whatever it is,' declared 'I'm just really getting sick of this s**t,' and closed by announcing 'I'm going to keep putting the money in with the best hand, day after day, week after week, month after month, until I have 24 f***ing bracelets.' He currently holds 17 WSOP bracelets. Hellmuth also referenced his seventh-place finish in the $10K Omaha Hi-Lo Championship a week earlier, where he claimed to have run poorly at the final table after running well to get there.
Why it mattersHellmuth saying 24 bracelets is the rare WSOP content that is both clearly emotional and mathematically interesting. He currently holds 17. Getting to 24 would require seven more bracelets in whatever remaining active WSOP seasons he plays. Whether that is aspirational or delusional probably depends on which day he's running good. The rant is newsworthy because Hellmuth normally curates his public image carefully, and he acknowledged that in the video before abandoning the strategy entirely.
Story 04 of 6
Phil Ivey, an 11-time WSOP bracelet winner, has not cashed in a single event through Day 17 of the 2026 WSOP - 17 days into a schedule he entered as the subject of pre-series fantasy draft coverage arguing he was undervalued. Ivey busted Day 2 of Event #36: $100,000 High Roller, joining Daniel Negreanu, defending $100K champion Philip Sternheimer, and Josh Arieh among the notable misses in that event. Ivey has been eliminated from multiple high-profile events including the $100K High Roller and the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship.
Why it mattersThe pre-series narrative around Ivey was that he was a steal in fantasy formats at whatever price he was assigned. 17 days in, he has not cashed. That is the kind of cold run that happens in poker - Ivey is still the same player - but it turns the fantasy draft coverage into an inadvertent reminder that past results do not predict short-run performance in a 17-day window.
Story 05 of 6
Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em is down to three players for its Day 4 final today. Jean-Robert Bellande leads with 16,290,000 chips after eliminating Kevin Naegelen with ace-king versus ace-queen to vault from a middling Day 3 stack. Christos Argyriadis is second at 13,600,000. Bellande is chasing his second WSOP bracelet; the top prize is $538,158. Jim Collopy (over $12.4M in career earnings, the only fantasy pick still standing in the event) and Jessica Vierling also reached Day 4. In Event #33: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship, Justin Liberto leads the final five players with 13,590,000 chips - approximately 60% of all chips in play. Ryan Hughes, who entered Day 3 as chip leader with 1,995,000 chips, was eliminated early in a large pot against Nino Pansier. Liberto is in command of an event with $767,395 at the top. Both events play to a winner today.
Why it mattersJRB (Jean-Robert Bellande) is a well-known figure in high-stakes cash games and has built a loyal following on social media. A second bracelet would be a significant personal milestone. Liberto holding 60% of chips in a five-handed PLO8 final is dominant by any measure, though five-handed PLO8 with big blinds has ended plenty of commanding chip leads before.
Story 06 of 6
Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold'em completed its second flight on Day 17. Day 1b drew 3,219 entrants - significantly more than the 2,684 who turned out for Day 1a. Combined, the first two flights have produced 5,813 total entries. Two more flights remain (Days 1c and 1d), and surviving players from the earlier flights continue into Day 2 simultaneously. The eventual prize pool will be one of the series' larger totals.
Why it mattersColossus attendance is one of the WSOP's traditional volume benchmarks. 5,813 entries through two flights with two more to come puts the event on pace for a strong total. The field size will determine the prize structure and the significance of making the money.
33 confirmed bracelets awarded through Day 17 (June 11). No bracelets were won on Day 17. Three events play to a winner today (Day 18): Event #36 $100K High Roller, Event #32 $3K NLH, and Event #33 $10K PLO8 Championship. Results pending.
Third bracelet. PLO specialist winning in a format he recently started studying.
Third bracelet. All three in high roller events ($25K+). First Indian with 3 live WSOP bracelets.
Second bracelet. Rivered A-7 vs A-K to beat DiCarlo. Chip leader Eyster finished 7th.
Second bracelet.
First bracelet.
Third bracelet.
Second bracelet.
First bracelet. 21 years old, fourth live tournament.
Fourth bracelet at age 28. Won 3 days before bubbling the $100K with aces cracked twice.
Second bracelet in three days.
First bracelet.
Sixth bracelet.
First bracelet.
Fifth career bracelet.
Came back from a single chip.
First bracelet. Coached by Faraz Jaka.
First bracelet.
Second bracelet.
Fourth bracelet. Denied Hellmuth bracelet #18.
Second bracelet.
First bracelet.
Chip counts from confirmed Day 3 final table entries and Day 4 counts. $100K HR Day 3 started with these counts; event is live and down to 5 players with Mulder now reportedly leading. $3K NLH is at final 3.
Notable eliminations from Day 17 (June 11).
Aces cracked by Christopher Nguyen (K-Q two-paired) then aces cracked again by Teun Mulder (J-10 rivered a straight) in consecutive hands. Said 'not twice' on the livestream before the second hand. Missed a $201,754 min-cash. Had won the $25K Six-Handed three days earlier.
Led Day 2 with 1,995,000 chips - the largest stack. Eliminated early Day 3 in a large pot against Nino Pansier. A fourth bracelet was on the table.
Posted a three-minute social media rant after busting to a 3-outer on the river. Vowed to win 24 total WSOP bracelets. Currently holds 17.
17 days into the WSOP with zero cashes. Was touted as a fantasy draft value pick before the series.
Entered Day 2 with 1,190,000 chips - below average - and did not survive to the money.
Led Day 1 with 3,175,000 chips but did not reach the final table. Exact finish not confirmed at brief time - is confirmed to have cashed but not made the final 9.
Won the $50K High Roller on June 11 for $1,992,870 - his third bracelet, all in buy-ins of $25K or more. Stated his only remaining goal is winning the Main Event.
Two $10K championship bracelet wins in three days remain the most concentrated POY-point burst of the series.
Won the $25K Six-Handed on June 8 for $1,286,285 - his fourth bracelet. Bubbled the $100K HR without adding to his POY total from that event. Still a significant POY point earner from the $25K win.
Leads 4 others with 13,590,000 chips (60% of all chips). A first WSOP bracelet in a $10K Championship today would launch him into the POY conversation.