Staring across the table at an opponent, one on one, in a singular battle of wits is the essence of poker. A player is out there, alone, and whoever has the most heart and nerve usually comes out on top. And that is what Event #8: $25,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship is all about.
One of the most prestigious tournaments on the World Series of Poker schedule begins today at noon local time inside the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. A maximum of 64 players will take to the felt and try to survive six consecutive heads-up matches over the next three days to earn the coveted gold bracelet.
Dan Smith had that dream come true a year ago. Smith was arguably one of the best players without a bracelet until he defeated Christoph Vogelsang in the final last year, earning $509,717. Jason Koon wrote a similar story in 2021, as the high-stakes regular captured his breakthrough WSOP victory in this event.
Heads-up tournaments made their debut at the WSOP in 2007 when Dan Schreiber won the $5,000 inaugural tournament. The event was then held as a $10,000 buy-in through 2019, with champions including Justin Bonomo, Adrian Mateos, and Brian Hastings.
Past Results
| Year | Buy-In | Champion | Entrants | Earnings | Runner-up |
|---|
| 2022 | $25,000 | Dan Smith | 64 | $509,717 | Christoph Vogelsang |
| 2021 | $25,000 | Jason Koon | 57 | $243,981 | Gabor Szabo |
| 2019 | $10,000 | Sean Swingruber | 112 | $186,356 | Ben Yu |
| 2018 | $10,000 | Justin Bonomo | 114 | $185,965 | Jason McConnon |
| 2017 | $10,000 | Adrian Mateos | 129 | $336,656 | John Smith |
The draw for this year’s bracket will take place at noon. Players begin the first round with a 150,000 starting stack and blinds at 300/600. Levels are 20 minutes long. The second round begins at 5 p.m. with a break in-between.
Some of the brightest names in poker have already signaled they intend to challenge for the bracelet, including reigning Main Event champion Espen Jorstad, Shaun Deeb, and Chance Kornuth, who is coming off a second-place finish in the $25,000 High Roller Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em final table on Thursday.
Heads-up is the ultimate form of poker and the player who emerges victorious from this field will have shown they had the steely determination to make it through every opponent. It all begins today at noon and PokerNews will be beside the tables following all the action and providing live updates.
Tags:
Adrian MateosBrian HastingsDan SmithJason KoonJustin Bonomo
