Sixteen Remain as John Smith Looks for Another Deep Run in $25,000 Heads-Up Championship
Yesterday's initial field of 64 has been narrowed down to the final 16 here at Event #6: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship inside Horseshoe and Paris in Las Vegas.
Among them is 77-year-old fan favorite John Smith, who is somewhat of an enigma in a field largely dominated by younger poker professionals. Smith, who regularly competes in the event, is best known for his back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2017. Smith also placed 11th in the event in 2014.
"I keep winning and I play the best players. I seem to do well at it," Smith replied when asked what it was about heads-up action that keeps him coming back. Smith explained that while he only plays in tournaments about five times a year, he keeps his skills sharp by playing in home games often.
Other notables still in contention include Faraz Jaka, Sam Soverel, Kane Kalas, and Artur Martirosian — who will be chasing his second heads-up World Series of Poker bracelet (and third bracelet overall) after winning a $10k online championship event last year.
Here's a look at the completed and upcoming matches thus far:
Updated Live Bracket and Round 3 Matches
| Player 1 | Player 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cary Katz | vs. | Artur Martirosian |
| Patrick Kennedy | vs. | Michael Steele |
| Darius Samual | vs. | Matthew Wantman |
| Weston Mizumoto | vs. | John Smith |
| Nikolai Mamut | vs. | James Gorham |
| Marko Grujic | vs. | Joseph Miller |
| Faraz Jaka | vs. | Sam Soverel |
| Owen Messere | vs. | Kane Kalas |
Matches will take place at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. with breaks between matches. Players will begin with the 600,000 in chips they carried over from Day 1 and blinds will start at 1,000-2,500. Levels will continue to last 20 minutes each and everyone who wins in Round 3 will lock up a min-cash of $86,000. The semi-finals and grand finale will take place Saturday on Day 3.
$25,000 Heads-Up Championship Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 |
| 2 | $300,000 |
| 3-4 | $180,000 |
| 5-8 | $86,000 |
Stay tuned to PokerNews as we continue to bring you all the heads-up No-Limit Hold'em action from this prestigious championship event!