More drama took place on Day 18 of the 2024 World Series of Poker, with two bracelet winners and the biggest bluff of the WSOP so far. Some of the biggest players in poker took their seats in the $50k High Roller, while in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event, Phil Hui won his fourth WSOP bracelet.

Galiana Stars After ‘Bluff of the Series’

One of the biggest bluffs seen so far in the 2024 World Series of Poker took place heads-up as Antonio Galiana moved all-in on an all-club board to put Game of Gold star Johan Guilbert off the call that would have won him his first-ever WSOP bracelet.

In an incredible move, Spanish player Antonio Galiana five-bet shoved all-in with just seven-five offsuit with five clubs on the board and Guilbert was forced to fold. Here’s how the drama went down!

That move gave Galiana the momentum to see out the win after a final table that included strong showings from legends such as Jeremy Ausmus (3^rd for $202,358), Juha Helppi (4^th for $151,592) and former WSOP Main Event final table player Eoghan O’Dea (9^th) along the way.

Timur Margolin Tops Day 2 of Deepstack

Day 2 of the $800-entry Event #36, the Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em event saw many big names bite the dust as the penultimate day left just nine survivors in the hunt for the bracelet and top prize of $342,551 and the WSOP gold bracelet. The day began with a rush of form for Martin Zamani, but he eventually fell in 27^th place. Chris Brewer also got close without making the final table, exiting in 24^th place.

As other luminaries such as Ari Engel, Joe Cada, Michael Wang, and Ryan Reiss all fell out of the running, others thrived. Israel’s Timur Margolin (44,350,000) has a big lead, with only Michael Allen (31,400,000) on over half the chips in Margolin’s stack. Dangerous players and $25k Fantasy hopes Adam Hendrix (14,200,000) and Joseph Couden (12,850,000) will both be threats on the final day despite starting with shorter stacks.

With a big difference between the $32,288 on the line for finishing ninth and the figure of ten times that amount for winning the event, expect plenty of drama on a busy day of action once the final day resumes play.

Oya on Top as Kulev Chases Hard in High Roller

The opening day of Event #39, the $50,000-entry NLHE 8-Max High Roller saw 68 players survive from 134 entries as the Japanese player Masashi Oya bagged the chip lead with 1.57 million chips. It was one of the biggest buy-in events of the 2024 WSOP and Oya’s lead – while a slim one from German player Marius Gierse (1,516,000) was an important one. Oya, who already has one bracelet which he won in last year’s Ultra High Roller event at WSOP Paradise in The Bahamas for $2.94 million, is looking to make it two high roller WSOP bracelets within a calendar year.

Plenty of other poker legends are prominent in the Day 1 overnights. Bulgarian Alex Kulev (1,358,000) sits fourth in chips, while Artur Martirosian (1,015,000), Philip Sternheimer (965,000) and Nacho Barbero (948,000) all made the top ten. The now 11-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey (888,000), Swedish superstar Viktor Blom (866,000), British high roller regular Ben Heath (859,000), Spanish pro Adrian Mateos (844,000), Andrew ‘Chewy’ Lichtenberger (764,000), Isaac Haxton (740,000), David Coleman (613,000), and Daniel Negreanu (458,000) all made Day 2 with healthy chips.

Some weren’t so fortunate to make it through, with Nick Petrangelo, Espen Jorstad, Alex Foxen, Stephen Chidwick, Dylan Linde, Sam Soverel, Brian Rast and Nick Schulman all crashing out on Day 1.

Hui Wins Rollercoaster Heads-Up for Fourth Bracelet

“If you have chips or you’re in the tournament… you can’t give up.”

Phil Hui took down the $1,500-entry Event #35 in H.O.R.S.E., as he bagged the top prize of $193,545 and his fourth WSOP bracelet after a truly stunning comeback against Daniel Mayoh as both men battled for the gold in style. A total field of 835 in the event had been reduced to 23 by the time play began on the final day, with legends of the felt such Yuri Dzivielevski, Daniel Strelitz, and ‘Miami’ John Cernuto all falling short in the end.

Hui was marginally ahead going into the heads-up but slipped to a 10:1 underdog after a bluff in Omaha Hi-Lo was hero-called by his opponent. Somehow, wins in Razz and Seven Card Stud restored parity before Hui moved slightly ahead and won with two pair against a flush draw in Stud Hi-Lo

“This is my favourite variant of poker,” Hui said afterwards to PokerNews reporters. “I have a second, a third, maybe a fourth [in H.O.R.S.E. events], so it feels really good. When I won my first bracelet in 2014 in the O8, I was 16:1 down heads-up and came back. When I won the PPC I was down 4:1 and then when I won the PLO [in 2022] I literally never had over 20 big blinds until I got heads-up.”

“If you have chips or you’re in the tournament or you’re in the game of whatever sport, you can’t give up. It’s kind of cliche but I try to center myself after every hand, whether I played a hand poorly or not. I just tried to stay focused and take one hand at a time.”

Whatever Hui does, it tends to work and that elite mentality has made him a four-time WSOP bracelet winner.

Anderson Leads Last Chance for Big O Championship

Event #37, the Big O Championship saw Day 2 of the $10,000-entry bring back 332 players and reduce them to 19 in number. With a top prize of $681,998 up for grabs, Calvin Anderson (2,385,000) leads from players like John Fauver (2,125,000), Dylan Weisman (1,700,000), Michael Rocco (1,640,000), David Benyamine (1,350,000), Ryan Hughes (925,000), Anson Tsang (890,000), Adam Friedman (415,000), and Danny Wong (890,000), all still chasing gold.

Two More Events Enjoy Busy Day 1s

Two more bracelet events kicked on Day 18 of the WSOP, with the $1,500 Monster Stack Event #38 and the $1,500 Razz Event #40 both beginning. A total of 3,139 played the Monster Stack with Ryan Sullivan’s  915,000 chip tower looming over others such as  Cristian Tuica (728,500), John Oshea (609,500) and Ryan Leng (502,500) on Day 1a.

The $1,500-entry Razz Event #40, ended Day 1 with 547 entries and 136 survivors, with Andrew Kerstine (288,500), John Racener (178,000), James Obst (151,000), Mike Gorodinsky (141,500) ‘Miami’ John Cernuto (108,000) all still in the hunt for top prize of $141,374.

With thanks to PokerGO for their official WSOP photography. The 2024 World Series of Poker is available to watch exclusively on PokerGO. Subscribe today and watch all the drama play out in Las Vegas!