2025 World Series of Poker

Mark Darner has emerged victorious in Event #29: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em.

Darner outlasted a field of 1,493 players, including triumphing in a lengthy heads-up battle to take the title.

Along with a first-place prize of $496,826, Darner also got his hands on a coveted WSOP gold bracelet.

Mcgowan Gets it All Back

Mark Darner raised to 1,200,000 on the button and got called by David Mcgowan taking them to the flop.

Flop came J♦6♥2♣. After a check, Darner continued with another 1,200,000. Mcgowan called again.

Mcgowan checked the 9♦ turn. This time, Darner cranked up the heat and bet 4,500,000. Mcgowan wasted no time in announcing all-in and Darner snap-called.

David Mcgowan: J♣9♠ All in
Mark Darner: A♥A♠

Mcgowan was looking at a potential double up. The 3♣ river was dealt putting Mcgowan back in the game.

Darner Moves Ahead!

Mark Darner limped the button from a stack of 19,200,000. David Mcgowan then moved all in from the big blind and Darner snapped.

Mark Darner: 8♦8♠ All in
David Mcgowan: 6♥6♦

Darner, who was at a near 25/1 chip deficit not too long ago, was at risk but in good shape to double up.

The board of 7♣5♦7♠Q♥3♣ was no help to Mcgowan, and Darner took the pot as well as the chip lead.

That’s Some Crazy (Beep)!

The song went raise, call, check down, repeat and Mark Darner was falling behind the beat until he only had about 2,600,000 behind.

David Mcgowan, on the button, open-shoved all-in and Darner called.

Mark Darner: 9♥7♠ All in
David Mcgowan: K♣9♣

When he saw the hands, in frustration and resignation, he went, "I'm not even live." Mcgowan was ahead with king-high when the flop dropped 9♠8♦6♣.

Both players hit top pair but Mcgowan had the better kicker. There was still a bit of hope for Darner as he also had an open-ended straight draw. The 10♥ completed his straight on the turn.

The river J♣ was dealt prompting Darner to quietly say, "That's some crazy s**t," as he stayed alive in the tournament.

As They Were

Mark Garner had started to make some headway into David Mcgowan's stack, but after Mcgowan called a three-bet of 3,500,000 on the button, he then called a continuation-bet of 3,300,000 on a 9♠4♥4♠ flop.

When the 3♠ hit the turn, Garner checked and Mcgowan fired out for 1,200,000.

Garner folded, and the stacks are back to where we started, heads-up play.

Heads Up Play Begins

The starting field of 1,493 has been whittled down to just two players.

The World Series of Poker gold bracelet is the centrepiece of the table, and it is David Mcgowan and Mark Darner going head to head for it.

Darner Catches Up to McGowan

Mark Darner opened to 800,000 on the button and got a three-bet from David Mcgowan to 3,200,000.

Both players saw the 3♣3♥K♦ flop. Mcgowan continued with 2,000,000. Unfazed, Darner called.

On the turn 9♥, Mcgowan wanted to keep the pressure with a 2,500,000 but Darner pushed back by jamming all-in. Unable to call, Mcgowan mucked and conceded the pot to Darner.

McGowan Turing up the Heat; All In Chop Pot

David Mcgowan had just three-bet a small blind raise and got the fold.

The very next deal, he limped in the small blind, and Christopher Puetz raised to 1,200,000 from the big blind. McGowan put his sunglasses on, took a minute to think, took his sunglasses off, took another minute, then moved all in. Puetz folded, and Mcgowan's chip lead continued to grow.

The very next hand, Mcgowan opened the button to 800,000, and Puetz, now in the small blind, raised to 6,800,000, leaving roughly 2,000,000 behind. Mcgowan moved all in, and Puetz called.

Christopher Puetz: K♠Q♦ All in
David Mcgowan: K♣Q♣

No blood to be spilt on this occasion as the board ran out K♦8♣8♦3♥4♠.

Dylan Linde Elimimated in 4th Place ($173,435)

David Mcgowan raised to 800,000 on the button and received an all-in shoved from Dylan Linde in the big blind for around 4,500,000. Mcgowan made the call bring them to showdown.

Dylan Linde: A♠6♥All in
David Mcgowan: K♥Q♦

Mcgowan spiked a pair on the flop of 8♦10♠K♠. With no ace in sight on the runout 6♣10♥, Linde's deep run ended.

Players Go on Dinner Break

The four remaining players have agreed to take a 75-minute dinner break.

Play will resume at 7:55 p.m. local time.

Darner Forces Linde to Fold

Mark Darner raised under the gun to 600,000 and Dylan Linde called in the big blind.

The flop came 2♦A♦10♠ and Linde checked. Darner continued with 200,000 and Linde once again called.

On the turn 8♣, after action was passed to him, Darner bet 2,250,000. Unable to take the heat further, Linde folded his hand.

Puetz Chips Away from Top Stacks

Christopher Puetz opened on the button to 340,000 and was raised by Mark Darner in the big blind to 1200000. Puetz called to see a flop.

The flop came 3♠A♠2♦and both players checked. They also knuckled the turn 7♦ and 2♥river.

Darner showed K♣5♣ and Puetz turned over A♣4♣On the very next hand, Puetz opened to 600,000 under the gun and got called by David Mcgowan in the big blind.

Both players checked through the board of 3♣A♥4♠K♠A♣. Puetz showed 10♠10♥and scooped the pot as Mcgowan threw his hand to the muck pile.

In the small blind, Mark Darner went all-in and got called by the big blind Jon Vallinas.

Jon Vallinas: A♦8♦ All in
Mark Darner: K♠10♦

Darner spiked a pair on the flop 9♣10♠6♥ but Vallinas' outs increased with a gut-shot straight draw. The turn 6♠ improved Darner's hand to a two pair with the board.

And with the 10♥ falling on the river, Darner improved further to a full house, sealing Vallinas' fate to finish at fifth.

Yaroslav Ohulchanskyi raised to 2,000,000 under the gun, leaving 40,000 behind. Big stack David Mcgowan called in the small blind, and the big blind folded.

Ohulchanskyi asked his opponent, "Do you have a pair?" Mcgowan replied, "Yes".

The flop came down 5♠K♥8♥ and Mcgowan said "I have a set", but Ohulchanskyi wasn't all in yet.

Mcgowan flicked a 100,000 chip into the middle to put his opponent all in, but now Ohulchanskyi had some thinking to do, knowing his opponent's hand strength.

After a brief conversation with the floor about whether he would post his big blind or his ante first in the very next hand, he decided just to throw the remainder of his stack in the middle.

Yaroslav Ohulchanskyi: 4♦4♠ All in
David Mcgowan: 8♦8♠

Ohulchanskyi needed to hit running four-of-a-kind or a running straight, but all hope was lost on the 10♠ turn.

The necessary, but irrelevant, river was dealt the 7♣, and Ohulchanskyi headed to the exit.

Action folded Mark Darner in the small blind, who took stock of Alexander Greenblatt's stack in the big blind. Once he had an idea of the stack size, he moved all in, covering Greenblatt.

Greenblatt called immediately, putting his remaining stack of just over 2,000,000 at risk.

Alexander Greenblatt: K♣10♥ All in
Mark Darner: A♠3♠

A great flop for Darner, as the dealer put out A♦3♣10♠.

The deck remained in Darner's favour with the 2♣ turn and Q♥ river, as he scooped in the pot and Greenblatt headed to the payout desk.