Russia’s Artur Martirosian won Event #24, the $25,000 High Roller Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, at WSOP 2026 on June 8, 2026. The 28-year-old banked $1,286,285 and his fourth WSOP bracelet, beating Pavel Plesuv heads-up from a 242-entry field and a $5,687,000 prize pool at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
Martirosian entered the final day second in chips and took control early, eliminating four of the seven remaining opponents himself. He is Russia’s all-time live tournament money leader with approximately $33.5 million in career earnings on Hendon Mob.
His most recent bracelet before this one came in the 2025 $25,000 Heads-Up Championship for $500,000, where he beat Aliaksei Boika in the final. He also holds a 2023 online Heads-Up bracelet.
The field included four-time bracelet winner Chance Kornuth, Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel chasing an 11th bracelet, and Day 2 chip leader Sean Winter, widely regarded as one of the best players without a bracelet.
How the $25K High Roller Six-Handed Played Out
Format: $25,000 buy-in | No-Limit Hold’em | 6-handed | 242 entries | $5,687,000 prize pool | top 37 paid | min cash $50,207
Day-by-Day Progression
| Day | Date | Action | Players Remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | June 6 | 166 entries, eight levels played | 45 |
| Day 2 | June 7 | Late reg pushes to 242, bubble burst at 37 paid | 7 |
| Day 3 | June 8 | Final table plays to a winner | 1 |
Seven-time bracelet winner Nick Schulman bagged the Day 1 chip lead at 1,215,000 after a miracle river straight in a three-way all-in on the final hand of the night. Late registration on Day 2 added another 76 runners to bring the total to 242.
The money bubble burst on Day 2 when Dylan Linde and Adam Hendrix were eliminated simultaneously to split the minimum cash. Hendrix took one of the toughest beats of the tournament when Justin Arnwine rivered a straight against his top two pair.
Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel made a deep run but fell in 9th when his K♠ Q♠ couldn’t outdraw Martirosian’s A♠ 9♠. “Texas Mike” Moncek followed in 8th after his trip jacks ran into Marius Gierse’s eights full in a brutal cooler.
Day 3 Chip Counts
| Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Winter | United States | 7,950,000 | 99 |
| Artur Martirosian | Russia | 6,545,000 | 82 |
| Pavel Plesuv | Moldova | 5,965,000 | 75 |
| Yosuke Miki | Japan | 4,605,000 | 58 |
| Klemens Roiter | Austria | 4,530,000 | 57 |
| Marius Gierse | Austria | 3,888,000 | 49 |
| Chance Kornuth | United States | 835,000 | 10 |
Kornuth brought up the rear with roughly eight big blinds after a late Day 2 cooler against Klemens Roiter.
$25K High Roller Six-Handed Final Table
The day started with a level and a half off stream on the side feature table before all seven players moved to the Thunderdome for the broadcast. Winter summed up the occasion: “It’s like I have no idea where I am right now.”
Klemens Roiter was the first casualty. The Austrian jammed 1,190,000 from the small blind with A♦ J♣ and Martirosian called from the big blind with Q♦ 10♠.
Both paired on the A♥ K♠ 10♣ flop and picked up straight draws. The 8♣ turn changed nothing, but the J♥ river completed Broadway for Martirosian and sent Roiter home in 7th for $159,884.
6th: Chance Kornuth ($218,091)
Kornuth doubled multiple times early on the side table, including once with aces against Gierse’s jacks. The poker coach had fought back from eight big blinds to above average.
His run ended when Yosuke Miki raised to 300,000 from the hijack and Kornuth jammed his last 2,240,000 from the big blind.
- Chance Kornuth: A♦ K♥
- Yosuke Miki: A♣ Q♣
The 8♥ 6♦ Q♠ flop put Miki in front with a pair of queens. The Q♥ turn improved Miki to trips and left Kornuth drawing dead. A fifth bracelet would have to wait.
5th: Marius Gierse ($301,347)
Gierse open-jammed his last 1,300,000 from the small blind with A♦ 9♣. Martirosian called from the big blind with K♥ 3♥.
The A♥ 9♥ 10♥ flop was devastating for Gierse. He had flopped top two pair, but Martirosian had flopped the nut flush. The K♣ J♣ runout changed nothing and the Austrian collected $301,347.
4th: Yosuke Miki ($421,718)
Miki opened to 500,000 in the small blind and Martirosian three-bet jammed from the big blind. Miki called off with A♣ 10♦ and ran into A♥ J♦.
The board ran out 6♠ 9♥ K♦ 2♦ 2♠ with no help. Miki collected $421,718, but the first-bracelet quest continued for the Japanese player.
3rd: Sean Winter ($597,635)
Winter, one of the most accomplished high-stakes pros still chasing a maiden bracelet, went out in a clash with Plesuv. Plesuv raised to 450,000 on the button and Winter three-bet to 1,300,000 from the small blind with A♠ K♦. Plesuv called with 9♦ 9♣.
The Q♦ K♥ 9♥ flop was a disaster: top pair top kicker against a flopped set of nines. Winter continuation-bet 600,000, Plesuv min-raised to 1,400,000, and Winter three-bet jammed for 4,120,000. Plesuv snapped it off.
The 10♠ turn gave Winter a gutshot, but the 10♥ river filled Plesuv up to nines full. Winter collected $597,635 and headed to the rail.
Heads-Up: Martirosian vs Plesuv
Plesuv entered heads-up with a slender lead at 18,350,000 to Martirosian’s 17,960,000. The match ran for more than an hour and featured constant swings between two friends who know each other’s game inside out.
Plesuv seized the chip lead early, three-betting with 6♦ 5♣ and firing two barrels on a J♦ K♦ Q♠ 2♦ board to push Martirosian off his hand. He kept pressing, overbetting Martirosian off a chop pot and putting him through a blender on a ten-high paired board.
Martirosian steadied. He floated two streets with K♥ Q♠ against Plesuv’s 6♠ 4♣, then led the Q♦ river to scoop a big pot. He followed that with a massive river raise to 9,500,000 on a ten-paired board holding 7♣ 2♣ for two pair, pushing his lead past two-to-one.
Martirosian on his friend and heads-up opponent: “I know Pavel pretty well and we are good friends and he’s a good player. It was tough heads up. He was the best opponent from the final table, after me.”
Plesuv fought back. He rivered a miracle straight with K♠ 4♥ against Martirosian’s A♣ 5♣ (board 3♣ 8♠ 6♥ 5♥ 2♦) to stay alive at 8,900,000. Then he outflopped Martirosian with Q♠ J♠ against J♦ J♣ on a queen-high board to claw back close to even.
But Martirosian kept finding spots. He turned a straight with J♥ 7♣ on a 5♠ 3♥ 6♣ 4♥ 10♥ board, then took another pot with ace-high (A♥ Q♥ good against K♥ 9♦ for king-high). The final flip came shortly after.
The Final Hand
Plesuv completed from the button and Martirosian raised to 1,350,000 from the big blind. Plesuv limp-jammed for 7,950,000 and Martirosian quickly called.
- Artur Martirosian: 4♠ 4♦
- Pavel Plesuv: A♥ 9♣
A classic flip with the bracelet on the line. Martirosian’s pocket fours just needed to hold.
Flop: K♠ 10♣ 3♥
Clean for the fours. Plesuv needed an ace or a nine.
Turn: Q♠
Plesuv picked up a gutshot to go with his ace, but the 5♣ river bricked out. Pocket fours held, and a $25,000 buy-in turned into $1,286,285 and a fourth gold bracelet.
Martirosian celebrated with fellow high-stakes crusher Aleksejs Ponakovs, the Latvian three-time bracelet winner rubbing his friend’s shoulders as they posed for winner’s photos.
“It was kind of smooth. The whole final table, I grinded and grinded and grinded. I was chip leader almost the entire final table.”
Artur Martirosian
“It is special. The WSOP is only once a year, and not every year you can win.”
Artur Martirosian
$25K High Roller 6-Handed Results: 2023 to 2026
The $25K High Roller Six-Handed debuted in 2023 and has quickly become one of the marquee mid-summer events for the six-max field. Entries have fluctuated between 207 and 336 across the four editions.
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Entries | First Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Artur Martirosian | Pavel Plesuv | 242 | $1,286,285 |
| 2025 | Blaz Zerjav | Chris Moorman | 336 | $1,734,717 |
| 2024 | Brek Schutten | Tyler Stafman | 272 | $1,405,641 |
| 2023 | Alexandre Vuilleumier | Chance Kornuth | 207 | $1,215,864 |
Defending champion Zerjav entered the 2026 edition but was eliminated during Day 1. Kornuth has now finished 2nd (2023) and 6th (2026) in this event across four editions. Martirosian is the first player to win the Six-Handed with prior WSOP bracelets on his resume.
$25K High Roller Six-Handed Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Artur Martirosian | Russia | $1,286,285 |
| 2nd | Pavel Plesuv | Moldova | $857,510 |
| 3rd | Sean Winter | United States | $597,635 |
| 4th | Yosuke Miki | Japan | $421,718 |
| 5th | Marius Gierse | Austria | $301,347 |
| 6th | Chance Kornuth | United States | $218,091 |
| 7th | Klemens Roiter | Austria | $159,884 |
| 8th | Michael Moncek | United States | $118,753 |
| 9th | Erik Seidel | United States | $118,753 |
The top 37 of 242 entries cashed, with a minimum payout of $50,207. Plesuv’s runner-up finish of $857,510 was the third-largest cash of his career behind the 2023 Millionaire Maker ($1,201,564) and the 2018 partypoker MILLIONS Germany ($924,841).
WSOP 2026 Context
The day before Martirosian’s win, Kristen Foxen claimed her record-breaking sixth bracelet in the other $25,000 High Roller (the 8-Handed edition). Alex Foxen busted from the Six-Handed on Day 2 and headed straight to the Paris ballroom stage to celebrate his wife’s victory.
At 28, Martirosian now holds four bracelets and sits atop the Russian all-time live tournament money list by more than $13 million over second-place Igor Kurganov. He told reporters he is not yet thinking about long-term goals: “Not really, maybe later.”
The series continues with the $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em and the $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship launching this week. Every bracelet winner and daily recap from the series lives on our running WSOP 2026 results tracker. For the full schedule, venue details and qualifying routes, see our complete WSOP 2026 coverage and guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 WSOP $25K High Roller Six-Handed?
Artur Martirosian of Russia won Event #24, the $25,000 High Roller Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, on June 8, 2026, for $1,286,285 and his fourth WSOP bracelet. He beat Pavel Plesuv heads-up.
How big was the $25K High Roller Six-Handed field in 2026?
The event drew 242 entries across Day 1 and Day 2 late registration, building a $5,687,000 prize pool. The top 37 finishers cashed.
How much did the 2026 $25K High Roller Six-Handed pay?
First place paid $1,286,285, second $857,510, and third $597,635. The minimum cash was $50,207 for places 24 through 37.
How many WSOP bracelets does Artur Martirosian have?
Four. His previous three bracelets include a 2023 online Heads-Up Championship and the 2025 $25,000 Heads-Up Championship ($500,000). At 28, he is Russia’s all-time live tournament money leader (listed as Artur Martirosyan on Hendon Mob) with approximately $33.5 million in career earnings.
What was the final hand of the 2026 $25K High Roller Six-Handed?
Plesuv limp-jammed for 7,950,000 from the button with A♥ 9♣ and Martirosian called from the big blind with 4♠ 4♦. The board ran K♠ 10♣ 3♥ Q♠ 5♣ and the pocket fours held to clinch the bracelet.
