Doug Polk, playing pocket Jacks against his opponent's Jacks 8 in the WSOP $25,000 heads-up tournament, was eliminated in the first round after his river card hit a straight. This was his second major bad beat since last year's Main Event.
Content creator Doug Polk may be one of the world’s best heads-up No-Limit Hold’em players, but his exit from this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) $25,000 Heads-up No-Limit Hold’em Championship was less than honorable.
The seventh event of the 2026 WSOP attracted a host of top players, including Poker Hall of Famers Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, and heads-up legend John Smith. Also present was Polk, who rose to prominence through online heads-up poker and finished as runner-up in the same event in 2023, winning $313,362.
However, Polk will be unable to challenge for the title again in the $25,000 heads-up tournament—at least not in Group 1a—because he was eliminated in the first round by his fellow American pro, Alex Keating.
I'll be in the parking lot.
According to a report by PokerNews reporter Stewart Morrison, Polk had about half of his starting stack of 150,000 chips left at Level 8 (blinds 1,500/3,000) when he raised from the button. Keating then went all-in with three raises from the big blind, and Polk called with about 23 big blinds.
Doug Polk：J♠J♣
Alex Keating: J♥8♥
Polk held a strong hand and was in a great position, poised to double his chips. The seemingly safe flop of 4♥4♦6♠ didn't change the game. However, the turn 5♠ gave Keating four live cards to form a gutshot straight, and then the river 7♥ miraculously gave Keating a straight.
"I'll be in the parking lot, that's my favorite spot," Polk said after shaking his head for about a minute, as Alex Foxen and Vinny Lingham witnessed the "massacre" from across the poker table.
This isn't the first bad beat Polk has suffered at the WSOP recently. Last year, he... He was eliminated in the 10,000 Main Event by being defeated by Pocket K's Pocket A's Pocket. But this content creator has also benefited from similar situations, as he did in 2023...In the 25,000 heads-up tournament, he hit a live hand with only two cards, defeating Chris Brewer and advancing all the way to the runner-up position.
Polk participated in this tournament with minimal sleep, having just finished a memorable live stream on The Lodge Card Club the previous night. In that game, Polk faced off against another Keating (Alan Keating), winning a $652,000 pot and ultimately closing out the match.
Polk is a partial owner of The Lodge, which is currently embroiled in legal battles with the Texas government, and his partner, Brad Owen, understands the dangers of Pocket J better than anyone.
The second round of the $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship, Group 1a, will begin at 5:00 PM local time. The players advancing to the second round include Negreanu, Hellmuth, Foxen, and Eric Wasserson.
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