Five classic hands from this week's WSOP: Mateos's godlike reading, Martirosian's crushing defeat by AA, and Suzuki's miraculous river comeback.

WSOP Week 3 is full of classic hands

As the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) enters its third week, the major high roller events and championship events are reaching their climax.

In addition to the emergence of gold bracelet winners, many unforgettable classic games also took place at the poker table.

PokerNews has compiled a list of the five most exciting hands of the week, including:

• Adrián Mateos's World-Class Hero Call
• Artur Martirosian's AA was hacked.
• Naoya Suzuki's miraculous river reversal
• Multiple major matches worth millions of dollars

These hands not only changed the course of the game, but also became one of the most discussed topics of this year's WSOP.

First Place: Mateos Stages a World-Class Hero Call

The most talked-about game of the week came from Spanish superstar Adrián Mateos.

In a high-stakes buy-in event, Mateos faced pressure from his opponent's all-in on the river.

The board was extremely dangerous at the time, and the opponents represented a variety of strong hand combinations.

However, after much deliberation, Mateos ultimately decided to follow suit.

The results proved his judgment to be completely correct.

The opponent turned over a bluff that turned out to be completely worthless.

This brilliant Hero Call not only won Mateos a huge pot, but was also praised by many professional players as one of the best reads of the week.

Second place: Martirosian's two attempts at AA were thwarted.

If Mateos was the most successful protagonist of the week, then Artur Martirosian was undoubtedly one of the unluckiest.

The four-time WSOP bracelet winner earned pocket aces twice this week in the High Roller event.

However, incredibly:

Both attempts at AA were ultimately cracked.

The most crucial step occurred during the $100,000 High Roller bubble stage.

At that time, Martirosian was holding A♠A♦ and went all-in with his opponent.

The team initially held a significant lead, but their opponent managed to reverse the situation during the community card phase.

Ultimately, they not only lost the huge pot, but also failed to advance beyond the bubble.

This became one of the most regrettable hands of this year's WSOP.

Third place: Naoya Suzuki's miraculous river comeback

Naoya Suzuki from Japan created the most dramatic moment of the week.

In the crucial knockout stage, Suzuki's hand was almost completely out of contention after the flop and turn.

However, the final river card changed everything.

When the decisive card fell, he pulled off an incredible comeback.

This hand not only helped him save his life in the game, but also became a crucial turning point for his subsequent advancement.

Many viewers even referred to this hand as:

"One of the luckiest river hands at this year's WSOP."

Fourth place: Negreanu turned the tide in a crucial pot.

Daniel Negreanu also delivered a fantastic performance this week on the $250,000 Super High Roller.

In a crucial confrontation, he used his positional advantage and precise betting to force his opponent into making a mistake.

This pot helped Negreanu return to the competitive arena from its short position.

They ultimately made it to the final four.

For this seven-time WSOP gold bracelet winner, each advanced step attracts a lot of attention.

This hand is one of his most important highlights of the week.

Fifth Place: Million-Dollar Pot Clash in the High Roller Series

Another classic moment this week came from the High Roller event.

Two top professional poker players engaged in a fierce battle during the deep-stack phase.

From the flop onwards, both sides kept raising, and the pot grew to a seven-figure sum.

The river card ultimately led to a huge value bet.

This hand not only changed the chip rankings but also directly affected the final table standings.

In high-stakes tournaments, every major collision can be worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, which is precisely what makes high-stakes tournaments so appealing.

This week's biggest winner and unluckiest player

A recap of this week's WSOP highlights:

Biggest winner: Adrián Mateos

He completed a world-class Hero Call with his amazing card reading ability, showcasing the skills of a top professional player.

Most unlucky player: Artur Martirosian

The two failed attempts to break the AA system ultimately led to the bubble bursting, becoming the most regrettable story of the week.

Most dramatic reversal: Naoya Suzuki

The river card miracle rewrote fate, completing an incredible comeback.

The excitement of the WSOP continues.

As the 2026 WSOP enters its later stages, more and more championship and high roller events are about to reach their climax.

Meanwhile, world-class athletes such as Mateos, Martirosian, and Negreanu continue to compete for the gold bracelet in various tournaments.

In the coming weeks, we expect to see even more classic hand games.

For poker fans worldwide, this is precisely what makes the WSOP so fascinating—

A single river card can change the fate of the entire tournament.

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