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WSOP Super High Roller | Martin Kabrhel is Alex Foxen’s Biggest WSOP Enemy
The 56th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) is only three weeks old and already there has been a close call for Daniel Negreanu, a double bracelet winner in Benny Glaser and Phil Hellmuth has had his picture taken with... well, everybody. In two high roller events, there has been a clash for the ages, as the tight-lipped former Global Poker Index world number one has come up against the biggest motormouth since Mike Matusow, Martin Kabrhel.
Alex Foxen and Martin Kabrhel have clashed at this year’s 2025 WSOP, with the Czech Republic player getting the better of his American poker rival on both occasions. Have we got a new rivalry for the ages, or is this a storm that will eventually blow over with Foxen back in charge? The two players, who are polar opposites, can’t help meeting each other at the felt.
Event #44 $250,000 Super High Roller Final Table Results:
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Seth Davies | United States | $4,752,551 |
| 2nd | Alex Foxen | United States | $3,060,314 |
| 3rd | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | $2,057,430 |
| 4th | Bryn Kenney | United States | $1,446,929 |
| 5th | Chris Brewer | United States | $1,066,731 |
| 6th | David Peters | United States | $826,348 |
| 7th | Martin Kabrhel | Czech Republic | $674,359 |
| 8th | Ben Tollerene | United States | $581,411 |
Not Like This
Martin Kabrhel has rubbed more people up the wrong way than perhaps anyone else since William Kassouf darkened the WSOP’s door. The Czech player started what from the outside looked an insane bid for anti-hero status when he pressured Alex Foxen in the $50,000 high roller event, making a big bet on the river.
Foxen could make the fold or the call. Nothing else really made sense to do, as any raise could only be called a better hand. While Foxen was thinking about his decision, however, he was the subject of relentless badgering from Kabrhel. Telling Foxen that this sort of river bet was ‘never a bluff, never!’, Kabrhel was using reverse pyschology to good effect on his opponent on this occasion.
“Not like this!” Kabrhel shouted, leaning in and revealing his cards in the manner of James Bond’s enemy Le Chiffre in the 2006 movie Casino Royale, said the name of the film as he showed a queen of spades, the best card to go with four spades on board that included the ace and king. Foxen, fuming, lost a lot of his chips.
“It could have been worse; I could have bet more.” Kabrhel jibed.
Sending Foxen Out in the $250,000
In the $250,000-entry Super High Roller, also known as Event #46, Kabrhel and Foxen were sat together again. This time, though, Foxen was to the direct right of his Czech enemy rather than two to his left. On Day 1, players could still bust and have the chance of re-entering for a second bullet. Of course, this would mean entering the event for an effective half-million-dollar bullet, but at this level, such is the talent on show that the very best are prepared to do so.
This time, it was Foxen who was making the move and he was all-in. Kabrhel asked him to move his hands to see his chips, despite knowing that he had Foxen covered. It was all a ploy, and the tournament director knew it, refusing to make a ruling.
Having eliminated one of his most dangerous opponents, Kabrhel may have thought he’d seen the back of Alex Foxen, but the opposite would turn out to be true.
When It All Goes Wrong
Day 2 of the Super High Roller not only saw Alex Foxen re-enter and survive the day, but he did so with more chips than Kabrhel after a hand went all wrong for the Czech player. On a flop of J-8-8, Kabrhel had the goods, with an eight in his hand meaning trips. Betting, he got a fold from Daniel Negreanu - and what a fold it was - holding ace-jack, but David Peters came along for the ride with the same hand of ace-jack.
On the turn, a third spade arrived, and on the river, Kabrhel’s ‘value bet’ of 2 million chips wasn’t just called by Peters. The American - wearing Thug Life sunglasses no less - moved all-in over the top of Kabrhel’s bet and got a tank-fold from the player with the best hand.
It might just have been the best hand of the 2025 WSOP so far.
At the final table, all three men - Peters, Kabrhel and Foxen - were still in with a chance of the $4.75 million top prize and glory. Kabrhel’s inability to call Peters’ bluff ruined that chance, however, as the Czech player slid out meekly in seventh place for $674,359, a return of $424,359 on his buy-in. Peters cashed for $826,348 in sixth, but what about Alex Foxen?
Well, the former Global Poker Index world number one did a lot better than both men combined, eventually getting to heads-up with a lead only to see it disappear as he lost with ace-queen to Seth Davies’ ace-jack. Davies wrapped it up later for the title and his first WSOP bracelet but Foxen’s tournament was still worth an incredible $3,060,314, more than $2.5m profit on his entry fees.
The best revenge in poker? Profit served cold.
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