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WSOP Paradise Is Over – Here Are the Winners

WSOP Paradise Is Over – Here Are the Winners
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Christoffer Karlén Pokerlistings Author
  • Fact Checked by: PokerListings
  • Last updated on: August 21, 2024 · 3 minutes to read

When the WSOP Paradise was announced earlier this year, players and overall poker enthusiasts became excited, and we can understand why. Live poker action at the tropical Bahamas – what’s not to like?

The event was played at the Atlantis Paradise Island December 3rd-14th, and it’s safe to say that the WSOP Paradise was a huge success. According to GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu, every guarantee was met for all of the fifteen key events. We get a feeling that the WSOP Paradise is here to stay and hopefully, we will see a comeback at the Bahamas next year.

A lot of exciting stuff has been happening during the WSOP Paradise. Let’s take a look at the noteworthy winners from the WSOP Paradise 2023!

Stanislav Zegal’s Road to Paradise

A total of 3 010 entries were made in the $5 000 Main Event. This made sure the guarantee was surpassed with $50 000 and with a first place payout of $2 000 000, all players were eager to claim the title.

May we present the first ever WSOP Paradise Main Event winner – Stanislav Zegal! Zegal secured his spot to the tournament through the “Road to Paradise” promotion over at GGPoker. To go through the qualifying stage and then to emerge as the winner is an incredible feat.

Stanislav Zegal, winner of the $5 000 WSOP Paradise Main Event!
Stanislav Zegal, winner of the $5 000 WSOP Paradise Main Event!

Heads Up Zegal defeated Michael Sklenicka. On blinds 600 000/1 200 000, Sklenicka opened to 2,7M with 7 3 from the button. Zegal opted to defend his Big Blind with J 4 .

The flop came 10 2 4 and Zegal checked. Sklenicka fired out a bet and Zegal decided to call with his pair of fours. Both players checked on the Q turn that led to the river, which fell 5 . Zegal checked and Sklenicka went all in for 16M. After a couple of minutes, Zegal made the tough call that led him to victory!

Zegal showed off some great poker skills during the WSOP Paradise, but he also felt the luck was on his side:

“I was so lucky, the cards just fell my way all the time. I think I played well too, but obviously there’s tons of luck. This is what you call life-changing money, I guess.”

WSOP Paradise $5 000 Main Event – Final Table Results

PlacePlayerPrize
1. Stanislav Zegal$2 000 000
2. Michael Sklenicka$1 200 000
3. Daniel Neilson$900 000
4.Matt Glantz$685 000
5. Rui Sousa$510 000
6. Gabriel Schroeder$400 000
7.Montgomery McQuade$300 000
8.Luke Graham$250 000

High Roller Action

A total of 15 Bracelet Events were played during the WSOP Bahamas. Eric Seidel elevated his already legendary status by claiming his 10th WSOP Bracelet after winning the $50 000 Super High Roller. After his win, he jumped straight into the $100 000 Ultra High Roller. The back-to-back win for Seidel will have to wait a little longer, seeing as Japan’s Masashi Oya won the event that held the biggest Buy-In.

Masashi Oya (left), winner of the $100 000 WSOP Paradise Ultra High Roller!

With the $2 940 000 first place payout, Oya doubled his career live earnings.

WSOP Paradise $5 000 Main Event – Final Table Results

PlacePlayerPrize
1. Masashi Oya$2 940 000
2. Jason Koon$1 817 000
3. Leon Sturm$1 322 000
4. Quan Zhou$976 000
5. Nick Schulman$731 000
6. Ivan Luca$555 000
7. Ben Heath$430 000
8. Danny Tang$336 000

Overall, the WSOP Bahamas was more or less a flawless event that seemed to be appreciated by both players and viewers. We can’t wait for them to return next year!

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