Another 98 Hopefuls Reach the Money Stages via Day 1c; Big Names Advance
The flagship tournament of the 2023 World Series of Poker Paradise at the five-star Atlantis Resort & Casino has wrapped up the third of four starting days in Event #10: $5,000 Main Event Championship. Day 1c drew a total of 648 entries and another 98 players locked up a cash prize on The Bahamas.
How big the slice of the eight-figure prize pool will be is not finalised yet because one further starting day remains. So far, the marquee event is on track to reach the ambitious $15 million guarantee on Paradise Island with more than 2,700 total entries already recorded. That includes the online flight on GGPoker and all those wishing to take another shot can do so in the morning hours of Tuesday, December 12, 2023.
Four players finished Day 1c within ten big blinds for the money stages with Serhii Holodiuk claiming the honours of chip leader after he accumulated 1,185,000 in chips. Ljubomir Josipovic follows right behind with 1,158,000, Yoo Sin Kang (1,110,000) and Rayan Chamas (1,103,000) also have seven figure stacks to their names as well.
Both Holodiuk and Chamas were responsible for the night to end as they scored two eliminations during hand-for-hand play. The exit of Matas Cimbolas was perhaps the most cruel one when the kings of the Lithuanian poker pro were cracked by the jacks of Chamas. Chin Wei Lim, who had already bubbled on Day 1a, avoided the same fate and survived in the third showdown.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serhii Holodiuk | Ukraine | 1,185,000 | 119 |
| 2 | Ljubomir Josipovic | Austria | 1,158,000 | 116 |
| 3 | Yoo Sin Kang | South Korea | 1,110,000 | 111 |
| 4 | Rayan Chamas | Canada | 1,103,000 | 110 |
| 5 | Ignacio Moron | Spain | 932,000 | 93 |
| 6 | Nicholas Unaro | United States | 914,000 | 91 |
| 7 | Renji Mao | China | 860,000 | 86 |
| 8 | Timothy Adams | Canada | 826,000 | 83 |
| 9 | Troy Quenneville | Canada | 802,000 | 80 |
| 10 | Kevin Martin | Canada | 767,000 | 77 |
Among the top ten stacks are several other standout names in the international poker scene. 2023 WSOP bracelet winner Renji Mao (860,000), High Roller regular Timothy Adams (826,000), and GGPoker streamer Kevin Martin (767,000) all established an excellent base for a deep run.
GGPoker ambassador and WSOP Hall of Fame member Daniel Negreanu also advanced with an above-average stack of 393,000, joined by the likes of Chanracy Khun(429,000), Justin Saliba (348,000) and 2021 WSOP Player of the Year Josh Arieh (336,000) achieved the same feat. Among the former WSOP Main Event champions, Koray Aldemir, Jamie Gold and Ryan Riess joined the fray but failed to bag up chips.
Starting Days so Far
| Flight | Entries | Survivors |
|---|---|---|
| GG Online | 883 | 127 |
| Day 1a | 657 | 98 |
| Day 1b | 515 | 78 |
| Day 1c | 648 | 98 |
| Total so far | 2,703 | 401 |
So far, the action on Day 2 will recommence with 08:20 minutes left in level 17 unless Day 1d finishes earlier than that. The final turbo heat will feature 20-minute levels and kicks off at 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. Once it has whittled down the field to the top 15 percent like all other previous online and live starting days, those with chips at their disposal have locked up a cash prize.
All survivors of the four live flights at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino and the online heat on GGPoker will return to their seats at 5 p.m. local time. As of Day 2, the level duration increases to 60 minutes each and Day 2 is currently scheduled to play until the end of level 24.
Stay tuned for the exclusive live updates for this marquee event right here on PokerNews to find out who will retain their chances to win the one-of-a-kind WSOP Paradise Main Event bracelet. The winner is set to be crowned on December 14, 2023.