Canada's Slava Royale Hopes to Buy Porsche 911 Turbo After WSOP Paradise
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The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise is a winter series held at the Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas. The series runs from December 3-14 and will feature 15 bracelet events across different variants with over $51 million in guarantees. PokerNews will be on hand to provide live coverage of the event, with photos, videos, and player interviews live from the tournament floor in The Bahamas.
For months, GGPoker has been busy qualifying players from all over the world via their “Road To Paradise,” which launched at the beginning of October. Each WSOP Paradise package came with entry into the prestigious $5,000 WSOP Paradise Main Event, scheduled to unfold amid the tropical splendor of Atlantis Paradise Island from December 9, offering an impressive $15 million in guaranteed prizes. But that's not all; winners will also savor a 10-night stay at the luxurious Atlantis Paradise Island resort, celebrated for its lavish amenities and awe-inspiring ocean vistas.
There are several ways to qualify, and PokerNews has been profiling several of the lucky winners who’ll be traveling to the Caribbean island for their shot at poker immortality.
Here’s a look at the qualifiers PokerNews has profiled so far:
- GGPoker Qualifier Robert Parsons Finally Gets His Chance to Play the WSOP
- Ontarian Engineer Matthew Aquino Wins WSOP Paradise Ticket on GGPoker
- Dana Karlson Wins WSOP Paradise Package After Years Away From Poker
- Ontario Player Matthew Silva Wins WSOP Paradise Package on GGPoker
- Qualifier Dorin Barban Traveling to WSOP Paradise All the Way from Romania
Looking for a Porsche 911 Turbo
One player who will make their way to the Bahamas thanks to GGPoker is Canada’s Slava “Azzurro” Royale, who snagged a Main Event package by playing the Ultra Step Satellite on GGPoker.
“It was a very fun experience and an epic run,” he told Pokernews. “I am a casual player and don't really play big online. But, I do play live cash games at the local poker rooms in the greater Vancouver area.”
He continued: “I received the free $50 Super Step to $15M Paradise Main Event package last month in the email. At the time, my laptop broke down and I had to send it to the Mac shop for repair. Since I didn't get it back by Sunday when the Step satellite took place, I had to play from my iPhone. I won my first step satellite ($50 into $600) in a huge field of 5,000 or so people and immediately entered into the second leg which was awarding 50 $10K WSOP ME Paradise packages. There were just under 1,000 players if I remember correctly. I started great and was the chip leader of that satellite for almost half of the duration if not more. Then, I dropped to above-average stack and regained my chip lead toward the end of the tournament. I finished in 11th place and got this amazing WSOPP package for the Bahamas.”
Royale, a self-proclaimed casual player who plays online for fun, has never played in a WSOP event before, though he has competed in live tournaments in Vancouver, Montreal, and Las Vegas.
“My biggest live tournament win happened in 2008 when I bubbled in $1,100 buy-in MTT at the River Rock Casino in Richmond, British Columbia,” he explained. “I have cashed for $7,200 CDN. So, I am looking forward to this cool series in the Bahamas. I'd love to play a few more tournaments in the series, and who knows maybe even a High Roller event.”
Royale, who enjoys playing billiards, golf, and tennis in addition to poker, is slated to be joined by some friends on Paradise Island.
“It sure will be very cool to see Daniel Negreanu there. I remember him playing in a big tournament here in Vancouver, which he ended up winning. A friend of mine was at that final table. Maybe I even end up playing at the same table with him - that would be awesome! I'd like to meet Jason Koon. I have a lot of respect for his game.
And if he’s lucky enough to win big at WSOP Paradise?
“I am going to buy myself a Porsche 911 Turbo - my dream car,” he said with a smile.
Here Are the Celebrities & Poker Pros Confirmed to Attend WSOP Paradise
2023 WSOP Paradise Schedule
The 2023 WSOP Paradise shuffles up and deals in the Bahamas on December 3 with the $1,650 buy-in Mystery Millions. It boasts a $5 million guarantee on its prize pool, so will be the perfect curtain raiser for the 11-day festival.
Every bracelet-awarding event promises at least $1 million will be awarded, with the $1,500 Millionaire Maker and the $103,000 Ultra High Roller coming with a $5 million guarantee.
Of course, the biggest tournament of them all is the $5,300 Main Event, which will pay out $15 million to those fortunate and skillful enough to make it into the money place.
| Start Date | Event | Total Buy-in | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 3 Dec | #1: Mystery Millions | $1,650 | $5,000,000 |
| Mon 4 Dec | #2: Millionaire Maker in Paradise | $1,500 | $5,000,000 |
| Tue 5 Dec | #3: GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship | $26,000 | $10,000.000 |
| #4: Mini Main Event No-Limit Hold'em | $1,100 | $1,000,000 | |
| Thu 7 Dec | #5: High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha | $26,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Fri 8 Dec | #6: No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed | $3,300 | $1,000,000 |
| #7: Super High Roller No-Limit Hold'em | $53,000 | $2,000,000 | |
| #8: Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha | $2,100 | $1,000,000 | |
| Sat 9 Dec | #9: Ultra High Roller No-Limit Hold'em | $103,000 | $5,000,000 |
| #10: Main Event Championship | $5,300 | $15,000,000 | |
| Tue 12 Dec | #11: Flip & Go | $800 | |
| Wed 13 Dec | #12: No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout (Online) | $1,050 | $1,000,000 |
| #13: Pot-Limit Omaha Championship | $10,400 | $1,000,000 | |
| #14: The Closer Turbo Bounty | $2,200 | $1,000,000 | |
| Thu 14 Dec | #15: High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed | $10,400 | $1,000,000 |
In this Series
- 1 Bracelet Chasing in the Bahamas: First Ever WSOP Paradise Planned for December
- 2 WSOP Paradise in Bahamas Bracelet Schedule Released; $50M in GTDs over 15 Events
- 3 5 Fun Non-Poker Activities in the Bahamas During WSOP Paradise
- 4 WSOP Announces 9 Days of Paradise Livestreams
- 5 WSOP Paradise Parlay Gives Players Shot at $100K in Bahamas; Player Reactions
- 6 Negreanu Shares WSOP Paradise Plans; Which of His Poker Friends Will Be There?
- 7 Here Are the Celebrities & Poker Pros Confirmed to Attend WSOP Paradise
- 8 Ontarian Engineer Matthew Aquino Wins WSOP Paradise Ticket on GGPoker
- 9 Dana Karlson Wins WSOP Paradise Package After Years Away From Poker
- 10 Ontario Player Matthew Silva Wins WSOP Paradise Package on GGPoker
- 11 Qualifier Dorin Barban Traveling to WSOP Paradise All the Way from Romania
- 12 Canada's Slava Royale Hopes to Buy Porsche 911 Turbo After WSOP Paradise
- 13 WSOP Paradise to Be First Live Event for GGPoker Qualifier Aurel Cotos
- 14 Brazil's Ivan Ost Mystery Bounties His Way to WSOP Paradise on GGPoker
- 15 The Best Ways to Win Your Way to WSOP Paradise Online and Live
- 16 UK’s Callum Gordon Wins Way to WSOP Paradise Via GGPoker Freeroll
- 17 Former Main Event Champs Kick Off WSOP Paradise Main Event; Hellmuth Coming?
- 18 WSOP Paradise Main Event Winner to Take Home One-of-a-Kind Bracelet
- 19 Alleged Home Burglar & EPT Champ Jordan Saccucci Removed from WSOP Paradise
- 20 “Poseidon” Hellmuth Makes Grand Entrance in WSOP Paradise Main Event
- 21 WSOP Paradise Hands of the Week: Ryan Riess Bubbles & Aces Cracked By Quads... Twice!
- 22 WSOP Paradise Main Event Hands of the Week: Kabrhel Antics, Jamming into Quads & a Royal Flush
- 23 WSOP Paradise Proves Successful w/ Big Names & Prize Pools; Only One Missed GTD
