Daniel Neilson Leads WSOP Paradise Main Event Final Table
The penultimate day of the 2023 WSOP Paradise Main Event has come to an end at the luxurious Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas.
The first-ever WSOP Paradise Main Event began with 3,010 entrants which created a $15,050,000 prize pool, and now the field has been whittled down to the final seven. Australia’s Daniel Neilson bagged the chip lead with 37,400,000, good for 62 big blinds when play resumes.
Also returning to the felt is Brazil’s Gabriel Schroeder (28,000,000), Germany’s Stanislav Zegal (28,000,000), Portugal’s Rui Sousa (20,700,000), Czech Republic’s Michael Sklenicka (16,000,000), United States’ Matt Glantz (15,500,000), and United Kingdom’s Montgomery McQuade (4,900,000) for an international final table.
Neilson had a runner-up finish earlier this series when he fell just short of his first bracelet in the 755-entrant Event #6: $3,000 6-Handed, and he will now have, in his own words, a “redemption opportunity” to win his maiden bracelet in the most prestigious event of the series.
Schroeder is the only player at the final table who currently has a bracelet, and Glantz will be looking to score another major win for “TeamLucky” after he was on the rail for Daniel Weinman’s WSOP Main Event win during the summer.
The final seven players have all locked up $300,000, but all eyes are on the inaugural WSOP Paradise Main Event bracelet and $2,000,000 first-place prize.
WSOP Paradise Main Event Final Table
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Sklenicka | Czech Republic | 16,000,000 | 26 |
| 2 | Matt Glantz | United States | 15,500,000 | 25 |
| 3 | Stanislav Zegal | Germany | 28,000,000 | 46 |
| 4 | Gabriel Schroeder | Brazil | 28,000,000 | 46 |
| 5 | Montgomery McQuade | United Kingdom | 4,900,000 | 8 |
| 6 | Rui Sousa | Portugal | 20,700,000 | 34 |
| 7 | Daniel Neilson | Australia | 37,400,000 | 62 |
Day 3 began with 59 players returning to their seats with hopes to end the day at the final table. Some of the players to make early exits include Christopher Puetz (55th - $39,000), Eliot Hudon (52nd - $39,000), Mustapha Kanit (46th - $47,500), and Rayan Chamas (45th - $47,500), as well as bracelet winners Sam Greenwood (39th - $58,300), David Peters (35th - $58,300), and Barry Hutter (33rd - $58,300).
The remaining 25 players went on a dinner break and when they returned, it didn’t take long to get down to three tables. GGPoker Ambassador Kevin Martin got his chips in with king-jack but ran right into aces and was eliminated in 25th place. Others who were eliminated down the stretch include bracelet winners Moshe Refaelowitz (22nd - $90,000), Timothy Adams (20th - $90,000), Jacopo Achille (18th - $90,000), and Bryce Yockey (17th - $90,000).
Following the two-table redraw, a flurry of Brazilians hit the rail with Pedro Garagnani (16th - $90,000), Day 2 chip leader Henrique Lessa (15th - $113,150), Wellington Araujo (14th - $113,150), and bracelet winner Vitor Dzivielevski (12th - $113,150). Third-place WSOP Main Event finisher Adam Walton was then stopped short of another Main Event run when he fell in 11th, and high-stakes crusher Mikita Badziakouski just missed out on the unofficial final table when he was eliminated in 10th.
Nine players converged on a single table and France’s Stephane Guelpa was the first to go out in ninth when he ran his ace-jack into the ace-king of Glantz. American Luke Graham then got pocket nines in against king-queen, but a queen on the flop sent him out in eighth. The remaining players played out the level and bagged to return for the final day.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $2,000,000 | ||
| 2nd | $1,200,000 | ||
| 3rd | $900,000 | ||
| 4th | $685,000 | ||
| 5th | $510,000 | ||
| 6th | $400,000 | ||
| 7th | $300,000 | ||
| 8th | Luke Graham | United States | $250,000 |
The remaining seven players will return at 2 p.m. local time on Thursday, December 14 to play down to a winner on stream. When action resumes, Level 35 will begin with blinds at 300,000/600,000/600,000 and levels will continue to be 60 minutes.
Stay tuned as PokerNews continues to bring updates from Paradise Island until a WSOP Paradise Main Event champion is crowned.