The long build up to the WSOPâs $50M GTD Super Main Event finally came to an end yesterday with the tournamentâs first live starting flight. Of Day 1Aâs 411 entries - plus 50 re-entries - 155 advanced to Day 2, which will run on Monday.
With buy-ins this high, and limited casual passing trade in this corner of the Caribbean, itâs not unexpected to see the same high-rolling names cropping up in multiple tournaments during the series. So it is that the top of the chipcounts for the Super Mainâs first flight feature various players weâve already seen in action a few times this week.
Spainâs Juan Pardo Dominguez ended the day atop the counts with 4,585,000 in his bag, followed by Jonathan Jaffe (4,390,000), Shaun Deeb (3,960,000, pictured above) and Kayhan Mokri (3,805,000). Daniel Negreanu bagged big for Day 2, as did Stephen Song, Jessica Teusl, Isaac Haxton and Jason Koon.
Negreanu will be looking for a super-deep run in the Super Main Event. His last vlog showed -$916,000 in his running tally, but he's been getting close.
More starting flights are running daily until Monday - and if you choose to play one of them, the good news is you wonât run into any of the names above. Phil Hellmuth had a swing and a miss in Day 1a, but we'd be shocked if that were the last we saw of him in this event. Online qualifiers from around the world will be joining the field on Day 3 (Tuesday).
The $50 million guarantee is the largest in poker history. Will there be an overlay? How much will the winner have to navigate back from The Bahamas? All these questions and more will be answered between now and the winner being crowned next Thursday.
Foxen caps a fine first week in Paradise
With his victory in the $100K Triton Main Event yesterday worth $3.85M, Alex Foxen added another seven-figure score to his already impressive tournament resume. It comes hot on the heels of his final-table run in the Triton Million just a few days earlier, where he picked up close to $2.8M. For some, Paradise Island is a highly appropriate name.
The final day of the Triton Main Event saw 15 players return to do battle, including the likes of Stephen Chidwick, Mikita Badziakouski, Fedor Holz and the unpredictable wild card, Ossi Ketola. In navigating these treacherous waters, Foxen had to use the full toolkit, winning every way he could: a key flip with 
against Samuel Mullurâs 
, pipping Ketolaâs 
with 
, and turning a second pair after flopping second best against Fedor Holz.
Each of these hands would eliminate a key final table opponent, but it was a crucial hand against Portugalâs Joao Vieira in heads-up play that would all but seal the deal. Vieira raised preflop with 
, Foxen called with 
and flopped bottom pair when 
hit the board. Vieira bet every street, despite holding nothing but hope, and Foxen called along. Vieiraâs huge river bet left him with less than a big blind and put Foxen to the ultimate test. It was a test he passed, correctly calling with a hand that could only beat a bluff.
Moments later Foxen collected Vieiraâs last chips, together with another WSOP bracelet, a Triton trophy, $3.85M and Ossi Ketolaâs fur coat (see below). "The biggest emotion I feel is relief" said Foxen in his post-victory interview with PokerOrg.
Foxenâs wasnât the only bracelet awarded yesterday, as Chinaâs Lei Yu claimed the win in the $5,300 NLH Deepstack. Yu banked $293K and change for topping the 363-strong field in his first WSOP win.
Coming up
The $52K Pot-limit Omaha Championship will return today to crown a winner, with a final table of seven back in action from 2pm local time. Ben Tollerene finished as runner-up in the $100K PLO Super High Roller earlier this week, and is aiming to go one better today when play resumes.
Tollereneâs stack of 14,495,000 is almost triple that of Yang Wang in second spot, but there are no weak links in this chain: Dylan Weisman, Nick Schulman, Pascal Lefrancois, Stephen Chidwick and Benny Glaser make up the rest of the competition. Each is guaranteed at least $226K, but all will want the $1,357,080 up top.
Flight 1B of the $26K Super Main kicks off at noon.
What do you get the man who has $42M in career earnings?
Alex Foxen already took Ossi Ketolaâs chips and his shot at the multi-million dollar first prize. What more does he want? The coat off his back?
Who wore it best? You decideâŠ
Ketola:
Foxen:
Keep it locked to PokerOrgâs Instant Live feed for all things WSOP Paradise this week. And if you want to watch the Triton ME final table for yourself, you can check out the full 8-hour rerun below.
