Julio Chia was all in for the last of his shrinking stack and Yuval Bronshtein was the one to put him at risk. The cards were already turned up and the dealer was ready for a runout.
Julio Chia: A♥K♦
Yuval Bronshtein: K♥K♠
The board ran out 8♦Q♦4♣3♣8♠ and the kings held to send Chia to the rail in 16th place for $20,900.
On Saturday at Noon local time, the first-ever World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise$5,300 Main Event kicked off. Executive Director Ty Stewart was flanked by a half dozen former Main Event champions – Daniel Weinman, Espen Jorstad, Koray Aldemir, Jamie Gold, Damian Salas, and Ryan Riess – to officially get things underway in the flagship tournament.
Dumitru Pora raised to 110,000, Hongru Zhang moved all in for about 600,000, and Pora called.
Hongru Zhang: K♣J♦
Dumitru Pora: 6♥6♣
The Q♥5♠4♣ flop kept Pora ahead, and although the A♦ turn gave Zhang a few more outs, the 4♥ river bricked out to eliminate him in 17th place for $20,900.
Erick Lindgren shoved all in for 185,000 under the gun, Tom Fuchs rejammed in the hijack for about 800,000, and Mark Burford rejammed the small blind with the covering stack.
Erick Lindgren: 8♠7♦
Tom Fuchs: 8♦8♣
Mark Burford: K♥K♠
The A♠9♣5♥ flop gave Lindgren a sweat, but the 10♠ turn and 7♣ river kept the kings in front to confirm the double elimination. Elsewhere in the room, Pedro Madeira and Hao Chuang were eliminated.
While the main focus of the WSOP Paradise series will be on chasing gold bracelets, there are plenty of activities and sights worth checking out in the Bahamas after busting out of a tournament.
All the poker action will take place at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort, with plenty of viable options to drink and dine. The hotel has plenty of fine dining and casual dining options, along with a buffet. Hotel guests can even purchase an all-inclusive package for what is mostly unlimited drinks and grub throughout their stay.
Atlantis has a little something for everyone when it comes to food. There's a sushi bar, sports bar, ice cream shop, buffet, cafe, steakhouse, deli, snack bar, Starbucks, seafood restaurant, burger joint, and multiple other fine dining establishments. The numerous food choices make it convenient on dinner breaks during tournaments or on non-poker days.