Spencer Hudson opened in early position to 500 before the action folded all the way to the big blind who defended.
The 4♥J♥K♠ flop hit the felt and when it checked to Hudson he continued for 600. The big blind called.
The 3♥ landed on the turn before the action slowed down and checked through to an 8♦ river.
The big blind only sat in the tank for a moment before sizing up and wagering 1,700. Hudson thought over his options but eventually he placed in one chip to signify a call.
The big blind tabled Q♥9♦ for queen-high and Hudson tabled 9♥9♠ for third pair to scoop the pot and gain some momentum early.
Daniel Smiljkovic opened to 500 and was called only by Michael Turri, who then check-called another bet on the J♦7♥6♠ flop. Turri checked again the A♣ turn and folded when Smiljkovic tossed in a larger second barrel.
Alfonso Cammarota can be found on the same table while Patrick Tardif is in the same tournament area.
Heads up to the A♠K♠6♣8♠ turn, Maxime Gelinas and Slava Royale invested 500 chips each and that brought them to the 8♥ river. Royale bet 5,500 by using a red and orange chip and Gelinas then announced a raise to 3,000 verbally before the dealer notified him of the bet size.
It was then made a min-raise to 11,000 and Royale instantly called with the 8♦6♥ for a full house. Gelinas, however, had the A♥A♣ for aces full!
After the introduction to the flagship event by Ty Stewart was done, the infamous "shuffle up and deal" kicked off the first live starting day at the Atlantis Resort and Casino. So far, a field of 261 entries shows according to the clock and a first batch of notables is to follow shortly.
The 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise here at the Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas has already featured several massive prize pools from the first several events of the series. Today kicks off the flagship event of the series as Event #10: $5,000 Main Event Championship, which features a staggering $15,000,000 guaranteed prize pool, begins at 12:00 p.m. local time.
The main event will take place over the next six days and feature a unique mix of poker pros and amateurs thanks to GGPoker's "Road to Paradise" promotion which saw numerous players from around the world earn a package to the 2023 WSOPP through a series of online tournaments. Included in each of these packages was an entry into today's prestigious event.
Day 1a Schedule
Level
Estimated Start
Duration
Small Blind
Big Blind
Big Blind Ante
1
12:00 p.m.
40 minutes
100
200
200
2
12:40 p.m.
40 minutes
200
300
300
3
1:20 p.m.
40 minutes
200
400
400
2:00 p.m.
15-minute break
4
2:15 p.m.
40 minutes
300
500
500
5
2:55 p.m.
40 minutes
300
600
600
6
3:35 p.m.
40 minutes
400
800
800
4:15 p.m.
15-minute break
7
4:30 p.m.
40 minutes
500
1,000
1,000
8
5:10 p.m.
40 minutes
600
1,200
1,200
9
5:50 p.m.
40 minutes
1,000
1,500
1,500
6:30 p.m.
75-minute dinner break
10
7:45 p.m.
40 minutes
1,000
2,000
2,000
11
8:25 p.m.
40 minutes
1,000
2,500
2,500
12
9:05 p.m.
40 minutes
1,500
3,000
3,000
9:45 p.m.
15-minute break
13
10:00 p.m.
40 minutes
2,000
4,000
4,000
14
10:40 p.m.
40 minutes
2,500
5,000
5,000
15
11:20 p.m.
40 minutes
3,000
6,000
6,000
Today features the first of four Day 1 starting flights, Day 1b and Day 1c take place on December 10 and December 11, respectively, while a turbo Day 1d will take place on December 12. Each player will start with 50,000 chips and play 40-minute levels for the first three starting flights, while the Day 1d turbo flight will feature 15-minute levels. The field will combine shortly after the Day 1d turbo flight on December 12 for Day 2 and the tournament will feature 60-minute levels from that point onwards.
One reentry will be permitted for each Day 1 starting flight, with late registration and reentries being open for the first nine levels of play. Day 1a will have a 15-minute break after every three levels and a 75-minute dinner break after Level 9 at approximately 6:30 p.m. Each Day 1 will play until only 15% of the field remains at which point all remaining players will be in the money.
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews as we bring you comprehensive tournament coverage throughout the event over the next six days.