Event #13: $10,000 PLO Championship
Day 2 Completed
Event #13: $10,000 PLO Championship
Day 2 Completed
The last WSOP gold bracelet of the 2023 World Series of Poker Paradise has been awarded at Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas. Brazil’s Dante Goya Fernandes completed a stunning comeback to win his first bracelet and $277,700 in Event #13: $10,000 PLO Championship. Goya defeated three-time bracelet winner Jim Collopy in heads-up play to clinch the title.
The four-card tournament drew 104 entries to create a $1,040,000 prize pool. The top 16 finishers made it into the money and only 13 bagged for the final day with eyes on the bracelet.
Goya was down to two big blinds at one point during three-handed play against Collopy and bracelet winner Bryce Yockey, but the Brazilian online crusher was able to spin up his stack to become the chip leader as he applied pressure on his path to victory.
Place | Winner | Country | Prize (in USD) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Dante Goya | Brazil | $277,700 |
2 | Jim Collopy | United States | $171,200 |
3 | Bryce Yockey | United States | $120,900 |
4 | James Casement | United States | $87,600 |
5 | Gavin Andreanoff | United Kingdom | $65,100 |
6 | Yuriy Anisimov | Russia | $49,800 |
7 | Isaac Haxton | United States | $39,100 |
8 | Josh Arieh | United States | $31,700 |
“That was insane,” Goya said about his unlikely comeback. “I was very lucky three-handed.”
Goya had one other WSOP final table on his poker résumé - a fourth-place finish in the 2022 WSOP $5,000 Mixed NLH/PLO event. Fellow countryman Joao Simao took down that event, and Goya was thrilled to have now earned his own piece of the prestigious poker jewelry.
“It means a lot to me,” he said about winning his maiden bracelet. “That (2022 WSOP $5,000 Mixed NLH/PLO final table) was my only (previous) final table live, but online I have… four or five or six (final tables), but this was the one, so it means a lot to me.”
Day 2 started with 13 players in their seats and GGPoker Ambassador Jeff Gross (13th - $19,800), Boris Angelov (12th - $19,800), and Kazuhiko Yotsushika (11th - $22,700) all fell shortly after the day began. Jeffrey Trudeau (10th - $22,700) and Stefan Lehner (9th - $26,400) were the next to go before the final table of eight was set.
Two players earned $25,000 in addition to their payout in this tournament thanks to GGPoker's WSOP Paradise Parlay. Josh Arieh and Isaac Haxton each made their third final table between the 2023 WSOP and 2023 WSOP Paradise and collected the additional score.
Arieh was the short stack at the final table and was the next to go in eighth place when he ran into a dominating hand and failed to improve. Haxton was eliminated shortly after when he ran into aces and found no help, exiting in seventh place.
From there, six-handed play lasted for more than two hours. Yockey once had a sizable chip lead, but following several doubles, stacks became fairly even and shallow as blinds increased. Eventually, Yockey eliminated Yuriy Anisimov in sixth place and Gavin Andreanoff in fifth place to regain the lead, before James Casement was gone in fourth when he flopped a flush draw but failed to improve against Collopy.
Three-handed play began with Goya as the short stack and his stack dwindled further down to only two big blinds. He scored a couple of short-stacked doubles and then picked up aces to double into the chip lead through Collopy. Yockey became the shortest stack and he got his chips in on a flop with flush and straight draws, but the runout bricked and he missed out on a second bracelet.
Collopy had a chance to win a $100,000 bonus courtesy of GGPoker's WSOP Paradise Parlay if he could snag his second bracelet of the year, but he would need to mount a comeback as he entered heads-up play with nearly a three-to-one deficit. However, on the first hand, Collopy got the rest of his chips in on the flop and needed to improve. Goya was an equity favorite and the board ran out to keep the Brazilian ahead, eliminating Collopy as runner-up, while Goya claimed his first WSOP gold bracelet.
That wraps up the PokerNews live reporting team’s coverage of Event #13: $10,000 PLO Championship from Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
In the very first hand of heads-up play, Jim Collopy limped in and Dante Goya checked. On the 7♦5♠2♠ flop, Goya checked and Collopy bet the pot. Goya check-raised the pot and Collopy mulled it over for a few seconds before he shrugged and piled in his stack of around 1.6 million.
Jim Collopy: 9♦8♠5♣3♠
Dante Goya: K♣J♠7♥4♠
Collopy's live cards, gutshot and a dominated flush draw was up against the top pair and superior flush draw of Goya. Nothing changed with the Q♥ turn and the 7♣ river gave Goya trips sevens to score the knockout.
Collopy missed out on the $100,000 bonus from the WSOP Paradise Parlay promotion by GGPoker and earned $171,200, while online poker specialist Goya earned his first WSOP gold bracelet.
A recap of today's action is to follow.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Dante Goya |
6,240,000
1,675,000
|
1,675,000 |
|
||
Jim Collopy | Busted | |
|
Dante Goya raised to 450,000 in the small blind and Bryce Yockey defended the big blind.
The dealer spread the K♦9♦8♣ flop and Goya moved all in. Yockey called all in for about 385,000.
Bryce Yockey: 10♦6♠5♠3♦
Dante Goya: A♥Q♥8♦3♣
The 9♣ and K♣ completed the board and Yockey was eliminated in third place for $120,900.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Dante Goya |
4,565,000
1,010,000
|
1,010,000 |
|
||
Jim Collopy | 1,675,000 | |
|
||
Bryce Yockey | Busted | |
|
In a limped pot to the K♥9♦6♣ flop, Jim Collopy bet 150,000 and Dante Goya called.
The K♣ turn and the 2♣ river were checked. Goya tabled his 9♠8♥8♠7♠ and it won the pot, while Collopy could all but shake his head.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Dante Goya |
3,555,000
1,155,000
|
1,155,000 |
|
||
Jim Collopy |
1,675,000
-575,000
|
-575,000 |
|
||
Bryce Yockey |
1,010,000
-580,000
|
-580,000 |
|
Level: 28
Blinds: 75,000/150,000
Ante: 150,000
Dante Goya raised the pot from the button and instantly called all-in when Jim Collopy repotted out of the big blind.
Dante Goya: A♠A♥Q♥6♣
Jim Collopy: A♣J♣10♥4♥
The 9♥6♠6♦3♦3♥ runout gave Goya trips sixes for another double.
Bryce Yockey then limped the button and Goya checked in the big blind. On a A♠K♣3♥ flop, Goya check-raised from 120,000 to 430,000 and Yockey folded.
"That one and a half big blind stack is now blowing you out of a limped pot," Collopy joked to Yockey as they had remarked the comeback of Goya in such short time.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Dante Goya |
2,400,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
|
||
Jim Collopy |
2,250,000
-1,090,000
|
-1,090,000 |
|
||
Bryce Yockey |
1,590,000
-310,000
|
-310,000 |
|
Dante Goya moved all in for 250,000 in the small blind and Bryce Yockey called in the big blind.
Dante Goya: A♥A♦K♣Q♦
Bryce Yockey: K♠10♣7♠5♣
The board ran out A♣7♦3♣7♣4♣ and Goya secured the short-stacked double.
Shortly after, Jim Collopy raised to 420,000 from the button and Goya called all in for 380,000 in the small blind.
Dante Goya: A♦Q♦J♠2♥
Jim Collopy: 10♥9♦8♠7♠
The board ran out K♦7♦3♥J♣4♦ and Goya doubled again.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Jim Collopy |
3,340,000
-120,000
|
-120,000 |
|
||
Bryce Yockey |
1,900,000
-630,000
|
-630,000 |
|
||
Dante Goya |
1,000,000
750,000
|
750,000 |
|
In a limped pot to the 8♠6♠6♥ flop, Bryce Yockey bet 120,000 and Jim Collopy called.
Yockey bet another 180,000 on the 3♣ turn for Collopy to call. They checked the Q♠ on the river and Yockey flipped over the J♥J♦4♠2♦. Collopy had a flush with the 10♦10♠8♣2♠ and won the pot.
Collopy then raised to 360,000 in the small blind for Dante Goya to defend the big blind, which left the Brazilian with just 250,000 behind. Collopy potted the A♦6♠2♦ flop and Goya sigh-folded.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Jim Collopy |
3,460,000
920,000
|
920,000 |
|
||
Bryce Yockey |
2,530,000
-380,000
|
-380,000 |
|
||
Dante Goya |
250,000
-540,000
|
-540,000 |
|
Level: 27
Blinds: 60,000/120,000
Ante: 120,000