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Event #14: Super Saver $1M Invitational
Day 1 Completed
2024 WSOP Paradise
Event #14: Super Saver $1M Invitational
Day: 1
Event Info
2024 WSOP Paradise
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
Prize Pool
$970,000
Total Entries
487
Level
28
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
120,000
Entries
487
Players Left
24
Players Left 1 / 487
Filter
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
On Wednesday, the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise played host to Day 1 of Event #14: Super Saver $1,000,000 Invitational, which invited either bracelet holders who participated in the Super Main Event, $100K Package Early Bird purchasers, or GGPoker Package winners to participate.
The tournament, which was a freezeout format and played 30-minute levels, attracted 487 players at Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas but was whittled down to 24 after 20 levels of play. The man best positioned to make a run at the $200,000 top prize and a shiny WSOP gold bracelet is Brazil’s Felipe Ketzer, who bagged the chip lead with 1,140,000.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 1,140,000 | 46 |
| 2 | Matthew Belcher | United Kingdom | 1,080,000 | 43 |
| 3 | Xing He | Canada | 1,010,000 | 40 |
| 4 | Neil Warren | United States | 845,000 | 34 |
| 5 | Arunas Sapitavicius | Lithuania | 815,000 | 33 |
| 6 | Michele Lawson | United States | 755,000 | 30 |
| 7 | Christoph Vogelsang | Germany | 710,000 | 28 |
| 8 | Michael Malm | Canada | 525,000 | 21 |
| 9 | Jovan Kenjic | Serbia | 480,000 | 19 |
| 10 | Matas Cikinas | Lithuania | 405,000 | 16 |
Others who will return for Day 2 on Thursday at Noon local time are Matthew Belcher (1,080,000), Xing He (1,010,000), Atrunas Sapitavicius (815,000), and Michele Lawson (755,000), who round out the top five. They will be joined by Christoph Vogelsang (710,000), Chris “Big Huni” Hunichen (390,000), Timothy Adams (315,000), and Gleb Tremzin (140,000).
The $980,000 prize pool was reserved for the top 85 finishers, and some familiar names to get a piece of it were Aleksejs Ponakovs (26th - $6,400), Matas Cimbolas (31st - $5,400), Joseph Cheong (39th - $4,200), Dietrich Fast (57th - $3,200), Alex Foxen (59th - $3,200), and Isaac Haxton (66th - $3,200).
Here's a look at the remaining payouts:
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 |
| 2 | $116,200 |
| 3 | $71,900 |
| 4 | $58,200 |
| 5 | $48,500 |
| 6 | $38,800 |
| 7 | $29,100 |
| 8 | $19,400 |
| 9 | $16,400 |
| 10 | $13,000 |
| 11-12 | $11,400 |
| 13-15 | $9,700 |
| 16-19 | $7,700 |
| 20-24 | $6,400 |
Action will resume at Noon local time on Thursday and will play down to a winner. PokerNews will be there every step of the way to bring you all the action, so be sure to join us then from the Atlantis on Paradise Island in The Bahamas.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Play has concluded for the night with 24 players remaining as they bag and tag for Day 2 tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Walid Mubarak opened 40,000 under the gun and Aleksejs Ponakovs called from a couple of spots to his left.
The dealer fanned the J♦J♠9♥ flop and Mubarak continued for 35,000. Ponakovs only had 1,000 remaining and made the call to put himself at risk.
Aleksejs Ponakovs: Q♥10♥ 
Walid Mubarak: A♥K♠
Ponakovs was looking to improve with an open-ended straight draw but the 6♠ turn and the 4♣ river were no help as he exited the tournament in 26th place.
Also eliminated at a different table was Jamie Flynn, taking home $6,400 for 25th place.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Matthew Belcher opened 40,000 in middle position and Narcis-Gabriel Nedelcu three-bet 75,000 in the cutoff. Belcher announced all-in, putting Nedelcu to the test for 95,000 total. Nedelcu went in the tank, using multiple time banks before making the call.
Narcis-Gabriel Nedelcu: A♠Q♠
Matthew Belcher: K♦Q♥
Nedelcu had Belcher dominated but the K♥J♣9♥ flop gave Belcher a pair of kings to take the lead. Nedelcu couldn't improve when the board completed with the 8♣ on the turn and the 9♠ on the river, sending him to the payout desk in 27th place.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 1 | Xing He | 489,000 |
| 61 | 2 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | 459,000 |
| 61 | 3 | Marc Foggin | 73,000 |
| 61 | 4 | Benjamin Miner | 194,000 |
| 61 | 5 | Thijs Hilberts | 290,000 |
| 61 | 6 | Yanchao Zhao | 262,000 |
| 61 | 7 | Gleb Tremzin | 114,000 |
| 61 | 8 | Walid Mubarak | 232,000 |
| 61 | 9 | Neil Warren | 241,000 |
| 62 | 1 | Oleksii Mezhenkov | 271,000 |
| 62 | 2 | Matthew Belcher | 146,000 |
| 62 | 3 | Timothy Adams | 508,000 |
| 62 | 4 | Jamie Flynn | 395,000 |
| 62 | 5 | Narcis-Gabriel Nedelcu | 206,000 |
| 62 | 6 | Michele Lawson | 500,000 |
| 62 | 7 | Alisson Piekazewicz | 150,000 |
| 62 | 8 | Alexandre Raymond | 475,000 |
| 62 | 9 | Alessio La Francesca | 425,000 |
| 63 | 1 | Pablo Brito Silva | 106,000 |
| 63 | 2 | Michael Malm | 550,000 |
| 63 | 3 | Arunas Sapitavicius | 93,000 |
| 63 | 4 | Chris Hunichen | 355,000 |
| 63 | 5 | Matas Cikinas | 381,000 |
| 63 | 6 | Filip Fijacko | 258,000 |
| 63 | 7 | Jovan Kenjic | 509,000 |
| 63 | 8 | Felipe Fontoura Ketzer | 344,000 |
| 63 | 9 | Christoph Vogelsang | 203,000 |
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Manuel Fischer was all in preflop for 93,000 and looking to double through Jovan Kenjic.
Manuel Fischer: J♠J♥
Jovan Kenjic: A♦5♦
Unfortunately for Fischer, that proved easier said than done as the board ran out A♣10♣8♦K♦3♠ to pair Kenjic. Fischer was ousted in 29th place for $5,400.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Xing He was under the gun and Matas Cimbolas was in the cutoff as all of the chips went in the middle before the flop and it was Cimbolas at risk for roughly 320,000.
Matas Cimbolas: Q♦J♦
Xing He: A♣A♦
Cimbolas got excited on the Q♠6♥4♣ flop, picking up a pair of queens but the A♥ turn left him drawing dead as he stood up from his seat. The K♣ river was just a formality as He added to his already massive stack.
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Seonguk Huh jammed for his last 184,000 on the button and Jovan Kenjic made the call in the small blind.
Seonguk Huh: 7♥7♣
Jovan Kenjic: A♦Q♠
It was a race but the ace came in the window as the dealer fanned the A♣6♠5♦ flop, giving Kenjic a pair of aces to take the lead. The 9♦ turn and A♠ river imrpoved him to trip aces to scoop the pot.
