2025 WSOP Paradise

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Car Dealer Busts to Quads in First Level of $250k Triton Invitational

Brandon Steven
Brandon Steven

Brandon Steven has had quite a December. The car dealer and longtime high roller started off the month with a $2 million loss on Hustler Casino Live, which he followed up today by busting the $250,000 buy-in Triton Invitational at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise festival in under an hour.

Despite being one of the most prestigious events of the year, three players, including Steven, were eliminated during Level 1.

The unique invitational, which pairs wealthy invitees with the world's top poker pros, drew 98 players. Though the field was three players smaller by the end of the first level, all three were quick to buy back into the action.

*Photo courtesy of Triton

Tags: Brandon Steven

GTO Wizard’s New 1v1 Feature Lets You Play Heads-Up Poker for Free

GTO Wizard
GTO Wizard

Looking to improve your poker game without spending big on training tools or subscriptions? GTO Wizard has just introduced a new 1v1 Poker Play Mode, offering free, browser-based heads-up matches that focus on real decision-making and practical experience.

The format is simple: sign in, queue up, and get matched with another player of similar skill.

There's no real money involved, no downloads, and no paywall. It's just straight-up safe and free-to-play poker from the get-go.

2024 Champion Spotlight: Jeffrey Hakim

Jeffrey Hakim
Jeffrey Hakim

For years, Jeffrey Hakim chased the dream of winning a WSOP bracelet, a dream that lingered even as life took him away from the full-time poker grind.

Last year, at WSOP Paradise, that dream finally came true when Hakim triumphed in the $2,500 Mini Main Event, outlasting a massive 2,031-player field to capture the $575,050 top prize and his first career bracelet.

Event #1: $2,500 Mini Main Event Final Table Results

PlacePlayerCountryPrize (USD)
1Jeffrey HakimUnited States$575,050
2Alina PaliahoshkaBelarus$445,400
3Andrei PiatrushchankaBelarus$344,000
4Viktor UstimovRussian Federation$261,500
5Ryan GebowUnited States$202,100
6Mathew FranklandUnited Kingdom$152,300
7Paul NeweyUnited Kingdom$120,600
8Matas CimbolasLithuania$91,020
9Aram OganyanUnited States$70,135
10Dong ChenChina$51,080

Hakim led wire-to-wire for much of the final day, before defeating Belarus’s Alina Paliahoshka heads-up, while her partner Andrei Piatrushchanka finished third — a remarkable back-to-back finish for the couple.

“This victory is for the kid inside me,” Hakim said afterwards. “I dedicated so much time and effort to this in my twenties, so to accomplish it now feels like a sense of vindication.

“It’s the bracelet [that matters]. That’s what I’ll remember after all these years.”

Tags: Alina PaliahoshkaAndrei PiatrushchankaAram OganyanChampion SpotlightDong ChenJeffrey HakimMatas CimbolasMathew FranklandPaul NeweyRyan GebowViktor Ustimov

Welcome to Paradise: Triton $250k Invitational Gets Underway Today

WSOP Paradise 2025
WSOP Paradise 2025

Welcome back to PokerNews and our coverage of the 2025 World Series of Poker Paradise at Atlantis Paradise Island.

Sunday is all about big names and even bigger buy-ins. That’s because the $250,000 Triton NLH Invitational begins at noon, featuring a mix of elite professionals and wealthy invitees. You can follow PokerNews live updates in that event here.

Meanwhile, the field in Event #1: $2,500 WSOP Circuit Championship Mystery Bounty combines for the first time, with the plan to play nine levels. Just 240 players remain in that one from a field of 2,396. Mystery Bounties will also be in play, adding extra excitement to an already action-packed day.

The only other event getting underway today is Event #6: $5,000 Super COLOSSUS NLH, at 2 p.m., offering 50,000 chips, 30/40-minute levels, and registration until the end of Level 12.

WSOP Paradise Bracelet Schedule (December 7)

WSOP Paradise Side Event Schedule (December 7)

A couple of side events for players to choose from today. There’s the $2,000 Daily Deepstack Turbo at 2 p.m., or later the $575 NLH Paradise Hyper Turbo. Take your pick!

TimeEvent
14:00$2,000 Daily Deepstack Turbo NLH
21:00$575 NLH Paradise Hyper Turbo

WSOP Paradise Satellite Schedule (December 7)

It’s not too early to book your place in the Super Main Event! Two satellites to the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event take place today.

TimeEvent
17:30$2,750 Satellite to $25,000 NLH Super Main Event (2 Seats GTD)
21:00$1,500 Satellite to $25,000 NLH Super Main Event (2 Seats GTD)

Event #1 Surpasses Guarantee With 2,336-Player Field

Registration has closed in the final flight of Event #1: $2,500 WSOP Circuit Championship Mystery Bounty, with Day 1c attracting 986 entries.

This combined with the 759 from Day 1a and 653 from Day 1b means the field is set at 2,336 players, generating a prize pool of $5,840,000.

The Day 1c field will play down first to the money (15%) before bagging with 10% of the field remaining. They will join the 142 survivors in Day 2 which gets underway at 12 p.m. on Sunday.