The last chance to be part of Event #11: $25,000 Super Main Event came and went at Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas, as the check in desk was busy for several hours before late registration officially closed at the 2025 World Series of Poker Paradise.
The enormous $60,000,000 guaranteed prize pool had already been eclipsed the previous day, and the number continued to climb on Day 2b. When play began on Level 14, the field had added 360 new entries, closing at a total of 2,891 over the first six days of action.
That created a final purse of $72,275,000, making this tournament the largest prize pool of any event outside of the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas.
After more than 14 hours of play, including a near two-hour money bubble, France's Jean-Noel Thorel emerged as the chip leader heading into Day 3 where just 202 hopefuls will return. Thorel spent the latter part of the day on the WSOP Paradise stage, building a stack at one of the feature tables to finish with 20,950,000 chips.
Thorel will return with 105 big blinds, while only three other players managed to bag up more than 80. A trio of Americans and WSOP bracelet winners sit in hot pursuit, as Faraz Jaka (17,100,000), Jesse Lonis (16,800,000), and Chad Eveslage (16,725,000) all bagged big to sit among the top five from Day 2b.
End of Day 2b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean-Noel Thorel | France | 20,950,000 | 105 |
| 2 | Faraz Jaka | United States | 17,100,000 | 86 |
| 3 | Jesse Lonis | United States | 16,800,000 | 84 |
| 4 | Chad Eveslage | United States | 16,725,000 | 84 |
| 5 | Ravid Garbi | Israel | 15,025,000 | 75 |
| 6 | Amirpasha Emami | Canada | 15,000,000 | 75 |
| 7 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Turkey | 14,625,000 | 73 |
| 8 | Chanracy Khun | Canada | 14,550,000 | 73 |
| 9 | Leonard Herrmann | Austria | 14,500,000 | 73 |
| 10 | Erik Eisen | Germany | 14,125,000 | 71 |
Notable Day 2b Action
After finding a bag with his tenth bullet of the tournament on Day 1d, Daniel Negreanu found himself at a “fun table” that included fellow WSOP bracelet holders Benny Glaser (3,400,000) and Jean-Robert Bellande (6,325,000). Negreanu made it into the money before busting with his “favorite hand”, earning $55,000 for his finish in 134th place.
The day also included a bit of controversy in a hand that saw Ryan Depaulo triple up for a second time, while James Caputo was left fuming after having his hand ruled dead. Caputo would have turned the nut flush, but Depaulo and Andre Moreira both benefitted. In the end, Caputo was the only one of the three to find the money, finishing the day in 175th place.
Hila Klein spent much of her day on one of the three WSOP stream tables, and busted to Bellande before the dinner break.
Double Money Bubble
Day 2a produced the first money bubble of the tournament, as Manuel Pochat ran his ace-king into pocket kings.
Another bubble arrived after dinner break on Day 2b, and it lasted nearly two hours before two eliminations occurred at the same time. Robert Cowen and Aylar Lie lost the last of their stacks on the direct bubble, and shared the 202nd-place finish for $25,000 each.
The 94 players that bagged will now join the 108 survivors from Day 2a, as the field will combine for the first time on Tuesday, December 16. Cards will be in the air at 1:00 p.m. local time, and the schedule calls for play to continue until the final three tables are reached.
Everyone will return to their new seats firmly in the money, ready to take a run at the record prize pool. That includes Martin Kabrhel, who sits ahead of Thorel as the overall chip leader. Full payout information will be announced after the start of play, including the top prize that will accompany the WSOP bracelet.
The action continues on Day 3, and PokerNews will once again be inside the ropes to capture all of the excitement as we get closer to crowning a new WSOP Super Main Event champion in Paradise.
