Clement Meunier in early position and Ricardo Alvardo in middle position were already all in as Frank Flowers, Samuel Roussy-Majeau, and Kenneth Der went to the flop of 10♣5♠9♠ with around 220,000 in the pot.
Der then bet 20,000 from the hijack and Flowers called on the button. Roussy-Majeau also called in the big blind and the turn came the 6♥.
Action checked to Flowers who bet 225,000. Roussy-Majeau took a few minutes before folding, while Der quickly got out of the way.
Flowers turned over 9♥8♠ for a pair and straight draw, while Alvarado had A♥J♥. Meunier, though, was ahead with K♦K♣ and held on through the 10♦ river to take most of the pot, while Alvarado was sent to the rail.
There were three players eliminated in one hand on the stone bubble; therefore, a poker flip would be required to determine who would be the bubble boy. The winner of the flip would win a $30,000 package into the $25,000 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event in The Bahamas, which boasts a $60 million guaranteed prize pool.
Mathew Frankland, Marco Dickner, and Sachin Joshi were all eliminated on the stone bubble and proceeded to Table 448 to take part in the flip. Each player received two cards, and they were tabled before any community cards were dealt.
Sachin Joshi: 10♣2♠
Marco Dickner: 9♠9♦
Mathew Frankland: Q♥4♣
The flop came 6♥5♦3♣, and Dickner was still in the lead with his pair of nines despite both of his opponents picking up straight draws to go with their one overcard. The 3♠ paired the board on the turn but didn't change anything. However, the 2♣ peeled off on the river, which gave Frankland a straight.
Frankland was declared the stone-bubble boy, but the three players will split the two payouts for a total of $30,000 (each player will receive $10,000). Frankland earned the very first entry into the WSOP Paradise $25,000 Super Main Event taking place in December 2025.
Mathew Frankland Wins $25,000 Super Main Event seat
Mark Dickner asked the floor if the bubble received a package to the WSOP Paradise Main Event before tossing in his last 5,000 from early position. Thomas Boivin then raised to 20,000 in early position, but Kelvin Kerber moved all in in the hijack and Boivin folded.
Mark Dickner: 5♥3♥
Kelvin Kerber: K♥J♣
Dickner was actively rooting for his own elimination as the flop came K♣Q♥10♣ to give Kerber top pair. Dickner picked up a flush draw on the 8♥ turn, but he missed the 2♣ river and raised his arms in the air in celebration after being eliminated on the bubble.
Marco Dickner Bubble Elimination
In another section, Mathew Frankland was all-in for 51,000 on a flop of 4♦5♣9♦ and a pot of 55,000. Michael Miravi, his heads-up opponent, made the call.
Mathew Frankland: 10♦9♥
Michael Miravi: K♦K♥
Frankland had hit top pair on the flop, but couldn't beat Miravi's pocket kings. The A♣7♦ runout didn't help Frankland at all, making him one of the players who busted on the bubble.
Mathew Frankland
Sachin Joshi was forced all-in with his stack of 4,000 in the small blind. Julien Mariani put in a raise to 16,000 from early position before the player on his direct left three-bet to 40,000. The action folded to the big blind, who elected to cold-call. Mariani also called.
The dealer burned and turned three, providing a 3♥4♥3♣ flop. The player in the big blind checked, but Mariani decided to take over the betting lead, placing a wager of roughly 65,000. The rest folded.
Sachin Joshi: 9♠6♣
Julien Mariani: K♦6♦
There was no help for Joshi on the 8♦ turn, and while he made a pair on the 6♥ river, Mariani had made the same pair with a superior kicker, resulting in Joshi's elimination from the Main Event.
Maksim Pisarenko opened the action with a raise to 22,000 and found callers in Viktor Vladov in the hijack and David Mclaws in the small blind. Hal Hammaker, sitting in the big blind with just 2,000 left after posting, moved all in for his tournament life.
The flop came 5♦4♦2♦, and after a check from Mclaws, Pisarenko bet 28,000. Vladov got out of the way, and Mclaws quickly called.
On the 3♦ turn, Mclaws checked again and Pisarenko tossed in another 28,000, which Mclaws called without much hesitation.
Both players checked the 6♠ river and went to showdown. Mclaws showed A♣K♠ for a straight on the board, likely thinking he had at least a chop. But Hammaker flipped over A♦6♦ for a stunning straight flush, nuts.
With the bubble looming, Hammaker found the miracle and secured a crucial quadruple-up to keep his Main Event hopes alive.
Josh Reichard open-raised to 16,000 from early position. Thi Xoa Nguyen flatted in the hijack, and they went heads up to a 5♣2♥10♠ flop. Reichard continued with a bet of 18,000, which Nguyen called.
Reichard slowed down on the 6♦ turn, checking it over to Nguyen. Nguyen took the initiative with a bet of 50,000, and Reichard called.
After Reichard checked the 6♣ river as well, Nguyen moved all in. Reichard's stack of 200,000 was covered, and he called off for his tournament life.
After the cameras had arrived, Reichard tabled A♠4♠ for just ace-high. Nguyen could only show 9♣7♣ for nine-high, however, and Reichard doubled up through his hero-call.
On the direct bubble, Ramon Pessoa made it 22,000 from early position, and the entire table folded around to John Pointer in the big blind, who had just 4,000 remaining in his stack. Pointer looked at his card and winced, which is usually not a good sign. After deliberating for a while, Pointer stuck the remainder of his stack in the middle to put himself at risk.
John Pointer: J♠4♣
Ramon Pessoa: A♦3♥
Pointer was behind, but at least had two live cards with five cards to come. The 9♥10♠7♦ flop gave Pointer a straight draw, but the 7♠ meant he needed to hit the river to stay in the Main Event. Fortunately for Pointer, the dealer burned a card and delivered the 4♠ on the river to give him a pair and allow him to survive.
Daniele Primerano raised to 17,000 in the cutoff and was called by Kosaku Akashi on the button and Adam Rude in the small blind. The flop came J♣7♥5♣ and the action checked to Akashi who bet 30,000. Rude check-raised all in for 254,000 which got Primerano to fold but Akashi quickly called.
Adam Rude: 7♠7♦
Kosaku Akashi: A♣6♣
Rude flopped a set of sevens but Akashi had outs with the nut flush draw. The turn brought the 8♣ and Akashi instantly hit his flush. Rude needed the board to pair but it was the K♣ on the river that sent Rude home, bringing the field down to just 1,462 players
Jacob Kim moved all in for 142,000 in early position, and Gonzalo Jose called in the small blind. A large crowd of cameras, media, and curious onlookers gathered around as they waited a few minutes to turn over their cards.
Jacob Kim: K♥K♣
Gonzalo Jose: A♥A♦
Kim found out the bad news when Jose showed two aces against his kings. The A♠8♦5♠ flop gave Jose top set, while Kim was already drawing dead after the Q♠ turn. The river was the 6♥, and Kim was eliminated a few spots off the money.
As the hand-for-hand announcement was made, Mitchell Hynam raised to 18,000 in middle position. Jesse Simon called in the cutoff, after which Roi Sabag three-bet to 100,000 in the big blind.
Hynam gave it some thought before mucking his hand, but Simon back-raised all in, covering Sabag's above-average stack of 600,000. Sabag immediately called off, and the cards hit their backs.
Roi Sabag: Q♥Q♦
Jesse Simon: 7♠7♦
Sabag had a big lead over Simon's sevens, and he remained ahead on the 2♣4♦5♠ flop and 2♦ turn. Simon was left with two outs, but he hit one of them on the 7♣ river, making a full house.
Esther Taylor started screaming for the media to come over, and the table was soon crowded with cameras.
Both stacks were carefully counted, and once it was confirmed that Simon covered Sabag, the latter dropped his chips into the middle before he took a depressing exit.
Steven Touitou made it 16,000 from early position before Or Anavi three-bet to 40,000 from the next seat. David Cabrera Polop cold four-bet to 98,000 from the hijack, which only Anavi called.
Anavi knuckled the action over to Polop on the 3♣Q♣10♣ flop, and Polop jammed to put Anavi all in. Anavi raised his eyebrows, looked back at his cards, and then called for his 222,000.
Or Anavi: Q♥Q♦
David Cabrera Polop: K♠K♥
Anavi flopped top set of queens against the cowboys of Polop. The J♥ turn gave Polop a straight draw, but the 6♣ on the river was clean for Anavi, and he doubled up.
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