Martin Kabrhel Captures the Spotlight on Day 2A at the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event

Bad Luck for Negreanu, Already Spent $200,000
 

The tournament, with an ambitious $60,000,000 prize pool, has already attracted 1,550 entries. From the initial two flights, 419 players returned for Day 2A. An additional 303 entries took advantage of late registration during the first three levels.

Players were quickly nearing the money bubble. Out of the 722 entries in Day 2A, 233 players reached the payout spots, each securing a minimum payout of $50,000.

Among those who fell just short of the money was the famed Daniel Negreanu, who unsuccessfully burned through his eighth bullet in this Super Main Event. Other known names missing out on ITM positions included Shaun Deeb, Benny Glaser, Michael Moncek, Espen Jørstad, and Jesse Lonis.

Kabrhel's Dance Moves with Kanit
 

Martin Kabrhel lived up to his reputation as a showman during Day 2A, displaying a combination of excellent poker and his iconic antics at the table. He was lively throughout, joking, conversing, and consistently building his stack.

The day’s drama peaked with his heated showdown with Mustapha Kanit. When Kanit faced Kabrhel’s all-in 3-bet, a conflict over the use of time banks erupted. The situation demanded several floor decisions, eventually needing Tournament Director Andy Tillman to step in and sternly warn all parties about potential penalties.

After the dealer confirmed Kanit used only one time bank, he was allowed to continue play. Kanit then shouted, “LETS DANCE, MARTIN!” and called, successfully doubling his stack.

Although Kabrhel took a hit at that moment, he remained unfazed. Later, he settled scores with Kanit by eliminating him from the tournament and continued his climb to the top of the leaderboard. Kabrhel proved that despite the theatrics and tension, he remains fully focused on his game.

Czechoslovak Duel at the Top
 

Heading into Day 3, 108 players advance, with the dominant leader being the aforementioned Martin Kabrhel from the Czech Republic, boasting a massive stack of 22,675,000, equal to 113 big blinds. Slovak player Tomáš Kubaliak also delivered an impressive performance, quietly building his stack at a rapid pace. Kubaliak secured the second spot with 19,100,000 in chips and continues to improve on his career-best result.

An intriguing position has been claimed by current ninth place Daniel Rezaei, who already has a title from the $50K High Roller Turbo and aims for more millions. Other notable players who bagged their chips include Alex Foxen (stack 10,425,000), Adrian Mateos (8,225,000), Joe Cada (7,550,000), Chris Moneymaker (5,550,000), and defending champion Yinan Zhou (11,500,000).

Conversely, right before the day ended, reigning WSOP Main Event champion and recent Hall of Fame inductee Michael Mizrachi met an unfortunate exit when his T-T hand couldn’t beat Alexandros Theologis’s 9-9, as Theologis hit one of his two outs on the flop. Among players who made ITM but failed to advance to Day 3 are Kristen Foxen, Patrik Antonius, and Stephen Chidwick.

Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 2A

Next up are Day 1C and 1D, followed by Day 2B, where we'll learn the total number of participants and the prize pool. The fields will then merge on Tuesday, December 16, for Day 3, setting the stage for the final table of the WSOP Paradise 2025 Super Main Event.

Sources: WSOP, PokerNews, The Hendon Mob