The 2025 World Series of Poker Paradise, currently underway at Atlantis in the Bahamas, has become notable this year, and it can be debated whether it is a good thing or a blight on poker. The $60 million guaranteed Super Main Event, with a $25,000 buy-in, has drawn the lion’s share of attention, rather than the high-dollar buy-in events of the Triton Poker Series. But it has also raised the ugly specter of “buying bracelets” once again, in what is supposed to be the pinnacle event of the 2025 WSOP Paradise.
How Many Times?
You might think that, with a $25,000 buy-in, the usage of the “unlimited rebuys” rule would be the exception rather than the rule. But several deep-pocketed pros accepted the challenge, spewing off several buy-ins through the opening four Day One flights and the Day Two festivities. It has once again brought up the question of whether these types of tournaments should exist and, if so, should there be a limit on how many bullets one can fire at a tournament.
It started with Day 1A of the tournament last week. GGPoker (who also owns the WSOP) sponsored pro Daniel Negreanu came out of the gate with an extremely aggressive “make it or break it” style that, in the initial going, was more “break it” than “make it.” Every time that Negreanu would flame out, he would simply light another candle and go again.
After SIX buy-ins (for the record, $150,000 in buy-ins), Negreanu finally found a bag at the end of Day 1A, when he lasted long enough (or the clock ran out) in the tournament. He would finish Day 1A with 1.105 million chips, but he also faced another dilemma: he would have to probably finish in the late stages of the tournament even to come close to recouping his buy-ins. Alas, Negreanu would come back on Sunday for Day 2A of the 2025 WSOP Super Main Event, spew off that million chips, buy in two more times, and not succeed in sticking around to continue the tournament; he will still have another chance as Day 2B action starts on Monday.
If you think Negreanu depleting the family’s Christmas stockings with $200,000 in buy-ins was bad, there were a couple of players who said, “Hold my beer.” UK pro Stephen Chidwick fired off ten shots at winning the 2025 WSOP Super Main Event, culminating in busting out in the money. Chidwick led the pack for those who felt they had to light a stack of cash on fire, with Negreanu and Affif Prado spewing eight buy-ins, James Hopkins pumping up the prize pool with seven, and Bryn Kenney using some of his all-time money winnings in sending five buy-ins into the prize pool.
How Do You Justify?
The players themselves justified their repeated efforts by citing the guarantee in the tournament. The $60 million guarantee is the largest ever in tournament poker history, so the deep-pocketed pros could afford to take multiple shots at the event. After you are in for a few buy-ins, it is expected that you will continue to fire to attempt to recoup the losses. Negreanu himself said on his vlog that, “You don’t find anyone in this tournament who (has spent) eight bullets and says, ‘You know what, I don’t think I want to pull for the ninth.’ If you’re in, you’re in.”
Oh, there actually is a poker tournament going on while these players deplete their bank accounts. The 2025 WSOP Super Main Event has broken its $60 million guarantee, with 2,534 entries before the start of Day 2B adding up to a prize pool of $63,350,000. Day 2A concluded with 108 players being able to make it through the carnage, with a familiar face (and voice) atop the leaderboard. Martin Kabrhel was able to use both his mouth and his play to stack up 22.675 million chips, good enough to be able to take the lead for Day 2A.
1. Martin Kabrhel (Czechia), 22.675 million
2. Tomas Kubaliak (Slovakia), 19.1 million
3. Evgenii Akimov (Russian Federation), 18.45 million
4. Ali Abdulzahra (United Kingdom), 17.675 million
5. Leonardo Song-Carrillo (Canada), 16.3 million
For Day 2B, 416 players are already confirmed for action, but don’t forget the re-entries are unlimited for the 2025 WSOP Super Main Event. There will be plenty of players taking their last shots on Monday, which should drive the prize pool even higher than it already is. The field will come together on Tuesday for Day Three, with the rebuys all gone, and the remaining players in the 2025 WSOP Super Main Event can get down to the REAL business of determining a champion.
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