The second edition of the World Series of Poker Paradise partnered with the Triton Poker Series for the Triton Million, a unique tournament that paired either a businessman or businesswoman with a poker pro – each putting up a $500,000 buy-in – and then competing in respective fields on Day 1.
The tournament, which is being live reported by PokerNews, featured 74 players (37 pairs) and things kicked off with a bang as two players got their chips, each started with 1,000,000, all in on the very first hand of the tournament.
On the first hand of the tournament in Level 1 (2,000/3,000/3,000), action folded to David Einhorn, a businessman who invited poker pro Taylor von Kriegenbergh, who opened the action to 7,000. It then folded to Jared Bleznick, a sports card businessman who invited Alex Kulev, who three-bet to 25,000.
Once it folded back to Einhorn, he four-bet to 77,000. Bleznick decided to five-bet to 225,000, before Einhorn six-bet all in for his stack of 1,000,000, and Bleznick snap-called.
Jared Bleznick: A♠A♦
David Einhorn: A♣K♦
On the very first hand of the tournament, Einhorn found himself all in and crushed against the pocket aces of Bleznick. The 8♠K♣2♣flop gave Einhorn a glimmer of hope, as he paired his king and also had a backdoor flush draw.
However, the 8♥on the turn left him needing just another king to stay alive. Unfortunately for Einhorn, the 7♠on the river offered no help, and Bleznick secured the double-up, eliminating Einhorn on the first hand.
All things seem to be coming up Bleznick these days. He recently defeated Poker Hall of Famer Patrik Antonius in three straight rounds of High Stakes Duel 5, and this past summer he captured his first WSOP gold bracelet in the $50,000 High Roller, good for $2,037,947. In October 2023, he also took down the $100,000 Super High Roller Bowl PLO for $1,292,000.
The players in the WSOP Paradise Triton Millions will complete 10 levels of 50 minutes each on Day 1, with a 15-minute break after every two levels. It is a one-reentry event, so if any player busts, like Einhorn, they will have until the start of Day 2 to reenter if they so choose.