WSOP GGMillion$ Turbo WSOP Paradise Day 1

The 2025 WSOP Paradise series delivered another wild high-stakes tournament as Event #14: the $25,000 GGMillion$ Single Day Turbo played down to its final six players.

And if the name “Single Day Turbo” sounds fast, this event lived up to it.

A massive field of 287 entries jumped into the $25,000 buy-in event, pushing the prize pool to $7,318,500 and easily clearing the $5 million guarantee. By the end of a long, chaotic, high-pressure day, only six players remained, all chasing a WSOP gold bracelet and the $1,534,645 first-place prize.

The big story heading into the final day is Brazil’s Iago Sturzeneker.

Sturzeneker bagged 33,800,000 chips, giving him a commanding chip lead and nearly half the chips in play. Even more impressive, he is the only player returning with more than 20 big blinds when play resumes.

In a turbo structure where stacks can disappear quickly, that kind of lead matters.

A Breakout Moment for Iago Sturzeneker

What makes Sturzeneker’s run even more interesting is the size of the opportunity compared to his previous live tournament results.

He entered the event with just over $50,000 in recorded live tournament earnings. Now, he is six-handed in a $25,000 WSOP bracelet event, holding the chip lead and positioned for what could become the biggest score of his poker career by a massive margin.

That is one of the best parts of tournament poker.

One deep run can change everything.

A player can enter a high-stakes event as a relative unknown to casual fans and suddenly find himself battling established names for seven figures and WSOP history.

Sturzeneker is not just surviving. He is controlling the table.

The Final Six

The remaining lineup is far from easy.

Sturzeneker leads the final six with 33,800,000 chips, but several dangerous players are still alive.

Ramiro Petrone sits second with 13,300,000. Eelis Parssinen is close behind with 12,300,000. Andrija Robovic has 5,800,000. Johan Guilbert returns with 3,700,000. Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek rounds out the final six with 2,900,000.

The official chip counts heading into the final day are:

1. Iago Sturzeneker — 33,800,000

2. Ramiro Petrone — 13,300,000

3. Eelis Parssinen — 12,300,000

4. Andrija Robovic — 5,800,000

5. Johan Guilbert — 3,700,000

6. Michael Moncek — 2,900,000

The blinds will resume at 400,000/800,000 with an 800,000 big blind ante, which means the shorter stacks are under immediate pressure.

Guilbert and Moncek both return with only about four big blinds. Robovic has around eight. That creates a very interesting final-table dynamic.

Sturzeneker can apply pressure.

The middle stacks must choose their spots carefully.

The short stacks need to find a double quickly.

Why the Turbo Structure Creates Chaos

Turbo events are a different animal.

In a normal deep-stack tournament, players have more room to wait, study, maneuver, and build pots across multiple streets. But in a turbo, the blinds rise quickly, stacks get shallow faster, and decisions become urgent.

That creates several strategic realities:

Players must take thinner edges.

Short stacks cannot wait forever.

Big stacks can apply serious pressure.

Medium stacks are constantly in danger of getting squeezed.

One lost flip can completely change the tournament.

That is exactly what makes this event exciting. It is high-stakes poker with very little room for comfort.

A $25,000 buy-in already creates pressure. Add a turbo structure, a seven-figure first prize, and a WSOP bracelet, and every decision becomes magnified.

Big Names Fall Short

The tournament also featured several major poker names who took their shot but failed to make the final six.

Daniel Negreanu exited before the money.

Phil Hellmuth fell on the soft bubble after attempting to steal with queen-jack, only to run into ace-ten.

Other notable eliminations included Brandon Wilson, Nacho Barbero, Chino Rheem, Viktor Blom, Mehdi Chaoui, Denys Chufarin, Eric Yanovsky, and David Chen.

That is a serious list of talent.

When players like Negreanu, Hellmuth, Blom, Barbero, and Rheem are all out before the final day, it shows just how difficult these events are. High-stakes tournament poker does not care about reputation. You still need the right spots, the right timing, and the discipline to survive the pressure.

The Hand That Changed Everything

The defining moment of the night came in the final hand between Iago Sturzeneker and Michael Moncek.

Sturzeneker opened from under the gun, and Moncek defended the big blind. On a 9♦ 7♠ 4♦ flop, Moncek check-called. The turn paired the board with the 7♣, and both players checked. Then the K♦ landed on the river.

That is when Moncek made his move.

He shoved for roughly three times the pot.

The room reportedly went silent as Sturzeneker went deep into the tank. This was a massive decision, not just for the pot, but for control of the entire tournament.

Eventually, Sturzeneker made the call with K♣ 10♦ for kings and sevens.

Moncek showed 8♥ 6♠ — a busted straight draw.

That hero call changed the final table. Sturzeneker reclaimed the chip lead in a massive pot and ended the night as the clear favorite.

For Moncek, it was a brutal reversal. He had briefly held the chip lead before the bluff, but that hand left him as the shortest stack heading into the final day.

A Perfect Example of Tournament Pressure

This hand is a great reminder of what tournament poker is really about.

It is not just cards.

It is pressure.

Moncek applied maximum pressure with a huge river shove. He tried to force Sturzeneker into a difficult decision for an enormous portion of the chips in play.

But Sturzeneker found the call.

That kind of decision requires more than just hand strength. It requires understanding the line, the player, the board, the missed draws, the bet size, and what story the opponent is trying to tell.

This is where tournament poker becomes psychological, mathematical, and strategic all at once.

Moncek’s shove said, “Can you call for this much?”

Sturzeneker’s call said, “Yes.”

And that one decision may end up being the hand that decides the bracelet.

Remaining Payouts

The final six have all locked up at least $272,600, but the real money is still at the top.

The remaining payouts are:

1st — $1,534,645
2nd — $1,043,400
3rd — $724,500
4th — $512,800
5th — $370,200
6th — $272,600

With more than $1.5 million and a WSOP bracelet waiting for the winner, the final day will be intense from the first hand.

The short stacks will need to move quickly.

The middle stacks will need to avoid unnecessary disasters.

And Sturzeneker will have the chance to use his chip lead as a weapon.

What Poker Players Can Learn From This Event

This event is a great study example for serious tournament players.

First, stack depth matters. Sturzeneker returning with 42 big blinds is a major advantage in a turbo structure. Meanwhile, players with four to eight big blinds have almost no room to wait.

Second, pressure matters. Moncek’s river shove shows how players use bet sizing to attack. Sturzeneker’s call shows the importance of staying calm when the pot gets huge.

Third, tournament structures matter. A turbo event forces players into faster decisions and higher-variance spots. You cannot play a turbo the same way you play a slow, deep-stack event.

Fourth, momentum can swing quickly. Moncek went from chip leader to short stack in one massive hand. That is tournament poker. One decision can change everything.

Finally, big opportunities can come fast. Sturzeneker entered the event without a massive live tournament resume, but now he is one day away from a WSOP bracelet and a life-changing payday.

Final Thoughts

The $25,000 GGMillion$ Single Day Turbo has delivered exactly what poker fans want from a high-stakes WSOP Paradise event: big names, huge money, massive pressure, and a dramatic final table.

Iago Sturzeneker enters the final day in full control, but nothing is guaranteed in a turbo.

Ramiro Petrone and Eelis Parssinen still have workable stacks.

Andrija Robovic can still strike.

Johan Guilbert and Michael Moncek are short, but one double can change their entire situation.

That is what makes tournament poker so exciting.

No lead is completely safe.

No short stack is completely dead.

And with a WSOP bracelet and $1.5 million waiting at the finish line, every decision on the final day will matter.