Oya Defeats Koon to Win $100K Ultra High Roller at 2023 WSOP Paradise

Summary:

• Oya outclassed Koon heads-up to win the tournament for over $2.9m
• Oya earned his first gold bracelet and the largest score of his career
• After WSOP Paradise, Oya will head to Las Vegas for the WPT World Championship

Masashi Oya has emerged as the winner of the $100,000 Ultra High Roller Championship, the biggest-buy-in event of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise in the Bahamas.

The Japanese poker pro topped a 111-entry field, defeating high-stakes superstar Jason Koon heads-up to secure the title. Oya took home $2,940,000 in top prize along with his maiden gold bracelet.

Final Table Action

Only 10 players returned for the final action, with Oya leading the pack. The eliminations of Leonard Maue and Lucas Greenwood set up the official final table as the remaining nine players battled it out for the crown.

Danny Tang was the first to exit the final table after he was out-flopped by Ivan Luca. The Chinese pro finished 9th for $336,000. The UK’s Ben Heath followed Tang to the rail after Oya cracked his aces, ending his bid in 7th place for $430,000. Luca left the table during the same level as Heath as the Argentinian went all-in with king-high only to be defeated by the ace-nine of Germany’s Leon Sturm. Luca took home $555,000 for his 6th-place finish.

Next out was the most decorated player of the final table, Nick Schulman. The US poker pro fell short of winning his fifth gold bracelet after losing a preflop all-in battle to Koon. He walked away with $731,000 for finishing 5th.

China’s Quan Zhou succumbed to the eventual winner with Kh7h vs. Qd10s, claiming the 4th spot with $976,000 in winnings. The tournament’s first seven-figure payout went to Sturm after he lost much of his stack to Oya and then surrendered the rest of them to Koon, ending his run in 3rd place for $1,322,000.

Heads-up play began with Oya holding a massive chip advantage. The one-on-one match was short-lived as Koon called off his remaining chips just a few hands into the action. Jason Koon’s straight to the nine didn’t work against Oya’s ten-high straight, and just like that, Oya ended up lifting the winner’s trophy with a career-best score of $2,940,000, as his American opponent settled for second place for $1,817,000.

Oya Will Compete in WPT World Championship

During his post-win interview, Oya said through a translator that he was happy to be able to win his first gold bracelet in such a massive tournament.

It will be a pretty busy month for Japan’s no. 1 poker player as he also plans to take part in the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship series which is currently underway at Wynn Las Vegas.