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Masashi Oya joins the elusive list of Japanese players to earn WSOP gold after winning Event #9: $100,000 Ultra High Roller at WSOP Paradise for $2,940,000 in prize money. Oya denied Jason Koon of his second WSOP bracelet in heads-up play to win his first WSOP bracelet.
According to The Hendon Mob, Oya now has won more than $5.58 million in live tournaments, with more than $4 million coming in 2023 alone. Oya is now the leader on Japan's All-Time Money List, having leaped over Tsugunari Toma. With this victory, and on the back of his 12 PGT cashes in 2023, Oya now sits in the Top 40 on the PGT leaderboard with just eight events remaining in the season and the $1,000,000 freeroll awaiting the Top 40 players at season's end.
The fourth PGT-qualifying event of WSOP Paradise at Atlantis Paradise Island attracted 111 entrants and created a prize pool of $10,878,000. The final 17 players finished in the money as David Peters, Sorel Mizzi, Ren Lin, Taylor von Kriegenbergh, and Justin Bonomo were all eliminated before play ended on Day 2, with Oya holding the overnight chip lead as just ten players remained. Leonard Maue was the first casualty on the final day, and after the final nine redrew to one table, Luc Greenwood exited in ninth place in a three-way pot that saw his ace-king outdone by Ivan Luca's queens while Quan Zhou's pocket aces settled for second place.
Danny Tang was eliminated in eighth place when his ace-six was outdrawn by Luca's king-ten before Benjamin Heath exited in seventh when he ran his pocket aces into the rivered wheel of Oya. Luca could not spike with his king-seven against Leon Sturm's ace-nine as the tournament was soon down to the final five players, with Oya holding nearly half the chips in play. Nick Schulman was chasing his second WSOP bracelet of the year, but his run ended at the hands of Koon, who held king-jack against Schulman's ace-jack. Koon struck a king on the turn to eliminate his fellow PGT regular. Zhou was eliminated in fourth place after he was all-in with king-seven against the queen-ten of Oya. Oya flopped a pair and turned a straight as Zhou was eliminated.
Down to the final three players, Oya put a massive dent in Sturm's stack after rivering a flush as the German was eliminated shortly after in third. Oya held a five-to-two chip advantage over Koon entering heads-up play, and Oya immediately extended his chip lead before sealing the deal when he turned the second nut straight against what Koon said was the third nut straight. Koon called all-in on the river and was shown Oya's superior straight to be eliminated in second place as Oya was crowned the Event #9 champion and awarded his first WSOP bracelet and the $2,940,000 first-place prize.
2023 WSOP Paradise Event #9: $100,000 Ultra High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize | PGT Points |
| 1st | Masashi Oya | Japan | $2,940,000 | 550 |
| 2nd | Jason Koon | United States | $1,817,000 | 450 |
| 3rd | Leon Sturm | Germany | $1,322,000 | 400 |
| 4th | Quan Zhou | China | $976,000 | 293 |
| 5th | Nick Schulman | United States | $731,000 | 219 |
| 6th | Ivan Luca | Argentina | $555,000 | 167 |
| 7th | Benjamin Heath | United Kingdom | $430,000 | 129 |
| 8th | Danny Tang | Hong Kong | $336,000 | 101 |
| 9th | Luc Greenwood | Canada | $268,000 | 80 |
Masashi Oya, Jason Koon, and Leon Sturm Enter Top 40 on PGT Leaderboard
Masashi Oya's first WSOP bracelet in Event #9 at WSOP Paradise was also his first career PGT win. Oya now climbs into the Top 40 and sits 39th overall with 1,079 PGT points from his 12 total cashes. Oya will most likely need to add to his PGT points total in the remaining eight events of the season to secure his place in the Top 40, qualifying him for a seat in the PGT Championship $1,000,000 Freeroll on January 9-10, 2024.
Although Koon fell short of his second WSOP bracelet, he picked up some much-needed PGT points and moved into 33rd overall with 1,162 PGT points. Leon Sturm picked up 400 PGT points for his third-place finish in Event #9 and is now 20th on the PGT leaderboard with 1,304 PGT points.
Other players finishing in the money in Event #9 and moving up the PGT leaderboard include Ren Lin, extending his lead in sixth place, Nick Schulman, moving to 12th, and Justin Bonomo, climbing to 53rd. Quan Zhou and Justin Bonomo rise into the Top 100, while Ivan Luca and Benjamin Heath jump into the Top 200, and Danny Tang sits 300th overall on the PGT leaderboard. Players falling out of the Top 40 on the PGT leaderboard include Jans Arends, Jonas Kronwitter, and Chino Rheem.
To view the PGT leaderboard, check out pgt.com/leaderboard.
8 Events Remaining in PGT Season
| Event Number | Starting Date | Event |
| 125 | December 13, 2023 | WSOP Paradise Event #13: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship |
| 126 | December 14, 2023 | WSOP Paradise Event #15: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Max |
| 127 | January 2, 2024 | PGT Last Chance #1: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em |
| 128 | January 3, 2024 | PGT Last Chance #2: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em |
| 129 | January 4, 2024 | PGT Last Chance #3: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em |
| 130 | January 5, 2024 | PGT Last Chance #4: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em |
| 131 | January 6, 2024 | PGT Last Chance #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em |
| 132 | January 7, 2024 | PGT Last Chance #6: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em |
| January 9-10, 2024 | PGT Championship $1,000,000 Freeroll |
For complete PGT schedule information, check out pgt.com/schedule.
*Masashi Oya winner picture courtesy of WSOP.com
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