As the children told me what part they played in their school production of The Wizard of Oz, my role, way back in 1985, seemed like a chicken carcass to a king.
I played the role of Toto the Dog.
I guess you can call me a bad actor.
GGPoker doesn’t want that label. The fastest-growing online poker room this side of the nearest alien, has never operated in the U.S., so it won’t be easy to pin that particular tail onto this thoroughbred, but GG is not taking any chances.
The Head of GGPoker, Jean-Christophe Antoine, has announced plans to withdraw from 12 markets coloured with grey felt tip. Typically, it’s been a hush-hush process, with little in the way of pomp and circumstance, expected, considering GGPoker’s desire to stay away from the bottom of the mortar and the mighty pestle of the governments that are likely to crush them for fiddling in no-go zones.
If you play on skins that use the GGPoker Network in Belgium, Bulgaria, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Switzerland then you need to find somewhere else to create some scars.
But don’t worry.
Like Arnie, GGPoker will be back.
Antoine told someone (I can’t find the root source), that then became a lot of people, that GGPoker would work hard at acquiring the necessary licenses in those jurisdictions as well as trying to obtain new ones.
Like the U.S.?
I keep banging on about the U.S. because GGPoker has signed Daniel Negreanu, and I can’t think of a better way to legitimise your operation than by signing arguably the most famous poker player this side of Groot’s Donkey Kong.
According to reports, players on Natural8 have been told to close their accounts, and withdraw their dineros. In 2013, partypoker poured boiling water on 18 grey markets, before re-entering 21 European and South American markets in 2016, so GGPoker folks, keep your powder dry (thanks to CardsChat’s Daniel Smyth for the grind on those stats).
The Nutshell History of GGPoker
GGPoker began life in the Asian markets where skins such as Natural8 grew in popularity (Kitty Kuo, Michael Soyza and Danny Tang are brand ambassadors).
As the network became more popular, GG focused its attention on the European market and obtained a license from the UK Gambling Commission. After signing Bryn Kenney as their only brand ambassador, the All-Time Money Leader helped them create the most delicious menu of online high stakes multi-table tournament (MTT) action in the market, with $25,000 buy-in events more popular than mugs of tea in Stockport.
High Rollers Week
To prove that they’re no Toto The Dog, GGPoker is hosting a $10m GTD High Rollers Week. The shebang runs Dec 1 to Dec 9, and it will compete alongside PokerStars $11m GTD High Roller Series, the Winning Poker Network’s (WPN) $6m GTD Venom tournament, and partypoker’s $20m GTD MILLIONS Online extravaganza.
It seems its more natural to breath life into dead flowers than run an online poker room.
Ask Phil Galfond.
Yet, the man didn’t become one of the best in the business without the grit, determination and resilience needed to overcome the obstacles that Joseph Campbell always maintained would bar your way.
Galfond needs more sweaty palms covering mice that fire arrows onto Run It Once like Robin Hood on crack, and one of the ways he intends to do that is to bring high stakes online cash game action to his baby.
In a post entitled: “Heads-Up Battle,”, Galfond goes old school, issuing a high stakes challenge to everyone except his current roster of Run It Once pros.
“Who wants to play some high stakes poker with a washed-up ex-pro?”
There are two ways to get involved in the action.
Galfond is offering a Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) challenge to all coaches that work on Run It Once’s competitor sites. He suggests Heads-Up, PLO over 50k hands, and a 3:1 side bet of 10 buy-ins played at 100/200+.
Galfond would consider dropping the stakes to get some action, but judging by feedback on his blog, it’s likely high stakes fans will get the knitting needles in the eyes they so desperately want.
Outside of PLO superheroes, Galfond offered a second challenge to anyone who thinks they have what it takes to topple a man the poker community would gladly memorialise with a golden statue.
Here are the deets:
Prefer 100/200 through 300/600 PLO.
Will consider as low as 25/50
Will consider PLO/NL, PLO / limit games, and perhaps even straight NL if I get desperate enough!
Strongly prefer play on Run It Once Poker, but would consider some or all of the match played elsewhere if necessary.
You accept that I might make training content around the match and/or stream some of the match.
Any opponent who would stream some of the match (on RIO Poker) will get preference and possibly better terms.
The format is similar to the ‘Durrr Challenge,’ and who was the only player Tom Dwan omitted from that challenge – Mr Phil Galfond.
If you are interested in taking him on, then send an email to support@runitonce.ru with “Phil’s HU Challenge” as the title.
But there’s more than one way to skin a sloth.
Want to be a Legend?
Galfond has many attributes, and one of them is his humility. In a blog post, entitled “Become a Legend”, the online cash game genius admits that his beloved ‘Splash the Pot’ Rakeback system, isn’t as loved as he would like.
During his time streaming and talking with players, Galfond has had to admit that some poker players prefer the older, volume-based way of grinding profits through Rakeback.
“As should be obvious from all of my previous discussion on the topic, I don’t share that view, but it doesn’t really matter what I think,” wrote Galfond. “If we are giving back over half of our rake collected and a number of players view our rewards as worse than sites which offer 20% flat Rakeback, then we are failing miserably at getting the most out of our rewards system.”
In what Galfond calls ‘the first time that we’ve substantially altered course based on customer feedback,’ Run It Once’s rewards system changes. Rakeback reserved for Splash the Pot reduces from 51% to 30%, and soon, players can compete for splashes worth 100bb without risking any chips. Run It Once are set to implement “all-in for nothing” splashes, where the best hand at showdown wins 70% of the splash, with 30% reserved for the table.
The reduction in ‘Splash the Pot’ Rakeback allows Galfond to siphon rake to the new Legends program where players can earn up to 45% Rakeback (making that 75% in total). Legends is a point-based, tiered-system where a single point equates to €0.05 in gross rake paid, and there is a variety of fun and innovative ways that you can boost your scores including the first login of the week, first hand of the day, and clearing a rewards level. Run It Once plans to pay Rakeback weekly, and they’ve also added a rolling 4-Week Streak Rakeback boost for achieving a specific tier or higher four weeks in a row.
There is also insane value for people brave enough to keep games running with 1.5x point multipliers for 3-handed action, and 2x multipliers for battling heads-up.
Click on this link to learn more about the Legends program.
This week, we’ve seen the highest traffic of the last 6 months. The Legends program is the first product upgrade that has had an impact this significant.
Seeing users react to something you & the team have created is the most thrilling part of biz.
While PokerStars 27-event, $11m GTD, High Roller series is a far cry from the multi-millions fought over in the live high roller tournaments across the globe, it’s still going to attract high roller brethren like kites to electricity pylons.
From Dec 1 – 9, the world’s largest online poker room will usher superyachts into their harbour with the lure of action ranging from between $530 – $10,300. There’s also room for the odd tugboat with feeder satellites starting at $5.50.
The Poker Gods from the Isle of Man promise one daily event with a guarantee of $500,000, and the series opens with a $10,300, $1m GTD No-Limit Hold’em event and three more games with combined guarantees of $1.1m.
The one day that high rollers don’t want to be caught outside with a hatchet driving into wood is Sunday, December 8. The schedule contains four events ranging between $530 and $10,300 with $3.15m in guarantees.
Included in that honey pot is the $5,200, $2m GTD NLHE Main Event. Starting December 8 and ending December 11, the four-day dingaling is a 250 big blind bash allowing players to fire three bullets before late registration ends somewhere near the start of Day 2.
Here is the schedule in full.
Schedule in Full (All Times CET)
Dec 1: 19:00 $10,300 NLHE, $1m GTD
Dec 1: 20:30 $1,050 NLHE PKO, $500k GTD
Dec 1: 22:00 $530 NLHE Turbo, $300k GTD
Dec 1: 23:00 $1,050 NLHE Hyper-Turbo, $300k GTD
Dec 2: 19:00 $5,200 NLHE PKO, $500k GTD
Dec 2: 20:30 $530 NLHE, $250k GTD
Dec 2: 22:00 $1,050 NLHE, $200k GTD
Dec 3: 19:00 $10,300 NLHE, $1m GTD
Dec 3: 20:30 $1,050 PLO 6-Max, $150k GTD
Dec 3: 22:00 $530 NLHE PKO, $200k GTD
Dec 4: 19:00 $5,200 NLHE, $500k GTD
Dec 4: 20:30 $530 NLHE, 200k GTD
Dec 4: 22:00 $1,050 NLHE, $200k GTD
Dec 5: 19:00 $10,300 NLHE PKO, $1m GTD
Dec 5: 20:30 $1,050 8-Game, $100k GTD
Dec 5: 22:00 $530 NLHE, $150k GTD
Dec 6: 19:00 $5,200 NLHE, $500k GTD
Dec 6: 20:30 $1,050 NLHE, $200k GTD
Dec 6: 22:00 $530 NLHE PKO, $150k GTD
Dec 7: 19:00 $5,200 6+Hold’em, $250k GTD
Dec 7: 20:30 $1,050 NLHE PKO $250k GTD
Dec 7: 22:00 $530 NLHE, $150k GTD
Dec 8: 19:00 $5,200 NLHE Main Event, $2m GTD
Dec 8: 20:30 $10,300 PLO 6-Max, $500k GTD
Dec 8: 22:00 $2,100 NLHE PKO, $400k GTD
Dec 8: 23:00 $530 NLHE Hyper Turbo, $250k GTD
Dec 9: 13:00 $5,200 NLHE, $500k GTD
PokerStars High Rollers: A Brief History
The PokerStars High Roller Series fell out of a bloody womb in 2017 with 22-events and $11.4m in guaranteed prize money. Winners included Fedor Holz, Simon Mattsson and Talal Shakerchi.
The $2,100, $2m GTD No-Limit Hold’em Main Event attracted 1,135-entrants, and ‘Sanderssi’ from Finland won $294,685 after cutting a four-way deal with ‘jutrack’ from the UK ($226,162), ’Maz&Yauskas’ from the UK ($250,000) and ‘MATT HOLVIK’ from Canada ($250,000).
PokerStars extended the number of events to 27 in 2018 but carved a million bucks off the previous year’s guarantee. ‘th’Kick’ from Switzerland won the $413,157 first prize in the $2,100, $2m GTD No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. He also finished third in the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) Main Event in 2017 for a career-high score of $690,348.
The Main Event pulled in 1,333-entrants, and Connor “blanconegro” Drinan came fourth, Simon “C.Darwin2” Mattsson finished sixth, and Ole “wizowizo” Schemion’s claim for a title ended in seventh.
PokerStars was so happy with the turnout, in Nov 2018, they created the PokerStars High Roller Club, where people joust in tournaments with buy-ins ranging between $530 – $2,100. Six events take place Mon-Sat, with seven on each Sunday.
What better way to welcome yuletide than settling down with a big bowl of your mother’s soup, a bowl full of cherries and the chance to win more than $2m squid playing online poker. partypoker MILLIONS Online returns, one year after its record-breaking debut. It’s time to start throwing pennies into a well.
The groom to MILLIONS Live’s bride begins on Sunday, December 1, and ends on December 10. Last year, the buy-in was $5,300. This year, partypoker has doubled it, bringing it in line with the MILLIONS Live buy-ins, and that means they have to bring out their mightiest marketing mallet.
A year ago, partypoker defied all odds to destroy the record for most significant online multi-table tournament (MTT) prize pool, when 4,367-entrants created a $21,385,000 prize pool (the previous best score was less than $13m).
Rob Yong and the gang need to attract 2,179-entrants to break the record, and it’s imperative they get off to a sizzling start. In a bid to do this, partypoker promises that should the Day 1A chip leader win the event then they will give that person an additional $1m in prize money.
Last year, Manuel “Sheparentao” Ruivo ($2,329,944 ) and Pim “ForMatherRussia” de Goede ($2,309,995) cut a heads-up deal with Ruivo going on to win. Scarmak3r ($1,364,688) and Pedro “Maddonaa” Marques ($1,091,750) also netted seven-figure scores. The only caveat on the Day 1A promo is should they get to the final table they cannot cut a deal.
The biggest $10k+ online MTT event in history contains four starting flights, and partypoker has already given away more than $1m in free seats in November alone.
Online Poker Round-Up
If you fancy a flutter on a potential winner of the MILLIONS Online, then look no further than ‘Junglemandan.’ No, it’s not the charismatic, cash game phenom, just someone who stole his identity, but man is he playing like him.
Over the weekend, ‘Junglemandan’ won the $215 buy-in 4,567-entrant partypoker MILLION for $153,000, and also took down the partypoker $5,200 High Roller Big Game for $105,450. According to Pocketfives, ‘Junglemandan’ made a total of four final tables over the weekend.
There was also a victory for the PocketFives World #2, Johannes “Greenstone25’ Korsar, who conquered a 99-entrant field in the partypoker $2,100 High Roller for $59,302 (Junglemandan finished ninth)
PocketFives World Rankings
Sami ‘LarsLuzak’ Kelopuro
Johannes “Greenstone25’ Korsar
Patrick ‘pleno1’ Leonard
Niklas ‘Lena900’ Åstedt
DeathByQuads
There are rules in life that we should all follow, and if those rules should sizzle into nothingness anarchy would ensue.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.
“You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, nor his ox or donkey.”
“Poker players must head to the Bahamas in January for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA).”
Houston we have a problem, and it’s not the lack of oxen and donkeys.
For the first time since 2004, there is no PCA, leaving January looking more cabbages than caviar for professional poker players eager to harness up the yoke.
It’s a hole that needed filling, and Poker Central has turned up with a bag full of cement.
Cary Katz’s team has announced plans to host the first-ever Australian Poker Open, and Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) Australia. The whole shebang runs from Jan 25 through to Feb 2, and PokerGO subscribers get to see both events.
The Star Gold Coast in Broadbeach, Queensland acts as host, and the World Poker Tour (WPT) will partner with the venue and Poker Central on this one. In October, the WPT held their inaugural 10-game series at The Star, and Hari Varma conquered a field of 658-entrants to win the $184,537 first prize in the AUD 2,500 No-Limit Hold’em WPT Australia Main Event.
Australian Poker Open
The Australian Poker Open is a points-based system consisting of seven events, with the winner earning an additional AUD 50,000 prize.
Schedule of Events:
Jan 25 – Australian Poker Open Event #1: $10K No Limit Hold’em
Jan 26 – Australian Poker Open Event #2: $10K Pot Limit Omaha
Jan 27 – Australian Poker Open Event #3: $10K No Limit Hold’em
Jan 28 – Australian Poker Open Event #4: $25K Pot Limit Omaha
Jan 29 – Australian Poker Open Event #5: $25K No Limit Hold’em
Jan 30 – Australian Poker Open Event #6: $50K No Limit Hold’em
Jan 31 – Australian Poker Open Event #7: $100K No Limit Hold’em
Poker Central created the US Poker Open in 2018. Stephen Chidwick was the first to wear the crown followed by David Peters. In September, Poker Central created the British Poker Open (BPO), and Sam Soverel won the first event in London.
The Super High Roller Bowl
The $250,000 SHRB Australia takes place on Feb 2.
Previous Winners of SHRB Events
Las Vegas
2015: Brian Rast ($7.525m)*
2016: Rainer Kempe ($5m)
2017: Christoph Vogelsang ($6m)
2018: Justin Bonomo ($5m)
2018: Isaac Haxton ($3.672m)
*Buy-in was $500k before reverting to $300k
China
2018: Justin Bonomo ($4.823m)
Bahamas
2018: Daniel Dvoress ($4.08m)
In 35-days, Father Christmas will have come and gone, millions of people would have earned the bronze medal, falling short of a myriad of New Years’ resolutions that never got past the 24-hour mark, and all eyes in the poker world will stare towards Melbourne.
But we have one more month to go before 2019 is locked in a vault.
We have Player of the Year’s to herald.
Let’s take a look at the tapestry.
December Tournaments
Three primary events will shape the 2019 Player of the Year (POY) awards.
The World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock & Roll Poker Open.
The World Poker Tour Five Diamond World Poker Classic.
The European Poker Tour Prague.
The World Poker Tour (WPT) Seminole Hard Rock & Roll Poker Open
There is one event that will attract North American High Rollers, and that’s the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller: Mon & Tue 2-3 Dec.
It’s the first time an event of this magnitude has appeared on the schedule. In 2015, Jason Mercier defeated a field of 83-entrants to win the $517,187 first prize, and in 2016, Ben Tollerene defeated a field of 21-entrants in a $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em event for $459,228.
Of interest, Sean Winter finished third in 2015, and second in 2016. Winter currently sits second in the Global Poker Index (GPI) POY race and fifth in the Poker Central’s equivalent.
World Poker Tour Five Diamond World Poker Classic
The World Poker Tour (WPT) Five Diamond World Poker Classic runs at the same time as the European Poker Tour (EPT) in Prague, so it will be fascinating to see where the high rollers believe the value lies.
There are three $25k events and a $100k game. Also, there are five $10k events across all major disciplines – more than enough action to keep players with deep pockets busy.
Here are the highlights.
Dec 9-10: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller
Dec 10-11 $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller
Dec 12-13 $10,000 8-Game Mix
Dec 13-14 $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller
Dec 15-16 $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller
Dec 16-21 $10,000 WPT Five Diamond Main Event
Dec 19-20 $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller
Dec 20-21 $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller
Dec 21 $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller
The WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic dropped the name of Doyle Brunson from the doorframe in 2014.
Here are the scores on the board since then.
In 2014, Mohsin Charania defeated a field of 586-entrants to win the $10,000 Five Diamond Main Event for $1,177,90, and Andrew Lichtenberger won the 55-entrant $100,000 WPT No-Limit Hold’em Alpha8 event for $1,770,692.
In 2015, Sam Stein conquered a 65-entrant field to win the $122,220 first prize in the $10,400 Pot-Limit Omaha, Kevin Eyster vanquished 639-entrants on his way to capturing the $1,587,382 first prize in the WPT Five Diamond Main Event, and Fedor Holz defeated the 45-entrant $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Alpha8 event for $1,589,219.
The WPT Five Diamond became high roller heaven in 2016. James Romero won the 791-entrant $10,400 Main Event for $1,938,118, Jason Koon defeated a 43-entrant field to win a $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller for $412,800, Ankush Mandavia then beat Jason Koon, heads-up, to win a 64-entrant $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller for $403,532, and Jan Schwippert took down the 38-entrant $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller for $1,439,274.
Things went a tad insane in 2017 when Justin Bonomo won two $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Rollers for a combined haul of $460,000, Stefan Schillhabel, Keith Tilston, Rainer Kempe and Jason Koon also picked up $25,000 No-Limit High Roller wins. Sergio Aido won a 28-entrant $10,000 No-Limit High Roller, Ryan Tosoc beat Alex Foxen, heads-up, to win the Main Event for $1,958,065, and Dan Smith mauled a 39-entrant $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller to collect $1,404,000.
Last year saw Joshua Ladiness and Sam Soverel win $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha events, Sam Soverel also won a $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em, and John Hennigan won a $10,000 Mixed Games event. Manig Loeser, Nick Petrangelo and Seth Davies won $25,000 games. Dylan Linde won the record-breaking 1,001-entrant Main Event for $1,631,468, and Jake Schindler earned $1,332,000 for winning the 37-entrant No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller.
European Poker Tour Prague
EPT Prague has four €10k events, three €25k events, and a €50k game.
Here are the highlights,
Dec 6-7: €10,300 No-Limit Hold’em
Dec 8: €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Dec 9-11: €50,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Dec 11: €10,200 No-Limit Hold’em
Dec 12: €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Dec 14: €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Dec 15-17 €10,300 No-Limit Hold’em
Dec 16: €10,300 No-Limit Hold’em
In 2014, Leonid Markin topped a field of 51-entrants to win the €771,360 first prize in a €50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller.
In 2015, Rainer Kempe won an 80-entrant €25,500 No-Limit High Roller for €539,900, and Steve O’Dwyer won the 56-entrant €50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller for €746,543.
In 2016, Isaac Haxton, Sam Greenwood and Sergi Reixach won €25,000 events, and Leon Tsoukernik defeated a field of 49-entrants to win the €741,100 first prize in the €50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller.
In 2017, Igor Kurganov and Albert Daher won €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em events, and Timothy Adams won the €555,000 first prize in the 34-entrant €50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller.
Last year, Thomas Boivin and Corentin Ropert won €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Rollers, and Matthias Eibinger took the €653,000 first prize in the €50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller.
Here are the current GPI POY and Poker Central High Roller of the Year standings.
Winter has cashed in both the Rock & Roll Poker Open and the Five Diamond event. Stephen Chidwick and Rainer Kempe have made money at the Five Diamond and EPT Prague. Interestingly, Burns hasn’t appeared in the pecking order of any of these events before.
Points accrued at EPT Prague only count for the GPI POY.
Global Poker Index Player of the Year
Kahle Burns – 3,548.08
Sean Winter – 3,525.43
Stephen Chidwick – 3,428.36
Rainer Kempe – 3,421.86
Manig Loeser – 3,327.95
Poker Central High Roller of the Year
Sam Soverel – 2,820
Cary Katz – 2,000
Ali Imsirovic – 1,685
Stephen Chidwick – 1,580
Sean Winter – 1,300
It’s time to break down the broad beams of poker’s Triple Crown.
Adrian Mateos is pushing the issue.
The #1 All-Time Spanish Money earner has had a MILLIONS World Bahamas that would make even the hardest poker sceptic hum with admiration. Less than a week ago, Mateos was the most chilled person in the house, taking down the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em MILLIONS Super High Roller for $520,464. He’s just added another $1,162,805 to his bank balance after surviving the 948 entrants in the $10,000, $10m GTD MILLIONS World Bahamas Main Event.
It’s Mateos’s 16th win of his career and his second of 2019. It’s also his third seven-figure score, and the following accomplishments rank amongst his roll call:
The 2013 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) Main Event.
The 2015 European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final in Monte Carlo.
The 2016 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em.
The 2017 WSOP $10,000 Heads-Up Championship.
All of this means Mateos is a World Poker Tour (WPT) title away from being the only player in history to win all four majors.
As I said, those beams are coming down, and it’s the calloused trophy hands of Mateos ripping them apart.
Here is the nutshell action.
The Nutshell Action
Final Table Seat Draw
Seat 1: Peter Jetten – 41,500,000
Seat 2: William Blais – 120,000,000
Seat 3: Aaron Van Blarcum – 144,000,000
Seat 4: Scott Wellenbach – 87,000,000
Seat 5: Adrian Mateos – 144,000,000
Seat 6: Chris Hunichen – 305,000,000
Seat 7: Oleg Mandzjuk – 61,500,000
Seat 8: Gregory Baird – 44,500,000
Chris Hunichen opened with a raise to 9,000,000 from midfield, Gregory Baird three-bet 44,000,000 from the cutoff, Hunichen put Gregory all-in, and he called for his last million. When the hands were turned over, Baird felt as warm and cosy as Angelina Jolie’s lips, with sevens ahead of sixes. Those lips would soon feel cracked, however, when a third six hit the river to send Baird to the rail.
Then we lost Peter Jetten after the Canadian moved all-in for 39,500,000, holding KdTh, and Scott Wellenbach found pocket queens and the call from the big blind. Jetten would river a second ten, but it wasn’t good enough, and the rail beckoned.
Aaron Van Blarcum needed a little nudge to get going, and it happened when William Blais moved all-in for 125,000,000 on the button, and Van Blarcum called with the smaller stack from the small blind. Blais turned over 9d7d, and Van Blarcum was ahead with AdQs, and a second queen on the turn dashed all hope for Blais.
The mandatory German final table incumbent ran out of magic dust in the sixth spot. Scott Wellenbach opened to 12,500,000 from the hijack seat, and then called with a covering stack when Oleg Mandzjuk moved all-in for 51,500,000 from the small blind. Wellenbach was ahead with Ad8d versus 5d4d, and Mandzjuk went straight to hell without passing go after Wellenbach turned the nut flush.
William Blais followed Mandzjuk into the fire not long after. Hunichen opened to 12,000,000 from the cutoff, Blais three-bet to 19,000,000 from the button, and then called when Hunichen moved all-in with the bigger of the two chip collections. Blais was ahead with As8d facing off against QcTh, but the Qh on the river drew a suffocating veil over the head of Blais who then stumbled over the rail, and nobody ever saw him again.
The elimination of Blais gave Hunichen a massive chip lead.
Chris Hunichen – 472,000,000
Aaron Van Blarcum – 175,500,000
Adrian Mateos – 166,000,000
Scott Wellenbach – 134,500,000
Wellenbach had the lowest stack, and the next elimination went the way of math. The action folded to Van Blarcum in the small blind, and he moved all-in for 121,000,000, and Wellenbach called for 45,500,000. Van Blarcum tabled Ad9h and was ahead of the Qh5c. It stayed that way for five community cards, and Wellenbach left the tournament with a big smile on his face, hiding a smidgen of disappointment.
Then came one of the pivotal passages of play in the tournament.
Hunichen had become a flock of red-billed quelea, with everyone else looking exceedingly hummingbird-like, when Mateos decided to open his wings and flap up a storm.
Firstly, Hunichen opened to 15,000,000 on the button, and Mateos called in the big blind. Three fives hit the flop, Hunichen bet 20,000,000, and Mateos called. The action checked through the Js turn, and when the 9s hit the river, Mateos check-called a 60,000,000 Hunichen bet. Mateos showed Kd9d for a full-house, and Hunichen mucked his hand.
Next, Hunichen once again opened to 15,000,000 from the button, and Mateos called from the big blind. This time the flop was AcJd6h, and Mateos check-called a 20,000,000 Hunichen bet. The 7s hit the turn, and the same action ensued for 69,000,000, and on the Ts river, Mateos checked, Hunichen moved his covering stack over the line, and Mateos called. Hunichen showed AhKd for a pair of aces, but Mateos doubled up with pocket sevens for the set.
Hunichen retook the lead without playing a hand when Van Blarcum doubled through Mateos when AcJc out flopped, turned, and rivered the pocket sevens of the Spaniard, and it was at this time that the final three players agreed upon a deal.
Chris Hunichen – $1,097,195
Adrian Mateos – $1,062,805
Aaron Van Blarcum – $970,000
No sympathy anywhere to be seen.
That left $100,000 in the middle.
The players also agreed to cut the levels down to 30-minutes.
Hunichen was the first to leave after getting it in with Ah3c against the dominating AdKc of Van Blarcum, giving the fans a heads-up encounter of even stack-sizes if not experience and skill.
Adrian Mateos – 496,000,000 Aaron Van Blarcum – 452,000,000
Van Blarcum took the lead, and then Mateos regained it, and never rescinded it. The final hand saw Van Blarcum move all-in blind, and Mateos call with Jc9h. Van Blarcum turned over Doyle Brunson’s superweapon (Tc2h), and a nine on the flop cemented Mateos’s position as the winner and the collector of that additional $100,000.
Final Table Results
Adrian Mateos – $1,162,805*
Aaron Van Blarcum – $970,000*
Chris Hunichen – $1,097,195*
Scott Wellenbach – $650,000
William Blais – $500,000
Oleg Mandzjuk – $350,000
Peter Jetten – $250,000
Gregory Baird – $180,000
Three other high rollers who went deeper than an osmium badge dropped into the Mariana Trench were Philipp Gruissem (9th), Alex Foxen (12th) and Ryan Riess (13th).
Elimination Richard Yong
At the turn of the year, Richard Yong was the man sitting on the Malaysian All-Time Money List throne with $11.3m in live tournament earnings. Yong is an entrepreneur first, and a poker player second, but he would have been as proud as a newly minted alpha wolf, and it would have hurt to see his Triton co-founder, Paul Phua, win more than that in a single calendar year, to replace him.
There’s some fight in the old wolf, yet.
Yong has taken down an ultra-competitive $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em at the partypoker MILLIONS World in the Bahamas. Sixty-three entrants (20 re-entries) ripped off their muzzles and snapped at people in this one, creating a $3,055,500 prize pool, and Yong banked a portion worth $850,000.
It’s Yong’s third live tournament win in 19 cashes giving him a healthy 15% win rate when cashing. His first tournament victory came during the 2015 Aussie Millions, winning the AUD 100,000 Challenge for $1.4m. His last title came last year, taking down the HKD 250,000 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max at the Triton Super High Roller Series in Montenegro for $388,024.
Eight of the finest No-Limit Hold’em players in the game flocked to the final table, including three of the four front runners in the race to be crowned the 2019 Global Poker Index (GPI) Player of the Year (POY).
Rainer Kempe is the outside bet for that award. Kempe finished in eighth place for $150,000. The German star also finished 112th in the $25,500 No-Limit Hold’em MILLIONS World Super High Roller and finished seventh in the MILLIONS Vegas Main Event in June.
Sean Winter is the second of three looking for GPI honours. Incredibly, Winter decided to shorten his schedule as his partner is expecting a baby. It hasn’t stopped him piling on the points. Winter had a superb Poker Masters finishing ITM in four events. He also cashed in the $25,500 MILLIONS World Super High Roller, in 14th place.
Leading the GPI POY race is Kahle Burns. The Australian also performed well in the Poker Masters, cashing in three events, including winning a $25,000 game. Burns was one of the stars of the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE), winning two bracelets, and earning close to a million bucks, and he finished third in this one.
Sam Soverel deposed Ali Imsirovic as the Poker Masters champion a few weeks ago, and both players made this final table. Imsirovic finishing seventh and Soverel claimed the fourth prize. Soverel’s placing almost certainly ensures he retains his Poker Central High Roller of the Year crown.
There was also a place for a revigorated Phil Ivey. The former card-for-card best in the business finished sixth for $220,000. Ivey has rarely been seen on the live tournament circuit in recent years, but had a sterling WSOPE, cashing for close to $1.7m. He also finished fourth in the $25,500 MILLIONS World Super High Roller.
All great players, but none of them made it through to the heads-up phase. Yong’s final opponent would be Orpen Kisacikoglu. The London-based entrepreneur had reached the heads-up stage of live tournaments on four occasions, only losing once. Yong had a 50/50 record from six ventures past the great wall.
Yong would win the match-up to take first prize. Kisacikoglu’s great run continues after finishing 15th in the $10k and 7th in the $25k.
Here are the final results.
ITM Results
Richard Yong – $850,000
Orpen Kisacikoglu – $550,000
Kahle Burns – $400,000
Sam Soverel – $320,500
Sean Winter – $260,000
Phil Ivey – $220,000
Ali Imsirovic – $180,000
Rainer Kempe – $150,000
Michael Zhang – $125,000
The record books show that Adrian Mateos won the $25,500 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller at partypoker MILLIONS WORLD Bahamas, but Brock Wilson was the real winner.
125-entrants created a $3.125m prize pool, and Wilson collected the most significant chunk of change after securing a favourable heads-up deal with Adrian Mateos that saw him earn a lifetime best of $619,536. After striking the agreement, the pair agreed to flip for the title; Mateos won.
Wilson won’t be too bothered about that. The win dwarfs his previous best score of $62,250, earned during a World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) victory in the summer of 2018.
Mateos banked $520,464 for his 15th win in 153 ITM finishes. It’s his first victory since taking down a $25k High Roller at the Aria in the summer of 2018, and his biggest win since taking fifth in the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl for $972,000.
The #1 Spanish All-Time Money earner now has $18.2m in live tournament cashes, $6.1m ahead of the legendary Carlos Mortensen.
Final Table Seat Draw
Seat 1: Adrian Mateos – 15,500,000
Seat 2: David Eldridge – 16,000,000
Seat 3: Michael Zhang – 8,300,000
Seat 4: Niall Farrell – 6,200,000
Seat 5: Christopher Fraser – 26,600,000
Seat 6: Orpen Kisacikoglu – 14,000,000
Seat 7: Brock Wilson – 18,800,000
Seat 8: Ben Pollak – 19,200,000
The Nutshell Action
Michael Zhang opened to 3,900,000 from midfield, and then called when Christopher Fraser moved all-in with the covering stack from the cutoff. It was a flip with Fraser ahead with pocket tens against Big Slick. The tens dodged both the ace and king’s sentry towers to send Zhang to the rail.
The next elimination pitted Niall Farrell in the role of the sheepdog, and Orpen Kisacikoglu as the sheep. Scotland’s number one moved all-in from the button holding pocket fives, and Kisacikoglu called with Kd8s. Farrell dodged both overcards and ushered the London-based entrepreneur quietly to the rail.
Benjamin Pollak was the next player to feel spit turning into foam. Brock Wilson made it 1,700,000 to play from under the gun and then called after the Frenchman moved all-in for 14,000,000 in the next seat. Wilson called, and his pocket aces made the ace-ten of Pollak want to climb back into the deck’s womb. The Js9d7h flop gave Pollak some hope; the turn and river did not.
Then we lost Niall Farrell in the fifth place. The No-Limit Gaming ambassador moved all-in from the button holding Ah7c and ten big blinds, only for Fraser to call and gobble him up like Desperate Dan eats meat pies with KsQh in the small blind – a king on the flop seeing Fraser wiping his mouth with glee.
Fraser wiped another player off the map when he called an all-in from David Aldridge holding pocket nines. Aldridge turned over pocket eights, the Poker Gods resisted the temptation to create an upset, and Aldridge was out.
Heading into three-handed action, Brock Wilson was the man.
Chip Counts
Brock Wilson – 82,300,000 Adrian Mateos – 25,700,000 Christopher Fraser – 17,000,000
Heads-up would become a battle between America and Spain after Wilson eliminated Fraser in third-place. Fraser shipped his final 15 bigs on a flop of Kx8x4x, and Wilson made the call. Fraser held 7x5x for the gutterball, and Wilson was ahead with Ks3s for top pair. The nefarious gutshot never showed, and Wilson took a massive lead into heads-up action.
Heads-Up Tale of the Tape
Brock Wilson – 98,500,000
Adrian Mateos – 27,500,000
Wilson caught Mateos’s hand in the cookie jar to extend his lead to 105,000,000 v 18,500,000.
Mateos doubled up when pocket tens beat Ks8s.
Brock Wilson – 80,600,000
Adrian Mateos – 44,400,000
It’s at this time that heads-up aficionados were left bitterly disappointed. The pair decided to run the numbers, Wilson banked $619,536, Mateos collected $520,464, and the couple then flipped for the trophy, title, and headlines – the Spaniard won.
Final Table Results
Adrian Mateos – $520,464*
Brock Wilson – $619,536*
Christopher Fraser – $326,250
David Eldridge – $255,000
Niall Farrell – $200,000
Ben Pollak – $160,000
Orpen Kisacikoglu – $135,000
Michael Zhang – $115,000
*Indicates a heads-up deal
Seven more high rollers who went deeper than an hour-long discussion on the existence of perversion were Darren Elias (9th), Rainer Kempe (12th), Peter Jetten (13th), Sean Winter (14th), Kristen Bicknell (15th), Alex Foxen (16th, and Elio Fox (17th).
It’s an
overstatement to say that Daniel Dvoress likes the Bahamas – I mean, who
doesn’t like the Bahamas – but Daniel Dvoress really likes the Bahamas.
His
first-ever live cash came in the 2013 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in
the Bahamas, finishing 39th in a $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em event for $2,700. His
first-ever win in a live tournament came in last year’s same series, winning a
$25,000 No-Limit Hold’em game for $73,785.
Then he
rocks up to the Baha Mar and takes down the 51-entrant $250,000 Super High
Roller Bowl for $4,080,000. Given that the previous field size of his first win
fitted in an inkpot (6-players), it’s safe to say that this was his first
‘real’ victory, and it took him less than two days to pick up his second.
Dvoress
secured back-to-back Bahamian boom-booms after taking down the $25,000
Short-Deck event at partypoker MILLIONS World, and it wasn’t easy. The final
six players were a tombstone makers dream with $97.2m in live tournament
winnings between them.
John
Cynn finished in sixth place for only the fourth cash since winning the 2018
World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Ike Haxton shifted his annual earnings
to $3.7m after taking fifth (the third-best yearly haul of his career).
Phil
Ivey continued his healthy return to the live tournament tables with a
fourth-place finish. Ivey cashed four times at the WSOP in the Summer before
picking up $1.7m in winnings during the World Series of Poker Europe
(WSOPE).
The
third-place spot belonged to one of the hottest live tournament players on the
circuit. Chin Wei Lim has earned $7.3m this year, including a tenth place
finish in the Triton Million for £1.2m, before going on to win the €100,000
Diamond High Roller for $2.4m, and finishing second in the €250,000 Super High
Roller for $1.9m, both at the WSOPE.
The
heads-up action came down to a battle of the Daniels.
Both
Tang and Dvoress had recently played the role of the grim statue as the photog
poured praise onto someone else. The location was Montenegro. The series was
Triton. And on each occasion, both Daniels played second fiddle to a man called
Bryn Kenney (Dvoress lost the HKD 500k, and Tang lost the HKD 1m).
Dvoress
also lost a second heads-up skirmish in Montenegro, when John Juanda beat him
to win the HD 250,000 Short-Deck, and in 2017 he lost heads-up in two €50k
events at the PokerStars Championships in Panama (Ben Tollerene) and Monte
Carlo (Adrian Mateos).
Tang
had picked up seven silver medals, four of which have been in World Poker Tour
(WPT) side events. The $1.8m Tang received for losing to Kenney in Montenegro
sweetened that one.
The
history books showed that Dvoress had the experience, and it helped, as he
overcame Tang to collect another primetime victory. You wait for six-years for
your first big win, and then two come along, just like buses.
