The poker world is full of distant pinprick stars.
Mikita Badziakouski isn’t one of them.
With more than $28m in live tournament earnings to his name, a few million more playing online tournaments, and a seat in the type of cash games that burn silhouettes into your soul, the light inside ‘Badz’ is ablaze.
Poker record book writers etched another seven-figure score in Badziakouski’s impressive CV, after the partypoker sponsored pro made embers of the 199-entrant field in the $25,500 No-Limit Hold’em event at the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Online Championships on partypoker.
The three-day event ended after Badziakouski cleaned the clock of Jason Koon after the pair agreed upon a heads-up deal that satisfied both parties.
Badziakouski has never made money in a live WPT event.
Here are the final table results.
Final Table Results
- Mikita Badziakouski – $1,062,730*
- Jason Koon – $810,869*
- Alexandros Kolonia – $$548,794
- Mark Demirjian – $380,652
- Daniel Rezaei – $259,979
- Aleksei Barkov – $197,667
- Ali Imsirovic – $155,061
*Indicates a heads-up deal
Steve O’Dwyer Wins The Heads-Up
Well before Badziakouski was busy taking down the $25k, Steve O’Dwyer had already locked up the $3,200 WPT Online Championship Heads-Up tournament. The American was the top dog in a field of 166 barking duelists, beating Artem Akhmetvaleyev in the final bracket, earning $135,000.
It’s not the first time that O’Dwyer has won a WPT title.
In 2012, the American won a 289-entrant WPT National in Denmark for €159,227, a few months shy of finishing runner-up to Edoardo Alescio in the Main Event at WPT Venice.
Here are the top eight payouts
Top 8 Payouts
- Steve O’Dwyer – $135,000
- Artem Akhmetvaleyev – $$75,000
- Jorma Nuutinen – $40,000
- Allan Berger – $40,000
- Joao Vieira – $17,500
- Arnaud Enselme – $17,500
- Niko Koop – $17,500
- Eugenio Peralta – $17,500