Tag: Connor Drinan

It took until the final event of the series, but one man won his bracelet bet against Daniel Negreanu, and that man’s name is Connor Drinan.

Ahead of the tandem World Series of Poker (WSOP) series on WSOP.com and GGPoker, Drinan was always going to be Negreanu’s biggest problem, especially after a year that saw him collect a record five Spring Championships of Online Poker (SCOOP) titles on PokerStars.

But boy did Drinan leave it late.

Event #83: $10,000 Super MILLION$ saw the $5m guarantee pale into insignificance as 899-entrants turned up for the final WSOP hurrah of the 2020 season, and Drinan placed a clean white pillow over the heads of the last six players suffocating the lot on his way to a $1.4m payday, and a $100,000 flick of the wrist from Negreanu.

It was the 37th time that Drinan had made money in a WSOP bracelet event and his seventh final table. Before this win, he had finished ninth in Event #75: $300 Double Stack No Limit Hold’em (3,552 entrants), and seventh in Event #50: $2,100 No Limit Hold’em Bounty (1168 entrants), both on GGPoker. He also finished sixth in Event #13: $1,500 No Limit Hold’em (649-entrants) on WSOP.com.

Drinan has also made three final tables in Las Vegas finishing 4/516 in a 2013 $5,000 No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event, 4/815 in a 2015 $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better, and 7/1117 in the same event in 2019.

It was a final table with a lot of class.

Chris Oliver is a former PocketFives World #1 with more than $13.3m in online earnings, who in 2011 picked up $1.8m for finishing second to Galen Hall in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event.

Sylvain Loosli finished fourth in the 2013 WSOP Main Event for $2.8m and was appearing in his third final table after finishing 5/113 in a €25,000 No Limit Hold’em event at the 2017 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE). Chris Kruk appeared in his third WSOP final table after finishing 3/400 in a $3,000 No Limit Hold’em Shootout in 2016, and 8/109 in the 2018 $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship.

Suraj Mishra also brought the heat, booking a sixth-place finish for $288,836 a hop, skip and a jump away from finishing runner-up to Ivan Zufic in the 15,205-entrant $500 Mini Main Event for $586,157

Here are the final table results.

Results

  1. Connor Drinan – $1,423,049
  2. Daniyar Aubakirov – $1,041.414
  3. Viktor Ustimov – $755,754
  4. Chris Oliver – $548,450
  5. Sylvain Loosli – $398,010
  6. Suraj Mishra – $288,836
  7. Chris Kruk – $209,609
  8. Arsenii Malinov – $152,113
  9. Kenneth Smaron – $110,389

Three other high rollers who went deep into this thing before turning into David Bowie’s ashes were Elior Sion (23rd), Joao Vieira (26th), and Sam Trickett (27th).

The word ‘sublime’ originates from 200 A.D. and the quill of Greek author, Longinus. Over time, the word slowly vanished like a modern-day glacier. Then, in 1712, a group of writers used the word to describe the feelings associated with standing on a Grand Canyon precipice, witnessing an avalanche in the Alps, or watching someone win five PokerStars Spring Championships of Online Poker (SCOOP) titles in a single series.

Connor’ blanconegro’ Drinan’s run has been sublime.

The American pro has experienced the timeless harmony of flow on five occasions, ripping him away from a record four titles shared with Shaun Deeb.

To be fair to Drinan, he offered an apology.

And what a way to claim the record!

Drinan conquered a field of 159-entrants in the highly competitive Event #75: $10,300 Pot-Limit Omaha. He defeated Jens “Jeans89” Kyllonen, heads-up, for the title, and $322,264 in prize money. It was the most substantial single cash of his career topping the $250,724 he secured for finishing 6/693 in the 2017 SCOOP Main Event.

It wasn’t easy.

The heads-up battle with Kyllonen lasted more than two hours, and Drinan had to contend with the considerable frame of Joao’ Naza114′ Vieira who secured his third top-four finish of the week.

Talal Shakerchi and Linus Loeliger also made the final table.

Results

  1. Connor ‘blanconegro’ Drinan – $322,264
  2. Jens ‘jeans89’ Kyllonen – $245,286
  3. Joao ‘Naza114’ Vieira – $186,695
  4. ‘Kukenmuser’ – $142,100
  5. Gavin ‘gavz101’ Cochrane – $108,157
  6. Talal ‘raidalot’ Shakerchi – $82,322
  7. Linus ‘LlinusLlove’ Loeliger – $66,762

Drinan’s Record Roll Call

Event #34: $530 PLO8 (378-entrants) – $34,420.52
Event #40: $5,200 PLO 6-Max (150-entrants) – $152,011.46
Event #45: $215 NLO8 PKO (1,052-entrants) – $14,584.62
Event #56: $1,050 H.O.R.S.E (139-entrants) – $30,232.50
Event #75: $10,300 PLO (159-entrants) – $322,264

Main Event Tables Set and High Roller Interest…Well…High

We also have the Main Event final tables, and they’re pregnant with high rollers.

Here is the $10,300 Main Event Final Table Lineup.

Seat 1: Benjamin “bencb789’ Rolle – 12,283,432 (41bb)
Seat 2: Pablo ‘pabritz’ Brito – 20,514,267 (68bb)
Seat 3: Alexgirs – 11,783,439 (39bb)
Seat 4: Pieter ‘XMorphineX’ Aerts – 38,539,059 (128bb)
Seat 5: Michael ‘imluckbox’ Addamo – 18,739,553 (62bb)
Seat 6: Alex ‘dynoalot’ Difelice – 8,594,592 (29bb)
Seat 7: Daniel ‘Oxata’ Dvoress – 28,570,379 (95bb)
Seat 8: EEE27 – 4,577,978 (15bb)
Seat 9: Max ‘goodeh99’ Silver – 8,647,301 (29bb)

Rolle is one of the best online multi-table tournament (MTT) players in the universe, and Addamo, Dvoress and Silver have cabinets full of live trophies. But keep an eye out for Brito who won the MILLIONS South America Main Event and the online version of the Irish Open for a combined $1.5m in gross winnings.

When it comes to the rough terrain of the PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), only nine players have ever explored the invigorating atmosphere that surrounds a quintet of victories.

Connor ‘blanconegro’ Drinan is Player #9 after taking down Event #56: $1,050 H.O.R.S.E. The American pro topped a field of 139-entrants to claim $30,232.50 of the $139,000 prizepool, including defeating the excellent Mike ‘goleafsgoeh’ Leah, heads-up.

Drinan’s online notoriety needed no further augmentation, but he gets it anyway, becoming only the second player to win four SCOOP titles in a single series. Shaun Deeb is the only other player who has that particular guidebook having set the record in 2012.

There isn’t time for a poker life to turn sterile if you’re excelling in all areas of the game, and Drinan is, adding the H.O.R.S.E title to $530 Pot Limit Omaha 8-or-Better, $5,200 Pot Limit Omaha 6-Max, and $215 No Limit O8 6-Max PKO victories.

Results

  1. Connor ‘blanconegro’ Drinan – $30,232.50
  2. Mike ‘goleafsgoeh’ Leah – $21,545.00
  3. wiNNin83 – $16,680.00
  4. Kyle ‘km_freestyle’ Menne – $11,815.00
  5. Skint Paddy – $7,645.00
  6. Spokey – $6,255.00
  7. adkaf – $4,865.00
  8. Harleyy30040 – $3,822.50

Preben ‘prebz’ Stokkan Wins Event #62: $5,200 No-Limit Hold’em PKO High Roller

In contrast, Preben ‘prebz’ Stokkan claimed his first SCOOP title. The Norwegian star who enjoyed a deep run in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in the Summer, finishing 21st, conquered a field of 235-entrants in Event #62: $5,200 No Limit Hold’em PKO High Roller.

Joao ‘Naza114’ Vieira finished second, and Conor ‘1_conor_b_1’ Beresford took fourth.

Results

  1. Preben ‘prebz’ Stokkan – $101,026.11 + $174,921.87 in bounties
  2. Joao ‘Naza114’ Vieira – $101,025.97 + $1,975 in bounties
  3. Pimmss – $66,626.02 + $18,750.00 in bounties
  4. Conor ‘1_conor_b_1’ Beresford – $50,789.66 + $32,031.25 in bounties
  5. FreeLancerZZ – $38,717.42 + $20,312.50 in bounties
  6. XMorphineX – $29,514.70 + $38,203.13 in bounties
  7. PaGaOVelhinho – $22,499.31 + $14,531.25 in bounties
  8. MissOracle – $17,151.47 + $6,875.00 in bounties

In Other News

Dominik Nitsche made it to the semi-finals of the $2,100 Heads Up No Limit Hold’em before hitting the rail. The event attracted 119 entrants, and ‘CatLover666’ beat Phil ‘Grindation’ McAllister in the final.

Lex Veldhuis made the final table of Event #57: $5,200 No Limit Hold’em High Roller. 184 entrants swarmed to the event like toddlers to a Disney store in a mall, and Veldhuis finished seventh. More than 31,000 people watched the Triton commentator via Twitch, a record for the Dutchman.

Lastly, the former SCOOP Main Event winner, Talal ‘raidalot’ Shakerchi, finished runner-up to Kyle ‘km_freestyle’ Menne in Event #61: $1,050 Omaha 8-or-Better earning $22,099.

As seems to be the trend during the lockdown, PokerStars has chosen to extend the series until May 31. The addendum includes 44 events (132 tournaments), and that bumps the guarantee to $135m, surpassing GGPoker’s recent record of $100m for the WSOP Super Circuit Online Series.

Some take out a bank loan to compete in the PokerStars Spring Championships of Online Poker (SCOOP). Then some toss around SCOOP titles with the same nonchalance of someone tossing the lettuce and tomato from a burger.

Here are two of them.

Every series has someone that shines brightest, and currently, the man shining like sunburn is Connor Drinan. ‘Blanconegro’, as he is known to online poker aficionados, has won three titles in four days, and we’re not talking about high stakes Sit n Go’s.

Drinan poured gasoline and then flicked his engraved Zippo lighter on the 378-entrant field in Event #34: $530 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-or-Better earning $34,420.52. Next, he pummelled the 150-entrant field to win the $152,011.45 first prize in Event #40: $5,200 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Max, beating 150-entrants for $152,011.46. Drinan continued raking in titles like a Craps stickman dragging in the coin by beating the 1,051 entrant field in Event #45: $215 No-Limit O8 6-Max PKO for $28,358.58.

Drinan who once rose to a high of fourth in the PocketFives World Rankings has now earned four career SCOOP titles, and more than $8.4m playing online multi-table tournaments (MTTs) with $7.4m coming on Stars.

Mike “SirWatts” Watson Wins Event #51: $1,050 No-LImit 2-7 Single Draw

Mike “SirWatts” Watson was another high roller blistering his way through a SCOOP field this week. The Canadian star made weasels of 84-entrants to win the title described in the title.

PocketFives have declared that this is Watts’s fourth career title, but I can only find evidence of three in his back catalogue. Both previous wins came in 2015, and both at the Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) tables. Watson won a $2,100 PLO Hi/Lo for $65,320 & $215 PLO 6-Max for $58,368

Watson has earned more than $4.8m playing online MTTs, including $3.8m playing on Stars.

Results

  1. Mike ‘SirWatts’ Watson – $22,050
  2. Alexander ‘joiso’ Kostritsyn – $15,330
  3. Luke ‘lb6121’ Schwartz – $10,500
  4. ptisan – $7,560
  5. Rui ‘RuiNF’ Ferreira – $5,670
  6. serkku21 – $4,200
  7. Naoya ‘nkeyno’ Kihara – $3,360