Tag: Poker Masters Online

The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, once said that “quality is not an act, it’s a habit.”

Fellow Grecian, Alexandros Kolonias, made money in both Day 7 events to take the lead at the Poker Masters Online. Both were ‘acts’, but it’s Kolonias’s habits off the felt that’s the backbone for his most recent success.

Event #14: $10,300 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) attracted 114-entrants to the felt like discarded In-N-Out boxes to a conspiracy of ravens, and Mustapha Kanit roosted higher than any of them.

There are no weak spokes in Kanit’s online game.

Check this out.

The $279,300 that Kanit earned for his win is his ninth six-figure score, and only his third-highest rout.

The most significant amount of dosh wired to Kanit’s online account came in 2015 when he won the Spring Championships of Online Poker (SCOOP) Main Event [H] on PokerStars for $1,304,720 (Kanit also won the FTOPS Main Event on Full Tilt in the same year earning $239,400).

Kanit’s second most substantial score came one year earlier when he finished third in a $10,300 NLHE event at the World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) on PokerStars for $392,375.

In 2016, Kanit also won the PokerStars Sunday Million for $177,299.79.

The man is a monster.

Kolonias finished runner-up to become the second man to register six in the money (ITM) finishes alongside Timothy Adams (although the pair had more to say before the sun went down).

Other notable finishes include Artur Martirosian claiming his second top-three finish, Mike Watson cashing for the fifth time, Alex Foxen cashing for the fourth time, and the PocketFives World #1, Niklas Astedt, finishing ITM for the first time.

Here are the results.

Results

  1. Mustapha Kanit – $279,300
  2. Alexandros Kolonias – $199,500
  3. Artur Martirosian – $142,500
  4. Brunno Botteon De Albuquerque – $99,750
  5. Christoph Vogelsang – $74,100
  6. Edwin Villalobo Amaya – $57,000
  7. Simon Pedersen – $45,600
  8. Alex Foxen – $37,050
  9. Simon Higgins – $28,500
  10. Lucas Reeves – $28,500
  11. Jake Schindler – $28,500
  12. Christoper Malcolm Fraser – $28,500
  13. Mike Watson – $22,800
  14. Nick Petrangelo – $22,800
  15. Niklas Astedt – $22,800
  16. Kahle Burns – $22,800

Timothy Adams Wins Event #15: $10,300 NLHE 6-Max

Timothy Adams moved ominously into second place in the Poker Masters Online Championship Leaderboard after taking down Event #15: $10,300 NLHE 6-Max.

The event attracted 78-entrants with Adams ousting Joao Vieira, heads-up, to bank the $243,988 first prize. It’s Adams seventh cash of the series, equal with Kolonias, who finished seventh in this event. Jorryt Van Hoof sits sixth in the Championship race with six ITM finishes, and Alex Foxen and Juan Pardo Dominguez picked up their fifth cashes of the series.

Here are the results.

Results

  1. Timothy Adams – $243,988.68
  2. Joao Vieira – $152,100
  3. Dario Sammartino – $93,600
  4. Alex Foxen – $68,250
  5. Ben Heath – $58,750
  6. Ali Imsirovic – $33,150
  7. Alexandros Kolonias – $25,350
  8. Yahia Fahmy – $25,350
  9. Jorryt Van Hoof – $25,350
  10. Sami Kelopuro – $21,370
  11. Elias Talvitie – $21,370
  12. Juan Pardo Dominguez – $21,270

Championship Leaderboard

  1. Alexandros Kolonias – (592 pts)
  2. Timothy Adams – (584)
  3. Andras Nemeth – (535)
  4. Alex Foxen – (493)
  5. Luuk Gieles – (492)

When it comes to creative thought, the mighty Magyars have a rich history.

Erno Rubik created the Rubik Cube.

Imre Brody invented the Krypton Electric Bulb.

Laszlo Biro patented the biro.

And on Day 6 of the Poker Masters Online Series, another Laszlo from that neck of the woods used his creativity to carve out a $272,141 paycheck.

Laszlo Bujtas won Event #12: $10,300 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) 6-Max, making him the second Hungarian to win an event after the current Championship leader, Andras Nemeth.

You can find Bujtas banishing bodies throughout online poker rooms around the world trading his wares under the monicker ‘omaha4rollz.’ Bujtas has earned $4.2m playing online multi-table tournaments (MTTs), and this is his sixth six-figure score and the most substantial of the lot.

Bujtas wasn’t the only Hungarian make money in this one.

Nemeth extended his lead with his fifth in the money (ITM) finish of the series. Many have both the ability and the form to catch Nemeth, including Jorryt Van Hoof whose fourth-place finish is his fifth cash overall.

Here are the results

Results

  1. Laszlo Bujtas – $272,141
  2. Ami Barer – $169,650
  3. Carlo Van Ravenswoud – $104,400
  4. Jorryt Van Hoof – $76,125
  5. Bengt Sonnert – $54,375
  6. Andreas Torbergsen – $36,975
  7. Ali Imsirovic – $28,275
  8. Adam Hendrix – $28,275
  9. George Wolff – $28,275
  10. Jean Carlos Rincon De La Hoz – $28,836
  11. Andras Nemeth – $23,836
  12. Christopher Frank – $23,836

Luuk Gieles Wins Event #13: $10,300 NLHE 6-Max

If there was any penance after Luuk Gieles’ runner-up finish to Kahle Burns in Event #10 it’s over as the Dutchman cleared the cobwebs in time to take down Event #13: $10,300 NLHE 6-Max.

Gieles beat Timothy Adams, heads-up, to claim the title, and that means the Canadian becomes the first player to add six ITM scalps to his belt buckle. It’s his first six-figure score of the campaign, and he becomes one of the early favourites for the title.

Joining Adams in the race to catch the coattails of Andras Nemeth at the top of the Championship Leaderboard, are Alexandros Kolonias (5th score), Mike Watson (fourth), and Alex Foxen (third). Not amongst that bunch, but making his first dent in a Poker Masters Online event is Steve O’Dwyer, who finished ninth.

Here are the results.

Results

  1. Luuk Gieles – $235,217
  2. Timothy Adams – $153,000
  3. Ludovich Geilich – $81,600
  4. Kahle Burns – $61,200
  5. Alex Foxen – $44,200
  6. Mike Watson – $30,600
  7. Lukas Matthias Nowakowski – $24,727
  8. Alexandros Kolonias – $24,727
  9. Steve O’Dwyer – $24,727

At the turn of the year, with the world watching China crumble under the weight of a treacherous virus we were glad would never reach our shores, the Australian Poker Hall of Fame thrust two players into the sunlight.

Kahle Burns made it into the Poker Hall of Fame, Michael Addamo, picked up the Young Achiever Award, and on Day 5 of the Poker Masters online this same concoction shone once again.

Burns posted his first in the money (ITM) finish taking the golden egg in Event #10: $10,300 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE). The event attracted another bumper field with 119-entrants vying for the $291,550 first prize that ended up in the Burns bank account.

It’s been an incredible start to 2020 for the man who ended 2019 with a record $4.3m earned playing live tournaments. Burns won the AUD 100,000 Challenge at the Aussie Millions and finished runner-up to Timothy Adams in the Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) Australia for a combined haul of $2m.

Burns is also an ulcer to his online brethren.

In 2017, the Australian star won the Spring Championships of Online Poker (SCOOP) [M] Main Event on PokerStars for a whopping $787,312.19. Talking of SCOOP Main Event winners, Gianluca Speranza, the man who won back-to-back [H] Main Event titles in 2018 & 2019, featured in the results for the first time this series, as did Ben Heath.

Timothy Adams became the first player to rack up five ITM finishes, and surely, there’s a big score waiting around the corner for the double SHRB Champion.

Here are the results.

Results

  1. Kahle Burns – $291,550
  2. Luuk Gieles – $208,250
  3. Eelis Parssinen – $148,750
  4. Gianluca Speranza – $104,125
  5. Joao Vieira – $77,350
  6. Wiktor Malinowski – $59,500
  7. Edwin Villalobo Amaya – $47,600
  8. Vicent Bosca Ramon – $38,675
  9. Ian Engel – $29,750
  10. Giueseppe Iadisernia – $29,750
  11. Ben Heath – $29,750
  12. Thomas Meuhloecker – $29,750
  13. Timothy Adams – $23,800
  14. Karim Khayat – $23,800
  15. Mike Watson – $23,800
  16. Chris Hunichen – $23,800

Michael Addamo Wins Event #11: $10,300 NLHE 6-Max

Michael Addamo moved into the second place on the Championship Leaderboard after taking down Event #11: $10,300 NLHE 6-Max. The former World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) Sunday Million High Roller winner, defeated Poker Masters Online Championship hopeful, Chris Hunichen, heads-up, to claim the $294,037 first prize.

Hunichen joined Adams as the only two players to record five cashes. Jorryt Van Hoof, Alexandros Kolonias and Wiktor Malinowski picked up their fourth ITM finish.

Here are the results.

Results

  1. Michael Addamo – $294,037
  2. Chris Hunichen – $183,300
  3. Jorryt Van Hoof – $112,800
  4. Yahia Fahmy – $82,250
  5. Justin Bonomo – $58,750
  6. Aliaksandr Hirs – $39,950
  7. Jake Schindler – $30,550
  8. Lukas Matthias Nowakowski – $30,550
  9. Luuk Gieles – $30,550
  10. Wiktor Malinowski – $25,754
  11. Talal Shakerchi – $25,754
  12. Alexandros Kolonias – $25,754

Poker Masters Online Championship Standings

  1. Andras Nemeth – $515,879 (511pts)
  2. Michael Addamo – $444,037 (406)
  3. Pauli Ayras – $394,492 (393)
  4. Elias Talvitie – $572,250 (380)
  5. Alex Foxen – $351,277 (352 pts)

As the Hungarian nation continues to feel the pressure of Viktor Orbán’s ‘State of Danger,’ one of their most venerable citizens, Mr Andras Nemeth, is casting his own state of danger over the Poker Masters Online Series.

The 2020 Poker Masters Online Series has unlocked nine gates in a scheduled 30-event maze, and Nemeth has the championship lead after making his third and fourth final table amid an apple-cider sweet fifth day of action.

Nemeth, who won Event #5, finished second in Event #8: $10,300 NLHE, and fifth in Event #9: $10,300 NLHE to lead to take a 118-point lead into Day 5, with the wind at his back. It’s worth noting that the Hungarian star warmed up for this one by finishing runner-up in the Irish Open Main Event for €325,423.

partypoker ambassador, Joni Jouhkimainen, defeated Nemeth, heads-up, to take the title and $254,800 in Event #5: $10,300 NLHE, for his second in the money (ITM) finish of the series and he also came into this one in fine fettle after winning a couple of POWERFEST titles in March.

Outside of the top two, Juan Pardo Dominguez became the first player to make money in four events, Alex Foxen recorded his second cash, as did Elias Talvitie, who had now earned the most money with $572,250 banked in two games.

Here are the results in full.

Results

  1. Joni Jouhkimainen – $254,800
  2. Andras Nemeth – $182,000
  3. Sergi Reixach – $130,000
  4. Elias Talvitie – $91,000
  5. Juan Pardo Dominguez – $67,600
  6. Timothy Adams – $52,000
  7. Alex Foxen – $41,600
  8. Dario Sammartino – $33,800
  9. Chris Hunichen – $26,000
  10. Joao Vieira – $26,000
  11. Carlos Sanchez – $26,000
  12. Simon Pederson – $26,000
  13. Benjamin Rolle – $20,800
  14. Sami Kelopuro – $20,800
  15. Mike Watson – $20,800
  16. Rui Ferreira – $20,800

Pascal Lefrancois Wins Event #9: $10,300 NLHE

From a Finn to a French-Canadian, and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, Pascal Lefrancois, placed his stamp on the Poker Masters by taking down Event #9: $10,300 NLHE. LeFrancois likes peddling his wares in partypoker events. In 2018, he won the MILLIONS Grand Final in Barcelona for $2.1m.

The tournament lured 78-entrants onto the virtual event, and Justin Bonomo pushed Lefrancois the hardest. The one-time All-Time Money Earner finished second for $152,100. Lefrancois collected $243,988 for the win, his third six-figure online score, and his most meaty. In December, Lefrancois won a 69-entrant $10,300 High Roller on PokerStars for $186,237, and in 2008 he won the Sunday Warm-Up on Stars for $101,250.

Joining Juan Pardo Dominguez in the four score record books are Nemeth, Pauli Ayras and Timothy Adams.

Here are the results.

Results

  1. Pascal Lefrancois – $243,988
  2. Justin Bonomo – $152,100
  3. Kristen Bicknell – $93,600
  4. Fedor Holz – $68,250
  5. Andras Nemeth – $48,750
  6. Dario Sammartino – $33,150
  7. Ioannis Angelou-Konstas – $25,350
  8. Jake Schindler – $25,350
  9. Timothy Adams – $25,350
  10. Alexandros Kolonias – $21,370
  11. Ian Engel – $21,370
  12. Pauli Ayras – $21,370

Poker Masters Online Championship Standings

  1. Andras Nemeth – $515,879 (511pts)
  2. Pauli Ayras – $394,492 (393)
  3. Elias Talvitie – $572,250 (380)
  4. Alex Foxen – $351,277 (352 pts)
  5. Sergi Rexiach $480,865 (347)

Finland’s Tritium Automotive is on the verge of launching its first electric supercar. Only the drive and the battery is fixed in the sleek looking speedster, meaning owners can customise the entire thing, and you have to think that some of those owners might well be online poker phenoms.

If you weren’t aware that Finland is a hotbed of high stakes online poker talent, then the 2020 Poker Masters Online is going to stick a big fat exclamation mark at the end of that secret.

At the end of Day 3 of the communion between Poker Central and partypoker, 11 Finnish players have contributed to 13 in the money (ITM) finishes – supercars indeed.

In pole position is Pauli Ayras.

The man who won the €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) High Roller at the inaugural Patrik Antonius Poker Challenge a year ago this month, took down Event #6: $10,300 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) for $303,422.

By the end of Day 3, Ayras had made money in three successive events, taking $373,122 from the Poker Masters tables, and leads the Championship Leaderboard by 63-points going into Day 4.

The event pulled in 97-entrants, almost double the field size of the first PLO event. $970,000 entered the kitty, and Jens Lakemeier pushed Ayras closest at the chequered flag.

Jorryt van Hoof and Ole Schemion also finished ITM for the second time.

Results

  1. Pauli Ayras – $303,422
  2. Jens Lakemeier – $189,150
  3. Ami Barer – $116,400
  4. Jorryt van Hoof – $84,875
  5. Samuli Sipila – $60,625
  6. Ole Schemion – $41,225
  7. Lauri Varonen – $31,525
  8. Pacsal Lefrancois – $31,525
  9. George Wolff – $31,525
  10. Jens Kyllonen – $26,567
  11. Aku Joentausta – $26,576
  12. Marius Kennelly – $26,576.06

Alexander Kolonias Wins Event #7: $10,300 NLHE

Event #7: $10,300 NLHE saw 86 miscreants and magicians managing their mice in an $860,000-yard line dash, and the winner came from good stock.

Alexander Kolonias added Poker Masters glory to the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) Main Event title he won in the Autumn. George Wolff pushed Kolonias the hardest, finishing second. Wolff finished sixth in the 2019 Poker Masters, and the poker world noticed his fantastic 2019 performances short-listing him for the Global Poker Awards Breakout Player of the Year (Robert Campbell snagged it).

As previously spouted, Ayras made his third successive cash to lead overall, and Van Hoof and Juan Pardo Dominguez also registered their third cash of the series.

Kolonias squeezes into the #3 spot in the Championship Leaderboard.

Results

  1. Alexander Kolonias – $269,013
  2. George Wolff – $167,700
  3. Ali Imsirovic – $103,200
  4. Mustapha Kanit – $75,250
  5. Michael Addamo – $53,750
  6. Pauli Ayras – $36,550
  7. Juan Pardo Dominguez – $27,950
  8. Ian Engel – $27,950
  9. Nick Petrangelo – $27,950
  10. Elio Fox – $23,562
  11. Timothy Adams – $23,562
  12. Jorryt van Hoof – $23,562

Poker Masters Online Championship Standings

  1. Pauli Ayras – $373,122 (373)
  2. Alex Foxen – $309,677 (310 pts)
  3. Alexander Kolonias – $294,513 (295)
  4. Elias Talvitie – $481,250 (289)
  5. Andras Nemeth – $285,129 (280)

It was a case of pistols at noon and 1 pm on Day 2 of the event that’s currently occupying the minds of the high stakes brethren and those taking a shot.

The 2020 Poker Masters Online, created by Poker Central, and hosted by partypoker, has blazed through two more events with its riding crop in hand and a healthy turnout to boot.

Event #4: $10,300 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) enticed 102 players to the virtual baize, making it the most substantial field size of the opening quartet. The $1,020,000 in prize money is the second-largest loot behind the $1,375,000 raised in Event #1 (a $25,000 event).

The heads-up battle for the title saw Mike Watson with a dagger strapped to his thigh, and Sam Greenwood holding the pepper spray. Of the Canadians, Watson was making his first in the money (ITM) finish of the series. It was Greenwood’s second.

Watson chopped down the Greenwood to take the title, but a runner-up finish keeps the twin in the Poker Masters Championship Standing Top 5.

The win moves Watson’s all-time online tournament earnings to within a nostril hair of $5m, and it’s his second most significant score trailing the $280,238.52 Watson banked for winning the $10,300 Eight-Game Championship at the 2016 World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) at PokerStars.

Here are the ITM results.

Results

  1. Mike Watson – $249,900
  2. Sam Greenwood – $178,500
  3. Jorryt van Hoof – $127,500
  4. Orpen Kisacikoglu – $89,250
  5. Wiktor Malinowski – $66,300
  6. Karim Khayat – $51,000
  7. Patrick Leonard – $40,800
  8. Pauli Ayras – $33,150
  9. Zachary Clark – $25,500
  10. Darrell Goh – $25,500
  11. Alexander Kolonias – $25,500
  12. Matthias Eibinger – $25,500
  13. Andras Nemeth – $20,400
  14. Vicent Bosca Ramon – $20,400
  15. Simo Mattsson – $20,400
  16. Simon Pedersen – $20,400

Andras Nemeth Wins Event #5: $10,300 NLHE

The second event of the day (see above) attracted 83-entrants like toddlers in wellies to a puddle and raised $830,000 in prize money.

Orpen Kisacikoglu made money for the second successive time, finishing runner-up to the eventual winner, Andras Nemeth. Kisacikoglu ends the day fifth in the Poker Masters Championship Leaderboard.

To have a Poker Masters Online without a few results from Nemeth is unfathomable. He is a former PocketFives World #1, and in the past few years has been picking up six-figure scores both online and live with the speed and grace of one of Fagin’s pickpockets.

Nemeth collected $259,629 for the win and will have added incentive to don the Purple Jacket after coming so close to Australian Poker Open glory, losing out to Stephen Chidwick in the final stages of the series earlier in the year.

Here are the results in full.

Results

  1. Andras Nemeth – $259,629
  2. Orpen Kisacikoglu – $161,850
  3. Eelis Parssinen – $99,600
  4. Fedor Holz – $72,625
  5. Dan Shak – $51,875
  6. Sami Kelopuro – $35,275
  7. Christoph Vogelsang – $26,975
  8. Carlos Sanchez – $26,975
  9. Joni Jouhkimainen – $26,975
  10. Sergi Reixach – $27,740
  11. Artur Martirosian – $27,740
  12. Ian Engel – $27,740

The Global Poker Index (GPI) World #1, Alex Foxen, didn’t make money in either event, but still tops the leaderboard thanks to his victory in Event #3. Nemeth, Greenwood and Kisacikoglu make their presence felt in the top five, and Elias Talvitie holds onto his #2 berth after winning the opening event.

Poker Masters Online Championship Standings

  1. Alex Foxen – $309,677 (310 pts)
  2. Elias Talvitie – $481,250 (289)
  3. Andras Nemeth – $285,129 (280)
  4. Sam Greenwood – $302,250 (253)
  5. Orpen Kisacikoglu – $251,100 (251)

When COVID-19 began pulling live poker apart, limb from limb, Cary Katz and Rob Yong sat by their fireplaces, toasted some marshmallows, and tried to figure out a response.

What a response it was.

Poker Central didn’t burrow like a sandworm; it partnered with partypoker to create a 30-event series, with buy-ins ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 – the Poker Masters Online was born.

The first three events are in the bag.

We saw some new names, some old names, and even a hint of nostalgia.

Event #1: $25,500 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) attracted 55-entrants, created a $1,375,000 prize pool, and Elias Talvitie banked the $481,250 first prize.

You don’t often see the Finnish star standing on the top of a tournament podium of this magnitude, but he did finish 13/110 in the $50,000 NLHE High Roller during the World Series of Poker (WSOP) last summer.

Talvitie had to do it the hard way, with a legion of high stakes tournament regs ready and waiting to ambush him at every opportunity, but do it he did.

Here are the results.

Event #1: $25,500 buy-in NLHE

Results

  1. Elias Talvitie – $481,250 (289 pts)
  2. Sergi Reixach – $323,125 (194)
  3. Ole Schemion – $206,125 (124)
  4. Sam Greenwood – $123,750 (74)
  5. Michael Addamo – $96,250 (58)
  6. Chris Hunichen – $$79,063 (47)
  7. Juan Pardo Dominguez – $63,313 (38)

Tobias Zeigler Wins Event #2: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO)

Fifty-five stuck, as once again it became the entrant number, this time in Event #2: $10,000 PLO.

Tobias Zeigler won the $192,249 first prize after beating UK legend of the felt, James Akenhead. The man who once graced the WSOP and World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) Main Event Final Tables in the same year, is not a regular fixture in poker write-ups these days but rolled back the years to pick up his biggest tournament score since winning the Poker Million in 2009.

Here are the results.

Results

  1. Tobias Zeigler – $192,249 (192)
  2. James Akenhead – $123,750 (124)
  3. Espen Myrmo – $66,000 (66)
  4. Matt Kirk – $49,500 (50)
  5. Ola Amundsgaard – $35,750 (36)
  6. Kai Lehto – $24,750 (25)
  7. Robinson Morales – $20,000 (20)
  8. Sam Trickett – $20,000 (20)
  9. Jukka Paloniemi – $20,000 (20)

Alex Foxen Wins Event #3: $10,000 NLHE

The third event attracted 99-entrants, and because of that vast field size, Alex Foxen takes the overnight lead in the Championship standings courtesy of his victory.

Then Global Poker Index (GPI) World #1 defeated a host of live tournament heroes, and online wizards, to claim the $309,677 first prize, defeating Artur Martirosian in heads-up competition. Foxen has now earned more than $6m playing online tournaments, and this is his most substantial score to date in that format.

Here are the results.

Results

  1. Alex Foxen – $309,677 (310)
  2. Artur Martirosian – $193,050 (193)
  3. Adrian Mateos – $118,800 (119)
  4. Conor Beresford – $86,625 (87)
  5. Timothy Adams – $61,875 (62)
  6. Ali Imsirovic – $42,075 (42)
  7. Wiktor Malinowski – $32,175 (32)
  8. Juan Pardo Dominguez – $32,175 (32)
  9. Chris Hunichen – $32,175 (32)
  10. Justin Bonomo – $27,124 (27)
  11. Mohsin Charania – $27,124 (27)
  12. Elio Fox – $27,124 (27)

If the malignant and maligned COVID-19 thought it would kill high stakes poker, it didn’t take partypoker into account. Yes, you’re more likely to get a vegan to eat a Hollands meat and potato pie than see a live tournament placing its head above the parapet, but poker evolves.

Online poker rooms have hosted high stakes poker tournaments before, but nothing like the Poker Masters. If all goes well, and the early prognosis is better than envisaged, then this could be a new alternative for high stakes players looking for a safe and secure way to make a few million bucks.

Poker Masters Online Championship Standings

  1. Alex Foxen – $309,677 (310 pts)
  2. Elias Talvitie – $481,250 (289)
  3. Sergi Reixach – $323,125 (194)
  4. Artur Martirosian – $193,050 (193)
  5. Tobias Ziegler – $192,249 (192)