Tag: WCOOP

Imagine winning $1,352,267.97 playing online poker from a stake of $530. The rush of feelings, thoughts and emotions like you’ve stepped on a conductor rail.

Imagine never receiving the money, because the online poker room believes something fishy is going on.

An investigation ensues.

Imagine the gavel coming down on the final verdict.

You will not see a penny of it.

That’s what happened to the winner of the 2018 World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event this week.

It seems something fishy was going on; not goldfish bowl fishy, but Atlantis fishy.

PokerStars has stripped a Dutch-based player using the pseudonym, ‘Wann2play’, of his 2018 WCOOP Main Event title and $1,352,267.97.

The additional additional funds will be redistributed to the remaining in the money (ITM) finishers.

‘Wann2play’ overcame a final table containing some of the best players in the business. The story becomes even more memorable when you learn that he won his seat in the $10,000 via a $530 online satellite.

Look at this list of tough guys.

2018 WCOOP Main Event Final Table Results

  1. Wann2play – $1,352,967
  2. Ezequiel “Ez88888’ Waigel – $1,257,203
  3. Linus “LlinusLLove’ Loeliger – $764,501
  4. Robert ‘PlayaPlz’ Lipkin – $540,584
  5. Michael ‘mczhang’ Zhang – $382,252
  6. Noah ‘Exclusive’ Boeken – $270,293

The Lie

The only news out of PokerStars Towers is that ‘Wann2play’ violated their Terms and Conditions (TOCs). Gossip amongst the poker community is rife as to the exact reasons behind the fallen axe with multi-accounting and ghosting appearing as the two likeliest reasons.

With ‘Wann2play’ now a ghost, PokerStars raised the arm of Ezequiel “Ez88888′ Waigel aloft. Waigel finished second for $1,257,203 after agreeing upon a heads-up deal with ‘Wann2play,’ and now receives an additional $272,000, after PokerStars awarded him with the original first prize of $1,529,000.

The news is not a surprise for Waigel who told PocketFives that he suspected something towards the later stages of the tournament, and has exchanged numerous emails with the online poker giant throughout the past 18-months.

YouTube Mutiny

The decision has reignited the debate over multi-accounting and ghosting in the multi-table tournament (MTT) scene, with one pro, Rob Tinnion, creating a YouTube video accusing the 2017 WCOOP Main Event winner, Steven van Zadelhoff, of also breaching PokerStars TOCs.

In the video, Tinnion tells his audience that ghosting and multi-accounting is a ‘common occurrence in the poker world,’ before going on to point the finger at the Dutch star.

“He was ghosted by somebody whom I am not sure I want to name,” said Tinnion. “But there are cryptic messages on Twitter if you want to work it out.”

Tinnion proceeded to show a graph of van Zadelhoff’s lifetime online MTT winnings, calling him a ‘losing player’ over 60,000 games.

“The reason this guy {Vamn Zadelhoff} has gotten away with it is that he is a nice guy.” Said Tinnion before declaring that everyone has a ‘dark side’ to them and a little bit of ‘scumminess.’

“I have no proof of this,” said Tinnion. “I have a source; I am unwilling to disclose. But I know that source is 100% true.”

Van Zadelhoff reacted instantly stating that he is ‘too proud’ to give up control of his mouse or ‘I might actually be a winning player on paper, and not stupid enough to multi-account.’

“I probably shouldn’t be making these videos,” said Tinnion, “But f*ck it, it’s a bit of fun isn’t it.”

I don’t think van Zadelhoff concurs.

On March 14, 1968, Martin Luther King delivered a speech called ‘The Other America’ to the predominantly all-white Grosse Pointe High School in Detroit. Embedded in that speech were the words, “No lie can live forever.”

In the case of the former 2018 WCOOP Champion of the World, King’s words have come to life, but I wonder if this incident will prevent similar lies woven in the future.

Ego.

Status.

Money.

Power.

A heady cocktail if there ever was one.

Timofey Kuznetsov

The scent of pine needles has gone, workbenches remain idle, laces urge to be tied. It’s that time of the year when the grinders head to Platform 9 3/4 to begin their fortnightly trek to poker world – it’s the PokerStars World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP). 

By my reckoning, we’re nine days in, and that means the beef stew needs chucking, and the colostomy bags need changing. 

Let’s catch up. 

The quickest high roller off the mark was one of WCOOP’s finest. Shaun Deeb loves this competition so much, three-years ago he missed the birth of his son to play in it, and he’s taken down his seventh title. 

Deeb, playing out of Mexico, defeated none other than Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov, heads-up, to win Event #9 (H) $1,050 No-Limit 5-Card Draw PKO for $25,375. You may remember that Strebkov won an unprecedented four titles in little over a week last time out. The Russian also finished the series as the leaderboard winner and sits atop the WCOOP Most Wins League with nine.

Back to Deeb, and the American has won close to $7m playing online poker tournaments, with $4.5m coming on Stars. His biggest score to date remains $312,610 after winning the $1k Monday on Full Tilt back in 2011.

Trueteller Wins The $25k High Roller.

Timofey “trueteller” Kuznetsov is one of those talented players who seems to revel in all formats live and online. The feared cash game star has made three Triton final tables this year, winning one, and now he has won a WCOOP title.

Kuznetsov conquered a 90-entrant Event #25 (H) $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Eight-Max High Roller. The Russian star beat his fellow cash game crusher, Jordi “proto” Urlings, heads-up to claim the $527,458.43 first prize. 

A whole host of top bananas made it to the final table of this one including Justin Bonomo (3), Dominik Nitsche (5), Mustapha Kanit (6) and Timothy Adams (8).

Here are the results.

Final Table Results

1. Timofey “trueteller” Kuznetsov – $527,458.43

2. Jordi “proto” Urlings – $407,625.43

3. Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo – $315,017.17

4. Rachid Ben “SkaiWalkurrr: Cherif – $243,448.63

5. Dominik “Bounatirou” Nitsche – $188,139.58

6. Mustapha “lasagnaaammm” Kanit – $145,396.41

7. Zagazaur – $112,363.81

8. Timothy “Tim0thee” Adams – $86,835.86

The Best of the Rest

Australian, Michael “imluckbox” Addamo, has added a WCOOP title to the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) title he won in 2016. Addamo defeated a field of 272-entrants in Event #13 (H) $5,200 Sunday Million High Roller, beating the formidable Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden, heads-up, no less. 

The $258,952.34 score is Addamo’s most significant live or online since finishing fifth in a €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the European Poker Tour (EPT) in Monte Carlo for $270,078, back in May. 

Finally, two of Portugal’s finest, currently living in the Netherlands, earned WCOOP honours this week. Rui “RuiNF” Ferreira won his seventh COOP title after conquering a 97-entrant field in Event #21 (H) $1,050 Limit Hold’em 6-Max to secure the $23,896 first prize. Ferreira also made the final tables of the €50,000 and €100,000 at EPT Barcelona finishing 9th and 8th respectively. Joao “Naza114” Vieira is a regular on the EPT €25k buy-in circuit. Vieira also won a WCOOP title vanquishing 213-entrants to win the $88,846 first prize in Event #26 (H) $530+R Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) 6-Max. It’s been a cushy year for Vieira after winning his first bracelet and $758,011 at the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

WCOOP runs until September 25.

Steve O’Dwyer’s landlord won’t have to worry about October’s rent after the high rolling phenom showed his versatility in winning four major titles both online and in the land of buttered toast and tea.
Steve O'Dwyer
The American star has applied the defibrillators on cashier tills across the globe with increasing frequency in the past seven years winning an incredible 21-titles, but he has never found the same rock ‘n’ rolling rhythm when competing against the very best in the digital world.
Whether his lack of success is down to fear of Wi-Fi rays giving him head cancer, tipping oxtail soup on his keyboard and never replacing it, or just plain online poker run bad, until this year, you wouldn’t find the online pseudonyms MrTimCaum (PokerStars & Full Tilt) and eet_smakelijk (partypoker) at the top of the major online ITM records.
Until now.
In the past four weeks, O’Dwyer went from tins of braised beef to fillet steak after nailing big scores in both the PokerStars’ World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), and partypoker’s POWERFEST.
On the 16th September, O’Dwyer topped a field of 667-entrants to win the $2,100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Eight Max for $227,100.97, eclipsing his previous best online score of $93,750 for winning the $1k Monday event on Full Tilt Poker (FTP) way back in 2009.
Five days later, O’Dwyer destroyed that personal best like a famished builder destroys the first pint of beer to greet his lips on a Friday night, beating 156-entrants, including a final table that housed the likes of Michael Zhang, Jon Van Fleet and Jason Koon to win the $25,500 buy-in $3m GTD Championship Event during partypoker’s POWERFEST for $896,610.
Those two results mean O’Dwyer has won a lilliputians’ shoe length below $5m playing online tournaments. Not too shabby until you compare it to the $24,796,309 O’Dwyer has won playing live, and that’s where we head to next in this incredible journey.

Steve O’Dwyer Owns partypoker MILLIONS UK.

The first major live event to take place after September’s online shenanigans was partypoker’s MILLIONS UK, and O’Dwyer turned up with all the heat of a hot water bottle after his two online triumphs.
The £25,500 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller became title #20 after O’Dwyer conquered a field of 51-entrants, including Fabrizio Catalidi, heads-up, to win the $592,448 first prize. It says something when you consider that score only ranked as his fourth highest of the year.
Four days later, and O’Dwyer secured the double vanquishing 105-entrants, including the former SCOOP Main Event winner, Gianluca ‘Tankanza’ Speranza, heads-up, to send another $407,734 whizzing down a wire to a bank manager who has grown accustomed to watching O’Dwyer’s account twinkle like a star.
O’Dwyer’s MILLIONS double saw him return to the All-Time Live Tournament Money Earned List Top #10 on The Hendon Mob, replacing David Peters.
Here are those final table results:
£25k Buy-in Final Table Results
1. Steve O’Dwyer – £450,000
2. Fabrizio Cataldi – £286,750
3. Orpen Kisacikoglu – £200,000
4. Christoph Vogelsang – £140,000
5. Aymon Hata – £100,000
6. Niall Farrell – £60,000
£10k Buy-In Final Table Results
1. Steve O’Dwyer -£314,000
2. Gianluca Speranza – £193,000
3. Preben Stokken – £129,000
4. Dominik Nitsche – £95,000
5. Michael Zhang – £75,000
6. Chris Brammer – £60,000
7. Joao Vieira – £45,000
8. Anthony Elliot – £35,000
How long will this incredible heat last?
I think it’s already ended.