The inaugural World Poker Tour (WPT) Online Championships in partnership with partypoker was such a hit; the organisers decided to extend the series until the end of May.
Initially pencilled in to run May 10-26, partypoker associate, Rob Yong, took to Twitter declaring the series would end on May 31. The decision allows them to move the WPTDeepStacks to after the WPT Online Championships Main Event. The shift creates space for additional satellites, and Yong has bumped the guarantee from $2m to $3m as a result.
The highlight of the WPT Online Championships is the $3,200 buy-in, $5m GTD Main Event. There is also a WPT500, and a WPTDeepStacks schedule in addition to a splatter of high rollers, and a whole range of side action from the hosts.
Here are the high roller highlights.
Charlie Carrel Wins Event #14: $25,500 Super High Roller
The most substantial buy-in of the series went the way of Charlie Carrel. The former PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) Main Event Champion conquered a field of 98-entrants to capture the $600,250 first prize, his second personal-best after his $1.2m SCOOP win.
Results
- Charles Carrel – $600,250
- Ali Imsirovic – $428,750
- Elias Talvitie – $306,250
- Ivan Galinec – $214,375
- Arsenii Karmatckii – $159,250
- Wiktor Malinowski – $122,500
- Christopher Hunichen – $98,000
- Pauli Ayras – $79,625
Sam Greenwood Wins Event #11: $10,300 High Roller
Sam Greenwood bubbled the $25,500 final table, but winning Event #11: $10,300 High Roller somewhat masked that misery. Greenwood picked apart 105-entrants to claim the $257,250 first prize, and it would have felt good after finishing runner-up in two Poker Masters Online events a few weeks ago.
Results
- Sam Greenwood – $257,250
- Matthias Eibinger – $183,750
- Rui Ferreira – $131,250
- Jorma Nuutien – $91,875
- Alexandru Papazian – $68,250
- Timothy Adams – $52,500
- Joni Jouhkimainen – $42,000
- Pauli Ayras – $34,125
Ola Amundsgaard Wins Event #6: $5,200 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) High Roller
High stakes PLO fiend, Ola ‘Odds_Oddsen’ Amundsgaard conquered the 101-entrant field in the $5,200 PLO High Roller. Amundsgaard once challenged members of the Norwegian parliament to 10k hands of PLO in a $170k freeroll to prove poker is a game of skill. The Progress Party’s Eriend Wiborg took him on and quit after losing 2,666 bb through 1,056 hands.
Results
- Ola Amundsgaard – $117,115.59
- Veselin Karakitukov – $110,891.92
- Rui Ferreira – $60,600
- Matthew Wantmann – $43,430
- Lauri Varonen – $31,562.50
- Mark Demirjian – $20,957.50
Anthony Zinno Wins Event #10: $1,050 Heads-Up
Stick a WPT event on the poker calendar, and you can guarantee that Anthony Zinno is going to turn up. The man with three WPT titles to his name now has a WPT Online title after beating Ameer Jamil Wakil in the final match of a 121-entrant $1,050 Heads-Up contest.
Results
- Anthony Zinno – $29,040
- Ameer Jamil Wakil – $29,040
- Ivan Sakharov – $12,100
- Niklas Åstedt – $12,100
Rui Ferreira Wins Event #18: Mini $320 PLO
Rui Ferreira is one of Europe’s hottest talents when it comes to surfacing with the cream in these endless online poker series. The Portuguese star added another title to his impressive resume, vanquishing 376-entrants to win the $22,560.10 first prize in the Mini $320 PLO.
Results
- Rui Ferreira – $22,560.10
- Jamil Kanji – $16,694.40
- Pedro Zagalo – $12,126
- Akseli Paalanen – $8,547.98
- Brett Davies – $6,204
- Andreas Torbergsen – $4,286.40
Niklas Åstedt Wins Event #15: $1,050 Weekender
Lastly, it wouldn’t be an online poker round-up without the PocketFives World #1 climbing onto the podium.
Niklas Åstedt conquered a field of 125-entrants to claim the $174,751.50 first prize in the $1,050 Weekender event.
Results
- Niklas Astedt – $174,751.50
- Tyler Goatcher – $124,333
- Sonny Franco – $83,508.70
- Fredrik Andersson – $56,586.20
- Manig Loeser – $39,943.20
- Stefan Schillhabel – $28,782.60
- Jens Lakemeier – $20,559
- Javier Zarco – $14,293.40