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Zewei Ding Wins 2024 WSOP Europe Turbo Freezeout

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The 2024 World Series of Poker Europe is in the final stretch. The 15-event series kicked off on Sept. 24, and will conclude later this week on Oct. 9. The marquee €5 million guaranteed €10,350 no-limit hold’em main event is currently ongoing, with just over 100 contenders remaining from the 768 that entered.

While that tournament continues its march towards deciding a champion, another much brisker affair played out elsewhere inside the tournament area at Kings Resort Rozvadov. The €1,000 no-limit hold’em turbo freezeout drew 152 entries, and took just a single day to narrow that field down to a winner.

When the dust settled, Zewei Ding was the only participant left standing. The Chinese player earned his first WSOP gold bracelet, the top prize of $39,240, and 288 Card Player Player of the Year points. This was Ding’s first-ever WSOP cash.

The top 24 finishers earned a share of the $156,510 prize pool in this event, with notables like bracelet winner Bernd Gleissner (23rd) and Or Nezer (19th) among those that ran deep.

Ding was almost left on fumes early at the final table. He got all-in with pocket kings against the pocket aces of Dirk Schumacher, who then hit top set on a AClub SuitQSpade SuitJClub Suit flop. The turn brought the 10Heart Suit to give Ding the broadway straight and the lead. The 6Heart Suit on the end changed nothing and Schumacher was eliminated in 10th place ($2,922).

Ding scored a double-knockout of Maximilian Huber (9th – $3,296) and Erik van Hulst (8th – $3,894) to narrow the field to seven. His next elimination came when his ADiamond Suit5Heart Suit beat the ASpade Suit4Club Suit of De Han Kim, with four diamonds on the board giving him the ace-high flush. Kim earned $11,597 for his strong showing. This was his second final table of the series, having also placed ninth in the turbo bounty event just a few days earlier.

The final two knockouts were made with premium hands for Ding. His A-k held against the A-2 of Gal Naim (3rd – $16,799) to set a heads-up clash against Stepan Khachaturyan. Just a handful of deals after that, Ding limped from the button with KHeart SuitKDiamond Suit and called the shove of Khachaturyan, who held 5Club Suit3Spade Suit. The board came down KSpade Suit7Spade Suit5Diamond Suit10Club Suit3Diamond Suit and Ding’s top set of kings secured him the pot and the title. Khachaturyan walked away with $25,230 as the runner-up.

Event #14: €1,000 NLH Turbo Freezeout Final Table Results

Place Prize Country Prize
1 Zewei Ding China €35,351
2 Stepan Khachaturyan Armenia €22,730
3 Gal Naim Israel €15,134
4 De Han Kim South Koreea €10,448
5 Pel Nieuwenhuis Netherlands €7,489

Patrick Bueno Triumphs In WSOPE €2,000 Eight-Game Mix

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France’s Patrick Bueno first made his mark at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in 2001, when he finished 36th in the Main Event, taking home $30,000. Now, more than 23 years later, Bueno has finally claimed his first WSOP gold bracelet, cementing his place among poker’s elite.

Patrick Bueno triumphed over a competitive field of 90 entries in the 2024 WSOP Europe €2,000 buy-in eight-game mix event, earning $48,174 along with the coveted bracelet. This victory marked his third cash of the series, following his 17th-place finish in the €550 pot-limit Omaha event and 65th-place showing in the €1,350 mini Main Event.

The tournament, which took place from Oct. 2-3, saw the top 14 finishers make the money. Among the notable deep runs were WSOP Europe €5,000 pot-limit Omaha bracelet winner Dennis Weiss (14th), two-time bracelet winner Ilija Savevski (11th), 2023 North American Poker Tour Las Vegas Main Event champion Sami Bechahed (4th), and three-time bracelet winner Anson Tsang (3rd).

Bueno’s road to victory featured several key knockouts. During a round of pot-limit Omaha, he eliminated Bechahed after flopping fives full of deuces, crushing Bechahed’s pocket queens with ace-high hearts. Bechahed failed to hit a queen on the turn or river and exited with $14,541 for his fourth-place finish. Bueno then took down Tsang during a round of stud eight-or-better, making a flush on seventh street to defeat Tsang’s aces up. Neither player had a qualifying low, leaving Tsang to collect $20,813 for his third-place effort.

The heads-up battle saw Patrick Bueno enter with a commanding 14:1 chip lead over Germany’s Daniel Habl. It wasn’t long before Bueno converted his lead into victory. The final hand played out during a round of deuce-to-seven triple draw lowball. Habl stood pat with Q-8-6-4-3 heading into the final draw, while Bueno was drawing two with 7-3-2. Bueno improved to 8-7-6-4-2, winning the pot and securing the title. Habl settled for $31,080 as the runner-up.

With this win, Patrick Bueno not only secures his first WSOP bracelet but also solidifies his legacy in the world of poker.

WSOPE Event #10: €2,000 8-Game Final Table Results:

Place Player Country Prize (EUR)
1st Patrick Bueno France €43,400
2nd Daniel Habl Germany €28,000
3rd Anson Tsang Hong Kong €18,750
4th Sami Bechahed France €13,100
5th Philipp Krieger Germany €9,555
6th Martin Schamaun Switzerland €7,290

Ermanno Di Nicola Wins His Second WSOP Europe Bracelet

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Another year, another victory at the World Series of Poker Europe for Ermanno Di Nicola.

Just 11 months after claiming the 2023 WSOP Europe €550 Colossus event for $222,971, the Italian pro triumphed again, this time in the 2024 €1,650 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max event. Ermanno Di Nicola topped a field of 351 entries to capture his second career gold bracelet, securing the first-place prize of $123,488. This win pushed his career earnings past the $813,000 mark.

Di Nicola’s victory places him in elite company, as only the third Italian in poker history to win multiple bracelets, joining four-time WSOP champion Max Pescatori and Alessandro Pichierri, who coincidentally won his second bracelet on the same day as Di Nicola.

This marked Di Nicola’s first final table of 2024, and the 600 Card Player Player of the Year points he earned moved him into the top 1,400 of the overall standings presented by Global Poker.

The two-day event at King’s Resort Rozvadov, Czech Republic, saw 89 players return for Day 2 with Di Nicola leading the charge. The top 53 finishers made the money, including notable bracelet winners like Or Nezer (53rd), Wing Liu (51st), Ran Koller (49th), Tobias Peters (48th), Ilija Savevski (44th), Lukas Pazma (35th), Fabio Peluso (23rd), Timur Margolin (18th), and 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure main event champion Maria Lampropulos (10th).

As the final table formed, Rachid El Yaacoubi took the chip lead. Axel Bayout was the first to fall, finishing sixth for $16,206 when his A-8 couldn’t outrun Traian Stanciu’s pocket queens. Amiel Gamliel followed in fifth place, earning $22,644 when his A-8 was dominated by Di Nicola’s A-Q.

Next, Di Nicola found pocket queens once more, this time busting Stanciu, who held pocket jacks. Stanciu took home $32,523 for his fourth-place finish.

In a pivotal hand, Di Nicola made a flush on the turn against El Yaacoubi’s top pair, sending El Yaacoubi out in third place for $59,441.

Heads-up play began with Di Nicola holding a commanding 11 million to Dohang Na’s 3 million. The gap only widened until the final hand, where Na shoved with A♣6♥ and Di Nicola snapped him off with pocket kings. Na flopped a pair and a flush draw, but Di Nicola’s kings held, sealing the victory. Na settled for the runner-up prize of $83,861, while Di Nicola claimed his second WSOP bracelet and the title of champion.

WSOPE €1,650 NLH 6-Max Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize (USD)
1 Ermanno Di Nicola Italy $12488*
2 Dohang Na South Korea $83861*
3 Rachid El Yaacoubi France $59441*
4 Traian Stanciu Romania $32523
5 Amiel Gamliel Switzerland $22644

Christopher Campisano Wins WSOP Europe Mini Main Event

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Frederic Marechal entered the final table of the 2024 World Series of Poker Europe €1,350 No-Limit Hold’em Mini Main Event as the clear chip leader. At one point during heads-up play, he held a commanding 3:1 chip lead over Christopher Campisano. However, as is often the case in poker, things took a dramatic turn. Christopher Campisano mounted a comeback, securing multiple double-ups to seize the lead and ultimately claim victory. The Italian player earned a career-best $236,819 payday and his first WSOP gold bracelet.

The event attracted 1,286 entries across four starting flights, coming just short of surpassing the €1.5 million guaranteed prize pool. A total of 195 players made the money, with rapid eliminations near the bubble leading to several players splitting a min-cash.

Notable players who cashed included three-time bracelet winner Anson Tsang (148th), pot-limit Omaha bracelet winner Vivian Saliba (90th), bracelet winners Tobias Peters (69th) and Stephen Nahm (25th), Florian Duta (23rd), and recent PLO event finalist Alen Sabic (18th).

The final day began with eight players, and Marechal holding over a third of the total chips in play. Despite not being involved in the early eliminations of Luc Ramos (8th – $34,466), Luigi Pignataro (7th – $41,792), or Frederik Thiemer (6th – $52,004), Marechal maintained his lead through the first break.

He gained momentum by winning a crucial preflop coin flip with K-Q against the pocket jacks of Andreas Krause (5th – $66,545), flopping a pair of kings and later rivering a flush to narrow the field to four.

Christopher Campisano then picked up pocket aces, calling an all-in from Xiaohua Yang, who had three-bet shoved with K-J after Marechal’s under-the-gun raise. Marechal folded, and Campisano’s aces held up, eliminating Yang in fourth place for $87,302.

Three-handed play saw Dimitrios Anastasakis briefly take the lead, but a key all-in hand with K-Q against Marechal’s A-7 proved costly. Anastasakis was left with a short stack after an ace-high board and was soon eliminated by Marechal, earning $117,494 for third place.

Christopher Campisano entered heads-up play with 74,200,000 chips against Marechal’s 54,400,000. Early in the match, Marechal won a sizable pot after rivering top pair, but Campisano staged a comeback. He doubled up with Q♥6♥ against A♦5♣ and then held on with A♦J♣ against K♠6♠. A major hand saw Campisano’s top pair of jacks hold against Marechal’s open-ended straight draw, shifting the momentum in his favor with a 2:1 chip lead.

In the final hand, Campisano shoved with K♦9♦ from the button, and Marechal called with A♦3♣. The board ran out Q♦6♦2♠K♥3♦, giving Campisano a flush and sealing his victory.

Marechal finished as the runner-up, earning $161,561, his largest live tournament cash to date.

Final Table Results

Place Name Country Prize
1 Christopher Campisano Italy €213,950
2 Frederic Marechal Belgium €145,550
3 Dimitrios Anastasakis Greece €105,850
4 Xiaohua Yang China €78,650
5 Andreas Krause Germany €59,950

James Obst Wins World Poker Tour Australia Championship

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WPT Australia Championship

James Obst took a couple years off from professional poker starting in 2018 to pursue his dream of a tennis career. He returned to the live poker scene in 2023, and has seemingly not missed a beat despite his hiatus from the game. He has recorded 14 cashes since last summer, including a fourth place finish in the 2023 World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players Championship and a win in this year’s WSOP $10,000 seven card stud championship for his second career bracelet.

The Australian poker pro’s latest triumph saw him best a field of 396 entries in the 2024 World Poker Tour Australia Championship $8,000 AUD buy-in no-limit hold’em event. The Adelaide native earned his first WPT title and $398,512 for his victory on home soil.

“It’s honestly just insane. It’s happened too quick to process it,” James Obst told WPT reporters after coming out on top. “I’m thankful for all the support that my friends showed off and got in the photos with me, and everyone who’s reached out afterwards to congratulate me. Yeah, just feeling fantastic.”

This event ended up with a $1,984,126 prize pool which was paid out amongst the top 50 finishers. Among those who ran deep included bracelet winner Angel Guillen (47th), 2023 WSOP Paradise main event third-place finisher Daniel Neilson (17th), and 2024 WSOP Mystery Millions champion Malcolm Trayner (8th).

James Obst entered the final day with the chip lead among the final six. Dillan Patel (6th – $82,168) and Matthew Wakeman (5th – $108,264) lost preflop coin flips early to narrow the field to four. A battle of the blinds then spelled the end of Oleg Ivanchenko’s run, with his Q-10 suited unable to overcome the A-2 of Daniel Murphy. Ivanchenko’s small-blind shove was called and ace high remained the best hand by the river. Ivanchenko waled away with $144,281 for his fourth-place showing.

The next knockout also pitted the blinds against each other. Travis Endersby shoved from the small blind with ASpade Suit3Club Suit and Murphy called out of the big blind with 8Heart Suit8Club Suit. An ace-high flop gave Endersby the lead, which he maintained through the river. Murphy was awarded $194,483 as the third-place finisher.

Heads-up play began with James Obst holding 15,800,000 to Endersby’s 4,000,000. Just a few hands into the final showdown, Endersby limped from the button with KDiamond SuitJDiamond Suit. Obst raised to 375,000 with ASpade SuitKClub Suit from the big blind and Endersby three-bet shoved for 4,115,000 (41 big blinds). Obst quickly called and the board came down QHeart Suit10Heart Suit7Spade Suit5Spade SuitKHeart Suit to give him top pair and a winning ace kicker. Endersby settled for $265,157 as the runner-up, the second-largest score of his career.

Here is the final table result:

Place Player Earnings POY Points
1 James Obst $398,512 1200
2 Travis Endersby $265,157 1000
3 Daniel Murphy $194,483 800
4 Oleg Ivanchenko $144,281 600
5 Matthew Wakeman $108,264 500

Ari Engel Wins Extends Recording 18th WSOP Circuit Ring

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The Canadian poker star claimed his 18th WSOPC ring by winning the $888 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Crazy 8’s event during WSOP Online Pennsylvania. Engel outlasted a field of 61 entrants on his second entry, earning $16,732 and defeating “D.Lafferty” in a heads-up showdown for the title.

Earlier in February, Engel secured his 17th Circuit ring in an online $500 8-Max tournament, putting him two rings ahead of Daniel Lowery, Maurice Hawkins, and Joshua Reichard. While Hawkins has since added his 16th ring, Engel’s latest victory further widens the gap, with Lowery and Reichard still sitting at 15 rings.

The $888 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament took place on the WSOP Online platform in Pennsylvania (formerly WSOP.com). The event had a guaranteed prize pool of $35,000 but ended up surpassing that with a total of $51,484. Despite only 33 players registering, the tournament saw 28 rebuys, boosting the prize pool.

Ari Engel, who plays under the screen name “Ngindn” — a tribute to the initials of his nieces and nephews, from oldest to youngest — took home the title. Engel, a veteran poker pro, boasts three World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and is the only player with 15 or more Circuit rings to also have won a bracelet.

According to The Hendon Mob, Engel has amassed $8.7 million in lifetime live tournament earnings. WSOP announcer and Poker Hall of Fame nominee Norman Chad once referred to Engel as the “Shohei Ohtani of poker” — a nod to Ohtani’s status as the first MLB player since Babe Ruth to excel as both a hitter and a pitcher, though Ohtani is sidelined from pitching this year due to an arm injury.

Event #9: $888 NLH Crazy 8’s Final Table Results

Place Player Prize
1 Ari “Ngindn” Engel $16,732
2 “D.Lafferty” $10,811
3 “Mr.Pink1992” $7,722
4 “Solenya” $5,148
5 “ImShard” $3,861

Jim Collopy Captures 2024 Poker Masters Purple Jacket

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Poker Masters

Many PokerGO Tour series points races come down to the wire. That was not the case in the 2024 Poker Masters, though. Jim Collopy had officially secured this year’s Purple Jacket before the final day of the festival-closing $25,000 high roller began.

“This run was incredible, no-limit hold’em is definitely a game I’ve played a lot of, but I play a lot of games, so it’s nice to perform well on a big stage against a lot of guys who specialize in specifically this format,” Collopy told PokerGO’s Jeff Platt after locking up the win.

“Purple will suit me really well,” the three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner offered when asked about the sartorial spoils of his victory at this festival.

In addition to the majestic velvet coat, Collopy was also awarded a $25,000 PGT Passport, and the PokerStars Gold Pass for the upcoming North American Poker Tour Las Vegas stop at Resorts World.

Collopy made four consecutive final tables from events 3-6, closing his run with back-to-back runner-up showings. All told, Collopy cashed for $521,600 across those four scores, the most of any player who participated in this festival.

His 522 total PGT points along the way gave him a final margin of 64 points over second-ranked Isaac Haxton, who had four cashes and one win.

Jim Collopy kicked off his spree with a sixth-place showing from a field of 94 entries in event no. 3, a $10,100 buy-in tournament. He earned $47,000 and 47 PGT points for that initial score.

The very next day, Jim Collopy navigated his way through a field of 81 entries in event no. 4, which was another no-limit hold’em affair at the same price point. Collopy secured another $105,300 and 105 points after hitting the rail in third place.

The final $10,100 buy-in of the series attracted 75 entries. Collopy made it down to heads-up play, only to fall one spot short of the title. He added $142,500 and 146 points after losing the final hand against David Chen.

The finishing blow for Jim Collopy was another runner-up finish, this time in the first of two $15,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em events on the schedule. There were 84 entries, which resulted in a $226,800 payday for Collopy, who added another 227 points to bring his total to 522.

Collopy now sits in seventh place on the season-long PGT leaderboard, with 1,574 points accrued across 15 total cashes. He also sits in sixth place in the 2024 Card Player Player of the Year standings, which are presented by Global Poker.

Here is a look at the final top 10 in the series points race:

Rank Player Points Wins Cashes Winnings
1st Jim Collopy 522 0 4 $521,600
2nd Isaac Haxton 458 1 4 $457,000
3rd Jeremy Becker 449 1 3 $448,800
4th Michael Moncek 382 0 2 $381,600
5th Brock Wilson 355 1 2 $354,900

Spencer Champlin Wins 2024 Poker Masters Kickoff

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The first champion of the 2024 Poker Masters has been decided. Spencer Champlin overcame a field of 131 entries in the $5,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em kickoff event to secure the title and the top prize of $160,475.

This was the Scarborough, Maine native’s first PokerGO Tour title, and his second-largest recorded tournament score. The two-time World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner now has nearly $3.2 million in lifetime earnings accrued across 387 in-the-money finishes.

Champlin now has seven final-table finishes in 2024, with this being his first title of the year. This win earned him 528 Card Player Player of the Year points and 160 PokerGO Tour points. He now sits in 87th place in the 2024 POY race standings presented by Global Poker, and is within reach of the top 200 in the PGT rankings.

This event ran for two days inside the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The strong turnout built a prize pool of $655,000 that was paid out among the top 19 finishers. Plenty of big names cashed, including current POY race second-ranked contender David Coleman (17th), 2013 WSOP main event champion Ryan Riess (16th), bracelet winner Alex Foxen (15th), bracelet winner Chris Hunichen (11th), Eshaan ‘Brown Balla’ Bhalla (9th), two-time Super High Roller Bowl winner Isaac Haxton (8th), and World Poker Tour champion Matthew Wantman (7th).

Only contenders six moved on to the live-streamed final table, with 2024 WSOP Circuit Commerce Casino main event champion Jessica Vierling coming into day 2 atop the chip counts.

The first knockout came right after cards got in the air. Champlin shoved with QClub Suit3Spade Suit from the small blind after it folded around to him. Bracelet winner Nicholas Seward called all-in from the big blind for 14 big blinds total with AHeart SuitKHeart Suit. Seward remained ahead through the turn, but a queen on the river saw him eliminated in sixth place ($32,750). This increased Sweards’s lifetime tournament haul to nearly $1.6 million. The largest chunk of that total ($516,135) came from his win in this year’s $3,000 six-max event at the WSOP.

Bracelet winner Zachary Grech lost a big chunk of his stack semi-bluffing with a straight draw into the flopped two pair of Vierling. He was left with fewer than three big blinds after bet-folding the river. He picked up pocket queens shortly after that to give himself some breathing room, but was soon all-in and at risk with 8Spade Suit6Spade Suit trailing the AHeart Suit5Club Suit of bracelet winner and WPT champion Dylan Linde. Linde made aces and fours to secure the pot, while Grech settled for $39,300 as the fifth-place finisher. The 2023 WSOP Online $400 turbo event champion now has over $862,000 in recorded earnings.

A preflop cooler spelled the end of Dan Shak’s run in this event. He had the best of it to start, with pocket tens leading the pocket nines of Vierling. A nine on the turn gave Vierling a set and the lead, but also improved Shak to an open-ended straight draw. The board paired on the end, though, giving Vierling nines full of queens and the pot. Shak was sent to the rail with $52,400 for his efforts. His tournament resume now features nearly $15 million in career cashes.

Linde was left as the shortest stack after his A-Q was outrun by the A-4 of Champlin in a preflop all-in confrontation. Not long after that he got all-in with Q-6 suited from the small blind, only to run into K-Q for Champlin. Linde was drawing dead by the turn and finished in third place. The $72,050 payout for this result increased his career earnings to nearly $10.3 million.

Heads-up play began with Vierling holding roughly a 2:1 lead over Champlin. She pulled even further ahead after winning a big pot with pocket aces against the top pair of queens held by Champlin. She almost closed out the title with K-Q leading Champlin’s Q-J in a preflop all-in, but Champlin paired his jack on the turn and held from there to double out of the danger zone. He then doubled again with ADiamond Suit7Diamond Suit holding against the KHeart Suit7Club Suit of Vierling to close the gap even more.

From there on it was a back-and-forth affair. Champlin took the lead with an eight-high straight besting Vierling’s seven-high straight, only to have Vierling jump back out in front with a set of fours besting Champlin’s second pair.

The two ultimately battled for roughly an hour before the final hand of the tournament was dealt. Champlin held roughly a 5:3 lead and ASpade SuitQSpade Suit on the button. He opened with a min-raise to 500,000 on the button and Vierling, who had 24.3 big blinds to start, three-bet shoved from the big blind with AClub SuitJSpade Suit.

Champlin quickly called and the board ran out 9Club Suit5Spade Suit3Spade SuitAHeart SuitQDiamond Suit to give him aces up and the title. Vierling, who earned her seat in this event in a $560 satellite, walked away with $98,250 as the runner-up. This deep run grew her lifetime earnings to more than $1.2 million.

Poker Masters Event #1 Final Table Results

Place Player Prize
1 Spencer Champlin $160,475
2 Jessica Vierling $98,250
3 Dylan Linde $72,050
4 Dan Shak $52,400
5 Zachary Grech $39,300

 

Stephen Song Wins EPT Barcelona Main Event

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Stephen Song

At just 29 years of age, Stephen Song has already amassed a sizable tournament poker hardware collection. The professional player from Greenwich, Connecticut will have to make room next to his World Series of Poker bracelet and WPT Prime Championship trophy for a new marquee addition: the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona main event golden spade. This was his 13th recorded title.

Song overcame a field of 1,975 total entries in the €5,300 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament that ran from Sept. 1-8 inside Casino Barcelona, earning a career-best payday of $1,432,328 for the win. He now has more than $8.1 million in lifetime earnings to his name.

The top 287 finishers earned a share of the prize pool in this event, which ended up being worth more than $10.6 million when reckoned in US dollars. After two starting flights and five more days of combined-field action, just six players remained heading into the final day of play.

Song held the chip lead to start. Andrew Hulme was able to earn an early double up with pocket aces on his way to overtaking the top spot in the chip counts. Rania Nasreddine, who finished third in the EPT Monte Carlo main event earlier this year, scored the first knockout of the day. Her A-K held against the Q-J suited of Boris Kuzmanovic (6th – $340,659) to narrow the field to five.

David Coleman was the next to fall. The American poker pro defended his big blind with JClub Suit9Spade Suit facing a small-blind raise of 1,100,000 from chip leader Hulme, who held QSpade SuitQHeart Suit. The flop came down JSpade Suit3Spade Suit3Club Suit and Hulme made a 750,000 continuation bet. Coleman called and the 2Diamond Suit rolled off on the turn. Hulme bet 1,450,000 and Coleman called again with his jacks and threes. The ASpade Suit on the river prompted a shove from Hulme, despite the late appearance of an overcard to his pocket queens. Coleman made the call and was shown a winning overpair by his opponent.

Coleman earned $442,835 as the fifth-place finisher, his fourth-largest score yet. This was his 21st final-table finish of the year, with five POY-qualified titles and more than $3.6 million in POY earnings accumulated along the way. His 8,300 total points are good for second place on the POY leaderboard.

A battle of the blinds saw Nasreddine left on fumes. Marius-Catalin Pertea shoved from the small blind with 9-8 and Nasreddine called with A-K. The flop and turn were safe for Nasreddine, but a nine on the river gave Pertea the double-up and left Nasreddine with fewer than three big blinds. She was soon all-in with ASpade Suit3Spade Suit trailing the AHeart Suit8Club Suit of Hume, which made two pair on the flop. Nasreddine was drawing dead by the turn and was eliminated in fourth place ($575,646). She now has more than $1.7 million in lifetime earnings, with the majority of that coming from her back-to-back EPT main event final table showings this year.

Song was the clear chip leader heading into three-handed play. That gap was closed considerably, though, when Hulme’s AClub Suit6Diamond Suit outraced Pertea’s 5Heart Suit5Club Suit. A six on the river sent Pertea, who qualified for this tournament online for just $55, packing in third place ($748,307). This was far and away the largest score yet for the Romanian.

Heads-up play began with Song holding 33,550,000 to Hulme’s 25,980,000. The two struck a deal to redistribute the remaining prize money, locking up $1,293,832 for Hulme and $1,369,281 for Song while leaving the title and $63,048 to play for.

Song was able to get a big bluff through to extend his lead. In the final hand, Song shoved from the button with AClub Suit7Heart Suit and Hulme called off his last nine or so big blinds with 8Heart Suit8Diamond Suit. The board came down 56Club Suit5Diamond Suit3Diamond Suit4Spade Suit9Diamond Suit and Song turned a seven-high straight to win the pot and the title. Hulme walked away with the payout he negotiated for in the deal. This was the largest score yet for the player from the UK, topping the $350,000 he earned as the 18th-place finisher in the 2023 WSOP main event.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Place Player Earnings POY Points
1 Stephen Song $1,432,328 2160
2 Andrew Hulme $1,293,832 1800
3 Marius-Catalin Pertea $748,307 1440
4 Rania Nasreddine $575,646 1080
5 David Coleman $442,835 900
6 Boris Kuzmanovic $340,659 720

Sylvain Berthelot Wins Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event

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Sylvain Berthelot

The 2024 PokerStars Estrellas Poker Tour Barcelona €1,100 no-limit hold’em main event attracted a massive field of 7,138 total entries, building a prize pool of nearly $7.6 million when rendered in UD dollars. After eight starting flights and three more days of action at the European Poker Tour festival at Casino Barcelona, that sea of players was narrowed down to a single champion: France’s Sylvain Berthelot. Bethelot secured the title and $554,139 in prize money for the win. This was far and away his best live tournament score.

Bethelot struck a three-way deal with Spain’s Santiago Nadal and two-time bracelet winner Martin Zamani that redistributed most of the remaining prize pool, leaving $49,914 and the title to play for. Zamani was the chip leader at the time, and locked up the largest guaranteed payday of $514,208. He ultimately finished third, though, while Santiago survived to heads-up play. Santiago then ran the nut straight into the nut flush of Berthelot to hit the rail in second place ($437,924).

Berthelot was also awarded 1,320 Card Player Player of the Year points as the champion. This was his first POY-qualified score of the year, and was enough to catapult him within striking distance of the top 300 in the 2024 standings presented by Global Poker.

The final day of this tournament began with 19 players remaining and Nadal in the lead. Berthelot was the shortest stack to to start the day, but had worked his way into the top half of the leaderboard by the time the last nine contenders converged onto a single table.

Zamani scored four of the first five knockouts to enter four-handed play as the chip leader. The next big clash saw Zamani open from the button with 9Club Suit7Club Suit and called a three-bet shove from PokerStars ambassador Parker Talbot out of the big blind. Talbot rolled over ADiamond Suit10Club Suit. The board ran out 9Spade Suit9Heart Suit4Diamond Suit10Spade SuitQHeart Suit and Zamani’s trip nines earned him yet another elimination. Talbot hit the payout desk to collect $251,970 for his fourth-place showing. This was his fifth final-table finish of 2024. The 660 POY points he earned in this event grew his total to 2,532, which is good for 75th place in the 2024 standings.

The final three hashed out the deal before resuming play. Not long after they shook hands on the agreement, Berthelot was hoisting the trophy. Zamani increased his career tournament earnings to over $6.5 million with this performance, while Nadal’s lifetime haul grew to nearly $1.7 million.

PokerStars Estrellas Tour 2024 Main Event Final Table Results:
Place Player Country Prize
1st Sylvain Berthelot France $552,250*
2nd Santiago Nadal Mexico $436,450*
3rd Martin Zamani United States $512,465*
4th Parker Talbot Canada $251,100
5th Jean Benvenga Switzerland $191,375

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