The $100 million WPT World Online Championships have reached the halfway point at partypoker. There’s been plenty of action and two players have already seen their names etched to the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.
The series becomes the first time a WPT champion has been awarded online. The series features 12 championship events with five of these champions getting their names engraved on the Sexton Cup.
Winners of those five championship main events also receive:
- individual trophies
- a $15,000 entry and travel package for the WPT Tournament of Champions
- membership into the Champions Club
There remains plenty of action and here’s a complete look at the headlines so far.
Cochrane wins first online WPT Champions Cup title awarded online at partypoker
Gavin Cochrane made some poker history by winning the $3,200 WPT 8-Max Championship on Aug. 4. After reaching the final table of the first championship event (PLO Hi-Lo), he took the title for $540,664.
From St. Albans, United Kingdom, Cochrane beat Belgium’s Thomas Boivin heads-up to become a WPT champion. The event featured a $3 million guarantee, but topped that at almost $3.2 million with 1,062 entries.
Cochrane’s name will be engraved on the Sexton Cup and he’ll receive a replica version as well. He will also receive a Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium watch and a set of Baccarat Crystal tumblers.
The Champions Cup namesake offered plenty of praise for the new champion.
Cheers Mike! Love this WPT online series even before the win!! Hopefully a regular thing now?! https://t.co/GivIkjFFk8
— Gavin (@GavinCochrane_) August 6, 2020
“Becoming a Mike Sexton Champions Cup winner is a truly special achievement, and I congratulate Gavin Cochrane on his victory in a prestigious event,” Sexton said. “There is nothing quite like being a WPT champion, and there are still plenty of opportunities for players to join that list before the end of the series.”
A look at some other partypoker WOC winners
In the second event awarding Champions Club membership, American Nick Petrangelo came out on top for his first WPT title. The win in the $3,200 6-Max Championship included a $494,550 payday and Tournament of Champions entry package.
Petrangelo’s name will also go on the Sexton Cup and he received a Hublot watch.
Petrangelo has had a few close calls before at WPT events. He finished runner-up in a WPT Alpha8 in 2015 for $1 million. He also finished second in a WPT High Roller at the LA Poker Classic in 2018 for $425,000.
A couple other winners in main events include:
- $3,200 PLO Hi-Lo Championship ($500,000 guaranteed) – Paul Tedeschi (France), $97,109
- $3,200 Omaha Championship ($1 million guaranteed) – Alex Manzano (Chile), $76,131
Plenty of side action remains on tap beyond championship events
There may be plenty of hardware and prestige on the line, but the WOCs offer nice side events as well. The WOC features 12 championship events divided into three categories; Micro, Mini, and Main.
Ireland’s Daniel McAulay won the Mini version of the 8-Max Championship for $118,433. Boris Angelov, of Canada, won the Micro version for $44,807.
Some other notable side event winners include:
- Gabriele Lepore of Italy won the $1 million guaranteed WPT Opener for $172,000.
- Russia’s Artur Martirosian took down the $1 million guaranteed WPT High Roller for $251,000.
- Aleksejs Ponakovs of Latvia edged out Team partypoker’s Kristen Bicknell to win “The Big Game” for $219,750.
Bicknell rolls, takes top spot on leaderboard
Speaking of Kristen Bicknell, she’s been one of the hottest players in poker. She currently leads the Player of the Championships leaderboard.
Along with her runner-up in the Big Game, Bicknell won the $5,200 7-Max High Roller for $79,275.
The big scores haven’t come just at partypoker. In July, she earned her second World Series of Poker bracelet by winning the $2,500 NLHE 6-Handed event online at GGPoker for $356,412.
If she can keep the WPT success going and win the leaderboard title, Bicknell will add another $50,000 to her winnings. Here’s a complete look at the leaderboard ro far.
- 1st – Kristen Bicknell, 157.94
- 2nd – Lars Kamphues, 130.62
- 3rd – Nick Petrangelo, 128.77
- 4th – Gavin Cochrane, 127.87
- 5th – Sam Grafton, 122.66
Satellite success means big bucks
There has been plenty of satellite success so far for players in the WPT World Online Championships. Four players at the final table of the 8-Max Championship main event won their places via satellite.
Artsiom Prostak finished runner-up in the 6-Max Championship and qualified via a $320 satellite. That proved a nice option – leading to a score of $388,119.
In total, $1.5 million in seats were awarded for the 8-Max tournaments via satellites. Mega satellites continue running for all championship events. Thousands of dollars in tournament seats are still up for grabs as the series advances.
Looking at upcoming WPT partypoker events
Players looking to get in on the WPT action at partypoker still have plenty to check out. That ranges from Micro buy-in events to the Main category including three more Sexton Cup events.
Those looking for some real WPT glory have three more Sexton Cup events to check out. All these include a TOC package for the winner as well as Hublot watches and Baccarat Crystal.
- $3,200 Knockout Championship, Aug. 15 – $3 million guarantee
- $3,200 Mix-Max Championship, Aug. 22 – $3 million guarantee
- $10,300 WPT World Championship Online Main Event, Sept. 5 – $10 million guarantee
A few upcoming side events should also attract plenty of interest. The $3,200 World Championship 6-Max begins on Aug. 15 and features a $3 million guarantee.
The $320 Mini version comes with a $1 million guarantee and $300,000 for the $33 Micro version.
The $3,200 Heads-Up World Championship is set for Sept. 2 and comes with a $500,000 guarantee.
There is also a $320 Mini version for $320 and a $100,00 guarantee. The $33 Micro version has a $20,000 guarantee.
Here’s a look at the complete schedule of events remaining.
2020 WPT partypoker World Online Championships
| Date | Event | Buy-in | Fee | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 29 | #07 World Championship Main Event Day 1A [4-Day Event] | $10,000 | $300 | $10,000,000 |
| Aug. 30 | #07 World Championship Main Event Day 1B [4-Day Event] | $10,000 | $300 | None |
| Sept. 2 | #08 World Championship Heads Up [No Late Reg, 256 Cap, 2-Day Event] | $3,000 | $200 | $500,000 |
| Sept. 2 | #08 Mini World Championship Heads Up [No Late Reg, 512 Cap, 2-Day Event] | $300 | $20 | $100,000 |
| Sept. 2 | #08 Micro World Championship Heads Up [No Late Reg, 1024 Cap, 2-Day Event] | $30 | $3 | $20,000 |
| Sept. 5 | #09 World Championship Mix-Max Day 1A [3-Day Event] | $3,000 | $200 | $3,000,000 |
| Sept. 5 | #09 Mini World Championship Mix-Max Day 1A [3-Day Event] | $300 | $20 | $1,000,000 |
| Sept. 5 | #09 Micro World Championship Mix-Max Day 1A [3-Day Event] | $30 | $3 | $300,000 |
| Sept. 5 | #10 World Championship Super High Roller Day 1A [3-Day Event] | $25,000 | $500 | $10,000,000 |
| Sept. 6 | #09 World Championship Mix-Max Day 1B [3-Day Event] | $3,000 | $200 | None |
| Sept. 6 | #09 Mini World Championship Mix-Max Day 1B [3-Day Event] | $300 | $20 | None |
| Sept. 6 | #09 Micro World Championship Mix-Max Day 1B [3-Day Event] | $30 | $3 | None |
| Sept. 6 | #10 World Championship Super High Roller Day 1B [3-Day Event] | $25,000 | $500 | None |
| Sept. 7 | #11 World Championship Super High Roller [2-Day Event] | $100,000 | $2,000 | $5,000,000 |
| Sept. 8 | #12 World Championship Turbo | $3,000 | $200 | $1,000,000 |
| Sept. 8 | #12 Mini World Championship Turbo | $300 | $20 | $300,000 |
| Sept. 8 | #12 Micro World Championship Turbo | $30 | $3 | $100,000 |
| *** All events allow one re-entry per Day 1 |
* Sexton Cup photo courtesy WPT/Joe Giron
* Gavin Cochrane photo courtesy Poker Central