Phil Mighall became the latest player to add his name to the Mike Sexton World Poker Tour Champions Cup and did so in a big way. On Wednesday, this player from the United Kingdom became the inaugural champion of the $10,300 WPT World Online Championships Main Event.
Mighall scored a Herculean payout of $1.6 million on partypoker after topping a field of 1,011. The event built a $10.1 million prize pool and was the highlight of the series. Mighall now sits among the tour’s champions.
Cracking Aces to take the title
When the Main Event reached heads-up play, Mighall battled Netherlands-based Teun Mulder. The two agreed to a deal with an extra $100,000 in prize money to play for.
The final hand saw Mulder’s pocket Aces catch a third Ace on the flop. However, his opponent hit a gutshot straight on the turn. Mighall then moved all in. Mulder called and Mighall secured the title.
For his runner-up finish, Mulder earned $1.4 million. Mighall is the first player to add his name to the Sexton Cup since the trophy’s namesake passed away.
Congratulations to Phil Mighall 🇬🇧on becoming the newest member of the @WPT Champions Club! Phil wins $1,550,298 and entry to the Tournament of Champions. Well played to all finalists pic.twitter.com/VA31okYnEE
— PartyPoker (@partypoker) September 17, 2020
Beyond the online game, Mighall has more than $531,000 in live tournament winnings. Along with a replica version of the Sexton Cup, he receives several other nice extras including:
- $15,000 added value entry into the next WPT Tournament of Champions (presented by Baccarat Crystal)
- a Hublot Big Bang timepiece worth $15,000
- a set of Baccarat Crystal tumblers
More satellite winners score big in WPT events at partypoker
The WOCs were meant to be similar to a live WPT experience with players’ names used at the tables. Numerous satellites and qualifiers were also offered throughout the series to give lower bankroll players a shot.
That included the Main Event, with seven of nine final table players qualifying via satellite. Argentina’s Damian Salas entered the final table as the chip leader after qualifying in a $1,000 satellite. He went on to finish third for a massive $814,664.
Blaz Zerjav, of Slovenia, qualified through a partypoker LIVE passport and took fourth for $552,006.
Brazil’s Victor Simionato pulled off one of the biggest underdog stories of the entire series. He started in a $22 qualifier and navigated through three satellites to qualify for the Main Event. By the time he was eliminated in fifth place, Simionato earned a life-changing $391,257.
Team partypoker’s Dzmitry Urbanovich, of Poland, also went on an impressive run to the final table. He qualified in a $530 satellite before going on to finish sixth for $277,014.
The final table was streamed live on partypoker’s Twitch and YouTube channels. The WPT’s Matt Savage and Lynn Gilmartin as well as James Dempsey called the action.
“Tournaments this size don’t come around very often,” said Team partypoker’s Jason Koon, who also commented on some of the action. “The final table had a ton of talent and was open for several players to win, which made it really enjoyable to watch.
“It’s got to be an amazing feeling taking down this special WPT, so congratulations to Phil Mighall.”
WPT partypoker WOC action continues
The Main Event may be over but plenty of events remain at partypoker. The WOCs run through Sept. 24 with $100 million guaranteed for the entire series.
One major event is set to conclude on Thursday. The $3,200 WPT Heads Up Championship is down to the final 16 players after attracting 166 entries in the bracket-style event.
Partypoker will stream those events tonight in a unique setting with four tables at once. Other major events set to wrap up in the next week and streamed online include:
- Turbo Championship
- High Roller Championship
- Super High Roller Championship
For a complete partypoker review including exclusive PokerScout bonuses, click here.
Photo courtesy WPT