Posted on

WPT Roundup: Fabrice Bigot Wins France Event, Tour Teams Up With One Drop Foundation, & More

The WPT's latest international stop concluded recently with Fabrice Bigot taking down the €1,100 Prime Paris event for $193,291.

The World Poker Tour’s latest international stop concluded recently with Fabrice Bigot taking down the €1,100 Prime Paris event for $193,291.

This marked the biggest cash of the Frenchman’s poker career. He now has more than $715,000 in live tournament winnings.

In other news, the WPT also recently announced a new partnership with the One Drop Foundation. The agreement brings a new initiative to the tour’s own charitable foundation. Here’s a quick look at the events as well as some WPT tournaments on the horizon.

A look at the WPT Prime Paris event

The event at the Club Circus Paris in France marked the first event for the WPT of 2023. The tournament wrapped up on Feb. 5 and the event saw 1,071 entries for a $1.1 million prize pool.

Along with the payout, Bigot (pictured in lead image courtesy WPT) earned a $10,400 seat to the 2023 WPT World Championship. The December event at the Wynn Las Vegas proved popular with players and saw big numbers. The tour is once again running the championship this year with event winners grabbing a seat throughout Season XXI.

Bigot finished Day 2 second in chips going into the eight-handed final table. He sat just behind Sabare Atmani, but continued to grow his stack throughout the day.

 

The two eventually faced off heads up for the title with Bigot holding more than a 2-to-1 chip advantage – 22.3 million to 9.9 million. That proved too much and after 11 hands, Bigot finished off his opponent.

The final hand saw both players see a flop of J♠10♠9♦. Atmani checked and Bigot made a bet of 800,000. Atmani then moved all in for the last of his 6.8 million.

Bigot called with A♥J♦ and top pair while Atmani held 10♥7♣ with middle pair and inside straight draw. The 6♠ and 2♥ brought no help for Atmani and Bigot had the title.

“I feel like I am where I should be,” Bigot said before the final table got underway. That certainly proved to be the case. Here are the final table payouts.

WPT Prime Paris

  1. Fabrice Bigot – $194,390
  2. Sabare Atmani – $123,934
  3. Alexandre Le Vaillant – $92,128
  4. Federico Cirillo – $69,096
  5. Antoine Labat – $51,548
  6. Manuel Coimbra – $39,483
  7. Hakim Chniyat – $30,709
  8. Timothee Scotti – $24,129

Tour announces new charity poker initiatives

In other news, the WPT announced a new deal with the One Drop Foundation this week. The agreement sees the organizations teaming up for charity poker initiatives in the coming year.

One Drop, which has also worked with the World Series of Poker, helps provide access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene to impoverished communities. Tour officials promise charity events hosted by WPT casino partners around the world.

“WPT has always committed to giving back to those in need both locally and globally,” WPT CEO Adam Pliska said in a news release. “Through the WPT Foundation, we have utilized our position in the poker community to raise millions of dollars in funding for non-profit organizations, and we are eager to continue this charitable thread by teaming up with the incredible One Drop Foundation.”

Over the past 10 years, the WPT Foundation has helped raise more than $45 million for numerous charities including: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Conservation International; Education Reform Now; K9s for Warriors; the NASCAR Foundation, Special Olympics, World Central Kitchen; and more. One Drop officials were pleased to join that group of beneficiaries.

“The One Drop Foundation has raised more than $25 million through poker events over the past decade,” One Drop Chief Marketing Officer Alexandre Meunier said. “We now look forward to the next milestone in our mission to improve access to safe water and living conditions for millions across the globe. We are confident the WPT is the ideal partner to help us achieve that goal, hand in hand with the global poker community.”

Since 2012, the WPT and One Drop foundations have raised a combined total of over $70 million for global causes.

Looking ahead at upcoming WPT events

More action is on the horizon for the WPT. While the first Main Tour event isn’t until April, some other Prime events are in the works.

The Prime Gold Coast heads to The Star Gold Coast casino in Australia. The festival runs Feb. 23 – March 6 with the main event running March 2-6.

Two more Prime events are also set for the same month with the Cambodia main event running March 16-20. That’s followed by the stop in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from March 28-31.

The First Main Tour event of the year is the $3,500 Rolling Thunder in California, set for April 1-4. That’s followed by the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in Florida from April 28 – May 2.

Posted on

Kicking It With PokerStars Ambassador and Former Football Player Steve Enriquez

PokerStars ambassador Steve Enriquez spoke with PokerScout at the PCA about his life in poker and football.

Looking back on his life in football (“soccer” for those in some countries), PokerStars ambassador Steve Enriquez was torn. He had a real passion for football but also loved poker. A competitor at heart, he faced a dilemma.

Enriquez was playing in the Spanish third division, between the semi-pro and professional ranks. Some time with clubs like Atlético Osasuna and Real Racing Club de Santander was nice, but the goal-scorer seemed stuck. Could he rise up to higher levels of play or be relegated to the lower divisions?

On the other hand, Enriquez seemed to be finding success playing poker online. He faced a crucial decision.

“At some point I had to decide between football and poker,” he says. “And it was a bit tricky for me because my heart was in football. But my head was saying, ‘Let’s go for poker because you can reach much more.’”

So far that has proven to be a nice choice. Enriquez is now living a life many poker players dream of – becoming a member of Team PokerStars, playing plenty of cards, and traveling the world.

Life on the pitch & the online poker felt

Like many football players, Enrriquez fantasized of landing a nice pro contract. Even signing a decent deal in the second division would have been a huge achievement. But despite being a top scorer in the league, a promotion never materialized.

Instead, he’s now as heavily involved with poker as a player can probably get – playing online, producing YouTube content, Twitch streaming, and since 2013 working as a Spanish commentator on PokerStars broadcasts.

That recently included calling much of the streaming action from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA).

“My future was very clear and I decided to keep improving my poker,” he says.

By the time he left football behind, Enriquez had already put in hundreds of hours of online poker. He was also a regular in live poker events when not scoring goals. The soccer player was certainly a busy man.

“I was doing everything, playing the regional circuits in Spain and also traveling to Las Vegas,” he says. “I was able to come to Las Vegas in June because that’s when the season is over. So I had time to come for two or three weeks. But during the football season, it’s very tough to travel to some poker events because Saturdays and Sundays are match days. So you are not able to travel that much.”

Team dynamics at the poker table

Steve Enriquez battles it out at the table. (photos courtesy PokerStars/Danny Maxwell)

Sometimes Enrqiuez’s life on the pitch and at the poker table intersected. Playing in the lower divisions often involves plenty of travel time and breaking out some cards and chips was a regular part of his team’s routine.

“In Spain, football is very related to poker,” he says. “We played on the bus going to the next match. It could be four hours by bus. Or even on the train, we loved to play card games on the bus including poker.”

By this time, however, Enriquez had already been playing for years and most of those team games were pretty low-stakes affairs. His participation often involved providing some poker pointers.

“I didn’t want to take the money from the guys,” he says. “I was just having fun – I normally just watched the game and helped out.”

Action at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure & making his Super Bowl pick

The athlete turned poker player remains a huge sports fan, even checking out American football. During his time at the PCA in the Bahamas, Enriquez checked out the NFL playoffs and believes the Chiefs will win the Super Bowl.

While he excelled on the soccer pitch, would the PokerStars ambassador have liked to play football as a youngster?

“Yes, I was actually very fast so I could probably run like a wide receiver or a  running back for sure,” he says laughing. “I can kick too. Those are the two talents I have – running and kicking. That’s it.”

Obviously, some poker skills and talents behind the microphone could be included with those talents as well. He was happy to call much of the action on the PokerStars Spanish stream at the PCA.

The event turned out great, he says, and provided a real chance to bring together a diverse group of players from around the world hoping to live out their poker dreams.

“I think the word that describes what players are feeling is joy,” he says. “Everybody wants to be the new Ramon Colillas.”

★★★ Ready to get in the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review with exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

Posted on

POKER PODIUM: Nice Wins from Kenny Hallaert, Niklas Astedt; PCA, PSPC Events Wrap Up & More

Poker Podium once again takes a look at online and live poker winners from January including nce scores from Kenny Hallaert and Niklas Astedt.

The poker world was busy in January with many online events as well as players heading to some major live events. That included some major online series with Kenny Hallaert, Niklas Astedt, and others finding some nice wins.

GGPoker ambassador Jason Koon also received some welcome news in January, meaning keeping some big winnings from his heads-up battle with Phil Hellmuth. The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure also recently wrapped up with some huge winners.

Poker Podium once again takes a look at January winners from the online and live poker felts.

PokerStars

No doubt the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) was a major event for the site over the last month. Several players won big in the series in January and early February. That included Belarus’s Aliaksandr Shylko scoring the win in the $25,000 PokerStars Player Championship for $3.1 million.

The tournament included 400-plus Platinum Pass winners and attracted 1,014 entries for a $24.8 million prize pool.

The $10,000 PCA Main Event also wrapped up in January. That tournament saw Portugal’s Michel Dattani grab the top spot for $1.3 million. The event produced a field of 889 entries for an $8.6 million prize pool.

A few PokerStars online winners

In the online arena, Huber Sebastian celebrated his recent win in the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). The Stars ambassador and Twitch streamer scored a victory back in September, scoring more than $2,800 in the process. He was pleased with receiving his trophy.

Fellow ambassador Lex Veldhuis made a deep run in the New Year Series Main Event. That included knocking out fellow ambassador Ben “Spraggy” Spragg.

In the end, the tournament saw 5,362 entries with Switzerland’s “Scoops2022” scooping the title for $143,479. 

GGPoker

It’s been a huge run recently for GGPoker ambassador Jason Koon, with 2022 bringing plenty of wins and big finishes. A massive Triton Poker win for more than $1.9 million came his way in May.

In October, Koon added a Poker Masters title for $666,000. In December he also chalked up a win in the $50,000 PokerGO Tour Championship for $500,000.

If that weren’t enough, Koon walks away a winner from PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel. He scored $1.6 million after beating Phil Hellmuth in December. When no one stepped up to battle Koon, he was declared the winner of the series in January. He now has more than $42 million in live tournament winnings.

GG online winners

Numerous online players continue celebrating some GG tournament wins as well. That included streamer and YouTuber “Questje,” who also made his first online final table deal on the site.

Brazilian recreational player “Be Lima” turned a free qualifier ticket into a $1 tournament entry. He then took the top spot for a hearty return on investment.

https://twitter.com/robertapker/status/1618534984155017217?s=20&t=so-7QXHX7x3f-CPnZKxsxw

888poker

The XL Winter Series wrapped up at 888 in January and awarded more than $1.5 million. The result easily topped the $1 million overall guarantee and saw several players scoop some nice paydays. In total, the series produced 16,168 entries with most buy-ins ranging from $5.50 to $55.

In the international competition, players from Romania and Brazil came out on top with five wins each. German players scored four titles while Lithuanians snagged three.

The $250 Main Event highlighted the series and featured a $500,000 guarantee. The mystery bounty event also featured a top bounty of $50,000 and the tournament saw 2,059 entries.

In the end, “AMG_people” came back from one of the shorter stacks at the final table to secure the win. The Ukrainian player bagged $37,592 in prize money and bounties. Ukraine’s “alwaySsmilee” finished runner-up for $32,567.

The $2,100 Super High Roller was another highlight and guaranteed $100,000. The event saw 51 entries for a $102,000 prize pool.

Sweden’s Niklas “tutten7” Astedt found the winner’s circle for $37,740. No stranger to poker success, Astedt has $1.8 million in live tournament winnings as well as other major wins online. Canada’s “beebsterizer” took runner-up for $25,500.

A look at 888 Live winners

In other 888 news, the site recently headed to Mardrid for the latest 888poker Live series. Spain’s Adrian Garcia came out on top for a nice score of €92,000.

Russia’s Oleg Bystrenin took runner-up for €60,000. 888’s newest ambassador Lucia Navarro also shined. The poker YouTiuber scored fourth for €27,000 and was pleased overall with her play.

PartyPoker

The PartyPoker Championship Winter Edition took center stage at PartyPoker in January. The  $530 Main Event highlighted the series, attracting 1,089 entries.

The tournament easily topped the $500,000 guarantee, garnering a $544,500 prize pool. Ireland’s Rytis Strigunas claimed the win for $78,160 after a deal with runner-up Victor Oliveira Girao, of Brazil, who scored $72,827.

Henrique Miguel Santos Da Silva, of the United Kingdom, took down the $35 Mini Main Event for $20,284. Well-regarded pro Kenny Hallaert scored the win in the $215 PKO Championship for $24,937.

Posted on

PCA Update: Aliaksandr Shylko Grabs PokerStars PSPC Title, Isaac Haxton Wins Second High Roller

After months of awarding Platinum Passes and plenty of hype, the PSPC concluded Friday with Aliaksandr Shylko taking the title.

After months of awarding Platinum Passes and building plenty of hype, the PokerStars No Limit Hold’em Players Championship (PSPC) came to a close on Friday with Belarus’s Aliaksandr Shylko taking the title for $3.1 million.

The victory came after five days of tournament action that highlighted the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. The trip to the tropics turned out to be a major win for Shylko, who had just $423,369 in live tournament winnings before the huge cash.

“It was an amazing experience,” Shylko said afterward. “I had a lot of fun, I met a lot of good people, and winning such a big tournament, it’s amazing.”

In other news, Isaac Haxton proved to be one of the biggest winners of the series as well with a second high roller win. Here’s a look at the final days of action from the Bahamas.

Shylko scores big in PokerStars PSPC

When action resumed on Friday, Shylko (pictured in lead image courtesy PokerStars/Danny Maxwell) sat second in chips and faced experienced players in chip leader Nacho Barbero and Pedro Marques in fourth.

Berbero found some early success, dispatching short-stacked Niclas Thumm early. Shylko managed his chip stack well, however, and also found the right card at a critical time. Rivering a straight with A♥10♥ against Philipe Pizzari’s A♣ K♥ proved to be a huge hand. Shylko hit a miracle card on the river and took the chip lead. 

After coming into the final table as chip leader, Berbero ultimately exited in fourth place. He noted that he had a bad run of cards and was frustrated despite pocketing $1.6 million.

“I couldn’t recover,” he said. “There are not many better opportunities to win $4 million. I’m happy for the result, but it’s a bit disappointing.”

Reaching a deal

In the end, the top three players agreed to a deal. Each player was guaranteed at least $2.5 million. They left $300,000 on the table to play for as well as the title or PSPC champion.

Shylko ended up heads up against Germany’s Max Menzel, who had entered the final table fifth in chips and made a huge jump overall. Heads-up play lasted just a single hand.

Menzel managed to hit a straight, but Shylko hit a full house. Shyklo becomes the second PSPC winner after Ramon Colillas won the first event in 2019.

Menzel earned his spot in the PSPC via Platinum Pass and certainly made it count. Niclas Thumm found a Platinum Pass route to the final table as well and made it pay off to the tune of seven figures.

In the end, the tournament produced a field of 1,014 entries for a $24.8 million prize pool. That included 418 Platinum Pass winners. Here’s a look at the final table payouts.

2023 PokerStars Players Championship

  1. Aliaksandr Shylko (Belarus) – $3,121,838
  2. Max Menzel (Germany) – $2,859,990
  3. Philipe Pizzari (Brazil) – $2,524,871
  4. Nacho Barbero (Argentina) – $1,551,300
  5. Pedro Marques (Portugal) – $1,251,500
  6. Niclas Thumm (Germany) – $1,001,200

Isaac Haxton chalks up another win

After winning the $100,000 PCA Super High Roller to start the series, Isaac Haxton bookended his run in the series with another big win on the final day of action. He took down the $100,000 NLHE event on Friday for $1.6 million.

In total, Haxton chalke up more than $3.1 million in winnings across the entire series, which also included a third-place finish. The performance also follows winning the final event in the PokerGO Cup in January for $598,000. It’s certainly been a nice few weeks for the high-stakes grinder from New York.

After the most recent win, Haxton now has more than $33.6 million in live tournament winnings. The event brought in 46 entries for a $4.5 million prize pool.

Germany’s Fedor Holz finished runner-up for $1 million. That came after a deep run in the PSPC, where he took 21st for $123,600.

Ognyan Dimov grabs high roller title; other winners

In the $25,000 PCA High Roller, former European Poker Tour champion Ognyan Dimov found the top spot for $990,655. The tournament brought in 187 entries for a $4.4 million prize pool.

This is now the largest tournament score of the Bulgarian’s poker career and now has more than $4 million in live tournament winnings.

Ognyan Dimov celebrates his win in the PCA High Roller. (photo courtesy PokerStars/Manuel Kovsca)

In the $10,150 Six-Handed Unlimited Re-Entry, Switzerland’s Alexandre Vuilleumier found the winner’s circle for $237,700. The $3,100 NLHE Unlimited Re-Entry also produced a nice payout for the champion. Germany’s Maximilian Silz took the title for $101,430.

Brazil’s Kelvin Kerber scored the trophy and $110,910 in the $2,200 Deep Stack Single Re-Entry. After 70 events, the PCA came to a close on Friday. With so many Platinum Passes given out, the tournament brought together an interesting mix of recreational players and pros.

The sun, sand, and poker were hard to beat. Many players may already be asking if the PCA will return for 2024? Is PokerStars planning a third PSPC and more Platinum Passes up for grabs? Those answers remain to be seen, but stay tuned to PokerScout for details as more information is announced.

★★★ Ready to get in the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review with exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

Posted on

Final Table Set in PokerStars Players Championship, Nacho Barbero Returns as Chip Leader

The PokerStars PSPC reached the final table on Thursday with six players returning to battle for the title and Nacho Barbero as chip leader.

The PokerStars No Limit Hold’em Players Championship reached the final table on Thursday with six players returning to battle for the title on Friday.

Argentina’s Nacho Barbero returns to the table as chip leader with 19.3 million chips. Just behind him is Belarus’s Aliaksandr Shylko with 12.2 million.

Two Platinum Pass winners also return to the final table, meaning a huge return on investment awaits those players. Friday brings a close to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure festivities.

Stars ambassador Sam Grafton finished 12th in the PSPC for $238,700 and spoke for many about the experience.

“I think the atmosphere is unbelievable,” he told PokerScout. “Because people are bringing their families, girlfriends, partners, husbands, and loved ones. So that’s really nice – being able to just spend the morning on the beach, get the sand between your toes before you go and play poker.

“There’s just a very convivial atmosphere at the tables. And then I think, not to blow our own trumpet, but I think we’ve done a really good job of making this a great event. We feel like we have the best dealers, staff, and organizational aspects for a tournament in the world. We’re setting the gold standard for how live events are conducted and I really think that we’ve done that here.”

The $250,000 Super High Roller also wrapped up on Thursday with a Canadian grabbing the top spot. Here’s a look at some of the recent action from the Bahamas.

PokerStars Players Championship final table

After four days of play, the end of the PSPC is now in sight with some major money on the line. The winner scores $4.1 million with sixth place taking just over $1 million. Here’s a look at the players at the final table.

Nacho Barbero, 19.3 million chips

Barbero (pictured in lead image courtesy PokerStars/Joe Giron) returns as one of the most experienced players at the final table. He’s a high-stakes cash game player with plenty of major tournament scores as well.

In total, Barbero has $5.4 million in live tournament winnings. That included winning a World Series of Poker bracelet last summer in a $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty for $587,520.

He has numerous other nice wins and finishes, and now has the chips and skills to possibly take an even bigger title.

Aliaksandr Shylko – 12.2 million

Aliaksandr Shylko

With $423,369 in live tournament winnings, Shylko has pocketed the biggest score of his tournament career. No doubt he’ll be gunning for the title and has the chips to make some waves.

Shylko’s best score came in the 2021 WSOP Circuit Main Event in the Czech Republic, taking fourth for $106,769. In 2019 he also scored a fourth-place finish in the same event for $86,798.

Philipe Pizzari – 12 million

Philipe Pizzari

The Brazilian has $353,892 in live tournament winnings with the biggest of that coming in a 2021 WSOP Main Event.

He scored $241,800 for that finish alone. Pizzari now has a much bigger score already in his pocket. If he can find more chips, he could be a tough player to contend with as well.

Pedro Marques – 10.5 million

Pedro Marques

This player from Portugal also returns as one of the more experienced players at the table. He has almost $3 million in live tournament winnings and now adds to that total significantly.

Marques is a regular on the European Poker Tour with numerous nice finishes on that series. In May he took down a €2,000 event at EPT Monte Carlo for $173,702.

His biggest score came in 2018 when he won the EPT Barcelona Main Event for $813,371. He’ll certainly be a player to watch at this final table.

Max Menzel – 5 million

Max Menzel

This German player sits on one of the two short stacks and will have some work to do to ladder up at the final table. However, with $1 million for just sixth place, he adds greatly to his ​​$108,574 in live tournament winnings.

Menzel works for a German logistics company and currently lives in Singapore. During time living in China, he was also a regular cash game player in Macau. He is one of two Platinum Pass winners at the final table after winning a Road to PSPC event in Manila.

Niclas Thumm – 1.8 million

Niclas Thumm

This is a second player hailing from Germany and another Platinum Pass winner. He won his pass by receiving votes among poker fans in the PokerStars “Dare2Stream” competition.

Thumm has only two live poker cashes for $415, but the Twitch streamer is a regular at the online tables. He is on the shortest stack and will be looking for a quick double. He spoke about how much he’s enjoyed the overall PSPC experience.

“On the one hand, it’s life-changing money, even min-cashing,” the 29-year-old told the PokerStars blog. “On the other hand, I’m enjoying every second of the tournament, playing my hands, and spectating the hands I’m not in.”

Despite being on e short stack, he planned on bringing his A-game to the table.

Platinum Pass winners score big

Beyond the two final table Platinum Pass winners, several others who grabbed a pass also found some nice winnings. Many of these winners saw huge gains in career earnings thanks to so many recreational players scoring passes and making some nice runs.

Tom Parsons, of the United Kingdom, turned his pass into a 16th-place finish for $165,600. The Team Paddy Power ambassador seems to have come a long way since the first PSPC in 2019.

Hugo Rodilla finished just one spot behind Parsons and also snagged $165,600. The Spanish Platinum Pass winner adds a nice amount to his $13,335 in live tournament winnings.

Spain’s Esteban Maquillon found a 19th-place finish for $142,100. He also greatly beefs up his $142,354 in winnings. Jerome Moreau, of France, almost doubled his liv e tournament winnings of $153,149. He finished 20th for $142,100.

One of the better Platinum Pass stories is 43-year-old Frenchman Renato Minicuci. He won a PokerStars Spin & Go freeroll promotion to earn his spot in the tournament, ultimately finishing 27th for $107,500. 

Previously, Minicuri had only $66,357 in live tournament winnings. He started playing poker in 2014 after some co-workers asked him to play in a tournament. That Platinum Pasas turned into a nice vacation and a nice six-figure score.

Greenwood takes down Super High Roller

In other action, Sam Greenwood took down the $250,000 Super High Roller for $3.3 million. The Canadian topped a field of 39 entries for the biggest win of his career.

“I’m feeling really tired but really happy,” Greenwood said after the win.

The 34-year-old from Toronto now has almost $30 million in live tournament winnings. Greenwood was second in chips when the final of eight resumed on Thursday.

Eliminating ∫ in sixth place and Artur Martirosian in fifth added to his stack and he kept building.

At heads-up play, France’s Jean-Noel Thorel held a small chip lead, but Greenwood eventually turned the tables for the win. Here’s a look at the final payouts.

PCA $250,000 Super High Roller

  1. Sam Greenwood, Canada – $3,276,760
  2. Jean-Noel Thorel, France – $2,137,100
  3. David Yan, New Zealand – $1,472,200
  4. Byron Kaverman, United States – $1,092,300
  5. Artur Martirosian, Russia – $854,800
  6. Justin Bonomo, United States – $664,900

* Photos courtesy PokerStars/Joe Giron/Tomas Stacha

♠♥♣♦ Ready to get in the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review and exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ♠♥♣♦

Posted on

PCA Update: Final Numbers in With PokerStars Championship Winner Grabbing $4.1 Million

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) rolled on Wednesday with final numbers coming in for the PokerStars Players Championship.

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) rolled on Wednesday with final numbers coming in for the PokerStars No Limit Hold’em Players Championship (PSPC) in the Bahamas.

Tournament organizers announced that the winner would walk away with $4.1 million. Tuesday’s action ended with Krasimir Yankov (pictured in lead image courtesy PokerStars/Joe Giron) as chip leader and 255 players remaining.

Plenty of big names also remain in the field including Jeremy Ausmus, Jonathan Jaffe, Tommy Nguyen, Daniel Dvoress, Chris Moorman, Tony Tran, Sam Grafton, Sean Winter, and Arlie Shaban.

Here’s a quick look at some of the action from the Bahamas on Day 2 and 3.

PokerStars announces final PSPC numbers

This year’s PSPC winner will once again walk away with life-changing money. Tournament officials announced Tuesday that the event brought in 1,014 entries for a $24.8 million prize pool. That includes more than 400 Platinum Pass winners. 

The top 175 places will be paid with the champion walking away with $4.1 million. That’s a drop of $1 million from the 2019 total, but an impressive figure nonetheless.

The runner-up scores $2.5 million with all players in the top six places bagging at least $1 million. A min-cash is worth $35,100.

Yankov, of Bulgaria, has $2.2 million in live tournament winnings. He recently finished 11th in the World Poker Tour World Championship for $338,500.

By mid-afternoon on Wednesday, Brazil’s Philipe Pizzari moved into the chip lead but several players, including Yankov, hovered around the 1-million chip mark. Ausmus stayed among the top 10 as well. Jaffe also continued riding a nice wave among the chip leaders.

PokerStars Platinum Pass winners shine among Day 3 chip leaders

Along with big-name pros still in the field, several Platinum Pass winners also continued a march toward reaching the money on Wednesday. Spain’s Omar Del Pino was one of those still alive and sat among the top five on Wednesday afternoon.

He won his pass via the Platinum Grind competition. He’s also one of only seven players to win  a pass in 2019 and also for this year’s event. The first came after winning the PSF Marbella Main Event for €179,000 along with the prestigious prize. An even deeper run could certainly make for quite a story for this Spanish grinder.

Omar del Pino battling in the PSPC. He was one of several Platinum Pass winners still in the event on Day 3. (Photo courtesy PokerStars/Eloy Cabacas)

Another Platinum Pass winner sat in the top 10. France’s Renato Minicuci won his spot in the field via a PokerStars Spin & Go freeroll promotion.

Minicuri has $66,357 in live tournament winnings and would make for quite a story as well if he can keep the mojo going. His biggest finish came in 2019, when he finished runner-up in a €330 event in a European Poker Tour Monte Carlo for $19,143.

The 43-year-old began playing poker in 2014 after some co-workers asked him to play in a tournament. He’s now got a chance to really make that freeroll win pay off with a 100% return on investment.

Bad beat sends German star packing

The final hand of the night at the secondary feature table saw Germany’s Christian Rudolph suffer a bad beat and hit the exit door. This hasn’t been the only bad beat of the series obviously, but stood out as a top pro hit the rail.

Rudolph has more than $5.4 million in live tournament winnings including wins on numerous tours. He also has numerous major wins in the online poker realm as well.

That included winning the World Series of Poker Online Main Event in 2020 for $1.8 million.

Rudolph has already scored a third-place finish in the $1,100 PCA No Limit Hold’em event for $38,950. But on Tuesday his tournament life came to a close in the PSPC after his A♥K♥ was bested by Sam Grafton’s A♣J♥.

♠♠♠ Ready to get in the action at PokerStarts? Click here for a complete site review and exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ♠♠♠

Posted on

Locked in an Apartment: Arlie Shaban Talks Streaming, PSPC, and Ontario Online Poker

Arlie Shaban spoke with PokerScout at the PokerStars Players Championship about his unique start as a streamer and online poker in Ontario.

When PokerStars Canada ambassador Arlie Shaban decided he wanted to stream his play, just setting up a Twitch channel wouldn’t do. The poker player from Toronto, Ontario, sought to make a real splash. He figured to really build an audience, pulling off a major accomplishment might create some buzz.

Shaban has an obsessive personality and says he’d studied Twitch poker for years before even launching his own channel. He wanted to learn what viewers liked most and that seemed to be some kind of challenge.

So when the time came to start his own channel in November 2017, Shaban settled on a streaming 50 days in a row for an average of eight hours a day. He also had some extra plans behind the scenes.

“Guys, you think I’m actually going to stop on day 50?” he said during the stream when the 50th day finally came. “I’m just getting warmed up. We’re going to go for 100 days.”

That still wasn’t enough. When the 100th day rolled around, Shaban announced he wanted to finish at a nice round number of 1,000 hours streamed. That meant he finally wrapped up the challenge after 125 straight days of streaming.

“That really set me apart from everyone,” he says.

The natural question someone might ask is: how did Shaban have so much time to accomplish the challenge?

“I moved to a city where I didn’t know anyone and locked myself in an apartment to become a full time poker player, because I have that tenacity that other people don’t have,” he says. “It was worth the sacrifice.”

Shaban is now part of Team PokerStars and was still alive on Day 3 of the PokerStars No Limit Hold’em Players Championship (PSPC). He spoke with PokerScout about the event, streaming, and recent online poker changes in Canada.

From ‘Big Brother’ to online poker streaming

Fans of reality television in Canada may remember Shaban from Big Brother Canada in 2014. Fellow poker pro Kevin Martin appeared on the show the following season and the two met and became friends.

Shaban had played poker for a long time, but knew Martin was much better. Seven years ago, an inquiry into Martin’s playing habits turned things around for Shaban. That ultimately led to a career at the table and in poker content creation.


“I played millions of hands of poker as a recreational player and just asked him, ‘How are you so good? I’ve played more hands of poker than you, but you’re way better than me,’” he remembers of the conversation. “And he was like, ‘Well what are you doing off the felt to improve your game?’

“He just taught me what a training program was for poker. I went onto a training program for the first time and I just obsessed over it. It was like taking a course in university for poker. That’s how I looked at it. And that one year of studying really hard turned me into a full time player.”

That came with his complete launch into Twitch streaming as well. The transition has been great so far, he says, and the platform is perfect for his personality. When behind the microphone, viewers can expect plenty of jokes and laughs with poker mixed in.

“I don’t mind being behind the camera,” he says. “I’m an extrovert. I like the idea of trying to entertain or create content.”

Embracing online poker changes in Ontario

AS  Canadian player in Ontario, Shaban has seen the province transition from a wide open online poker market to a ringed-in environment as seen in some American states.

That presented some real changes to his daily poker grind and life as a streamer. However, Shaban’s taken the change in stride and has actually found some positives to that approach.

“ I didn’t know what it was going to be like obviously going into it,” he says. “I was super scared and thought I might have to move out of Ontario. But it actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. All the top pros from around the world are gone out of my field now.

“And the fields are much smaller, guarantees are smaller, prize pools are smaller, but (I’ve had) a lot more consistent wins.”

Arlie Shaban battling on Day 1 at the PSPC in the Bahamas. (photos courtesy PokerStars/Manuel Kovsca).

Streaming has also benefited from the changes as well. He may have lost a few global viewers, but seen a surge of Ontario Twitch users check out his channel. Finding more success because of a smaller market has also helped.

“With so many more final table appearances and first places because of the smaller fields, that just draws in extra crowds once you get to the final table,” he says. “So even though I’m not playing for as much on top, it’s still pretty exciting for the viewers.”

At the PSPC, Shaban returned for Day 2 and was among the chip leaders early in the day.

“It’s an amazing event,” he says. “The structure is perfect. I love this 12 o’clock start time and I don’t know how I did it, but I bagged eighth in chips yesterday.”

Can Shaban’s self-described “obsessive personality” pay off in the Bahamas as it did with the streaming challenge? That remains to be seen, but this former reality show contestant is hoping for another big appearance.

Posted on

PCA Update: Chris Moorman, Tony Tran Lead PSPC; PCA Main Event & More Winners

Chris Moorman and Tony Tran led the field after the first day of action in the PokerStars No Limit Players Championship in the Bahamas.

After months of hype, promotion, and hundreds of Platinum Passes awarded, the PokerStars No Limit Hold’em Players Championship kicked off on Monday in the Bahamas as part of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA).

The event drew 1,003 players on Day 1, including more than 400 Platinum Pass winners. Players can still register on Day 2 as well, so the player pool should swell even more.

When the action concluded Monday, Chris Moorman and Tony Tran ended as chip leaders, both with 356,000 chips.

“I feel awesome, cool and relaxed,” Tran told USPoker . “I’ve never cashed in a $25,000 event, but I’ve only played in two other $25,000 events prior to this one.”

[acta id=1754 type=acta]

Tran, Moorman lead the field in PSPC

The PSPC has been months in the making, actually longer when considering a COVID break. What originally had been planned for Barcelona, ​​Spain , in 2021, was eventually moved back to the Bahamas . That included the revival of the PCA.

So far, players seem pleased with the tropical poker vibes and return to the PSPC action. PokerScout is at the event and speaking with players throughout the week.

Like Tran, Moorman (pictured in lead image courtesy PokerStars/Manuel Kovsca) was pleased with his run through the tournament. At one point he’d been down to only three 5,000 chips but was able to find a big bag by the time the day’s action concluded.

“Rolled back the years and bagged the chip lead for Day 1 of the PSPC,” he noted on Twitter.

Some of the other players returning for Day 2 include Josh Arieh, Martin Zamani, Canadian PokerStars ambassador and streamer Arlie Shaban, three-time WPT champion Eric Afriat, Dario Sammartino, Sean Winter, Fedor Holz, Jeremy Ausmus.

Ramon Colillas, winner of the 2019 PSPC, also is back for the second day of action. He described Day 1 as a bit difficult but was looking to rebound.

Michel Dattani takes down  PCA Main Event

The PSPS obviously wasn’t the only major event of the series. The $10,000 PCA Main Event played out over the last week with Portugal’s Michel Dattani taking the title for $1.3 million. 

The event saw 889 entries from 58 countries, producing a prize pool of $8.6million. This became Dattani’s first major tournament win and he now has total live tournament winnings of $2.4 million.

“I’ve played 40 main events and I’ve never passed Day 3,” he said, “So it’s hard to believe I’m here right now.”

Fellow Portuguese player Pedro Neves finished runner-up for $1.2 million after the two players reached a deal. Getting to the title didn’t come without some struggles and six long days of action.

“The competition was tough,” he said afterward. “My opponents were very good. But I think I played well and the cards helped a lot. We need to run good to win these kinds of things!”

Here’s a look at the final table payouts.

2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event

  1. Michel Dattani, Portugal – $1,316,963
  2. Pedro Neves, Portugal – $1,183,037
  3. Artur Martirosian, Russia – $677,400
  4. Alexandre Raymond, Canada – $519,600
  5. Christoph Csik, United States – $399,800
  6. Jamil Wakil, Canada – $307,500

A look at some other event winners

The winners keep coming at the PCA including several major recent events. That included the $10,200 PSPC Warm Up, with American Jesse Lonis scoring the victory for $367,400. The event produced a field of 162 entries for a $1.6 million prize pool.

In the $10,200 Mystery Bounty, Canada’s Andrew Chen secured a nice title and $144,800. This marked his third cash of the series.

In the $1,100 No Limit Hold’em Freezeout, Germany’s Christian Dressler found the win for $46,880. Argentina’s Nicolas Betbese Pueta took the title in the $1,100 DeepStack for $74,980.