Posted on by Sean Chaffin

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

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.

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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.