With World Poker Tour events already returning to the United States, the tour has also announced another international stop. In partnership with partypoker LIVE, the WPT heads to Casino Sochi on Feb. 23-27 for WPT Russia.
The festival is in its third year and the entire series runs Feb. 19-28. The championship event comes with a ₽245,000 ($3,337) buy-in and players can choose from three starting flights.
The event becomes the latest live WPT event to return to the felt. The tour just wrapped up play in the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open at Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida. The WPT Venetian is also set for March in Las Vegas.
The Sochi event now becomes the latest effort to see the return of live poker.
“As one of my favorite events of the year, I’m proud WPT is returning to Russia where players can not only expect a high quality poker experience,” WPT CEO Adam Pliska said in a news release, “but also some of the best off the felt activities the WPT has to offer,”
A look at the partypoker Russia series
Players in Russia have the opportunity to add their names to the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup. The full festival includes 14 events highlighted by the ₽57,750 ($787) buy-in WPT Opener starting on Feb. 19.
The series features various tournament options including Progressive Knockout and Pot Limit Omaha. There is also a ladies event on Feb. 20 and the WPT High Roller on Feb. 22.
Players can expect numerous safety measures while playing at Casino Sochi. Protocols in place at the property include:
mandatory masks
temperature checks for all players at the casino entrance
chips and tables sanitized during breaks
eight-handed play for the entire series
a dedicated cleaning team on staff
Players can qualify for the WPT Main Event via live satellite on Feb. 22 and 23. Players who make the final table can look forward to being featured on a WPT live stream.
The winner not only joins the Champions Club, but also earns a $15,000 seat into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions, presented by Baccarat Crystal.
WPT Europe Vice President Hermance Blum said: “We’re pleased to be partnering with partypoker LIVE once again for this event and Casino Sochi who is doing their utmost to keep the playing experience as agreeable as possible while looking carefully after everyone’s safety.”
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The month of January brings even more World Poker Tour action to partypoker. The WPT Montral kicks off Jan. 17 and runs through Feb. 1 with numerous six- and seven-figure guarantees.
The newly-released schedule includes a $3,200 Main Event with $2 million guaranteed to kick off the series. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the series has moved online with plenty of action awaiting online poker players around the world.
“The WPT Montreal Online schedule features events for players of all bankrolls,” WPT Europe Vice President Hermance Blum said in a news release. “Another WPT Champion will be made on partypoker and we are thrilled to, once again, honor the memory of Mike Sexton by bringing the event where he won his WPT title online.”
A complete WPT Montreal Main Event experience
As has been the case with other online WPT partypoker events, players can expect a full tour experience. At least the best that can be expected in an online poker environment.
Some big rewards are in store for the champion. Along with a huge cash prize, the champion earns:
a $15,000 seat to the next WPT Tournament of Champions (presented by Baccarat Crystal)
a $2,500 Tournament of Champions travel package
name engraved on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup
a replica of the Sexton Cup
points in the Hublot Player of the Year race
To replicate the live poker experience, the Main Event champion will also walk away with a WPT Montreal championship belt. This has become the signature trophy presented by Playground Poker Club, the host venue for the annual live series.
The final table is also expected to be live streamed for poker fans as have previous WPT partypoker events. The first flight of the Main Event begins the series on Jan. 17. A $320 mega satellite scheduled for the same day, awarding at least 50 seats.
The second Main Event flight is set for Jan. 24. That will be followed by two further days of action on Jan. 25 and 26. The final table will then play out on Jan. 27.
There will also be mini and micro versions of the Main Event. The $320 Mini comes with a $200,000 guarantee and the $33 Micro guarantees $30,000.
Some additional WPT Montreal highlights
With 24 events, the WPT Montreal offers something for all player types. A one-day No Limit Hold’em event will be held every night of the series.
The schedule also includes eight high roller events, including the $25,500 Super High Roller with a $1 million guarantee. As in the Main Event, players will also find mini versions of several events. Here’s a look at a few other highlights:
A special addition this year is the $10,300 Mike Sexton Classic, running the final two days of the festival. The tournament features $1 million guaranteed and each $300 registration fee is donated to the Nevada Partnership Homeless Youth (NPHY) charity.
Mike Sexton celebrates after winning the WPT Montreal in 2016.
The group aims to end youth homelessness in southern Nevada and was been chosen specifically by Sexton’s family. Sexton won the WPT Montreal in 2016 for $317,896.
A phased satellite program will feed into the tournament, starting on Jan. 24. Players can buy into phase events for as little as $0.01. This allows players of all bankrolls a chance to land a seat in the tournament. Here’ a look at the complete series:
2021 partypoker WPT Montreal
Date
Event
Tournament
Buy-in
Guarantee
Re-entries
Jan. 14
WPT Montreal Main Event Satellite - Online 1 Day Event
$30+3
1 RE
Jan. 17
Main Event 1A Mega Satellite: 50 x $3,200 Seats Gtd [Phase Final]
$300+20
1 RE
Jan. 17
#1
WPT Montreal Main Event - Online Day 1A : $2M GTD [3-Day Event + FT Wednesday]
Mike Sexton Classic - Online Day 1 : $1M GTD [2-Day Event]
$10,300
$1,000,000
1 RE
Jan. 31
#20
Playground Closer - Online Final Day : $250K GTD [PKO, 2-Day Event]
-
$250,000
-
Jan. 31
#24
High Roller Turbo - Online 1 Day Event : $150K GTD [1-Day Event]
$3,000+200
$150,000
1 RE
Feb. 1
#23
Mike Sexton Classic - Online Final Day : $1M GTD [2-Day Event]
-
$1,000,000
-
Big month for partypoker
Players will find no shortage of events at partypoker in January. The KO Series is already underway and plenty of action still remains.
That includes three main events on Jan. 16 with the $1,050 version featuring a $1 million guarantee.
The site also recently announced that the World Championship of Amateur Poker (WCOAP) is moving online at the site. That series hosted the Amateur Poker Association and Tour and set for Jan. 23 to Feb. 7 with $750,000 guaranteed.
Players around the world can participate and the festival includes 30 events with 16 championships. Buy-ins range from $55 to $530 with bracelets and medals awarded for championship winners.
There are also mini versions of each championship starting at just $5.50. It should be a fun January for players at partypoker.
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With major live tournament events still on hold, partypoker affirmed its continued partnership with the World Poker Tour on Monday. The two companies plan even more in 2021 with several online festivals already in the works.
Beyond that, the companies are teaming up for two live events as well. WPT Russia will run Feb. 19-28, with the partypoker LIVE event held at Casino Sochi. Online satellites are already underway.
The WPT and partypoker already partnered on live events before the Coronavirus pandemic. That now has expanded even further with co-branded online series.
“Despite ongoing uncertainly with regards to live events, we can promise players a schedule packed full of WPT festivals in 2021,” partypoker managing director Tom Waters said. “We are looking forward to working with the WPT team to produce schedules of the highest quality, both live and online.”
Plenty of online partypoker/WPT events to look forward to
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement of numerous WPT events and more live events could be moving online. This means even more action for players in the international online poker market.
To begin the year, the WPT Montreal Onlinewill replace the normal live series and is set to begin Jan. 10. A $2 million guaranteed Main Event is planned with satellites already available starting at $0.01.
The WPT Online Series returns to the partypoker schedule in May and World Online Championships is also back in September.
Both series debuted in 2020 and found success. The Online Series paid out more than $52 million with the three flagship events all topping the guarantees.
The World Online Championships ran from July to September earlier this year and became partypoker’s biggest series ever. That festival paid out more than $100 million.
Partypoker worked to appeal to players of all bankrolls and awarded 45,000 seats via satellites. In the $10,300 Main Event, seven of nine players at the final table qualified via satellites.
Those aren’t the only WPT plans at partypoker. The WPT500Online joins the schedule in March and the WPTDeepStacksOnline debuts in July.
Like the other events, these festivals are designed to replicate the format of a live series. That includes condensing events into a shorter schedule.
Partypoker bringing back WPT live poker to Russia and beyond
It should be a big year for WPT fans online at partypoker, but a couple live events have also been announced. WPT Russia is just the first of two live events on the schedule, with WPTDeepStacksRussia also planned for July.
Players can qualify for the $3,300 WPT Russia Main Event with a buy-in for as little as ₽3 (Russian rubles, equivalent to $0.04). There are four phases of daily satellites each week, feeding into a weekly final.
Satellite buy-ins are restricted to a maximum of ₽3,300/$43, allowing smaller bankroll players the chance to win. Winners earn a ₽300,000/$3,925 ticket and travel package to play the Main Event.
“Casino Sochi is delighted to host the WPT Russia festival again after its success in 2020,” the property’s director of poker Artur Voskanyan said.
“The casino has been thriving in the last few months, setting multiple poker records in the process, and we are sure hosting this WPT event during the winter snow season will be a roaring success.”
Russia will introduce an electronic visa border process in 2021, Voskanyan added. This is expected to make it easier for international travelers to visit the country and play in these events.
“As was the case in 2020, extensive satellite programs will be in place for all our events and it’s great to see such high entry numbers for the online satellites that are currently running for WPT Russia at Casino Sochi and the online edition of WPT Montreal,” Waters added.
“There were so many life-changing stories in 2020, and we are hopeful that 2021 will deliver even more.”
Numerous partypoker series roll on
These announcements are just the latest for partypoker. Like other online operators, the site has offered numerous festivals as prize and players pools continue to soar.
The Caribbean Poker Party is already underway and runs through Nov. 25. That series features 10 championship events and $10 million guaranteed.
The Irish Poker Masters has also been moved online this year. The series kicks offDec. 6 and the €1,100 Main Event brings a €1 million guarantee The site also wraps up the €1 million Monster Series today.
Beyond online events, Partypoker LIVE and WPT plan to grow their live event offerings around the globe in 2021.
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The partnership between World Poker Tour and partypoker continues with the WPT Montreal now heading online in January. While a complete schedule hasn’t been released yet, the $3,200 championship features $2 million guarantee.
The two starting flights for that event are set to kick off Jan.10 and 17. WPT Montreal Online now replaces the annual live series at Playground Poker Club in Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada.
“The World Poker Tour and partypoker continue their thriving partnership into 2021 as we look forward to crowning another WPT champion online,” WPT CEO Adam Pliska said in a news release. “Players around the globe have shown their support of WPT Online and the continued prestige on display at our final tables.”
Shifting the Montreal poker action online
Montreal has been a regular stop for the WPT since 2012. Several major names have won titles including former WPT commentator Mike Sexton, Seth Davies, and Ema Zajmovic, the first WPT Main Event open champion.
Geoffrey Hum won the live championship in 2019 for $380,648. Zajmovic also almost made it back-to-back titles in 2018, finishing runner-up for $424,893.
Patrick Serda took that title for $668,388 and many may remember his amazing call to finish off Zajmovic.
The Playground Club closed on Oct. 4 after the Kahnawake COVID-19 Task Force raised the pandemic status from orange to red. The Canadian government has also restricted travel from the US, keeping any possible American poker players away.
The series now moves online offering players around the world a chance at some WPT glory. The Montreal event also marks the seventh WPT champion to be crowned on partypoker in Season XVIII.
As in a live event, the winner of WPT Montreal Online receives:
a seat in the WPT Tournament of Champions presented by Baccarat Crystal
his or her name inscribed on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup
membership in the WPT Champions Club
Qualifiers for the event are already underway and start at $.01. A full schedule is expected to be released soon.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am about WPT Montreal being played out on partypoker,” partypoker LIVE president John Duthie said. “Playground is one of my favourite places to play on the globe and the players there are just such a great community.
“As the scene of his famous WPT victory, it was also one of Mike Sexton’s favorite stops on the tour; he’ll be with us all in spirit I’m sure.”
Series adds to a growing WPT presence online at partypoker
With WPT Montreal Online, players can expect a similar experience to the recent WPT Online Series and WPT World Online Championships. For those series, partypoker made use of:
real names at final tables
limited re-entries
numerous opportunities to qualify
Mike Sexton celebrates after winning the WPT Montreal in 2016. (Photo courtesy WPT/Joe Giron)
The two series focused on getting players into the action, no matter the bankroll. That is expected to continue with the Montreal series.
The WPT Online World Championships were held in August and September, awarding $101 million. The series also gave out 45,000 tournament seats via qualifiers.
The WPT Online Series was held in April and May with $52 million paid out. The tour has incorporated its main brand as well as WPTDeepStacks and WPT500 in some of these series.
The operator’s partypoker US Network arm has also partnered with WPT for online events in New Jersey. These efforts now continue with WPT Montreal and the festival’s popularity in Canada should help.
Players from Toronto to Vancouver can still get in on the action via partypoker. Like these other recent events, poker fans should expect plenty of streaming coverage via the WPT Twitch channel.
“Another exceptional event for players comes to partypoker this January,” WPT Europe Vice President Hermance Blum said. “The proven success of limited re-entries and real names carries over to WPT Montreal Online and we are excited to be partnering once more with partypoker.”
After more than two months of action, the inaugural WPT World Online Championships wrapped up on Sept. 24 at partypoker. The series attracted more than 34,000 players and paid out a total prize pool of $101 million.
The WOCs were designed to replicate an authentic live WPT experience. That meant using real names, limited starting days for championship events, and only one re-entry per day. Organizers were thrilled with the results.
“The WPT World Online Championships have marked a new milestone for the WPT and partypoker, and the response from the players throughout the series has been overwhelming,” WPT Europe Vice President Hermance Blum said in a news release. “We take a lot of pride bringing the unique feel of the WPT to the online felt.”
Bringing players of all types to partypoker
The WPT and partypoker made reaching players of all bankroll levels a big part of the action. That included numerous satellites throughout the festival awarding 45,605 tournament seats.
Of those, 19,655 were unique players qualifying through satellites. In total, the series attracted 285,846 total entries and 34,811 unique entries.
“We are delighted that the WPT World Online Championships created so many success stories,” partypoker managing director Tom Waters said in a news release. “The focus for the series was delivering quality, well-structured events that would give satellite players great opportunities to compete with the best players in the world and the results speak for themselves.
“We look forward to working with the WPT again and sticking to the values that we believe bring the best live poker events online.”
The $10,300 Main Event final table is a nice example of the opportunities available to players. Seven of the nine final table players qualified via satellite.
Victor Simionato pulled off a particularly remarkable feat. He started with a $22 buy-in and moved through three satellites to qualify. He eventually took fifth for $391,257.
Phil Mighall beat Teun Mulder heads-up for the title to win $1.6 million after a deal. Mulder scored $1.4 million for runner-up.
Phil Mighall won the WPT World Online Championships Main Event for $1.6 million.
Other WPT satellite winners score big
Along with the Main Event, other players also came through big after winning seats by qualifiers. In the Mini Main Event, five of the final nine players qualified through value-added seats.
Arturs Balodis finished third but won the most prize money in the event after a deal was reached. He won his seat in a $55 Gladiator and banked $535,269. Nichita Verbitchii finished second for $339,607 after winning a seat in an $11 Terminator.
On the last day of the festival, Charlotte Godwin pulled off a similar amazing feat. She qualified for the $102,000WPT Super High Roller Championship after starting in a $109 feeder event.
Godwin went on to finish third and win $620,000. One moment stood out when she was all in and rivered an Ace to stay alive in the tournament. If not for that river card, Godwin would have been eliminated in seventh on the money bubble.
Wow – I’m so overwhelmed by all of this, I think I’m still in shock! I haven’t been able to read all of the messages yet, but I’d like thank everyone who was rooting for me on the stream and those who took the time to congratulate me – so many of you! TYTYTY 😅 💕
A few other key highlights from the series include:
Five players winning prizes of more than $1 million.
Players from 94 different nationalities cashing in the series.
More event winners (19%) came from the United Kingdom than any other country.
A look at the WOC leaderboards
Along with a slate of major events, the series also rewarded consistency. The WPT World Online Championships leaderboards paid out $100,000.
Artur Martirosian won the Player of the Championships for an additional $50,000 on top of his tournament earnings. Players earned points by finishing in the money in any tournament with a buy-in of $320 or more.
In the Rising Star competition, Luiz Constantino’s victory in the Micro Main Event helped him top the leaderboard. He picked up an extra $10,000 for his efforts. Players earned Rising Star points for any event with a buy-in of $300 or less.
Team partypoker donates to the freeroll cause
As an added bonus to players, Team partypoker pros pledged their own leaderboard winnings to post-series freerolls. Partypoker is hosting a WPT After Party Freeroll in each player’s name.
Freerolls also include bounty prizes, with each Team partypoker player carrying a $22 Predator ticket on his or her head. Here’s a look at the freerolls all set for this week:
Tuesday, Sept. 29 (Robert Romanello) – $2,000
Wednesday, Sept. 30 (Patrick Leonard) – $6,000
Thursday, Oct. 1 (Mikita Badziakouski) – $1,000
Friday, Oct. 2 (Kristen Bicknell) – $1,000
There were many other notable performances throughout the series. Six players increased their bankrolls by seven-figure sums by the end of the festival.
Team partypoker’s Isaac Haxton placed as the top on the earnings list with $2.1 million. He was followed by Mighall with $1.7 million and Martirosian with $1.6 million.
Online poker series around the world continue to surge and partypoker’s WOC events are a testament to that environment. It’s a good bet another big series is around the corner.
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The Coronavirus pandemic has led to an unprecedented online poker boom. Every operator has reported massive turnouts and that has continued for months.
However, many players may be craving the feel of some chips in their hands and the fun of a live tournament. After months of cancellations and postponements around the world, live tournaments seem to be slowly returning.
A full slate of events still may be months away. However, Coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations are declining in many countries and live events are slowly gaining some traction.
888poker hits tournament trail, hopes to lead efforts at returning
One of the first operators to get back in the live tournament game has been 888poker. The company held its first live series since the pandemic on Sept. 1-7 at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn, Estonia.
The series featured 15 events with an €888 Main Event that brought in 91 entries for a €71,320 prize pool. Latvia’s Edijs Laugals took the title for €19,982.
Like other events held in a COVID-19 environment, numerous precautions were in place. An 888 executive says all upcoming live events will be in line with scientific advice of local governments.
Company officials are constantly monitoring the health situation in each country, adjusting plans as needed for a safe environment.888 sees the Estonia series as a good start and hopes this expands to some of its bigger signature events.
“The Tallinn event is an important step toward bringing live poker action back for fans around the world,” an 888poker rep said, “and we are happy that 888poker will be one of the first brands to host such an event.
“It will also be an important milestone for both our brand and our players as we work toward future events like the 888poker LIVE Sochi weekend and London Festival. We hope to run these in the coming months, in full compliance with government guidance.”
In Estonia, players found a similar experience as past events including brand ambassadors onsite. Buy-ins ranged from €55 to €2,000 with most events in the €55 to €220 range but without guarantees.
“Together with affordable buy-ins and our great structure to assure the best live poker experience for all players,” the 888poker executive said, “we hope that our 888poker Live Tallinn event will be the starting point for getting live poker back in the new-normal state.”
WPT sees nice results with series in Japan
World Poker Tour regulars have had to make due with international events via partypoker in recent months. Events like the World Online Championships have attempted to fill the void and even award official WPT titles, prizes, and Tournament of Champions packages.
In the US, the tour has partnered to promote New Jersey events with the partypoker US Network. However, the company held the live WPT Japan on Aug. 10-16 at the Hotel Gajoen in Tokyo.
The tour considers the tournament series a “Special Event.” Gambling is illegal in Japan, so players are invited or qualify through local events.
Like other live series have reported recently, demand was high. The main event attracted a record 726 entries, up about 35% from last year.
“It also serves as an excellent example for health and safety standards since it is the first live event in post-COVID era,” WPTDeepStacks director Cathy Zhao said.
The scene at the recent WPT Japan event. (photo courtesy Japan Poker Union)
Numerous safety measures were in place to ensure a safe environment. That included:
Thorough cleaning and the use of masks throughout the hotel
Mandatory mask usage during the tournament
Temperature checks prior to entering the tournament area
Disinfection measures at the entrance
Acrylic partition dividers and social distancing at registration counters
Limited numbers of people in the smoking area
“Bring your own” bottled drinks only
Another WPT event is also on the horizon in Asia. The tour and its partner, the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association, plans to proceed with WPTDeepstacks Taiwan in December.
“Taiwan has a thriving local poker market and to date has successfully handled COVID-19,” Zhao said. “So the event can proceed even if international travel restrictions remain in place.”
Despite those events, no US tournament dates have been announced. WPT officials continue to work with partner casinos on when some of those postponed events might return.
Returning tournaments seeing massive numbers
There is still a long way to go for the live tournament scene. The World Series of Poker in Las Vegas was postponed to the fall and no date has been announced.
However, there has been some progress. In the US, the Mid-States Poker Tour became one of the first tours to return to the felt in August. The MSPT held a $1,100 tournament at Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, Iowa.
The event attracted 538 entries, smashing the event’s previous record of 238. That total set a state record for an event priced at $1,000 or more.
In Las Vegas, the Venetian’s Deepstack Showdown is currently running and continues through Sept. 27. The festival features 32 events and a total guarantee of $400,000. Not quite sure what to expect, event organizers lowered normal guarantees for the series.
So far, turnout has been massive with most tournaments easily topping guarantees. For example, the $250 SuperStack on Sept. 13 guaranteed $10,000. However, 254 entries produced a prize pool of $52,070. Other events have seen similar results.
Congratulations to Mehdi Saleh of Tempe, AZ who was the outright winner in our 6:10 PM DeepStack Showdown Event #11 $125 NLH MonsterStack $2K guarantee @VenetianPoker beating out 112 players.
The Venetian reopened for business on June 4 with the poker room opening a day later. Like most casinos reopening around the world, the casino has put major safety measures in place.
That includes mandatory mask usage and Plexiglass dividers between players. The new series came after seeing nice turnouts from players and other festivals are already in the works.
“Our one-day poker tournaments have seen tremendous support even with lower guarantees since we resumed on July 24,” tournament director Tommy LaRosa told USPoker.
Casinos reviving live poker festivals
Other operators are stepping up to grow the returning live tournament scene. In the US, the Seminole Hard Rock casinos in Florida have reopened poker rooms in Tampa, Coconut Creek, and Hollywood.
The casinos offer a vibrant poker scene with regular events on the WPT and WSOP Circuit. All three properties reopened in May and June, and have seen nice demand since getting cards back in the air.
Florida has seen greatly declining COVID-related deaths and hospitalizations in recent months. That has been a shot in the arm for live poker players.
Daily tournaments resumed at the Hard Rock properties on Aug. 1. Those events have seen nice results and now the Seminoles are adding some festivals to the mix.
The first of those begin in October, with Hard Rock’s “Safe & Sound” program in place. That includes high cleanliness standards, mandatory masks, and more.
Other online operators also scheduling live events
The live tournament arms of online poker operators have also been slowly moving back to offer live series.
Partypoker LIVE returns to action Sept. 18-27. The Eurasian Poker Tour returns to the Casino Altai Palace in Altai Krai, Russia, with 29 events and more than $120,000 guaranteed.
The series features a $40,000 guaranteed Main Event and also hosts the Russian Poker Championship. Other partypoker LIVE events are currently postponed, but more could be added in the coming months.
Russia will also play host to PokerStars’ return to the live felt. The company hosts the European Poker Tour Sochi event Oct. 2-11 at the Marriott Hotel and Casino.
The festival boasts 25 events and a $1.6 million guarantee. That’s not the only PokerStars Live event in the works. Two events on the PokerStars Spanish Poker Championship series will be held in October and November in Marbella and Peralada.
Many in the industry are watching to see how some of these events turn out. There are certainly some struggles and adjustments ahead. But many players and tournament operators are ready for the challenge.
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
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’sVictor 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
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After more than six weeks of action at partypoker, the highlight of the WPT World Online Championships is on the horizon. As part of that, the site has a host of satellites planned for the Main Event, set to finish up on Sept. 16.
The $10,300 tournament features a $10 million guarantee and Day 1A is set for Sunday, Sept. 6. The WPT and partypoker have numerous ways to get in the action and hoping a wide range of players get involved.
WPT Main Event satellite spectaculars running all week at partypoker
For the Main Event, players can enter feeder events to the satellites for as little as $2.20. That small amount can eventually turn into a $10,300 seat.
Several mega satellites also give players chances to enter the tournament, priced at $530 and $1,050 buy-in levels.
Team partypoker’s Richard Dubini has already experienced his own qualifier success. He turned a $109 satellite entry into a $10,300 partypoker LIVE passport.
Dubini will now be using that passport for the Main Event.
“I’m so excited to play in the Main Event, with $10 million guaranteed,” Dubini said in a news release. “I won my seat … which proves there is so much value in these amazing satellites.”
Plenty of added value in WPT Main Event
Partypoker has made it quite an event with some nice extras planned for the Main Event winner. On top of the cash winnings, the Main Event winner will also receive a $15,000 package to the next WPT Tournament of Champions (presented by Baccarat Crystal).
Just like a live WPT event, the champion’s name will be engraved on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup trophy. The winner also receives a replica version of the trophy as well as:
joining the exclusive WPT Champions Club
winning a Hublot Big Bang watch worth $15,000
taking home a set of Baccarat Crystal tumblers
Satellite success stories during WPT World Online Championships
Several lower buy-in players have already found success in WOC satellites. Liliane Figueiredo won $13,153 after qualifying via a Second Chance Freeroll for the $109 Six-Max Mini Warmup.
Last week, Kim Heidemann qualified for the Micro Main Event through a satellite, then finishing runner-up for $104,299.
Team partypoker’s Louise Butler praised the site for running so many qualifiers.
“The satellite schedule for WPT World Online Championships is the best I’ve ever seen for an online series,” he says. “There have been some amazing stories of satellite players who have turned small buy-ins into six-figure scores.
“I’m looking forward to playing in the satellites for the Main Event and I hope they will result in more great stories for lower buy-in players.”
The WOCs run through Sept. 24 with tens of millions of dollars in guarantees still up for grabs. The series is designed to replicate an authentic live poker experience.
That includes the use of players’ real names and limited Day 1 flights and re-entries.
POWERFEST underway, Benjamin Pollak joins Team partypoker
In addition to the WOCs, partypoker’s POWERFEST is running on the partypoker EU network through Sept. 23. The annual series features a guarantee of €5 million in France and €4.5 million in Spain.
POWERFEST offers something for all types of players in three tiers:
High Roller
Medium
Low
Corresponding with the series is the announcement that French poker pro Benjamin Pollak has joined Team partypoker.
Pollak burst onto the poker scene with a third-place finish in the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event. That finish landed him $3.5 million and he now has almost $13 million in live tournament winnings.
Pollak began playing poker in 2006 and then quickly moved up in stakes.
“I immediately felt that I was able to go far,” he says. “With hindsight, it may be because I had spent 10 years in Magic [The Gathering, a card game] and I was therefore used to cards and bluffing. Poker was a revelation. I felt it was made for me.”
For Pollak, it’s important poker remains fun and he enjoys showcasing the human element of the game. He can be found playing at the partypoker tables as “BenjaminPollak.”
“I’m thrilled and very excited to join the partypoker team,” he says. “They’ve supported players from the beginning and see the game as I do. I couldn’t be more happy to support them and be part of this great adventure.”
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