A few international players came up big over the last week at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Russia’s Anatolii Zyrin took down one of the biggest events of the series, the $400 Colossus.
A Frenchman also scored big in the Super Seniors event. Finland saw a winner crowned as well with Eelis Parssinen (pictured above) taking his first bracelet.
In other news, the $10,000 Main Event also kicks off Thursday, which brings the first of six starting flights. Here’s a look at some of the headlines from the WSOP.
Event 55: $400 COLOSSUS
This event produced a colossal field of 9,399 entries for a $3.1 million prize pool with a Russian player scoring gold. Anatolii Zyrin won his second bracelet and took home $314,705.
His previous bracelet came in 2019 in a $1,500 Omaha Mix event for $199,838 and he now has $2.2 million in live tournament winnings.
The final table was held in the King’s Lounge area. That produced some different dynamics with player’s friends even closer to the action to cheer them on. The location received nice reviews from payers and fans.
Event 58: $1,000 Super Seniors NLHE
The seniors events at the WSOP have become some of the most popular tournaments at the festival. The Super Seniors championship is open to players 60 years old and over. The event brought in 1,893 players for a $1.7 million prize pool.
It was a French super senior taking the top spot this year. Jean-Luc Adam scored his first bracelet for a payday of $255,623.
Adam currency lives in the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, where he won a WSOP Circuit ring in 2019. His son Cedric also won a ring during that series and taught his father how to play poker. The elder Adam was in a state of shock after winning the title.
“I’m dreaming,” Adam told WSOP.com. “It’s very strange, a strange sensation. I felt good for all of the tournament and I felt very relaxed. I never think about first place, but only play every hand.
“It’s a very nice moment. I like to play for pleasure. I like to have emotion … it’s a very strange sensation for me because I don’t realize that it’s a world championship. It’s very unbelievable, I don’t understand now. It’s too soon, I just finished the tournament. I can’t realize exactly everything now.”
Event 64: $5,000 Mixed NLHE; PLO
This event combines two of poker’s most popular variants and saw Finland’s Eelis Parssinen rise to the top. He scored his first bracelet and $545,616 in an event with 579 entries for a $2.7 million prize pool.
The online poker pro doesn’t play many live tournaments, but has now found a bracelet in only his fifth WSOP event. The win came after a massive comeback.
With just 40 players remaining, Parssinen was left with only a single big blind. He’d even texted his friends that he was out of the tournament before staging a massive rally.
Some other big WSOP winners
Shaun Deeb took down Event 53: $25,000 High Roller PLO for $1.3 million. A couple of international players came in just behind him. Hong Kong’s Ka Kwan Lau took runner-up for $773,708. Bulgaria’s Veselin Karakitukov finished fifth for $276,870.
Event 56: $10,000 Six-Handed NLHE Championship brought a runner-up finish for Russia’s Nikita Kuznetsov. That brought a nice score of $445,892. Israel’s Ariel Mantel took third for $293,578 with South Korea’s Joonhee Yea finishing fifth for $137,303.
Winamax team pro Joao Vieira made a run at his second bracelet in Event 57: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship. However, he finished fifth for $54,993.
The tag team events always make for a run atmosphere at the Rio. After an Israeli team won the $1,000 version in 2019, another team from the country came close this year. Tomer Wolf and David Landell finished runner-up in Event 59 for $70,074, both just missing out on their first bracelet.
In Online Event 6: $666 NLHE, a Canadian player found a deep run in this Halloween event. “Sucra71” finished in second place for $71,000.
Another Russian made a deep run in Event 62: $1,500 PLO Hi-Lo 8 or Better with Alexander Orlov scoring fifth for $42,823.
PokerGO adds to Main Event streaming schedule
The $10,000 Main Event begins Thursday and PokerGO will be streaming the entire event as well as some of the final few tournaments. The series recently added two additional starting flights after travel restrictions were relaxed for some international passengers.
Poker fans around the world can follow the Main Event action via PokerGO. Here’s a complete look at the platform’s coverage plans.
PokerGO WSOP Main Event streaming schedule
Date WSOP Day Time
Thursday, Nov. 4 1A 4:30 pm
Saturday, Nov. 6 1C 4:30 pm
Sunday, Nov. 7 1D 4:30 pm
Monday, Nov. 8 1E 4:30 pm
Tuesday, Nov. 9 2ABD 4:30 pm
Wednesday, Nov. 10 2CEF 4:30 pm
Thursday, Nov. 11
3 4:30 pm
Friday, Nov. 12 4 4:30 pm
Saturday, Nov. 13 5 2 pm
Sunday, Nov. 14 6 2 pm
Monday, Nov. 15 7 12:30 pm
Tuesday, Nov. 16 Final Table Day 1 4:30 pm
Wednesday, Nov. 17 Final Table Day 2 4:30 pm
Player of the Year update
The battle for Player of the Year continues playing out with some big names at the top. Phil Hellmuth and Anthony Zinno both held the No. 1 position at times, but Jake Schwartz now finds himself in that spot.
While he hasn’t won an event yet, Schwartz has several deep runs including a runner-up and two third-place finishes. Here’s a look at the standings and point totals as of Nov. 4:
- Jake Schwartz, 2,711.43
- Kevin Gerhart, 2,643.28
- Anthony Zinno, 2,627.88
- Phil Hellmuth, 2,598.59
- Shaun Deeb, 2,518.89
Looking ahead
Along with the Main Event, several other events are currently running. Event 63: $500 Salute to Warriors serves as a fundraiser for the USO and has reached the final table.
Two international players are still alive in that event, which should wrap up Thursday. South Korea’s Chulhan Choi sits sixth in chips with Ukraine’s Hlib Kovtunov one spot behind. Both players are seeking their first bracelet.
Event 65: $1,000 Mini Main Event continues with Day 2 on Thursday with Russia’s Giorgiy Skhulukhiya second in chips. Here’s a look at some upcoming events.
- 67: $10,000 Main Event – starting flights A-F running Nov. 4-9
- Online Event 7: $3,200 WSOP.com NLHE High Roller Eight-Max – Nov. 7
- 68: Little One for One Drop – three starting flights running Nov. 8-10