The wait is over for what will be the biggest live-streamed poker cash game in US history. Hustler Casino Live, via Joey Ingram, has revealed the lineup and dates for its May 27-29 $1 million buy-in game, and the cast of characters in action will almost certainly attract a massive audience.

There’s a strong possibility that poker fans will witness the largest pot in US live-streamed poker history. As of now, that record is held by Patrik Antonius, who took down a $1,978,000 pot in February on PokerGO’s No Gamble No Future pseudo-$1 million game that had the poker world talking.

Antonius called an all in bet from Eric Persson, who was drawing dead on the turn with a flush draw, and won the hand with top pair despite missing his nut flush draw.

Million-Dollar Poker Game Details

One player you won’t be seeing on Hustler’s upcoming game is Garrett Adelstein, the winningest player ever on the show. Prior to a recent public fallout between the Los Angeles high-stakes crusher and HCL, many thought “G-Man” would find a seat in this legendary game. But that won’t be the case.

On Ingram’s podcast, before revealing the players, HCL co-owner Ryan Feldman first shared the details for how the game will play. For three straight days — May 27, 28, and 29 — Hustler Casino Live will stream at least 10 hours of a $500/$1,000 ($1,000 big blind ante) cash game where everyone must buy-in for at least $1 million. Fans can expect the listed blinds to be just a starting point and there will almost certainly be multiple straddles on often.

The commentators for the game will be rotated and they will be regulars in the HCL booth, including Bart Hanson, Billy “DGAF,” and David Tuchman. Some players will compete all three days, while others will only play one or two sessions.

The Hustler Casino Live Lineup

The first player disclosed by Feldman to play in the $1 million game is Stanley Tang, the DoorDash founder whom we recently saw on High Stakes Poker.

Next up is “J.R.,” a regular in the biggest games on Hustler Casino Live and as Feldman explained, is a player who has been loyal to the show over the past year. J.R., a successful entrepreneur, is a passionate poker player who only began playing poker regularly just over a year ago. Feldman praised how much improvement J.R. has shown in recent months as a poker player. But he hasn’t run well over the past month and is down on HCL more than $300,000 since December.

Another HCL regular — Double M — was the third player revealed. Double M is a hedge fund manager who often plays in the underground mixed games in New York. He’s been successful in the Hustler big games too as, per the site TrackingPoker.com, he’s up more than $400,000 across 21 sessions.

The fourth player announced is “Blank Check Ben,” a third Hustler Casino Live regular. He’s become one of the more popular players on the show the past year.

Perhaps the most obvious player who agreed to play is Eric Persson, owner of Maverick Casinos, LLC. Persson lost the biggest live-streamed pot in US history on PokerGO to Antonius three months ago. He’s become a polarizing figure in poker and has a love-him-or-hate-him persona.

Brandon Steven, a car dealership owner from Kansas, is the sixth player in the $1 million game lineup. Steven is no stranger to high-stakes televised poker and has appeared in some big games on PokerGO for quite some time.

The seventh player in the game is Nikhil “Nik Airball” Arcot, who is currently battling Matt Berkey in a bitter heads-up contest in Las Vegas. If you’ve followed HCL the past year, you’ve certainly caught Airball in action many times buying in big and playing aggressive.

“Prince Charles,” a crypto investor and another Hustler regular was Feldman’s eighth player announced. And then the names got bigger as the ninth player disclosed is poker vlogger Ethan “Rampage” Yau, who has gone from low-stakes to super high stakes the past year. Feldman said that Rampage will likely be selling pieces of his action on StakeKings.

Rampage is the newest WPT Global ambassador and has evolved quickly up the stakes.

Rob Yong, the former PartyPoker executive and regular in nosebleed games around the world, will have a seat in the historic cash game next month. It will be his first appearance on the show. He’s the first player Feldman announced would be available to play all three days.

Phil Hellmuth’s good friend, Chamath Palihapitiya, a billionaire venture capitalist, will be in the game. Palihapitiya co-hosts the popular All-In Podcast and has an extensive history of playing high-stakes poker.

The next player revealed is a bit of a wild card. Mikki Mase, who has played on HCL a number of times and claims he has won millions beating baccarat, will bring some action and won’t shy away from playing the biggest pots.

Can Poker Player Really Beat Baccarat?

Other Possible Players

The full lineup isn’t set in stone as Feldman and co-owner Nick Vertucci are still chasing a few big name players to commit to the game. One of those individuals is Alan Keating, perhaps the most popular player on Hustler Casino Live these days.

Keating brings action and is beloved among the HCL fan base. Feldman said he hasn’t received a definitive commitment from Keating but expects he’ll be in the game once they iron out the details.

“I’m confident that it’s going to happen,” Feldman on Keating playing in the $1 million game.

Other names that Ingram asked about were MrBeast, the biggest YouTuber in history who played on HCL last May in a game that became the most viewed poker live-stream ever.

Tony G, the loudmouth poker player who has appeared on televised poker games for many years, is a possibility given that his friend, Yong, will be in the game. Feldman said the biggest issue in getting Tony G is he doesn’t like to travel across the world much.

Poker is a game of skill and strategy that requires players to make the best decisions possible based on the information available to them. One important concept in poker strategy is the idea of “blockers.”

Blockers refer to the cards a player holds in their hand that make it less likely that their opponents have certain strong hands.

However, knowing what blockers are and when to use them is a completely different game, but luckily, the folks over at WPT Global have nicely outlined when you can and should use blockers when playing poker.

Understanding Blockers

Understanding blockers is particularly important in a game like Texas Hold’em, where players have two hole cards and can use five community cards to make their best hand. By understanding which cards are more or less likely to be in their opponents’ hands, players can make more accurate assessments of the strength of their own hand against their opponents.

The concept of blockers is closely related to the idea of hand ranges, which is the range of hands that a player might have based on the actions they have taken so far in the game. By considering blockers and hand ranges together, players can make more informed decisions about whether to bet, call, or fold in a particular situation.

Understanding blockers is not just about knowing which cards are less likely to be in your opponents’ hands. It’s also about understanding how your opponents might interpret the cards that you hold.

One important thing to remember is that blockers are only one part of the equation in poker strategy. They should be used in conjunction with other factors, such as the size of the pot, the position of the players, and the style of play of your opponents.

Play With WPT Global’s Newest Ambassador Ethan “Rampage” Yau

Using Blockers to Bluff

Using blockers for bluffing in poker can be a tricky strategy that requires a good understanding of your opponents and their likely hand ranges.

Before you can use blockers to bluff, you need to have a good understanding of the blockers in your own hand. Identify which cards in your hand are blockers for strong hands that your opponent might have, and think about how those blockers might influence their decision-making.

Bluffing with blockers can be effective, but it’s important not to overuse this strategy. If you bluff too often, your opponents will catch on and be more likely to call your bluffs. Use your blockers strategically and mix up your play to keep your opponents guessing.

When is it Best to Bluff in Poker? WPT Global Has the Answers!

Using Blockers to Value-Bet

Using blockers for value-betting is also an important concept to familiarize yourself with, as this can help extract maximum value from your opponents’ hands. The same concept of using blockers to bluff can also be used for using blockers to value-bet.

Value-betting with blockers works best when you can reasonably assume that your opponent has a hand that is weaker than the one you’re holding but still strong enough to call a bet. Unlike using blockers for bluffing, when using blockers for value-betting, you should focus on getting value from your hand instead of trying to bluff your opponent. This means that you should bet enough to extract maximum value from your opponent’s hand rather than trying to scare them into folding.

While using blockers for value-betting can be effective, it’s important not to overvalue your hand. If you think your opponent has a stronger hand than you do, it’s better to check and give up on the hand than to lose more chips by making a value-bet.

WPT Global Launches Weekly Tournament Leaderboards With Superb Prizes

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The launch of WPT Global means that poker players around the world now have the chance to win their way to WPT events, win prizes and enjoy exciting games such as Poker Flips. As one of the world’s largest cash game poker networks, WPT Global is available in over 50 countries and territories worldwide.

WPT Global offers a large deposit match bonus: 100% on deposits up to $1,200 (using any payment method). New players depositing a minimum of $20 automatically receive this match bonus which is unlocked in $5 increments (credited straight to the cashier) for every $20 of rake contribution.

Both tournaments and cash games count towards bonus unlocking; new players have 90 days from the date of first deposit to unlock and claim their full bonus amount.

The Festival Online Ontario has concluded at 888poker Ontario, and it is “jusgivithere” that will forever be remembered for becoming the Main Event champion. The Ontarian grinder came out on top of a 594-strong field, and helped themselves to $7,113 of the $42,900 prize pool.

Only two other players captured more mystery bounties than the eventual champion. Third-place finisher “graciekibo” saw $2,895 worth of bounties land in their 888poker Ontario account, while “AWilliams47” scooped the largest mystery bounty of all. AWilliams47 crashed out in 30th place for a $137.40 score, but they opened a golden envelope containing a whopping $4,000 mystery bounty!

The Festival Online – $40,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event Final Table Results

It didn’t take too long for the nine-handed final table to lose its first player, and “jonnyJamz” was the early casualty. Ninth place came with a $265 payday plus $366 worth of mystery bounties, for a total haul of $631. The eighth-place finisher, “Donkey_Kong” banked $820 in total, while the other seven finalists locked in five-figure prizes with bounties included.

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“PesevereDrin” fell by the wayside in seventh, a finish yielding $666, but they also won $1,430 in bounties for a $2,096 addition to their bankroll. “peekers22” and “xFlaherty6” were the next 888poker Ontario players heading for the exits, doing so with £1,037 and $1,423 in tow.

Fourth place and $1,750 went to “reddog4ever” before the previously mentioned graciekibo got their hands on $5,222 thanks, in part, to almost $2,900 from the bounty prize pool.

Heads-up pitted jusgivithere against “N888Dawg.” The one-on-one battle went the way of the former, and jusgivithere reeled in $7,113 in total plus the title of champion, leaving N888Dawg to pad their bankroll with a still impressive $4,288.

Eligible iGames conducted and managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in the Province of Ontario. 888poker Ontario operates pursuant to an agreement with iGaming Ontario.

For more information, visit the Ontario Players Homepage

888poker The Festival Online Ontario Results

It wasn’t only jusgivithere that became a champion during The Festival Online Ontario because the series featured several superb side events. “averygrande” helped themselves to a $3,327 score after triumphing in the $109 buy-in $10,000 guaranteed PKO event, while “high1ander” banked $1,400 for their victory in the $55 buy-in $5,000 Mini Opening event.

*includes bounty payments

Stay tuned to PokerNews for any 888poker Ontario news, views, gossip, and tournament series and festivals that are coming your way.

The Monte-Carlo stop of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) is one of the most prestigious of the tour. The Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort is a luxurious, decadent setting that is fitting for the high-octane 2023 PokerStars EPT Monte-Carlo festival.

EPT Monte-Carlo runs from April 26 through May 6, and PokerNews is delighted to reveal its live reporting team will be on the ground from start to finish, bringing you the very best of live poker tournament updates from seven of the biggest, most sought after events on the bustling 53-event calendar.

PokerNews EPT Monte-Carlo Live Reporting Schedule

Our coverage kicks off with the €10,200 Mystery Bounty from April 26-27. Last time out, this event was a €5,200 buy-in affair that saw Jean-Noel Thorel outlast 83 opponents on his way to collecting €107,290.

Next up, also starting on April 26 but running through to April 30, is the €1,100 FPS Main Event. Always a popular tournament, the FPS Main Event last year drew in 999 unique players that purchased 919 re-entries between them, thus creating a €1,841,280 prize pool. The tournament ended in a heads-up chop between champion Brazilian Lucas Scafini (€250,000) and Italian Fabio Peluso (€217,340). Expect similar numbers in 2023.

Another hugely popular FPS event, the €2,200 High Roller, hits your screens from April 29-30. Some 861 players, including re-entries, bought in last year, and Frenchman Pascal Mouysset came out on top, and banked €308,790 of the €1,653,120 prize pool. Mouysset later finished seventh in the €2,200 ESPT High Roller at EPT Barcelona, so expect him to be in the mix looking to retain his title.

Our coverage of the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller is guaranteed to capture the imagination of our readers, not least because it attracts the biggest names in the live poker world. Adrian Mateos is the reigning champion, the Spaniard reeling in a €1,385,430 score after coming out on top of a 42-strong field that saw €4,074,840 awarded. Our €100,000 EPT Super High Roller coverage runs from April 29 through May 1.

Of course, the tournament everyone wants to win is the €5,300 EPT Main Event. Brazil’s Marcelo Simoes Mesqueu helped himself to a gargantuan €939,840 and the title of champion, joining a long list of elite-level players that have left the world-famous Monte-Carlo as an EPT Main Event champion. Mesqueu is yet to cash in a live event during 2023, but he used his newfound bankroll to full effect throughout 2022, cashing in almost 50 events in his native Brazil. The EPT Main Event runs April 30 to May 7.

Rounding off PokerNews‘ coverage of EPT Monte-Carlo is the €3,000 Mystery Bounty from May 2-4, and the €25,000 EPT High Roller from May 4-6. The former is a new event for Monte-Carlo, while Italian superstar Gianluca Speranza is the reigning champion in the latter after he defeated popular pro Bruno Lopes of France to cash in the €853,000 top prize.

Past EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event Champions

Win Your Way to Monte-Carlo Online at PokerStars

Fancy seeing your name appear on the PokerNews Live Reporting pages? Then you may want to consider hitting the EPT Monte-Carlo satellites, available only at PokerStars. The lobby shows there is a €530 buy-on EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event Qualifier at 8:10 p.m. BST on April 13 and another on April 16, each awarding at least one €9,000 package.

The package consists of a €5,300 EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event seat, eight nights’ accommodation for you and a guest at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel from April 29 to May 7, and €508 credited to your PokerStars account to cover travel expenses.

At the time of writing, 55 PokerStars players have won €9,000 packages, including Sylvain “calculer_” Loosli, Jason “jdtjpoker” Wheeler, and Pablo “pabritz” Silva, so joining them would put you among good poker company.

Head to PokerStars today if you already have an account, and get involved in the EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event satellites, which start at only €1.10. Those without a PokerStars account can download PokerStars via PokerNews, create an account, then make a deposit using the bonus code “STARS600” to receive a 100% match up to $600 first deposit bonus.

In fact, your first three deposits in the first 60 days after making your first deposit are matched up to a combined total of $600.

The bonus releases into your playable balance in $10 increments each time you generate 180 redemption points, which in turn are earned at a rate of five per $1 contributed to the cash game rake or spent on tournament fees (6.5 points per £1, 5.5 points per €1, and four points per CAD$).

The 2023 Irish Open wrapped up in the early hours of Tuesday, April 11, following a week of poker action inside the Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland. The series was a huge success as the Irish Open Main Event broke all kinds of records as it became the biggest tournament ever to take place in the country after attracting 2,491 entrants and generating a €2,428,475 prize pool.

However, as the celebrations for the winner David Docherty began to wind down, a sour story began emerging on social media. Leo Worthington-Leese, a British grinder who was at the Irish Open, shared a video on his Instagram account where it is alleged that compatriot Will Kassouf had disappeared from a Pot-Limit Omaha cash game table, along with his chips after getting felted in a three-way pot.

The Accusation

PokerNews reached out to Worthington-Leese to learn more about the situation that allegedly occurred.

“I wasn’t at the table, I was just outside the poker room…it was like 4 a.m., and one of my friends ran up to me and was like, you are never going to believe what Will Kassouf just did, so he [Worthington-Leese’s friend] was at the table. And then I ended up speaking to a guy involved in the pot on Twitter. And I knew another guy involved in the pot, as well as it was a multi-way pot.” Worthington-Leese said.

“Basically, Kassouf had previously been stacked, and then he’d reloaded and sat short, like 300 euros,” Worthington-Leese added. “He then got it all in on the turn after having reloaded multi-way was drawing dead, it turned out, and then the dealer was working out the pots on the river, working out who owed what.

The dealer turned around to grab Kassouf’s stack to pay the winner of the hand. There was no money then, and he wasn’t even his chair anymore.

“There was no money then, and he wasn’t even his chair anymore.”

He had just got up and quick-footed it all the way across the card room out past security. A couple of people saw him leaving, I think. But nobody had really like cottoned on to what had happened yet, so nobody tried to stop him. You know, they thought, I think because it was kind of late, people were tired at end of the week. Nobody really was paying close attention.

So he just picked a stack up and left, and maybe people just assumed he’d got stacked and then just kind of left in it in a hurry. But yeah, several people have confirmed the same thing. People who were in the room and who were watching their hands.”

Corroborating Accounts

It then emerged on Twitter that Keith Littlewood, a recreational player, confirmed the above events as he was one of the three players involved in the pot.

In a statement to PokerNews, Littlewood relayed how the hand in question went down and the following events.

“As you know, the last night of the Irish Open Cash tables are madness – commotion everywhere,” said Littlewood.

“Kassouf was in seat 1 of the 6-card PLO €1/€2/€5 table, and I was in seat 2. We had shared several tables throughout the day and had quite a bit of banter. I am one of those that enjoy his speech play; however, Kassouf was getting quite a lot of grief, some a little nasty from players at the table and the rail – but I guess that’s normal for him, and he was taking it well and giving as good has he got.

Kassouf was reloading for €300 every time and was also getting grief for that as everyone was sat with a minimum of €1k, ‘in for the min out for the max’ was his usual reply when asked why.”

Littlewood then described the events for the hand in question.

“On the turn, Kassouf was all in just over €300. I re-popped it to €1,450 as that is what the other player had left of his in Seat 4. None of the stacks was counted or brought in the middle. Kassouf told the dealer, “Just leave it and sort it after the river.”

“Kassouf had a set of aces with no redraws, whereas I had a straight with a redraw to a heart flush, while seat 4 had a straight with a redraw to the diamond flush. Kassouf pleaded to run it twice, and both I and seat 4 said no. Kassouf continued to plead and said, “Come on, two rivers.”

Littlewood said that he and seat four begrudgingly agreed to run it twice. Littlewood then recalled that the first river came with a diamond which gave seat 4 a flush, while the second river was a brick. This resulted in three-quarters of the pot going to seat 4, while Littlewood took the rest.

“The dealer called the floor, who then got the security guards to go and find him. He had disappeared without a trace.”

“The dealer then counted seat 4’s stack and gave him the €725 from mine (a quarter of the pot). Then [the dealer] went to do the main pot, and just the blinds and antes were there. Kassouf’s stack had disappeared, and so had Kassouf. Everyone was asking where Will’s stack was. The dealer called the floor, who then got the security guards to go and find him. He had disappeared without a trace.”

“It is hard to describe the commotion of the Irish Open final day cash tables unless you have played there – it’s like the Wild West, and the dealers do amazing to keep up with stuff – but the dealer obviously didn’t bring the chips in as he should. But this was normal as every pot was the same with all stacks getting it in gambling and the pots being sorted after.”

“I did not see Kassouf pick up the chips and leave, and neither did anyone else – they just vanished. This, I want to reiterate. I am not saying he picked them up and left. The only facts are that his stack disappeared, and so did he!”

Kassouf’s Response to the Allegations

PokerNews reached out to Kassouf, who denied the allegations wholeheartedly. In a statement, he said:

“Contrary to the vicious rumours and allegations against me, neither did I take any chips from the table nor did I run out of the poker room…

I did absolutely nothing wrong, and the allegations are completely false.”

“I played in a fun €1-2 PLO 6 card game at the Irish Open festival in Dublin. I exchanged €300 cash for chips. I played a few pots but folded post-flop. When I played the hand in question, I had around €250. I was all in on the turn with top set of AA and a gutshot straight draw for around €200. The other two players went all in, and we all agreed to run it twice. One player won one board with a flush on the river, and they both split the second with a straight.

“Keith said that nobody had seen me take any chips off the table. That’s because I definitely did not take any chips off the table.”

All my chips were in the pot on the turn, so I had no chips left in front of me. The dealer then tried to sort out the main and side pots to split them accordingly. I had lost both pots, so I got up to speak to my friend Nikolay Ponomarev at our table and another friend Alex Zeligman at another table (as they were both on my flight back to London) before I walked out of the poker room.

There was no issue at the time when I was there, and nobody called the floor for any reason, either, whilst I was in the poker room.

One of the players, Keith, said that nobody had seen me take any chips off the table. That’s because I definitely did not take any chips off the table. If I had, either the dealer or one of the players would have seen it. I also definitely did not run out of the poker room as per the false allegations against me, as I spoke to two friends there after the hand before I left.”

“If any mistake was made, it was either made by the dealer in not splitting the pots correctly or by a player miscounting their stack or (unintentionally) taking my short stack from the pot as they’d won the hand.

“I have never cheated and never will in a game I love so much,”

The bottom line is that I definitely did not take any chips off the table, as my stack was in the pot on the turn, and I definitely did not run out of the poker room either, as I was still there chatting with a couple of friends straight after the hand before I left. Both Nikolay and Alex have spoken to JP McCann, the Irish Open organiser, directly to confirm this.

I feel I have been very unfairly and wrongly accused of doing something which I definitely did not do. It’s absolutely absurd even to suggest that I grabbed chips from the pot and ran out of the poker room, even more so for just €200.

I have received plenty of messages of support from those who know me well. I have been fortunate enough to have won a significant amount of money in poker. I have never cheated and never will in a game I love so much and have played for most of my life.”

PokerNews also spoke with JP McCann, Tournament Director and Host of the Irish Open, and he confirmed that Ponomarev and Zeligman had spoken to Kassouf after the hand played out.

As reported by Irish poker pro David Lappin in VegasSlotsOnline News, Ponomarev — seated at the same table as Kassouf — told McCann that Kassouf came up to him after the hand to arrange the next day’s travel plans, while Zeligman — at an adjacent table — said to him that Kassouf had spoken to him before he left the building.

Ponomarev, under the Twitter handle @NikoP9393, replied to Littlewoods earlier tweet, which gives his version of events after the hand played out.

In contrast to Littlewood’s account, Ponomarev says Kassouf had told him he had around €200 to start the hand rather than the aforementioned €300. Ponomarev also wrote that Kassouf explained to him that his chips were already in the middle on the turn and that if he had taken chips from the pot, he would’ve been spotted by the dealer.

Who is Will Kassouf?

Will Kassouf is a solicitor and British poker player who became a name in the industry following a deep run in the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event. Known for his speech play and actions during the Main Event, Kassouf quickly became a polarizing figure in the community, with some sections loving his style of play while others were less than impressed by the Englishman’s antics.

In the hand that led to Kassouf’s ultimate demise, Griffin Benger and the Brit clashed in a classic aces versus kings that’s still brought up to this day. A heated Benger and Kassouf got into a war of words which you can check out in the video below.

After making a name for himself, Kassouf joined Grosvenor Poker as a sponsored pro. However, that relationship abruptly ended after it was discovered that Kassouf had been caught palming chips from a roulette table in a Grosvenor casino in 2018.

Top Stories of 2022, #3: Poker Cheating Scandals Everywhere

Editor & Live Reporter

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.

Sometimes in poker, the stars align and everything you do seems to work out. Some call it destiny, others may put it down to variance. Whatever it is, and whatever you believe, the end result in the $215 buy-in $200,000 guaranteed The Festival Online Main Event at 888poker was “latvianhero1” walking away with $34,600 and the title of champion.

Some 992 players, including re-entries, bought into the tournament, leaving a very small overlay. Latvianhero1 was flying high at one stage but then found themselves down to a couple of big blinds, before surging up the leaderboard again at the business end of the tournament and ultimately becoming an 888poker champion. This is how the final table went down.

$200,000 The Festival Online Main Event Final Table Results

Mexico’s “DomCamaron” sat down at the final table as the shortest stack and was the first player heading for the exits. “Getoverhere” min-raised with queen-jack of hearts from middle position, “Artur1965” flat called in the next seat along, only for DomCamaron to squeeze all-in for 6.3 big blinds; only Artur1965 called, doing so with pocket eights. Those snowmen were up against ace-jack, and a queen-high board reduced the player count by one.

“LordPari” was the next player heading to the showers. LordPari lost half of their stack when they could not get away from having flopped trip aces only to discover their opponent had hit a straight on the river. They never recovered and busted after jamming 3.7 big blinds with pocket sixes, and losing to the ace-four of “themelon1.”

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Seventh place went to “Grosminette” despite getting their tiny stack in good. They raised to 2.5 big blinds with ace-four, leaving only 1.2 big blinds behind. Getoverhere raised enough to set Grosminette all-in, and was called. Grosminette was against the dominated ace-deuce, but a deuce on the turn completely changed the course of the hand. No miracle river, and Grosminette was gone.

Grosminette’s seat had not even gone cold when themelon1 crashed and burned in a battle of the blinds against latvianhero1. The action folded to themelon1 in the small blind, and they open-shoved for 10.7 big blinds with king-seven of spades, only to be snap-called by latvianhero1 who woke up with pocket aces in the big blind. themelon1 flopped a flush draw but couldn’t catch any of their outs. GG.

Fifth place and $9,900, the last four-figure payout, went to Malta’s “dmnln” as the final table action hit the hour mark. Again, it was a battle of the blinds with latvianhero1, who had been down to a couple of big blinds at one stage. latvianhero1 moved all-in for 9.5 bug blinds effective with ace-jack, and dmnln called all-in with king-queen. A queen on the flop gifted the lead to dmnln but the turn and river were both jacks, and dmnln bowed out in fifth.

Join 888poker and PokerNews at the 888LIVE London Festival

The final four battled for almost 30-mins before a set-up hand reduced the player count again. Getoverhere min-raised with pocket kings, “raw_dawg” three-bet to 8.4 big blinds with pocket sevens before calling when Getoverhere four-bet enough to put raw_dawg for their last 8.1 big blinds. A king on the flop left raw_dawg drawing thin, and they were drawing dead by the turn.

Heads-up was set with Lithuania’s “Artur1965” busted in third. You may recall Artur1965 finished as runner-up in the $100K Festival Online Sunday Big Shot 109 last weekend for $12,743 after a heads-up deal. Artur1965 claimed this week’s $13,460 third place prize after check-called all three streets with pocket queens only to discover latvianhero1 had them crushed all the way with a pair of aces in the hole.

latvianhero1 held a 58.3 big blind to 38.6 big blind lead over Getoverhere going into the one-on-one battle, and it took less than ten minutes to wrap up the $200,000 guaranteed Main Event. The final hand saw latvianhero1 min-raise with pocket jacks, Getoverhere three-bet to 6.2 big blinds with pocket tens before calling off their 19.4 big blinds they had behind. The five community cards double paired with queens and kings, which were no help to Getoverhere, and they busted in second place for $25,240, leaving latvianhero1 to bank $34,600 and the title of champion.