At around 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday, Jack Effel announced “shuffle up and deal” to officially kickstart the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) inside Paris Las Vegas.
The first tournament of the series, Event #1: $500 Casino Employees, is open only to those who work in the casino industry. At 2 p.m., the first open event of the series will begin — Event #2: $25,000 High Roller (6-Handed).
Many within the WSOP and across the poker world expect the 54th annual summer poker extravaganza to be the biggest. There’s a sense of buzz within the two host venues — Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris — that indicate, to steal a line from Gus Hansen, it’s going to be a great summer.
PokerNews will be on-site, bringing you non-stop exclusive content that will keep you informed of what’s happening on the floor from Event #1 until a world champion is crowned in July. We’ll bring you live updates during every bracelet event, entertaining video content across social media, exclusive interviews with the biggest names in the game, and news as it breaks all summer long.
Sense of Newness
The 2023 WSOP will be the first ever at Horseshoe Las Vegas, but not the first in the same venue. Last year, the World Series of Poker moved from the Rio to the Las Vegas Strip’s Bally’s Hotel & Casino, which has since been renovated and rebranded as the Horseshoe.
When you arrive at the host facility, you’ll notice some significant changes compared to last year in terms of aesthetics, most notably gorgeous new carpeting and improved lighting in the Events Center, where the feature and final tables will take place.
Stay tuned for a fun summer of poker and all the best content and breaking news right here at PokerNews.
View the Full 2023 WSOP Schedule
Follow PokerNews all summer long right here at PokerNews.com, on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook, and on YouTube for the exclusive 2023 World Series of Poker content you won’t find anywhere.
In light of debate over the threat that real-time assistance (RTA) apps pose to live poker, World Series of Poker (WSOP) officials reiterated their rules for use of solvers at the poker table.
Players at the 2023 WSOP will be penalized if they are caught using or referencing a solver during a live hand. Additionally, the WSOP reserves the right to issue penalties to players who are using solvers in between hands.
“If caught using RTA/GTO software during a hand, player will be subject to penalty up to and including DQ (disqualification) / trespass,” WSOP said in a prepared statement. “We reserve the right to further penalize a player for using RTA/GTO in any other situation in our sole and absolute discretion. Players may continue to use their device to play wsop.com or use the Caesars Sportsbook app while in/out of a hand.”
Solver tools like GTOWizard, which can tell poker players the optimal way to play “any spot you can imagine,”, came under fire last week when a video surfaced of Andrew Esposito consulting a solver output during the WPT Gardens Poker Championship.
Esposito denied doing so while in a live hand and the tournament floor ruled that Esposito did not violate Poker Tournament Directors Association (TDA) Rule 5, which states that “betting apps and charts may not be used by players with live hands.”
Read About the Solver Controversy at the WPT Gardens Poker Championship
Opinions in the poker community about use of solvers outside of hands have varied, with some pros saying an absolute ban is necessary to protect game integrity and others stating that they don’t see an issue if they aren’t being used during hands.
We can all agree that using a solver mid-hand is egregious cheating.
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond)
With the 2023 WSOP kicking off this week, Vice President Jack Effel addressed concerns about solvers to PokerNews staff and reiterated the WSOP’s rules for phones at the table.
The WSOP’s RTA policy highlights efforts in the poker industry to grapple with rapidly advancing poker tools that many believe pose a threat to game integrity.
During a controversy at the 2016 WSOP where a player printed a push-fold chart that he looked at in between hands, then-Tournament Director Effel ruled that “when you’re out of the hand, you’re more than welcome to reference anything that you have, your notes or anything like that, but not during the play of hands.”
Effel, who mentioned GTOWizard by name, told PokerNews that GTO solvers differ in their capabilities from other poker training tools like preflop charts that are fair game to consult at the table in between hands.
In another update ahead of the festival kickoff, WSOP announced that chips will be in play at the start of every event for all registered players. Registration time is considered at the time a seat is purchased, not when it is printed from a FasTrac kiosk.
Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden will not become the 2023 PokerStars Spring Championship Of Online Poker (SCOOP) Main Event champion, but he did manage to take down his fourth career SCOOP title, and add $71,414 to his lifetime winnings tally.
Vousden is also five eliminations away from a fifth SCOOP title and a monster-sized $362,102 because he has navigated his way to the final table of the $25,000 Super High Roller.
Finland’s Vousden was one of 1,118 entrants in the $530 No-Limit Hold’em PKO freezeout, and he bagged the largest slice of the $559,000 prize pool.
A whole host of stars reached the money place but fell shy of the final table, including Team PokerStars’ Lex “L. Veldhuis” Veldhuis and Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg, two players that have enjoyed some remarkable SCOOP results this year.
With bounties included, only two of the nine finalists did not walk away with at least five figures for their efforts. Ireland’s “Chanaldo9” ($6,854) and “GlobalHappiness” of Sweden ($6,175) being that pair.
Arsenii “josef_shvejk” Karmatckii, who won a $1,050 7-Max NHLE event for $$53,329, finished seventh here ($11,050), while “grind4fame” ($10,616) crashed out in sixth.
Fifth place and $15,327 went to Thomas “MarToMchat” Boivin, fourth place and $24,582 to “xpronto,” with the event progressing to the heads-up stages when Aleksejs “APonakov” Ponakovs busted in third and collected $35,722.
Vousden found himself heads-up against Germany’s “DeadMonkey13,” and he made short work of his final opponent. Vousden’s fourth SCOOP victory came with $71,414, which left “DeadMonkey13” to claim a $46,436 consolation prize.
SCOOP 107-H: $530 NLHE PKO Freezeout Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Bounties
Prize
Total Prize
1
Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden
Finland
$32,947
$38,467
$71,414
2
DeadMonkey13
Germany
$7,970
$38,466
$46,436
3
Aleksejs “APonakov” Ponakovs
Latvia
$12,664
$23,058
$35,722
4
xpronto
Latvia
$8,039
$16,543
$24,582
5
Thomas “MarToMchat” Boivin
Canada
$3,458
$11,869
$15,327
6
grind4fame
Bulgaria
$2,101
$8,515
$10,616
7
Arsenii “josef_shvejk” Karmatckii
Montenegro
$4,941
$6,109
$11,050
8
GlobalHappiness
Sweden
$1,792
$4,383
$6,175
9
Chanaldo9
Ireland
$3,257
$3,597
$6,854
Follow all the $10,300 SCOOP Main Event updates!
Don’t miss any of the SCOOP Main Event action
Mike Watson Running Hot in the Super High Roller
Mike Watson
Forty-two PokerStars players created a $1,030,050 prize pool in the $25,000 Super High Roller, but only six of those entrants remain in contention for a $362,102 score.
Mike “SirWatts” Watson, who is second in chips in the $10,300 SCOOP Main Event, finished top of the pile when the curtain came down on Day 1’s proceedings. Watson has locked in $54,482 but will have his sights set on the huge top prize.
Vousden returns to the action second in chips, while such luminaries as Bruno “great dant” Volkmann, Pedro “pvigar” Garagnani, Daniel “SmilleThHero” Smiljkovic, and Sam “Str8$$$Homey” Greenwood make up the rest of the final table, although htye are not there to simply make up the numbers.
The pay-jumps are substantial, with a $25,000 difference in prize money between fifth and sixth place, and a whopping $115,000 difference between first and second.
PokerStars’ Twitch team is streaming all the Super High Roller final table action from 6:00 p.m. BST on May 30.
SCOOP 113-H: $25,000 NLHE Super High Roller Final Table Chip Counts
Place
Player
Country
Chips
1
Mike “SirWatts” Watson
Canada
3,277,969
2
Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden
Finland
2,931,212
3
Brunno “great dant” Volkmann
Brazil
2,177,062
4
Pedro “pvigar” Garagnani
Brazil
974,920
5
Daniel “SmilleThHero” Smiljkovic
Austria
825,050
6
Sam “Str8$$$Homey” Greenwood
Canada
313,787
“uwinitakeit” Denies Some of Poker’s Elite Main Event 2nd Chance Glory
Eighty-seven players turned out in force for the $5,200 NLHE Turbo Main Event 2nd Chance, and created a $435,000 prize pool. Of that princely sum, $103,950 was reserved for the champion, and Canada’s “uwinitakeit” is that player.
Any of the nine players at the final table would have made a worthy champion; the final table read like a who’s who of the online poker world.
Jonathan “x_zola25” Skovsen ($13,706), Mark “AceSpades11” Radoja ($17,113), and Leonard “Grozzorg” Maue ($22,144) were the first trio of casualties at the final table. Timothy “Tim0thee” Adams ($28,654), Espen “Hymn2Nikasi” Jorstad ($37,078), and Steven “random_chu” Chew ($47,978) soon joined the list of busted players.
Benjamin Rolle
Sam “Str8$$$Homey” Greenwood ($62,082) saw his tournament end in third place, leaving “uwinitakeit” against Benjamin “bencb789” Rolle in a one-on-one battle for the lion’s share of the prize pool.
There was no deal between the heads-up duo, so Rolle had to make do with the $80,333 consolation prize when “uwinitakeit” defeated him. The champion reeled in a $103,950 score for their impressive performance.
SCOOP 114-H: $5,200 NLHE Turbo Main Event 2nd Chance Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
uwinitakeit
Canada
$103,950
2
Benjmain “bencb789” Rolle
Austria
$80,333
3
Sam “Str8$$$Homey” Greenwood
Canada
$62,082
4
Stevan “random_chu” Chew
Indonesia
$47,978
5
Espen “Hymn2Nikasi” Jorstad
United Kingdom
$37,078
6
Timothy “Tim0thee” Adams
Finland
$28,654
7
Leonard “Grozzorg” Maue
Austria
$22,144
8
Mark “AceSpades11” Radoja
Canada
$17,113
9
Jonathan “x_zola25” Skovsen
Denmark
$13,706
Other Selected PokerStars SCOOP Results
Allan “allan sheik” Mello helped himself to a massive $164,980 by taking down the $5,200 NHLE PKO SCOOP edition of the popular Thursday Thrill, which concluded on Sunday.
There was a $94,245 score for “pokanuktus” and a $61,299 prize awarded to Jargo “bungakat” Alavali, the latter becoming the champion of the $530 buy-in Main Event 2nd Chance.
Earlier this month, Roshtein announced that he intended to return from a short break from gambling but would lower the risk, regardless of the high-stakes antics that had earned him his many followers. “I will go lower bets so anyone that moans about higher bets can suck it,” posted the Kick streamer on Twitter.
Just a few weeks have passed since then, but clearly those lower stakes aren’t cutting it for the content creator. On a stream Monday evening, Roshtein gambled $111m+ on Plinko while trying to hit the max multiplier of 1000x. Staking $3,000 per ball, the streamer dropped more than 37,000 balls before calling it a day and moving on to slots.
lost around $4.7m in total during his Plinko session
Much to the disappointment of Roshtein and his fans, the streamer never hit the max multiplier. He lost around $4.7m in total during his Plinko session, beginning with $2.7m in his account balance and playing down to near zero before deciding to reload. He did this four times, adding $500,000 more with each reload and losing almost all of it.
He ultimately admitted defeat after playing the game for more than 90 minutes, but lost more cash on slots before signing off. “I’m triggered by this whole session that we’ve had today. Five to six hours full of degeneracy,” the streamer concluded. His words pose the question, is this “degeneracy” out of hand, the result of risk-free wagering, or just a bit of fun?
A gambling problem
Roshtein, real name Ismael Swartz, took to Twitter at the end of April this year to announce that he had suffered too many gambling losses and would be taking a break from wagering. He received an outpouring of support from followers and fellow streamers as he declared he needed to clear his mind and “rebalance.”
It’s clear to see why the gambler might need to take some time out. Like he did on Monday, Roshtein regularly gambles with millions of dollars in each session. He routinely loses eye-watering amounts but, like with most gambling addicts, only really shouts about his big wins. Before he made the move to Kick last year, one of Roshtein’s biggest Twitch highlights was winning $16m in one slot spin:
Check Roshtein’s chat during one of his streams and it is evident even some followers believe he needs to rein it in. Many urged him to “chill out” and “stop there” as he expressed his frustration after losing yet another $500,000 on Monday. On the other hand, just as many followers goaded the streamer on, one pushing him to “just keep clicking” as his funds dwindled to nothing on Plinko.
xQc announced in 2022 that he had lost $2m of his own money gambling
Notably, other popular gambling streamers have stepped back after suffering major losses too – some even making those losses public. Popular name xQc announced in 2022 that he had lost $2m of his own money gambling online before taking some time off, while Xposed took a gambling break in March this year after suffering a string of bad luck he said was affecting his health.
As appears evident from the streams of Roshtein and others, in which they wildly chase their losses by adding more and more cash to their accounts, these streamers are indeed battling with addiction. Many admit to that fact. But there is another side to this story.
Risk-free betting
It is widely believed among the gambling streaming community that operators such as Stake have deals with content creators. As per the supposed terms of these partnerships, the streamers are able to use a certain amount of cash to gamble, thus advertising the online casino’s product to their followers at no real risk to their own bank balances.
Now that Twitch has banned unregulated casino gambling and Stake has launched Kick as a rival platform, these deals are more important than ever in retaining top talent on the new website. Stake reportedly has partnerships with all of the top gambling streamers, including most notably Roshtein, Trainwreck, and Xposed.
Of course he’s on fake money.”
The specific details of these deals are unknown but you will often see Roshtein’s chats light up with unbelieving viewers. During his stream on Monday, one viewer wrote: “Go back in time and see Rosh going absolutely nuts over 50k. Now he’s dropping insane amounts and barely flinching. Of course he’s on fake money.” Many have criticized him for not being honest about the deals with his followers.
In February last year, Trainwreck called out Roshtein in a rant in which he implied some streamers were lying to followers by making “fake money” deals.” In contrast, Trainwreck has always insisted he earns a salary through his Stake partnership, meaning he gambles with his own hard-earned cash. While gambling on Twitch for 16 months, Train said he earned $22.5m per month through this partnership.
Whether or not Roshtein is gambling real cash is still a big focus for debate in the community, but it seems that many factors are coming into play. His gambling addiction is perpetuated by his need to entertain his followers, while perhaps he also exaggerates this with some risk-free wagering. There is a certain lack of transparency that could come at a high cost to some of his more vulnerable followers, and perhaps even himself.
Either way, when the stakes are so high, it’s certainly not all just a bit of fun.
The post Problem Gambling, Fake Money, or a Bit of Fun? Roshtein Stakes $111m in Disastrous Plinko Session appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
For the third consecutive year, Daniel Negreanu and Shaun Deeb were the highest bids during the $25K Fantasy Draft for the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
The draft took place Monday night at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, one day prior to the start of the WSOP. There are 20 teams in the league, all investing $25,000 to win a maximum of $250,000 with the top three spots paid.
Each team drafted eight players they felt would perform well this summer in bracelet events. Teams were limited to a maximum of $200 total to be spent on players during the bidding-style draft. The team that accumulates the most points throughout the series wins. Team Maria Ho took it down last year.
Ho’s team was carried by the performance of Koray Aldemir, whom she picked up for just $2, the steal of the 2022 WSOP 25k Fantasy Draft. Aldemir, who won the 2021 WSOP Main Event, accumulated 358 points, topping the charts.
WSOP Player of the Year Frontrunners Receive Highest Bids
Daniel Negreanu
With just $200 to spend, many teams avoid drafting players like Negreanu and Deeb even though they often contend for WSOP Player of the Year. The reason for that is they cost so much to acquire in the 25k Fantasy Draft, making it difficult to fill the remaining seven spots with players who will tear it up at the WSOP. In fact, since the league was formed in 2011, neither poker legend has appeared on a first place roster.
Still, both pros, save for last year when Negreanu lost $1.1 million, usually contend for the Player of the Year award. Thus, there’s always a team willing to bid half or more of its allotted budget to draft them.
On Monday, Deeb went for a draft-high $112 (Team DPMC), while Negreanu was the second highest valued pick at $111 (Team Noori). Dan Zack, the reigning WSOP Player of the Year champion, was chosen for $109 (Team Jew-ish).
Every other player was picked up for under $100, although Yuri Dzivielevski (Team Maria’s Ho’mies) went for $99, just a shade under triple digits.
Phil Hellmuth, another annual high bid, went for $71 this year (Team Fleyshman). The “Poker Brat,” in search of his record-extending 17th bracelet, had an overall ho-hum 2022 WSOP, but he did have a runner-up finish last summer.
Other notable high bids include Jeremy Ausmus for $86 (Team No Gamble No Future), Alex Foxen for $77 (Team Zamani), and this year Aldemir was taken for $70 (Team Riess).
Phil Ivey, who isn’t expected to play much this summer, was selected for $19 by Team Lang. Last year, the 10-time bracelet winner went for just $33 to the same team but was one of the steals of the draft as he accumulated 258 points, sixth most overall.
Police are searching for a gunman who shot three people at a Seattle casino. The incident occurred at about 11pm Saturday at the Roxbury Lanes & Casino in the southwest area of the city.
the gunman went into the casino and started shooting straight away without any warning
Seattle Police Department officers responded to the scene and found three people with gunshot wounds, who were taken for treatment at the Harborview Medical Center. The victims are two males and a female. According to police, the gunman went into the casino and started shooting straight away without any warning.
Police are still trying to figure out the motive for the incident. The casino will remain closed until further notice. Talking to local media, one local patron said that arguments take place in the casino’s parking lot frequently and that “there’s always problems” at the property.
The post Police Searching for Gunman Following Triple Shooting at a Seattle Casino appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
After several weeks of poker tournament action on Global Poker, the Rattlesnake Open VI has reached its conclusion. The series on the popular social poker site featured 109 events in each of Global Poker’s in-game currencies—Gold Coins (GC) events and Sweeps Coins (SC) with combined guarantees of GC 896,500,000 and SC 1,943,000.
The series, which kicked off on May 7 and wrapped up on May 28, culminated with two main events that saw “Donkeychem” and “Nobsfor1” being named champions. “Donkeychem” took down the GC 40,000,000 guaranteed 31-H: Main Event NLHE for GC 8,160,000, while “Nobsfor1” emerged victorious in 31-H: Main Event NLHE SC 200,000 Guaranteed for SC 34,420.
PokerNews provided live-stream coverage of the Main Event action, which can be viewed at twitch.tv/pokernews.
Tune in NOW for our livestream coverage of the # @official_glp Rattlesnake Open VI Main Event #
— PokerNews (@PokerNews)
“Donkeychem” Denies “HumboldtRat” in GC Main Event
The Gold Coin Main Event had a buy-in of GC 99,000 and attracted 201 players as it got underway on May 28.
Some of the players who ran deep in the GC Main Event include“GAM8L3R777” (8th – GC 1,000,000), “Dking4207” (6th – GC 1,800,000), “Oriholic” (4th – GC 3,400,000) and “Fishie1554” (GC 4,520,000), all of whom received seven figures of Gold Coins after their final table runs.
But it was “Donkeychem” who walked away with the top prize of GC 8,160,000 and the rattlesnake trophy after defeating “HumboldtRat”, who earned GC 6,000,000 for their runner-up finish.
PLACE
PLAYER
PRIZE (IN GC)
1
“Donkeychem”
8,160,000
2
“HumboldtRat”
6,000,000
3
“Fishie1554”
4,520,000
4
“Oriholic”
3,400,000
5
“Ace Theodore”
2,320,000
6
“Dking4207”
1,800,000
7
“Wolfyt”
1,400,000
8
“GAM8L3R777”
1,000,000
9
“CincyKid23”
780,000
“Nobsfor1”, “Qwazzy” & “PostivelyGhoulish” Top SC Main Event
Looking at the Sweeps Coins side of things, the 31-H: Main Event NLHE SC 200,000 Guaranteed drew a field of 1,009 runners with a buy-in of SC 99. In the end, it was “Nobsfor1” who walked away with the trophy and SC 34,420 after defeating heads-up opponent “Qwazzy” (2nd – SC 25,000).
Other players who ran deep in the SC Main Event include third-place finisher “PostivelyGhoulish” (SC 19,000), fourth-place finisher “KybalionKing” (SC 13,920) and fifth-place finisher “Crazysixes” (SC 9,900).
PLACE
PLAYER
PRIZE (IN SC)
1
“Nobsfor1”
34,420
2
“Qwazzy”
25,000
3
“PostivelyGhoulish”
19,000
4
“KybalionKing”
13,920
5
“Crazysixes”
9,900
6
“YoursTruly-“
7,900
7
“Shamwowed”
5,900
8
“Happydeath”
3,900
9
“Illegit21”
2,300
Other Rattlesnake Open Winners
There were plenty of other big winners during the nearly monthlong Rattlesnake Open. PokerNews highlighted several early winners in the series, including Team PokerNews streamer Kyle “KAA17” Anderson, who started things off by winning the GC 9,000,000 guaranteed 01-M: NLHE for GC 1,837,440.
Other Rattlesnake Open winners include 24-M: NLHE GC 6,000,000 Guaranteed winner “Toughtobeat” (GC 1,352,520), 24-M: NLHE SC 10,000 Guaranteed victor “TheRealCappy” (SC 2,032.67) and 25-L: NLHE SC 6,000 Guaranteed champion “Muppet Baby” (SC 1,410.94).
More recently, “Scootorama” took down 31-M: NLHE GC 20,000,000 Guaranteed for GC 4,290,000 and “YouGonGetThisWork” won 31-M: NLHE SC 50,000 Guaranteed for SC 9,350.
A job can be a means to an end and a way to pay the bills, or it can be something we’re passionate about and thoroughly enjoy. The reality is that how we feel about our jobs is unique to each person, and can be influenced by factors like sector, pay, and working hours.
In this study, we asked participants to rate their job satisfaction from 0 to 5. From this, we were able to determine a national job satisfaction score and use this as a benchmark for the state analysis. We will provide more information on our methodology at the bottom of this article, but for now, keep reading to see the results.
The National Numbers
The average job satisfaction score across all study participants was 3.3 out of 5 – within the ‘my job is OK’ range. Unfortunately, there are several states that fell below this benchmark, with residents reporting lower-than-average job satisfaction levels.
(click the below image for a bigger version)
Arkansas (2.1), Mississippi (2.3), Hawaii (2.5), Maine (2.6), Oklahoma (2.7), Nebraska (2.7), Indiana (2.8), and Pennsylvania (2.9) are among the states with the lowest levels of job satisfaction, falling below the national average. Nevada, Missouri, Louisiana, Georgia, and Virginia residents all averaged 3.3, the exact same as the national score.
On a more positive note, there are many states that have a job satisfaction score above the national average. Maryland (3.9), Idaho (3.8), New Mexico (3.7), North Dakota (3.6), Utah (3.5), and Ohio (3.5) are some of the highest scorers. Other honorable mentions include California (3.4), Florida (3.4), New York (3.4), and Michigan (3.4).
Satisfaction Score by Sector
Real estate workers are the most satisfied in the country, scoring 3.9 out of 5 on average, followed by construction workers at 3.6. The only other sectors scoring above the average are healthcare and hospitality.
The lowest scores came from those working in food service (2.8) and retail (2.8). Other low scorers include utilities (3.0), Government (3.1), business (3.1), and manufacturing (3.2).
Job Satisfaction by Age/Generation
Gen Z (1997-2012) are the least satisfied in their jobs, reporting an average score of 3.1. This is closely followed by millennials (1981-1996) who scored 3.2. Baby Boomers (1946-1964) have a job satisfaction score of 3.3, which is exactly in line with the national average. The only generation surveyed that reported above-average job satisfaction was Generation X (1965-1980) with a score of 3.4.
Methodology
In May 2023, we conducted a nationwide survey through a data collection tool using a large representative sample. Respondents were aged between 18-65 and all reside within The United States. We asked the following questions:
Which state do you live in?
Which age bracket do you fall within?
Which sector do you work in?
Please rate your job satisfaction
We used the following scale for job satisfaction:
0-1: I hate my job
2-3: My job is OK
4-5: I love my job
We used the average score of ALL participants to determine the national score. We then segmented by state to determine the state-level numbers. We took the answers from ‘which sector do you work in’ to calculate the satisfaction score by sector.
Note: The color scale on the map is indicative of which states fall above or below the national average.
You are free to use any of the information in this report, including the supporting imagery. When doing so, please link back to this article as your source. For media inquiries, please contact michaela.shaw[at]casino.org.
The 5,500 dirham Winamax SISMIX Main Event, running at the Casino de Marrakech at the El Saadi Resort, has now wrapped up and a new champion has been crowned.
Issam Benhaddou has been crowned the champion. He takes 937,500 dirham for his efforts (€86,250). Benhaddou outlasted a field of 1,900 entrants to win the tournament.
According to Hendon Mob, Benhaddou has $17,724 in live tournament winnings. His previous biggest prize was 46,000 dirhams in the WSOPC Marrakech event in 2020. This, then, is by far his most impressive and lucrative score.
After only around 10 minutes of heads-up play, Benhaddou got the better of Christophe Beyer to win the tournament. Beyer made a bluff that didn’t pay off before shoving his short stack from the button and getting called by his opponent. Benhaddou held up to end what has been an intense, exciting and fun five days of poker.
Luis Cabello of Spain came third for 520,000 dirham, Ewen Trevidy came fourth for 370,000 and Mehdi Chaoui came in fifth place for 270,000 dirham. Gonzalo Serrano came sixth for 200,000 dirham, and Alexis Plumet came seventh for 145,000 dirham.
SISMIX Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize (MAD)
Prize (Euros)
Winner
Issam Benhaddou
Morroco
937,500
86,250
2
Christophe Beyer
France
787,500
72,450
3
Luis Cabello
Spain
520,000
47,840
4
Ewen Trevidy
France
370,000
34,040
5
Mehdi Chaoui
Morocco
270,000
24,840
6
Gonzalo Serrano
Spain
200,000
18,400
7
Alexis Plumet
France
145,000
13,340
The final table is set
WWinner’s Interview
“There are a lot of things going through my mind right now,” said Benhaddou. “Most of all I’m very pound of my performance, and it makes me so happy to win at home.”
“I’m a local, typical, authentic and original product. So I can’t be anything but happy.”
“My secret is that I called my mom at every break. She prayed for me so I can win my triple barrel bluffs. And I tried to manage my game, to put pressure on when needed, and it worked for me.”
“I had a good energy. After my Day 1b, I went to the swimming pool to chill and relax to be in the best conditions for the rest of the tournament.”
Bustouts Happen Fast on the Final Day
The first few hours of the final day were nothing short of intense. Of the 18 players who returned to the felt, Adil Oubaaous was the first to his the rail. Less than 10-minutes later, Rui Tiago Pinto Campo and Jordi Garcia had both joined him, followed by Javier Ortiz and Enis Chetita, all within the first hour of play.
Action didn’t slow down after that. The all ins continued to come with relentless speed. Victor De Sa Camboa was on the wrong end of a bad beat and was knocked out by Alexis Plumet. Then, Rachid El Yaacoubi hit trips, only to find himself outkicked by Benhaddou’s, who was also holding trips.
Inigo Naveiro lost an all in against Ewen Trevidy to bust in 11th place and then Antoine Guidez lost a flip against Mehdi Chaoui to bust in 10th.
Sylvain Neyroud, who started the day as chip leader, was involved in a huge all in and got his kings cracked by Benhaddou to bust in 9th place. By this point, Benhaddou was accumulating chips and positioning himself nicely for what was to come.
His stack was further improved when he got it in good to eliminate Mohamed Mehalleg in 8th place to bring about the final table redraw. When the final table began, Benhaddou had 30,000,000 chips and close to a 2-1 chip lead over second place Luis Cabello.
Mehdi Chaoui
SISMIX Final Table Action
Benhaddou continued his reign, winning a coinflip against Alexis Plumet, who was the first to leave the final table. Gonzalo Serrano was the next to go. He shoved pocket sixes and was called by Cabello, whose tens held up to send Serrano to the rail.
Winamax Pro Mehdi Chaoui got it in ahead against Benhaddou, but Benhaddou hit trips to knock Chaoui out of the tournament in 5th place.
With four remaining, Benhaddou still had the chip lead. Christophe Beyer closed the gap when he doubled up through Trevidy and then again through Benhaddou. Trevidy then got it in against Cabello, whose pocket jacks held up to knock Trevidy out of the tournament. Just a few minutes later, however, Luis Cabello busted when he got his cards in behind against Beyer and lost.
SISMIX Heads-Up
Christophe Beyer went heads up against chip leader Benhaddou. Despite his lead, Benhaddou was happy to make an even spilt deal with Beyer to leave 150,000 dirham to play for.
The heads-up battle lasted only a matter of minutes before Benhaddou picked off Beyer’s bluff to get well ahead. After a shove and a call, it was all over. Benhaddou was crowned the SISMIX Main Event champion.
The 888poker XL Spring Series is nearing its conclusion, with the $500,000 guaranteed Main Event right around the corner. 888poker players are hitting the tables in huge numbers as they attempt to hit form in time for that Main Event, giving them the best chance of becoming the series’ biggest winner.
Germany’s “BTC23” will fancy their chances of experiencing glory in the Main Event after taking down the $35,000 XL Spring #14 – Mystery Bounty 8-Max event over the weekend. A field of 744 exchanged $55 for the chance to become an XL Spring Series champion, ensuring the $35,000 guarantee was surpassed by $2,200.
The two largest mystery bounty prizes were won by players that fell short of the final table. Romania’s “PopicuSTAR” crashed out in 13th, but not before capturing a $1,750 bounty payment.
Brazilian “kelsen.lab” fell in 16th yet walked away with the most money of any other player, thanks to pulling out $4,121 worth of mystery bounties before they dusted off their stack.
All but two of the eight finalists saw four-figure sums land in their 888poker accounts; “julianopk10” and “M.Baranov” being that duo.
One by one, the field thinned, with the eliminations of “TtAaKeE,”“Zer0013,”“guizones27,” and “EduAraujo” bowing out in success. Those exits left “BTC23” heads-up against “WalnutPix” of the United Kingdom.
It was “BTC23” that came out on top, and they padded their 888poker bankroll with $4,297, leaving “WalnutPix” to clinch a $3,445 runner-up prize.
$35,000 XL Spring #14 – Mystery Bounty 8-Max Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Bounties
Prize
Total Prize
1
BTC23
Germany
$574
$3,723
$4,297
2
WalnutPix
United Kingdom
$717
$2,728
$3,445
3
EduAraujo
Brazil
$685
$2,009
$2,694
4
guizones27
Brazil
$128
$1,477
$1,605
5
Zer0013
Lithuania
$160
$985
$1,145
6
TtAaKeE
Brazil
$335
$689
$1,024
7
M.Baranov
Ukraine
$207
$492
$699
8
julianopk10
Brazil
$96
$344
$440
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“Scholomance” Leads the $200,000 Mystery Bounty With Nine Remaining
Only nine players remain in contention to become the 888poker XL Spring Series $200,000 Mystery Bounty champion, and it is Montenegro’s “Scholomance” who is in pole position to become the tournament’s champion.
888poker ambassador Ian “Simpioni” Simpson was one of the 848 unique entrants in the field, but the popular streamer came unstuck in 104th place, and logged off empty-handed.
The eight stars that have navigated their way to the final table have each locked in at least $2,030 from the main prize pool, and at least $755 worth of mystery bounties.
“tehnats,” the player currently occupying third place in the chip counts, pulled out a $6,000 mystery bounty on their way to the final table. They already have $6,955 guaranteed plus whatever they bank from their finishing position.
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The biggest bounty, one weighing in at an eye-popping $20,000, has been won. Thirteenth-place finisher “NoGanoUnFlip” of Argentina reeled in $21,540 worth of bounties before bowing out.
The eventual champion will secure $17,299 for their efforts, and it is “Scholomance” who looks on course for that sum as they sit down with the chip lead. However, there are only 13 big blinds separating the leader from fourth place, so the title is far from won.
Cards are back in the air from 7:00 p.m. BST, with the 888poker Twitch channel streaming all of the action from the first pitched cards to the elated champion being announced. Of course, PokerNews will have a full recap of the final table action for you on May 31.
$200,000 XL Spring #19 – Mystery Bounty Final Table Chip Counts
