The 2023 Grosvenor Poker Goliath festival has now wrapped up its tournament offerings after boasting an incredible prize pool of over £2.9 million collectively across the series.
This year’s edition showcased the true essence of poker, where skill, luck, and determination collided on the grand stage. All eyes were onAlex Todd’s triumphant journey in the Goliath Main Event, while other big names from the UK poker circuit found success on the live felt.
As the dust settles, the Goliath dates for next year have been announced – mark your calendars from July 25 – August 4 for another unforgettable poker spectacle.
If you missed out on the action this time around, continue to reading to catch up on everything that has happened over the two weeks.
Alex Todd Wins Biggest Ever Goliath Main Event
The Goliath Main Event, one of the most anticipated tournaments in the UK poker scene, concluded in spectacular fashion this year with an extraordinary display of skill, and determination. The £150 buy-in event boasted a staggering prize pool of £1,379,160, attracting a massive field of 11,493 entries, all vying for a shot at poker glory.
The final showdown saw Alex Todd emerge as the triumphant champion, taking home an impressive £178,860 in prize money.
In an unexpected turn of events, the remaining six players decided to strike a deal and opt for a six-way chop. Each of them secured a substantial payday, bagging at least £75,000, leaving £44,000 to battle for.
Among the noteworthy finalists was Nigel Brampton, who claimed the seventh-place spot, walking away with £22,510. Brampton’s journey to the final table was unique, as he secured his seat through a giveaway on the GUKPT live stream,
Matthew Davenport Triumphs in GUKPT
The GUKPT £1,000 event featured a thrilling battle of wits, with 544 players competing for a share of the £489,600 prize pool. The tournament ultimately crowned Matthew Davenport as its champion, rewarding him with a well-deserved £116,000 in winnings.
For Davenport, this victory was a long-awaited moment of triumph. He had consistently demonstrated his prowess at Grosvenor Poker events, which ultimately led to him clinching the National Poker League title in 2022 and earning the esteemed title of Grosvenor Sponsored Pro.
WSOP Main Event Star Dean Hutchison Gets High Roller Success
What would you do if you had recently padded your bankroll with $1,850,000? Jet off on holiday for a month or two? Take a break from the poker grind? Or head to Coventry, buy into the £2,000 Goliath High Roller event and take it down for £55,200? Dean Hutchison decided on the latter.
Hutchison was one of 103 entrants in the Goliath High Roller this week; he helped create a £185,400 prize pool. The top 11 finishers shared that princely sum. You may recall Hutchison recently finished sixth in the 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event.
Adam Neighbour Claims the Bounty
The Mystery Bounty event, with a buy-in of £440, witnessed an intense clash of players, with a total of 1,105 entries competing for a shot at victory. In the end, it was Adam Neighbour who emerged as the champion, securing £42,820 in prize money along with an additional £10,000 in bounties for eliminating other players.
The event’s talking point was Luke Abbott, who managed to claim the top bounty of £25,000. Abbott’s prior best live cash was a modest £250, making his bounty triumph all the more remarkable.
Supporting a Good Cause – Jokers Wild Charity Event
Poker players showed their generosity and compassion in the Jokers Wild charity event, which aimed to raise funds for the Carers Trust. With a buy-in of £100 and a percentage of the prize pool going towards charity, the event drew 492 entries, raising over £5,000 for the noble cause. The winner, Andrew Penn, emerged victorious, taking home £3,795 in the spirit of fun and giving back to society.
Other Notable Events
The Goliath series offered a diverse range of events to cater to various poker enthusiasts. Some of the other standout events included:
The Super High Roller, the biggest buy-in event (£3,500) of the series, saw 28 entries. Paul Trotter bagged top spot and claimed £34,940 of the £91,000 prize pool.
The Ladies Event, which saw Lisa Peplow claim the title and £2,990 in prize money.
The Seniors Event, where John Hanley emerged as the victor, taking home £10,965 in winnings, proving that age is no barrier to success in the world of poker.
The Goliath Turbo Event, which saw Matthew Boyce take the crown and a prize of £6,895.
The Goliath Cup, featuring a buy-in of £550 and a prize pool of £307,000, witnessed Sebastian Darby claiming the victory and £47,670 in prize money after a thrilling nine-way chop.
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.
The 2023 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO) kicked off back on July 26 and culminated on Tuesday with the conclusion of a quartet of poker tournaments dubbed “The Big Four.”
In between, there were some notable winners including Justin Liberto, who we previously covered here, as well as Shaun Deeb, who we recapped here. Other winners included Lawrence Berg (Event #21: $1,100 HORSE for $21,110), Nick Palma (Event #22: $600 Deep Stack Six-Max NLH for $16,446), and Stanley Lee (Event #31: $1,100 Purple Chip Bounty Turbo NLH for $17,740).
It was also a good series for Anthony Zinno, who laid claim to two titles. First, he topped a field of 119 runners to win Event #27: $1,100 8-Handed PLO for $25,714, and a couple of days later bested a 92-entry field to win Event #38: $1,100 Deep Stack Mixed PLO for $18,274.
Here’s a look at the results for “The Big Four.”
Check out the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Room review here on PokerNews!
Championship Ends in 4-Way Deal; Farid Jattin the Champ
The premier tournament of the series was the $5,300 buy-in, $3 million GTD SHRPO Championship, which drew 1,070 entries and blew past its guarantee by offering up a $5,189,500 prize pool.
The final table was a stacked affair with plenty of poker superstars, and four of them wound up striking a deal that ultimately saw Farid Jattin, who was the chip lead, claim the title and $655,000 in prize money.
“I think the moment I stopped defining my life by poker results, the results started coming by nature,” Jattin told SHRPO reporters. “I’m playing for my family now — for my wife, for my brother, for my parents. I’m very thankful for poker, but eventually, you’ve got to disconnect.”
He added: “This is an amazing venue. I think besides Vegas, it’s the capital of poker nowadays in the States. It’s very professional, with a very good atmosphere. And they blow the guarantees out of the water.”
2023 SHRPO Championship Final Table Results
Place
Player
Prize
1
Farid Jattin
$655,000*
2
Shannon Shorr
$545,000*
3
Omer Rotman
$490,762*
4
Kitty Kuo
$480,763*
5
Jim Collopy
$223,925
6
Koray Aldemir
$180,130
7
Nadya Magnus
$148,885
8
Mike Leah
$118,115
9
Philipe Pizzari Pinto
$87,960
*Denotes four-way deal.
Others to cash the tournament were Ryan Riess (10th – $87,960), Asher Conniff (15th – $53,710), Natasha Mercier (16th – $43,800), Darren Elias (17th – $43,800), Justin Liberto (20th – $36,120), and Sheddy Siddiqui (24th – $29,840).
Mermelstein Nabs High Roller Title
The two-day Event #47: $25,500 Big 4 High Roller had 86 entrants, which squeaked by the $2 million guarantee by generating a $2,124,200 prize pool that was paid out to the top dozen finishers. Ultimately, World Poker Tour (WPT) champ Aaron Mermelstein finished as the last player standing to claim the title and $614,645 first-place prize.
“It feels great, it’s always good to beat the $25k, and it’s special because I’ve won it before and it’s all the best players out here. It feels amazing, so I’m glad I could close it out,” said Mermelstein, who won the tournament back in 2019.
“I love the venue, I mean the Hard Rock is one of the best places to play. It’s a clean environment, the hotel is amazing, the tournaments are really good, and I run good here so that adds to it.”
$25,500 High Roller Final Table Results
Place
Player
Prize
1
Aaron Mermelstein
$614,645
2
Marcos Exterkotter
$441,085
3
Brandon Wittmeyer
$276,150
4
Isaac Kempton
$189,055
5
Daniel Rezaei
$125,330
6
Mike Chiappetta
$93,465
7
David Coleman
$76,470
8
Viktor Ustimov
$65,850
9
Frank Funaro
$63,725
Others to cash the tournament but fall just short of the final table were Joey Weissman (10th – $61,600), Justin Saliba (11th – $59,475), and Alex Foxen (12th – $57,350).
Sepiol Holds Off Kornuth to Win $2,700 Big 4 NLH
Event #43: $2,700 Big 4 No-Limit Hold’em had 411 entrants compete for a portion of a $1,006,950 prize pool. The final table played host to some big names in the poker world, including the red-hot Bin Weng, but in the end, it was grinder Dan Sepiol emerging victorious to claim the title and $204,735 top prize.
Sepiol began heads-up play down 4:1 in chips against well-known poker pro Chance Kornuth, and while it took a while – it was the last tournament of the day to finish – Sepiol completed the comeback.
“It feels great, the final table was full of really good players, and I ran really, really hot,” said Sepiol, a MSPT champ who lives in Las Vegas. “I just played my game and my strategy, and tried to not get too ahead of myself so I could make every decision when it came up.”
He added: “I’m used to playing cards and going on swings, and you just can’t let it affect your emotions. I won three or four all-ins against Chance so that obviously helped.”
$2,700 Big 4 NLH Final Table Results
Place
Player
Prize
1
Dan Sepiol
$204,735
2
Chance Kornuth
$142,335
3
Michael Wang
$92,790
4
Nitis Udornpim
$62,000
5
Leoard August
$47,680
6
Bin Weng
$39,525
7
Michael Rocco
$33,180
8
Hamed Zia
$26,885
9
Brian Altoman
$20,600
James Carroll Wins Event #46: $1,100 Deep Stack NLH
The two-day Event #46: $1,100 Big 4 Deep Stack NLH had 515 runners, which offered up a $515,000 prize pool. Coming out on top of that tournament, thanks in no small part to an uncanny run of cards, was WPT champ James Carroll.
“It was one of the strangest days of poker I’ve ever had. I think in the four hours of play I had pocket aces or pocket kings 16 times, no exaggeration,” Carroll told SHRPO reporters. “I got dealt a lot of big hands today so it would have been tough for me to not win.”
He added: “It’s just nice, because the series as a whole was bad for me. I almost played the $25k instead, but I decided to try this one at the last second, and then just sort of ran up a stack. Yeah, for sure, I wasn’t at peak confidence and decided to play smaller and it worked out.”
$1,100 Deep Stack NLH Final Table Results
Place
Player
Prize
1
James Carroll
$100,000
2
Rajasekar Govindan
$68,100
3
David Laufer
$44,815
4
Scott Dehm
$31,445
5
Darren Rabinowitz
$24,150
6
Kevin Payton
$20,100
7
Liam Hagens
$16,700
8
Richard Ganesh
$13,340
9
David “ODB” Baker
$10,000
List of 2023 SHRPO Winners
All told, the 54-tournament series catered to a combined 17,645 entrants and awarded $18,028,605 in prize money. Here’s how things broke down.
Date
Tournament
Entries
Prize Pool
Winner
Prize
July 26-31
Event #1: $400 Deep Stack NLH
6,253
$2,063,490
Johnny Bromberg
$219,090
7/26/23
Event #2: $400 Seniors 50+
214
$71,690
Dan Van Dyke
$12,192
7/26/23
Event #3: $600 Deep Stack Big O
145
$76,125
David Shmuel
$18,903
7/26/23
Event #4: $200 Quad Stack Double Green Chip Bounty
243
$26,730
Eric Ward
$3,625
7/27/23
Event #5: $600 Limit Omaha 8
89
$46,725
David Thurston
$14,600
7/27/23
Event #6: $600 Deep Stack Six-Max PLO
173
$90,825
Sam Sternfield
$23,260
7/27/27
Event #7: $200 Big Stack NLH
340
$54,400
Zachary Harrell
$11,300
7/28/23
Event #8: $600 Eight-Game Mix
100
$52,500
Nick Zivolich
$8,020
7/28/23
Event #9: $600 Double Black Chip Bounty Turbo NLH
85
$28,050
Carlos Bermudez
$9,030
7/28/23
Event #10: $600 Black Chip Bounty 5-Card PLO
158
$67,150
Donald Maloney
$15,653
7/29/23
Event #11: $600 Mixed PLO
139
$72,975
Chris Tsiolis
$20,425
7/30/23
Event #12: $400 Deep Stack NLH
460
$154,100
Ethan Bennett
$18,001
July 30-31
Event #13: $1,100 Deep Stack NLH
186
$180,420
Jason Min
$38,100
July 31-August 1
Event #14: $600 Deep Stack PLO
429
$223,060
Peter Ng
$44,270
7/30/23
Event #15: $300 Quad Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH
312
$48,460
Antuan Bunkley
$8,239
7/30/23
Event #16: $400 Deep Stack Turbo NLH
81
$27,540
Kevin Naim
$8,785
July 31-August 1
Event #17: $1,100 Deep Stack Seniors 50+
117
$113,490
Steven Bennett
$33,010
July 31-August 2
Event #18: $200 Big Stack NLH
1,756
$280,960
Jose Ordonez
$33,354
7/31/23
Event #19: $400 Black Chip Bounty NLH
180
$42,300
John Binns
$9,810
7/31/23
Event #20: $600 Deep Stack Turbo PLO
40
$21,200
Christopher Hice
$8,690
8/1/23
Event #21: $1,100 HORSE
61
$59,170
Lawrence Berg
$21,110
8/1/23
Event #22: $600 Deep Stack Six-Max NLH
169
$88,725
Nick Palma
$16,446
8/1/23
Event #23: $10,000 Deep Stack NLH
84
$798,000
Justin Liberto
$257,000
8/1/23
Event #24: $600 Double Black Chip Bounty PLO
75
$24,375
Rafael Lima
$6,825
8/1/23
Event #25: $300 Quad Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH
171
$26,505
Esteban Garcia
$6,540
8/1/23
Event #26: $1,100 Deep Stack Turbo NLH
67
$67,000
Min Zhang
$23,450
8/2/23
Event #27: $1,100 8-Handed PLO
119
$115,430
Anthony Zinno
$25,714
August 2-3
Event #28: $1,100 Deep Stack NLH
251
$243,470
Mike Graffeo
$55,285
8/2/23
Event #29: $25,500 High Roller PLO
22
$543,400
Shaun Deeb
$239,100
8/2/23
Event #30: $200 Quad Stack Double Green Chip Bounty NLH
350
$38,500
Diana Prkacin
$5,076
8/2/23
Event #31: $1,100 Purple Chip Bounty Turbo NLH
124
$62,000
Stanley Lee
$17,740
August 3-4
Event #32: $2,700 Eight-Game Mix
65
$159,250
Sam Sternfield
$55,745
August 3-4
Event #33: $2,200 Deep Stack NLH
227
$454,000
Mike Vanier
$105,570
8/3/23
Event #34: $50,000 Super High Roller
17
$824,500
Brandon Wilson
$362,780
8/3/23
Event #35: $600 Black Chip Bounty NLH
194
$82,450
Tanupat Punjarojanakul
$13,774
8/3/23
Event #36: $1,100 Deep Stack Turbo NLH
64
$64,000
Gil Ben-Simhon
$23,025
August 4-8
Event #37: $5,300 SHRPO Championship
1,070
$5,189,500
Farid Jattin
$655,000
8/4/23
Event #38: $1,100 Deep Stack Mixed PLO
92
$89,240
Anthony Zinno
$19,274
8/4/23
Event #39: $300 Black Chip Bounty Turbo NLH
165
$38,875
Chase Carlin
$6,695
August 5-6
Event #40: $1,100 Limit Omaha 8
38
$36,860
Eugene Kotlyarevskiy
$15,110
8/5/23
Event #41: $300 Quad Stack NLH
204
$52,020
Alejandro Arana Torres
$12,595
8/6/23
Event #42: $400 Deep Stack HEROS
65
$21,775
Matthew Kaplan
$7,625
August 6-8
Event #43: $2,700 Big 4 Deep Stack NLH
411
$1,006,950
Dan Sepiol
$204,735
August 6-8
Event #44: $200 Deep Stack NLH
614
$98,240
Nir Peleg
$11,107
8/6/23
Event #45: $600 Deep Stack Turbo NLH
45
$23,850
Samuel Ganzfried
$9,300
August 7-8
Event #46: $1,100 Big 4 Deep Stack NLH
515
$515,000
James Carroll
$100,000
August 7-8
Event #47: $25,500 Big 4 High Roller
86
$2,124,200
Aaron Mermelstein
$614,645
8/7/23
Event #48: $1,100 Deep Stack Five-Card PLO
118
$114,460
Kevin Schaffel
$29,308
August 7-8
Event #49: $600 Deep Stack Turbo PLO
49
$25,970
Jonathan Borenstein
$9,605
8/8/23
Event #50: $500 Deep Stack NLH
107
$35,845
Frank Dimeglio
$8,425
8/8/23
Event #51: $10,000 Deep Stack NLH
113
$1,084,800
Viktor Ustimov
$221,332
8/8/23
Event #52: $400 Triple Stud
35
$11,725
David Brookshire
$4,805
8/8/23
Event #53: $1,100 Deep Stack Six-Max PLO
136
$131,920
Greg Levine
$36,370
8/8/23
Event #54: $300 Quad Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH
222
$34,410
Adam Rothschild
$7,780
The next big series at the Seminole Hard Rock in South Florida – the Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open – is slated to take place November 15-28.
Sharelines
The 2023 @SHRPO catered to a combined 17,645 entrants and awarded $18,028,605 in prize money.
In case you weren’t in the know, there’s a huge World Series of Poker Circuit festival taking place in London, United Kingdom, which boasts an action-packed schedule of events.
A huge £7 million is guaranteed across the series, with a big chunk of that coming from the £3 million guaranteed WSOP Super Circuit £3,300 Main Event, which is currently in the midst of its starting flights. If you’re nearby and fancy a shot at Glory, why not check it out?
While the most anticipated series is ongoing, why not check out some of the big winners from the last few days?
Kim Triumphs in WSOPC £1,1000 Main Event
The aforementioned WSOP Super Circuit £3,300 Main Event is the second marquee event of the series, with the WSOP Circuit £1,100 Main Event being the first. After several days of grinding on the live felt, South Korea’s Kim Ji Woon walked away with the lion’s share of the prize pool and his first WSOP ring after he defeated Jeremias Mendoza in heads-up play.
The final two agreed upon a deal before battling it out for the winner’s spoils, which saw them lock up £117,000. This left the title and £26,000 to play for.
The final hands of heads-up saw both players all in on a Q-J-T flop. Woon had ten-nine and was ahead of his opponent’s king-seven. The board ran out with bricks, and Woon’s victory was confirmed.
The first Main of the series was well attended with 1,018 entries, but the £1 million guarantee was not surpassed as the entries generated £987,460.
Notable names to make the final table included Gianluca Speranza (5th – £27,000) and Alex Andrei (8th – £12,000). Andrei came into the day as the chip leader but was unable to go wire-to-wire on the final session.
WSOPC £1,100 Main Event Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize (GBP)
1
Kim Ji Woon
South Korea
£143,000
2
Jeremias Mendoza
Argentina
£117,000
3
Pawel Kabut
Poland
£63,060
4
Eric Le Goff
United Kingdom
£40,000
5
Gianluca Speranza
Italy
£27,000
6
Kevin Gu
Unknown
£20,000
7
Gaspar Neuman
Argentina
£15,000
8
Alex Andrei
Romania
£12,000
9
Ashley Locker
United Kingdom
£10,000
Schwaederle Wins Maiden Piece of WSOP Hardware
France’s Cedric Schwaederle made his first ever live poker final table in the WSOPC £2,200 High Roller and parlayed that deep run into an £80,000 payday after he was the last player standing from the 173-entry field.
Schwaederle defeated WSOP bracelet winner Harry Lodge on the latter’s home soil to pick up his maiden piece of WSOP hardware. Lodge received £54,000 for his efforts.
Dean Hutchison continued his fine form under the bright lights and finished in sixth for £18,000. The Scotsman coincidentally bowed in sixth place in the 2023 WSOP Main Event this summer, but that payout had a few extra zero’s on the end. Hutchison has been up and down the United Kingdom continuing his poker grind, which saw him win the Goliath High Roller Title in the tail-end of July.
WSOPC £2,200 High Roller Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize (GBP)
1
Cedric Schwaederle
France
£80,000
2
Harry Lodge
United Kingdom
£54,000
3
Darren Bloom
United Kingdom
£37,170
4
Igor D’Ursel
Belgium
£29,900
5
Imad Derwiche
France
£24,000
6
Dean Hutchison
United Kingdom
£18,000
7
Fraser Bellamy
United Kingdom
£14,100
8
Arnaud Enselme
France
£10,400
9
Tom Arovaara
Finland
£8,050
WSOPC Super Circuit London Remaining Schedule
Date
Time
Event
Guarantee
Wed 9 Aug
12:00 p.m.
£3,300 NLHE Super Circuit Main Event Day 1b
£3,000,000
Thu 10 Aug
12:00 p.m.
£3,300 NLHE Super Circuit Main Event Day 1c
£3,000,000
Fri 11 Aug
12:00 p.m.
NLHE Super Circuit Main Event Day 2
£3,000,000
12:00 p.m.
£560 NLHE Fifty Stack Day 1a
£200,000
5:00 p.m.
£560 NLHE Fifty Stack Day 1b
£200,000
Sat 12 Aug
12:00 p.m.
NLHE Super Circuit Main Event Day 3
£3,000,000
12:00 p.m.
£560 NLHE Fifty Stack Day 1c
£200,000
2:00 p.m.
£5,300 NLHE High Roller
£500,000
5:00 p.m.
£560 NLHE Fifty Stack Day 1d
£200,000
10:00 p.m.
£560 NLHE Fifty Stack Day 1e Turbo
£200,000
Sun 13 Aug
12:00 p.m.
NLHE Super Circuit Main Event Final Day
£3,000,000
12:00 p.m.
NLHE Fifty Stack Final Day
£200,000
1:00 p.m.
NLHE High Roller Final Day
£500,000
1:00 p.m.
£560 NLHE The Closer
£50,000
1:00 p.m.
£10,400 NLHE Super High Roller
£500,000
Open a Luxon Pay Account in Advance
The JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel is a cashless venue, meaning you cannot buy into any of the WSOP Super Circuit events with cash. Currently, there are four way to get into the action:
At the Cash Deck at Dusk Till Dawn, Redfield Way, Nottingham
Via the E-Wallet payment partner Luxon Pay
Debit card deposits via Luxon Pay
Bank wire – please contact [email protected] for more details
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.
With Formula One building to the Dutch Grand Prix on August 27, PartyPoker is launching a tie-in festival of turbo tournaments — The McLaren Grand Prix Turbo Series.
This high-octane poker event is revving up for an August 13 start and will run until August 28. That’s a fortnight of events with $1,000,000 in prize pool guarantees and buy-ins ranging from $1.10 to $109.
Series Format And Highlights
These events are geared to match the rubber-burning action of the Grand Prix and so feature fast blind levels, shortened late-reg, and limited re-entries. Fans of the PartyPoker Daily Legends events will find themselves on a familiar track.
Even the regular Sunday Party and Sunday Carnival events are getting a McLaren team turbo-makeover for this series.
In particular, players will want to make sure their engines are tuned ahead of the pair of main events. Day 1 flights start on August 13 and run at least twice a day until August 28 when a combined Day 2 will put all the survivors in the starting grid together.
As usual, players can win their way into events with a qualifying lap in any of the online satellites which start from as little as $0.01.
In addition to two weeks of turbo tourneys, McLaren has also teamed up with PartyPoker to give players a chance to win a pair of Grandstand tickets to their choice of the Brazil, Mexico, or Las Vegas Grand Prix. For the first place winner, these tickets also come with a $5,000 prize which will go toward flights and accommodation.
To enter the giveaway, you will need to log in to your account or, if you’re a new customer, make an account and a first deposit. Then you need to answer the following question: “Who came second in the 2023 British Grand Prix?”
Once you have sent in your answer along with your username. You will need to wait until the draw on August 29, when you will find out if you won one of the following prizes:
Two Grandstand Tickets to either the Brazil, Mexico, or Las Vegas Grand Prix and $5,000 towards flights and accommodation.
Two Grandstand Tickets to either the Brazil, Mexico, or Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Two Grandstand Tickets to either the Brazil, Mexico, or Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Never Miss A McLaren Grand Prix Turbo Series Event The PokerNews Online Tournament Calendar
The best way to keep track of online poker tournaments like the The McLaren Grand Prix Turbo Series if the newly launched PokerNews Online Tournament Calendar.
This free-to-use tool lets you track, filter, and register for PartyPoker tournaments all without leaving the PokerNews website!
Check Out PokerNews Exclusive Freerolls On PartyPoker
How To Play The The McLaren Grand Prix Turbo Series On PartyPoker
If you haven’t joined PartyPoker yet and want a bankroll boost ahead of the The McLaren Grand Prix Turbo Series, you can earn a generous welcome bonus when you download PartyPoker via PokerNews.
Your first deposit will receive a 100% matched bonus up to $600. Plus, PartyPoker will award you up to $30 worth of free play in the form of tournament tickets.
The minimum deposit is $10 which comes $10 in tournament tickets released over the course of a week released on the following time scale:
Day 1: 2x $1 SPINS tickets + 1x $5.50 MTT ticket
Day 2: 4x $0.25 SPINS tickets
Day 4: 1x $3.30 MTT ticket
Day 6: 4x $0.25 SPINS tickets
However, if you deposit $20 or more, then that package increases to $30 worth of tickets released as follows:
Day 1: 1x $5.30 MTT ticket
Day 2: 2x $1 SPINS ticket
Day 3: 1x $5.50 MTT ticket
Day 4: 1x $5.50 MTT ticket
Day 5: 3x $2.20 MTT tickets
Day 6: 2x $3 SPINS tickets + 1x$3.30 MTT ticket
Residents in the United Kingdom can get a different PartyPoker welcome bonus. Made up of a 100% matched deposit with a maximum of £400 on any deposit over £10. Players also receive £40 in Party Dollars which can be used in any of the site’s games.
All matched deposit bonuses have playthrough requirements and are released in 10% increments. For full details and to check the expiry date of the bonuses, check out the terms and conditions on the PartyPoker website.
The popular World Poker Tour Prime series travelled to Aix-en-Provence, the historic capital of Provence, for a poker-packed week. The festival’s $1,100 Main Event took place at the Pasino GRAND, in partnership with TexaPoker, and saw Samy Boujmala walk away as the victor.
Boujmala edged out 457 entries to win the €93,580 ($102,938) prize as well as the €10,400 package to compete in the WPT World Championship at the Wynn Las Vegas, which closes out the WPT season.
Boujmala overcame Loic Menneteau in heads-up play to pick up the second biggest win of his career as well as continuing his hot 2023 form.
Menneteau left with €55,400 ($60,940) for his performance while Hugo Heiter took third place on the podium for €40,700 ($44,770). WSOP bracelet winner Leo Soma fell in eighth place and received a €10,320 ($11,352) payout.
The WPT Prime Aix-en-Provence Main Event generated a prize pool of €438,720 ($482,592), which was shared among the top 59 players.
WPT Prime Aix-en-Provence Main Event Final Table Results
Place
Name
Country
Prize (EUR)
Prize (USD)
1
Samy Boujmala
France
€93,580*
$102,938
2
Loic Menneteau
France
€55,400
$60,940
3
Hugo Heiter
France
€40,700
$44,770
4
Adrian Amorella
France
€30,220
$33,242
5
Patrick Viret
France
€22,720
$24,992
6
Jerome Lopez
France
€17,260
$18,986
7
Emmanuel Gomez
Argentina
€13,260
$14,586
8
Leo Soma
France
€10,320
$11,352
Boujmala Impresses in 2023
Boujmala has announced himself to the wider poker-sphere in2023, following his WSOP Circuit ring High Roller triumph in Marrakech back in January, before putting in a fifth-place finish in the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event for €235,150. During the 2023 WSOP in Las Vegas, he also made the final table in the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event and put in a deep run in the Main Event, finishing 375th.
“It’s really nice, especially since I didn’t necessarily expect it this week,” he confided after his victory over the TexaPoker teams. “I had started the festival badly. In the first tournaments, I had never mounted more than two starting stacks, and I put five bullets in the Main Event.”
Commenting on his recent results, he added, “I’ve had a lot of success this year. It’s not like I’ve been playing for three years, and it all happened in one year. No, I’ve been playing for 10 years, and I’ve never done more than 5% of what I did this year. But the EPT Monaco remains the most beautiful, even if it’s a victory and it’s very pleasant.”
Win a WPT Prime Passport on WPT Global
Online Poker Room WPT Global gives players the chance to secure their seats to various events around the world with the $1,500 WPT Prime Passport, which allows them to play at a live event of their choice.
The Passport Qualifiers have a $110 buy-in and run every Saturday at 2 p.m. ET and Sunday and 6 p.m. ET., while you can even satellite your way into a qualifier for as low as $5.
The next WPT Prime stops include:
Liechtenstein – September 8-11
Madrid, Spain – September 28-October 1
Las Vegas, USA – December 7-12
And watch for many more WPT live events
Check out the WPT Hub on PokerNews here!
Join WPT Global Today
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 also offers new players matched deposit bonus of 100% up to a maximum of $1,200. Any new player who deposits $20 or more will automatically receive this deposit bonus.
The playthrough requirements for this bonus is fairly straightforward, with each $2.50 increment of the bonus being unlocked every time you generate $10 of rake. This rake can come from either tournaments or cash games. The bonus expires after 90 days starting from the date of your first deposit.
To further sweeten the deal, WPT Global will also award you some tournament tickets. The exact reward depends on whether you are a new player and how big your deposit was.
Over the last few Sundays, some great poker content has been created by the folks at 888poker, which follows their ambassador’s journey through the 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event.
Episodes one and two were about the pros touching down in Las Vegas and followed their journeys through Day 1 of Poker’s World Championship.
Caue Moura, Lucia Navarro, and Aaron Barone were the three pros that made it through to Day 2 of the Main Event after navigating their respective Day 1 flights.
Time to Relax with a Day Off
After Moura, Navarro and Barone bagged for the second stage of the Main Event, the trio found themselves on a day off.
Moura and Navarro kick things off by detailing how their Day 1s went for them.
“I was actually feeling amazing on my day off because I never actually thought I’d make it through to Day 2,” said Moura. “The sensation of bagging chips from the Main Event is just crazy.”
For Navarro, “The day was really good at the beginning. I was completing all the draws.” And despite some tough opponents at her table, Navarro ended the session with a healthy stack of 86,500.
So what does a poker pro do on their day off in one of the wildest cities on the planet? Navarro avoided the bright lights and any poker temptations by taking a trip to the supermarket as well as catching up on some laundry.
888poker’s latest ambassador Barone took a trip to the arcade for some video games but did have his eyes on putting some reps in on the felt later on in the day, despite being warned about burnout.
“I know I’m supposed to do that [rest], but I’m a grinder. I wanna play. This is what I want to do,” explained a fired-up Barone.
Despite Barone’s longing for the poker table, a trip to get some “delicious tacos” with friends ended up in disaster.
After chowing down, Barone left Paris, Las Vegas, for Caesar’s Palace but began to feel terrible after he got through the doors with suspected food poisoning. Even with a brief rest stop at the Cosmopolitan, Barone had to chuck in the towel on his evening’s tournament aspirations.
But luckily for Barone, the symptoms he experienced were quickly expunged and he managed to play Day 2 feeling relatively healthy.
Be sure to check out all the released episodes and new instalments that go live every Sunday and are must-watch for those who want to see what it’s like to navigate through poker’s biggest tournament.
Find Out If Alexandra Botez’ $10K River Bluff Worked Against Phil Ivey With 888Ride
Keep Track Of All The Action With The PokerNews Online Tournament Calendar
You should give the PokerNews Online Tournament Calendar a try. This free-to-use tool keeps track of the poker tournaments on major online poker sites like 888poker.
You can filter and search the tournaments to find what you’re looking for quickly and easily, including the PokerNews exclusive freerolls held on 888poker.
Sign up for 888poker today, and you can register for poker tournaments without ever leaving the calendar!
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.
With $4.2 million up top in the $125,000 buy-in Triton Poker London Main Event, Juan Pardo ran into a difficult situation with pocket kings facing some heavy action.
He would eventually fold the hand, which now begs the question — would you have done the same thing? We’re going to give you the hand details and let you make your own decision.
Timothy Adams Wins Triton Poker Main Event
Fold or No?
If you’ve seen a clip of the hand or caught it during the stream, ignore the fact that he was up against pocket aces and ace-king. Put yourself in Pardo’s shoes as if you have no idea what his opponents were holding.
For everyone else, here is the video of the hand, which occurred as the blinds were already quite large (100,000/200,000) and Pardo had just 19 big blinds.
The situation was this: Pardo had raised from under the gun to 400,000 with K♦K♣. Standard stuff. Jean Norel Thorel, in the hijack, then three-bet it to 1,000,000 with A♥A♣. Stephen Chidwick, who had everyone covered, four-bet to 2,300,000 with A♠K♠ in the small blind, and then Daniel Cates made a solid fold with J♣J♥ in the big blind.
Action was then back on Pardo, who had 3,400,000 left behind. Well, it was supposed to be his turn to act, but Thorel, out of turn, announced “all in.” Pardo would then fold, and Thorel officially moved all in for around 7.6 million. To make a long story short, Chidwick called and lost the hand. He’d end up finishing in fifth place for $1,250,000 and the player holding pocket aces took second place for $2,830,000.
Pardo finished in sixth place for $970,000, but would have been out long before had he called it off with pocket kings. But hindsight is 20/20, so we aren’t concerned with the outcome of the hand in this article.
What we are curious to know, however, is how you would have played that spot, given the hand history explained above. Do you call it off knowing that you’re only behind one hand (aces)? And would you have called if not for Thorel acting out of turn?
Dave Portnoy dropped a bombshell on Tuesday when he publicly revealed that he reached a deal with Penn Entertainment to buy back Barstool Sports, the media giant he founded in the 2000s.
Given that announcement, rumors immediately sparked about poker player and former Barstool personality Ben Mintz returning to the company a few months after being fired by Penn over rap lyrics he recited on-air.
“Mintzy,” a passionate Southeastern Conference (SEC) sports fan, was part of the Cracking Aces podcast, a Barstool Sports-backed poker show, co-hosted by Barstool personalities Eric “Barstool Nate” Nathan and Adam “Smitty” Smith, along with poker pro Jake Toole.
Portnoy originally sold off less than half the company to Penn (previously Penn National Gaming), but then sold the remainder of the company for nine figures. The gaming business has a strict code of conduct, and although Mintz meant no harm when he recited lyrics that included an n-bomb, Penn fired him over the incident.
Portnoy, who has remained in an executive role at Barstool, stood behind Mintz following the firing, but his hands were tied and he didn’t have the ruling power to overturn Penn’s decision. Still, the duo has worked together since in promoting the Brick Watch Company. Mintz also worked for PokerGO in an on-camera role during the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
But now that Portnoy’s back atop the Barstool Sports totem pole, “Mintzy” is returning to the company, which he essentially confirmed in a Twitter video (below), and perhaps will rejoin the Cracking Aces podcast. Mintz tweeted out a brief video thanking his former and now likely future boss for buying the sports and entertainment media business back.
With the stunning development, Penn Entertainment has also struck another major deal with ESPN. The gaming company will be rebranding its Barstool Sportsbooks into ESPN Bet, and the partnership will also include an ESPN sports betting app.
Portnoy praised Penn following the deal and had nothing but positive things to say about his relationship with the Penn execs he worked side-by-side with in recent years.
But now the company he founded in 2003 is his again, and that means there will be some changes coming, one of which appears to be the return of Ben Mintz once the papers are signed.
The GOAT V series on Global Poker has wrapped up on Sunday night after several weeks of social poker action that saw hundreds of players winning coins and trophies. The series ran July-17-Aug. 6 and featured guarantees of 941,000,000 GC and 2,056,500 SC across 216 events.
Some of the GOAT V series winners already highlighted by PokerNews include “Lizzie75” and “StreetFlash”, as well as earlier winners like “Nognog”, “Whytry2169”, “Jigsore” and “1BadBeat1”.
The GOAT V series culminated on Aug. 6 with the GC 40,000,000 guaranteed GPC GOAT 31-H: Main Event NLHE and the SC 200,000 guaranteed GPC GOAT 31-H: Main Event NLHE. “Narcisprince79” took down the Gold Coins Main for the top prize of GC 8,519,040, while “Slob On Me Knob” won the Sweeps Coins edition for SC 33,900.
The Gold Coins Main Event cost GC 99,000 to enter and attracted 232 entrants. “Narcisprince79” defeated runner-up “Tekurnegus” (GC 6,264,000) after navigating a final table that included “Amx” (3rd – 4,718,880), “ThreePieceMeal” (4th – GC 3,549,600) and “Stansm” (5th – GC 2,422,080).
GPC GOAT Gold Coins Main Event Final Table Results
PLACE
PLAYER
PRIZE (IN GC)
1
“Narcisprince79”
8,519,040
2
“Tekurnegus”
6,264,000
3
“Amx”
4,718,880
4
“ThreePieceMeal”
3,549,600
5
“Stansm”
2,422,080
6
“Falcon123”
1,879,200
7
“Mooregolf7”
1,461,600
8
“Boverb56”
1,044,000
9
“Libidious”
814,320
Meanwhile, on the Sweeps Coins side of things, the SC 99 buy-in Main Event drew 1,123 runners, including “Mikey D.”, “Kittenofdeath” and “MikeMcD2k”, all of whom made it to the final table.
“Matisland” fell in third place for SC 18,980 before a heads-up battle between “Slob On Me Knob” and “Betohas” that saw the former coming out on top for SC 33,900 as “Betohas” received SC 25,000 for their runner-up finish.
GPC GOAT Sweeps Coins Main Event Final Table Results
PLACE
PLAYER
PRIZE (IN SC)
1
“Slob On Me Knob”
33,900
2
“Betohas”
25,000
3
“Matisland”
18,980
4
“CashMoneyJermone”
13,600
5
“Jave”
9,900
6
“PokesNHoes”
7,900
7
“MikeMcD2k”
5,900
8
“Kittenofdeath”
3,900
9
“Mikey D.”
2,260
“TARK” Dominates GOAT Sweeps Coins Leaderboard
The Main Event champions were not the only big winners on Global Poker during the GOAT V series. “TARK” can expect some prizes after a dominant series that brought 2,276.39 points to top the Sweeps Coins leaderboard, ahead of “pitsmeout” (1,965.91), “poiuyt” (1,687.13) and “Dkoot” (1,652.70).
“TARK” led the leaderboard early in the series and managed to hang onto the lead throughout. Other players who finished in the top ten include “waxydabs” (1,651.08), “cosen3” (1,582.25) and “bigTILTcity” (1,552.22).
In the electrifying world of high-stakes online poker, the best players in the world battle it out every weekend for poker supremacy. The $5,200 Titans Event on PokerStars saw 53 entries, who batted it out for a share of the substantial $265,000 prize pool. With the promise of a guaranteed $250,000, the event exceeded expectations.
The star-studded final table of the $5,200 Titans Event showcased immense talent and competitive spirit. Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden emerged as the ultimate victor.
Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, an online poker icon, displayed his exceptional skills and resilience once again, securing second place with a commendable cash prize of $63,783. The Portuguese powerhouse and 2023 PCA Main Event winner Michel “FreeLancerZZ” Dattani claimed the third spot, adding $43,671 to his impressive poker résumé.
Vicente “vicenfish” Delgado, “mike21_4life”, and Simon “C Darwin2” Mattsson rounded out those who made the money.
$5,200 Titans Event Final Table Payouts
Rank
Player
Country
Prize
1
Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden
Finland
$93,158
2
Niklas “Lena900” Astedt
Sweden
$63,783
3
Michel “FreeLancerZZ” Dattani
Portugal
$43,671
4
Vicente “vicenfish” Delgado
Spain
$29,900
5
mike21_4life
Armenia
$20,472
6
Simon “C Darwin2” Mattsson
Sweden
$14,017
Check out the incredible Power Path promotion
The PokerStars Power Path is a fantastic promotion that you simply cannot afford not to be a part of!
“SayHelloToStars” Takes Down the Latest Sunday Million PKO
The PokerStars arena hosted yet another thrilling battle as the latest Sunday Million PKO event unfolded. The $109 buy-in tournament attracted a staggering 11,082 entries, contributing to a prize pool of over $1 million ($1,108,200, to be precise).
In the end, “SayHelloToStars” from Kazakhstan emerged as the triumphant champion. This poker virtuoso secured an impressive $32,158 in bounties in addition to a substantial cash prize of $56,905, resulting in a grand total of $89,063.
$109 Sunday Million Final Table Results
Rank
Player
Country
Bounties
Prize
Total Prize
1
“SayHelloToStars”
Kazakhstan
$32,158
$56,905
$89,063
2
“Tagomaga”
Malta
$7,510
$56,899
$64,409
3
“normannolly”
Ukraine
$5,176
$41,870
$47,046
4
“milked it”
United Kingdom
$5,765
$29,062
$34,827
5
“sunnym4nn”
Germany
$1,487
$20,404
$21,891
6
Guilherme “teruliro” Orrico”Danielcaba”
Brazil
$891
$13,914
$14,805
7
“Danielcaba”
Paraguay
$1,542
$9,800
$11,342
8
“Victor chuch”
Mexico
$2,452
$6,955
$9,407
9
“magamadovh”
Kazakhstan
$2,505
$4,950
$7,455
Other PokerStars Results
The poker action on PokerStars wasn’t confined to just the Titans Event and the Sunday Million PKO. The virtual felts were ablaze with intense competition.
Event
Entrants
Prize Pool
Champion
Prize
$1,050 Sunday High Roller
135
$135,000
Dan “NukeTheFish!” Wilson
$27,603*
$109 Sunday Warm-Up
1,195
$119,500
“AT_prodotico”
$16,204**
$109 Sunday Cooldown
1,121
$112,100
“Fear1sWisdom”
$14,052*
$109 Sunday Fenomeno
972
$97,200
“AchoBogdanov”
$15,946
$1,050 Sunday Warm-Up High Roller
42
$42,000
“basa96”
$14,765
$1,050 Sunday Supersonic High Roller
27
$30,000
Niklas “Lena900” Astedt
$13,907
$1,050 Sunday Cooldown
37
$37,000
“Hofr”
$14,653*
$215 Sunday Supersonic
304
$62,247
“WhatIfGod”
$11,728
*Includes bounty prize **Denotes deal made
“Dam4666” Wins As Sunday Party Again Hits Its Guarantee
The fervor of the Sunday Party on PartyPoker continued to captivate poker enthusiasts, with “Dam4666” emerging as the victor. This skilled competitor claimed a share of the $107,200 prize pool, amassing a total of $11,984. The Sunday Party event once again delivered on its $100,000 guarantee.
The Sunday Party Final Table Results
Rank
Player
Bounties
Prize
Total Prize
1
“Dam4666”
$5,668
$6,316
$11,984
2
“nic3riv3r1967”
$1,455
$6,305
$7,760
3
“Angeliness”
$1,350
$4,176
$5,526
4
“JenCoolian”
$1,588
$2,709
$4,297
5
“AvoidMe”
$2,572
$1,850
$4,422
6
“Malik albukar”
$919
$1,426
$2,345
7
“Okke88”
$425
$1,051
$1,476
8
“GodKiller666”
$206
$836
$1,042
9
“TurtleWise”
$729
$662
$1,391
Thomas Hall Pushes Through and Binks The Grand
With a buy-in of $1,050, the Grand Final witnessed a clash of titanic proportions. The United Kingdom’s Thomas Hall emerged victorious, overcoming the challenges posed by a competitive field. Hall secured the top spot and a prize of $12,790 and continued to solidify his position as a force to be reckoned with in high-stakes online poker.
The Grand Final Table Results
Rank
Player
Country
Prize
1
Thomas Hall
United Kingdom
$12,790*
2
Tomi Brouk
Finland
$10,981*
3
Josh Hopkins
Canada
$6,181
4
Yure Venturelli
Brazil
$4,563
5
Kasper Als Holm
Denmark
$3,627
6
Nicklas Kley
Sweden
$3,019
7
Vojtech Skalak
Czech Republic
$2,603
8
Niklas Astedt
Sweden
$2,338
9
Jarkko Suokas
Finland
$2,198
*Denotes deal made
“Luis_Dtox” Takes Down 888poker Mystery Bounty Main Event
The allure of mystery and bounty combined in the $109 888poker Mystery Bounty Main Event. The tournament, boasting a $100,300 prize pool, saw 10,183 entries battling for supremacy.
“Luis_Dtox” from Brazil displayed skill and tenacity, securing the title and a total prize of $8,677, including $1,328 in bounties.
The top $10,000 mystery bounty prize went to 55th place finisher “pafgaming1”, which saw him walk away as the biggest winner from the tournament.
Mystery Bounty Main Event Final Table Results
Rank
Player
Country
Bounties
Prize
Total Prize
1
“Luis_Dtox”
Brazil
$1,328
$7,349
$8,677
2
“roberthuth4”
Germany
$1,075
$5,372
$6,447
3
“Mayanking”
Guernsey
$127
$3,949
$4,076
4
“jpgomides”
Brazil
$3,211
$2,902
$6,113
5
“s.totuli”
Brazil
$793
$2,148
$2,941
6
“DI0all”
Lithuania
$126
$1,600
$1,726
7
“GriggAs”
Lithuania
$2,359
$1,202
$3,561
8
“8_8__8”
Lithuania
$666
$910
$1,576
9
“overbet13”
Malta
$84
$694
$778
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.