If the first episode of High Stakes Poker Season 11, which aired Monday on PokerGO, is any indication of how this season will go, poker fans are going to be in for a treat.

The game was bigger than ever before on the show as all six players at the table were in for at least $500,000, and straddles of $4,000 and above were on throughout the session. There were two HSP regulars — Jean-Robert Bellande and Andrew Robl — mixed in with four other familiar faces, including Rob Yong, Charles Yu, Rick Salomon, and Ferdinand Putra. Stack sizes when the show began were as follows:

Robl would add on to his stack later in the show and was above $1.6 million at one point. There were numerous monster pots, including top two pair running into a Royal Flush, which you can read about below.

Salomon, Bellande Getting in on the Early Action

The 11th season of the iconic poker show began with one of its most recognizable players, Bellande, raising the $4,000 straddle up to $11,000 with 8♠6♠. Action folded around to Salomon in the straddle, and there was no way he was going anywhere with A♦Q♦.

The former Mr. Pamela Anderson predictably went for a three-bet to $33,000 and received a call. The flop came out 6♥5♣3♥ and the preflop aggressor opted to check ace-high. Bellande, with top pair, then made an interesting decision to also check.

The turn was the 9♣, which added a straight draw for JRB. After Salomon checked, he bet $35,000 and put an end to the hand.

Moments later, the action really picked up with Bellande raising to $15,000 with K♦J♠. Robl, with A♠10♥ and Putra, holding A♣3♣, both called before Salomon followed suit with 10♣7♠ in the straddle.

Four-way to the flop it went, which came out A♥3♥9♣, multiple players hitting something interesting. Robl bet $15,000 with top pair before Putra, with two pair, raised it up to $45,000 and only Robl called.

Putra was loving the 7♣ on the turn as it also gave him the nut flush draw. With over $150,000 already in the pot, he went for a bet of $110,000, and this time it was enough to convince his opponent to fold.

Can Yu Get Paid off on Royal Flush?

In an epic hand, Putra raised to $11,000 with K♠Q♥ from an early position before Yu, in the small blind, called with A♣J♣. To the flop they went, which was quite juicy as it came 3♦Q♣K♣ – top two versus a Royal Flush draw.

Yu checked it over to his opponent and then check-raised the $10,000 wager up to $25,000. With top two, there was no way Putra was going anywhere. Alas, he made the call to see the 10♣ on the turn, completing Yu’s Royal Flush.

Yu opted to lead out for $25,000, about one-third the size of the pot, instead of slow-playing a hand that couldn’t possibly lose. Although three clubs were on the board and Putra didn’t have a club in his hand, he couldn’t possibly fold to just one bet with such a big hand.

The 6♣ on the river was an action-killer as it brought a fourth club among the community cards. Yu bet out $45,000, but that river card destroyed his chances of getting any value with his Royal Flush.

Find Out How High Stakes Poker Season 10 Ended

Bellande Loses a Bunch

The spicy action would continue when Putra attempted some big bets with ace-high on a non-face card board and lost a pot of over $300,000 to Bellande, who refused to fold pocket jacks.

With $121,000 in the pot on the river in another hand – the board was showing K♦8♣7♣10♠9♥ – Robl went for razor thin value with 9♦9♣, betting out $11,000. The only problem for him and his set was that Putra had A♦J♦ for a straight and raised it up to $80,000. But Robl was unable to find a fold and paid off the bet.

On many occasions, JRB has been the victim of horrible luck during High Stakes Poker and other televised poker shows over the years. During Episode 1 of Season 11, he lost some monster pots, but luck wasn’t the main factor.

In the first of two questionable plays by the long-time high roller, he raised from an early position to $20,000 with 10♠10♣ – there was a $9,000 straddle on. Robl, in the small blind, made it $90,000 with 6♦4♦ and those two players went to the flop heads-up. It came A♣7♦5♣, giving Robl, who made a $60,000 continuation bet, an open-ended straight draw.

In position against an aggressive player, JRB didn’t think folding was a wise decision, so he made the call. The turn was the 3♦, giving Robl a straight to go along with a straight flush draw. He ripped off another bet, this one for $125,000. Bellande, drawing dead, sill wasn’t a believer and again called.

The river was the 7♣, which wasn’t exactly the card Robl wanted to see as it brought about the possibility of being up against a flush or a full house. That scare card forced him to check this time, and Bellande paused for a bit, perhaps considering a jam, before checking behind and then losing the $567,000 pot.

Later in the episode, on a board of 7♠8♥2♦3♦J♠ and $226,000 in the pot, he bet $60,000 with 8♣5♠ after Salomon checked back his K♠8♠. Bellande could have saved the last bet, although perhaps he was hoping to force a better eight off the pot. Salomon, however, decided on a call and scooped a $346,000 pot.

Episode 2 of High Stakes Poker Season 11 will air next Monday (August 14) at 5 p.m. on PokerGO.

Alan Keating is in for Over $1 Million on High Stakes Poker

_{*Images courtesy of PokerGO}

Dan “Jungleman” Cates entered Monday’s final table of the $125,000 buy-in Triton Poker London Main Event. But it was Timothy Adams who claimed the $4,185,000 first place prize.

The Canadian poker pro won his second Triton Main Event, the first taking place in Jeju back in 2019 for $3,536,550. He now has over $36.5 million in live tournament cashes, according to Hendon Mob, $5.7 million coming in the current London series.

Stacked Final Table

When the final table began at 1 p.m. in London, Stephen Chidwick, Doug Polk, Isaac Haxton, and Cates were among those still standing out of the 151 original entrants.

Polk, who entered play fifth in chips, was a quick exit after losing most of his stack to Haxton with pocket eights against pocket 10’s. The Upswing Poker founder would bust moments later when he ran into the pocket kings of Jean Norel Thorel and take ninth place ($422,500).

Lun Loon was next to go in eighth place ($510,000) after losing with a small pair to the slightly better small pair Chidwick held. James Chen ran into a rough one to bust in seventh place ($705,000) as his pocket kings ran into the pocket aces of Thorel, who was putting on quite a show at the final table.

That hand was quite sick, but the hand of the day involved an even more insane cooler. Juan Pardo raised to 400,000 with K♦K♣ before Thorel three-bet to 1,000,000 with A♥A♣, the second time he was on the positive side of an aces versus kings situation at the final table.

But this hand was far from over when Chidwick looked down at A♠K♠ and bumped it up to 2,300,000. Cates then found J♣J♥ and made a great fold. Action was then back on Pardo, but Thorel acted out of turn and announced “all in,” which impacted Pardo’s decision and he opted to make an even better lay down than Cates.

Thorel had over 7,000,000 chips and jammed all in, but Chidwick decided to make the call. The flop came out 4♣9♠6♣, followed by the 5♦ on the turn to lock up Thorel’s double up. An 8♦ appeared on the river, not that it mattered.

https://twitter.com/pokernews/status/1688613135358308355?s=46

Triton Poker London Main Event Final Table Results

Thorel had built up a monster stack following that wild hand. Pardo (sixth place for $970,000), Chidwick (fifth place for $1,260,000), and Haxton (fourth place for $1,582,000) would all soon bust, leaving the Main Event title up to Cates, Thorel, and Adams to decide.

Cates was out in front, but Adams would do some damage to his stack. “Jungleman” would eventually bust in third place ($1,940,000) when his Q♦J♣ couldn’t suck-out on Adams’s pocket jacks.

Thorel, the chip leader, and Adams would then play some heads-up poker with a $1.3 million pay-jump at stake. It took very little time for the eventual champion to find a double, and then he finished it off by claiming his second Triton Poker title.

“I’m just lost for words because that was insane that I won this one,” Adams said in his post-game interview. “It was a battle heads up. Jean Noel, hats off to him. He is an insane competitor, super tough to play against.”

2023 Triton Poker London Series Updated Results

_{*Lead image courtesy of Trition}

Poker players who didn’t win a bracelet this summer at the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) will have another chance to do so as GGPoker unveiled WSOP Online, an upcoming tournament series that will feature 33 online bracelet events. The WSOP Online Series will be hosted on GGPoker and will take place Aug. 20-Oct. 2.

In a press release, GGPoker said that WSOP Online “is a testament to GGPoker’s commitment to bringing unparalleled poker experiences to players worldwide, and promises an exhilarating journey filled with intense competition, incredible skill, and the ultimate honor of becoming a WSOP Online champion.”

The online bracelet series will culminate with Event #28: $5,000 WSOP Online Main Event, a $5,000 buy-in tournament that comes with a $25 million guarantee attached.

Other highlights of the upcoming online bracelet series include:

• #33 GGMillion$ Super High Roller [Final Day] – $10,300 buy-in – $10M GTD – Monday, October 2
• #2 $300 Gladiators of Poker Opener [Final Day] – $300 buy-in – $2.5M GTD – Monday, August 21
• #7 $210 Mystery Millions $1M Top Bounty [Day 2] – $210 buy-in – $10M GTD – Monday, August 28
• #12 $500 Mini Main Event NLH – $500 buy-in – $2.5M GTD – Monday, September 4
• #17 $1,500 Millionaire Maker in Paradise [Final 100] – $1,500 buy-in – $5M GTD – Monday, September 11

Read About Last Year’s GGPoker Bracelet Winners!

Win a Bracelet On GGPoker

The WSOP Online series is the latest opportunity for poker players to get their hands on a bracelet on their computer, phone or tablet. Last fall, GGPoker awarded bracelets across 33 events, including the $20,000,000 guaranteed Main Event.

Earlier this year, several bracelets were awarded to players on WSOP Nevada and WSOP New Jersey.

As part of the WSOP Online series, GGPoker will host $2 million in Continental Freerolls across four continents: the Americas, Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia Pacific. Each of the 33 freerolls (one for every WSOP Online bracelet event) will boast up to $100,000 in WSOP Paradise packages and cash prizes.

Entry to each invitational freeroll will be open to those players that both participated in the corresponding WSOP Online bracelet event and come from the same continent as the eventual bracelet winner; for example, if an Asia-Pacific player wins WSOP Online bracelet event #1, each Asia-Pacific participant in the bracelet tournament will be automatically registered in the associated freeroll running one week later. Additionally, invites may be extended to select players from the same continent.

There will also be a Continental Leaderboard and the top four Continental Champions will receive a $35,000 WSOP Paradise package.

“I am thrilled for GGPoker to continue our groundbreaking partnership with WSOP and unveil another exciting year of WSOP Online,” GGPoker Global Ambassador Daniel Negreanu said in a press release. “This series will captivate poker players worldwide once more, as it’s not only an opportunity to compete for a legendary WSOP Gold Bracelet but it also brings together players from different regions to showcase their skills. This is a unique chance for the poker community to come together, take part in the most prestigious online poker series and create a truly unforgettable poker experience!”

Poker enthusiasts around the world will be able to follow the online bracelet event action on GGPoker.TV with commentary from Jeff Gross and Ali Nejad.

To learn more about the upcoming WSOP Online series, visit ggpoker.com/tournaments/wsop-online-2023.

GGPoker WSOP Online Full Schedule

Date Time Event Guarantee

Fri 1 – Sun 3 Sep  2:00pm NT$ 22,000 No Limit Hold’em – Masters Series (Event #M1) Day 1A NT$2,000,000

Fri 1 Sep  6:00pm NT$ 6,000 + 1,000 No Limit Hold’em – Escalating Bounty Turbo (Event #T1)  

Fri 1 – Sat 2 Sep  6:30pm NT$ 22,000 Badugi – Masters Series (Event #M2) Day 1  

Fri 1 Sep  7:00pm NT$ 35,000 No Limit Hold’em – Platinum Series Friday Frenzy (Event #P1)  

Fri 1 Sep  8:00pm NT$ 6,000 No Limit Hold’em – Stack Builder Satellite (Event #S1)  

Sat 2 Sep  10:00am NT$ 7,000 No Limit Hold’em – Morning Turbo (Event #T2)  

Sat 2 Sep  10:00am NT$ 22,000 Badugi – Masters Series (Event #M2) Day 2  

Sat 2 Sep  12:00pm NT$ 22,000 No Limit Hold’em – Masters Series (Event #M1) Day 1B NT$2,000,000

Sat 2 Sep  1:00pm NT$ 15,000 2-7 Triple Draw – Classic (Event #C1)  

Sat 2 Sep  5:00pm NT$ 30,000 + 5,000 No Limit Hold’em – Platinum Series Escalating Bounty (Event #P2)  

Sat 2 Sep  6:00pm NT$ 7,000 No Limit Hold’em – Saturday Night Turbo (Event #T3) NT$300,000

Sat 2 – Sun 3 Sep  7:00pm NT$ 22,000 Triple Draw 2-7 – Masters Series (Event #M3) Day 1  

Sat 2 Sep  8:00pm NT$ 6,000 No Limit Hold’em – Stack Builder Satellite (Event #S2)  

Sun 3 Sep  10:00am NT$ 7,000 No Limit Hold’em – Morning Turbo (Event #T4)  

Sun 3 Sep  10:00am No Limit Hold’em – Masters Series (Event #M1) Day 2  

Sun 3 Sep  11:30am NT$ 22,000 Triple Draw 2-7 – Masters Series (Event #M3) Day 2  

Sun 3 Sep  12:00pm NT$ 12,000 + 2,000 No Limit Hold’em – Escalating Bounty (Event #D1) NT$500,000

Sun 3 Sep  2:00pm NT$ 80,000 No Limit Hold’em – Platinum Series Sunday (Event #P3)  

Sun 3 – Tue 5 Sep  3:00pm NT$ 15,000 No Limit Hold’em – Classic (Event #C2) Day 1A NT$1,500,000

Sun 3 – Mon 4 Sep  6:00pm NT$ 22,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better – Masters Series (Event #M4) Day 1  

Sun 3 Sep  6:30pm NT$ 7,000 Crazy Pineapple Turbo (Event #T5)  

Sun 3 Sep  8:00pm NT$ 6,000 No Limit Hold’em – Stack Builder Satellite (Event #S3)  

Mon 4 Sep  10:00am NT$ 7,000 No Limit Hold’em – Morning Turbo (Event #T6)  

Mon 4 Sep  10:00am NT$ 22,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better – Masters Series (Event #M4) Day 2  

Mon 4 Sep  11:00am NT$ 10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Ladies Event (Event #D2)  

Mon 4 – Tue 5 Sep  12:00pm NT$ 22,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better – Masters Series (Event #M5) Day 1  

Mon 4 Sep  2:00pm NT$ 35,000 Pot-Limit Omaha – Platinum Series (Event #P4)  

Mon 4 Sep  3:00pm NT$ 15,000 No Limit Hold’em – Classic (Event #C2) Day 1B NT$1,500,000

Mon 4 – Tue 5 Sep  6:00pm NT$ 22,000 Razz Masters Series (Event #M6) Day 1  

Mon 4 Sep  6:30pm NT$ 7,000 No Limit Short Deck Hold’em Turbo (Event #T7)  

Mon 4 Sep  8:00pm NT$ 6,000 No Limit Hold’em – Stack Builder Satellite (Event #S4)  

Tue 5 Sep  10:00am NT$ 7,000 No Limit Hold’em – Morning Turbo (Event #T8)  

Tue 5 Sep  10:00am NT$ 22,000 Razz Masters Series (Event #M6) Day 2  

Tue 5 Sep  10:00am Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better – Masters Series (Event #M5) Day 2  

Tue 5 Sep  11:00am NLHE Classic (Event #C2) Day 2  

Tue 5 – Wed 6 Sep  12:00pm NT$ 22,000 Triple Draw Mix – Masters Series (Event #M7) Day 1  

Tue 5 Sep  12:30pm NT$ 15,000 NLHE/PLO Mix Classic (Event #C3)  

Tue 5 – Thu 7 Sep  5:00pm NT$ 50,000 No Limit Hold’em – THE GRAND (Event #A1) Day 1  

Tue 5 Sep  6:00pm NT$ 7,000 + 1,000 Pot Limit Omaha – Escalating Bounty Turbo (Event #T9)  

Tue 5 – Wed 6 Sep  6:30pm NT$ 22,000 Stud Mix – Masters Series (Event #M8) Day 1  

Tue 5 Sep  8:00pm NT$ 6,000 No Limit Hold’em – Stack Builder Satellite (Event #S5)  

Wed 6 Sep  10:00am NT$ 7,000 No Limit Hold’em – Morning Turbo (Event #T10)  

Wed 6 Sep  10:00am NT$ 22,000 Stud Mix – Masters Series (Event #M8) Day 2  

Wed 6 Sep  10:00am Triple Draw Mix – Masters Series (Event #M7) Day 2  

Wed 6 Sep  11:00am NT$ 50,000 No Limit Hold’em – THE GRAND (Event #A1) Day 2  

Wed 6 Sep  1:00pm NT$ 15,000 Razz Classic (Event #C4)  

Wed 6 – Sun 10 Sep  2:00pm NT$ 33,000 No Limit Hold’em – Main Event NLHE Championship (Event #A2) Day 1A NT$7,000,000

Wed 6 – Thu 7 Sep  6:00pm NT$ 22,000 Limit Mix – Masters Series (Event #M9) Day 1  

Wed 6 – Sun 10 Sep  6:30pm NT$ 10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Accumulator (Event #D3) Day 1A NT$2,000,000

Wed 6 Sep  7:00pm NT$ 30,000 + 5,000 Pot Limit Omaha – Platinum Series Escalating Bounty (Event #P5)  

Wed 6 Sep  8:00pm NT$ 6,000 No Limit Hold’em – Stack Builder Satellite (Event #S6)  

Thu 7 Sep  10:00am NT$ 7,000 No Limit Hold’em – Morning Turbo (Event #T11)  

Thu 7 Sep  10:00am NT$ 22,000 Limit Mix – Masters Series (Event #M9) Day 2  

Thu 7 Sep  10:00am THE GRAND Day 3 (Event #A1)  

Thu 7 Sep  1:00pm NT$ 15,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Classic (Event #C5)  

Thu 7 Sep  2:00pm NT$ 33,000 No Limit Hold’em – Main Event Championship (Event #A2) Day 1B NT$7,000,000

Thu 7 – Fri 8 Sep  6:00pm NT$ 22,000 Big Bet Mix – Masters Series (Event #M10) Day 1  

Thu 7 Sep  6:30pm NT$ 10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Accumulator (Event #D3) Day 1B NT$2,000,000

Thu 7 Sep  7:00pm NT$ 35,000 No Limit Short Deck Hold’em – Platinum Series (Event #P6)  

Thu 7 Sep  8:00pm NT$ 6,000 No Limit Hold’em – Stack Builder Satellite (Event #S7)  

Fri 8 Sep  10:00am NT$ 7,000 No Limit Hold’em – Morning Turbo (Event #T12)  

Fri 8 Sep  10:00am NT$ 22,000 Big Bet Mix – Masters Series (Event #M10) Day 2  

Fri 8 Sep  12:00pm NT$ 15,000 Badugi Classic (Event #C6)  

Fri 8 Sep  1:00pm NT$ 33,000 No Limit Hold’em – Main Event Championship (Event #A2) Day 1C NT$7,000,000

Fri 8 Sep  6:00pm NT$ 60,000 No Limit Hold’em – Platinum Series Friday Frenzy (Event #P7)  

Fri 8 Sep  6:30pm NT$ 10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Accumulator (Event #D3) Day 1C NT$2,000,000

Fri 8 – Sat 9 Sep  7:00pm NT$ 22,000 Pot Limit Omaha – Masters Series (Event #M11) Day 1  

Fri 8 Sep  8:00pm NT$ 6,000 No Limit Hold’em – Stack Builder Satellite (Event #S8)  

Sat 9 Sep   NT$ 6,000 No Limit Hold’em – Stack Builder Satellite (Event #S9)  

Sat 9 Sep  10:00am NT$ 7,000 No Limit Hold’em – Morning Turbo (Event #T13)  

Sat 9 Sep  11:00am Main Event Championship (Event #A2) Day 2  

Sat 9 Sep  12:00pm NT$ 22,000 Pot Limit Omaha – Masters Series (Event #M11) Day 2  

Sat 9 – Sun 10 Sep  1:00pm NT$ 12,000 + 10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Mystery Bounty (Event #D4) Day 1  

Sat 9 Sep  5:00pm NT$ 10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Accumulator (Event #D3) Day 1D NT$2,000,000

Sat 9 – Sun 10 Sep  6:00pm NT$ 33,000 Mixed Games Championship – ENDECATHLON (Event #A3) Day 1  

Sat 9 – Sun 10 Sep  7:00pm NT$ 100,000 No Limit Hold’em – Platinum Series Platinum Cup (Event #P8) Day 1  

Sun 10 Sep  10:00am NT$ 7,000 No Limit Hold’em – Morning Turbo (Event #T14)  

Sun 10 Sep  10:00am Main Event Championship (Event #A2) Final Day  

Sun 10 Sep  10:00am Mystery Bounty (Event #D4) Final Day  

Sun 10 Sep  11:00am Accumulator (Event #D3) Final Day  

Sun 10 Sep  11:00am NT$ 33,000 Mixed Games Championship – ENDECATHLON (Event #A3) Day 2  

Sun 10 Sep  12:00pm NT$ 15,000 Pot Limit Omaha Classic (Event #C7)  

Sun 10 Sep  12:30pm NT$ 100,000 Platinum Cup (Event #P8) Day 2  

Sun 10 Sep  2:00pm NT$ 10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Sunday Single (Event #D5) NT$500,000

Sun 10 Sep  4:00pm NT$ 60,000 + 10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Platinum Series Escalating Bounty (Event #P9)  

Sun 10 Sep  6:00pm NT$ 7,000 + 1,000 No Limit Hold’em – Escalating Bounty Turbo (Event #T15) NT$300,000

The largest-ever live poker tournament held outside of Las Vegas has crowned its latest champion, with Alex Todd taking down the 11th live edition Grosvenor Poker Goliath Main Event.

He took the lion’s share of the a six-way deal that took place and then sealed the victory after defeating compatriot Richard Birchall in heads-up play.

The 2022 instalment drew a record-breaking 10,584 entries. However, it would only stand the test of time for 12 months as this year’s tournament smashed the previous total and attracted 11,493 entries to make it the biggest Goliath ever.

A huge £1,379,160 prize pool was generated, which is mightily impressive for an event that has a buy-in of just £150. That kitty shared among the top 1,000 players with the min-cash set at £320.

2023 Grosvenor Poker Goliath Main Event Final Table Results

_{* Denotes six-way deal}

Final Day Action

The final day of the 2023 Goliath Main Event began with 44 players returning to the Grosvenor Poker felt with Todd holding the chip lead.

Play resumed at 11 a.m. and six hours later, the final nine players had been determined. Todd remained in the upper echelons of the chip counts and was only behind Yu-San Chan when the final table formed.

William Picot was the first departure as the short stack couldn’t connect with his queen-nine against the ace-king held by Peter Seagar after stacks were committed preflop. Shortly after, Seagar found himself on the wrong side of the rail after his ace-queen failed to crack the pocket kings that belonged to Wane Penford. Picot collected £15,880, while Seagar saw his payout jump to £18,530.

One of the best stories of the 2023 Goliath was the deep run that Nigel Brampton put in. You often hear of players getting into a tournament on the cheap and then parlaying that into a tidy score. That’s exactly what Brampton did as he won his seat for free on a live stream giveaway. He took full advantage of the opportunity and turned that into a seventh-place finish which awarded him £22,510.

Originally, £220,000 awaited the winner, but at six-handed play, the remaining players came to a consensus and agreed upon a deal which paid out the below totals. They then battled it out for the remaining slice of the prize pool, the title and the trophy.

Todd, who had retaken the chip lead, secured himself the biggest guaranteed payout, while Min-Ji also locked up six figures.

https://twitter.com/GrosvenorPoker/status/1688254676062421000

Andrew Mackenzie exited in sixth place after his ace-eight fell to Chan’s pocket jacks left the former on crumbs. Chan then put the final nail in the coffin the following hand.

Penford clocked out in fifth after his queen-jack could not usurp Birchall’s ace-ten suited in an all-in preflop race. Birchall then ousted Ji as his ace-six held out against his opponent’s ten-eight.

Chan’s third-place elimination came in a cruel fashion. He had ace-eight and dominated Todd’s ace-seven suited. Stacks piled into the middle preflop, and Chan paired his eight to leave Todd drawing thin. However, running spades on the turn and river gave Todd a flush to set up heads-up play.

Todd had an almost three-to-one chip lead and put his chips to use to seal out a brief heads-up battle. On the final hand of the night, Birchall moved all in with ace-nine, and Todd quickly called with pocket tens. There was no drama on the runout, and Todd was confirmed as the champion, to the delight of his raucous rail.

The History of the Goliath

This writer was part of the poker media industry when the inaugural Goliath took place back in 2011. Everyone looked on in awe as the 2011 Goliath drew in 1,765 entrants, and paid champion Lee Rawson a £32,705 prize.

The Goliath broke through 2,500 runners in 2014, has hit more than 5,000 entrants by 2016, and topped out at 9,300 in 2019. Everything was set for a 10,000-strong field the following year, but the COVID-19 pandemic put paid to any live poker plans.

Grosvenor’s online poker site hosted the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Goliath; they saw 2,013 and 2,722 entries, respectively, making them two of the biggest online events Grosvenor Poker has hosted.

Goliath returned to the live scene with a bang in 2022, when 10,584 players created a £1,270,080 prize pool for a £150 buy-in, which was and still is unheard of. Kyle Jeffrey emerged victoriously from the 2022 Goliath Main Event, and did so with a bankroll-boosting £200,000 in tow.

Jeffrey called his £200,000 score “life-changing” as he picked up his cheque, and it has been exactly that for the reigning champion. Jeffrey’s massively boosted bankroll has given him the freedom to play in live poker events up and down the country in addition to across Europe. He has enjoyed some poker in the sun in Malta, and in late May, put together a deep run in an €800 buy-in event in Belgium.

The largest ever WSOP Circuit event is two weeks into its three-week run at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

The WSOPC London £3,300 NLHE Super Circuit Main Event kicks off its Day 1a at 12 p.m. (midday) local time on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, ramping up the action in the last week of the festival.

This is a huge stop on the UK poker calendar, with £7,000,000 ($8,906,359) in guarantees across 15 WSOPC gold ring events.

You do not want to miss out on this huge event taking place on British soil, which features four Day 1 flights that take place this week. There will be one each at midday on August 8, 9, and 10, with an additional turbo flight on August 10 that will start at 8 p.m. local time.

£1,100 Circuit Main Event Attracts 1,018 Runners

Hopes are high for this £3,000,000 ($3,816,300) guaranteed event, as the rest of the series has seen a bumper turnout.

The £3.3k Super Circuit ME follows on from the WSOPC £1,100 Circuit Main Event earlier this week, which has already attracted 1,018 entries after four Day 1s.

Going into Day 2, the £1.1k Circuit Main Event has 181 runners left in the field and the £1,000,000 guarantee in the prize pool. After an event of this size, you won’t want to miss the even bigger £3,300 Super Circuit Main Event.

https://twitter.com/WSOP/status/1688482174880587776

WSOPC Super Circuit London Remaining Schedule

Read More About Georgina James’ Victory In The WSOPC London Ladies Event

How To Enter The £3M GTD Super Circuit Main Event

The JW Marriott is a cashless venue. Unfortunately, this means that if you want to enter any of the events, you will need to use one of four alternative payment methods.

The four ways to buy in to these WSOPC events are by:

• e-wallet transfer using a free account with Luxon Pay, a WSOPC partner;
• debit card deposit through Luxon Pay;
• bank transfer, by contacting [email protected] for details; and
• payment at the at Dusk Till Dawn, Redfield Way, Nottingham.

Doug Polk went from short stack to reaching the $125,000 Triton Poker London Main Event final table, while Dan “Jungleman” Cates chip leads with nine players left.

The 151-entrant no-limit hold’em tournament will begin its final session at 1 p.m. local time in London on Monday, with the YouTube stream starting at 2 p.m (6 a.m. PT). Each of the remaining players has a guaranteed minimum payout of $422,500, but the winner will take home $4,185,000.

Phil Ivey Wins Fourth Triton Poker Title

No Better Time for Pocket Aces

Short-stacked (less than 20 big blinds) during Sunday’s session, Polk was looking for an opportunity to double up into a decent stack with the bubble nearing. He’d do better when he picked up A♣A♠ from the hijack and raised the 20,000 big blind to 40,000. Stephen Chidwick, the small blind, three-bet it to 150,000 with Q♠Q♥ before Ole Schemion moved all in for 660,000 with A♥Q♣.

Polk only had 350,000 and Chidwick had everyone covered, and both players, holding premium hands, called. The board ran out J♠J♥4♣5♠3♦, and the pocket aces held up. The Upswing Poker founder tripled up back to a more manageable stack, while Chidwick took the side pot.

https://twitter.com/tritonpoker/status/1688310962472828928

Schemion, who won a Triton event last week, was out in 34th place, seven spots off the money. Shortly after the bubble burst, Ramin Hajiyev went out in 27th place, a $189,000 min-cash. Other notables to bust on Sunday include Luxon Invitational winner Bryn Kenney (21st for $205,000), Erik Seidel (19th for $226,000), Espen Jorstad (16th for $254,000), and Nick Schulman (11th for $360,000.

Polk was among the short stacks as the final table bubble approached, but he’d build up his stack to 3,325,000 after Seth Davies was eliminated in 10th place ($360,000). Following Davies’ exit, the final table of nine was set with the blinds to resume on Monday at 50,000/125,000 with a 125,000 big blind ante.

Triton Poker London Main Event Final Table Chip Counts

Everyone at the final table will be trying to catch up to Cates, whose 8,200,000 stack is good for 66 big blinds. The two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) Poker Players Championship winner was dominant on Sunday, which is no surprise to anyone who has followed his brilliant career.

Jungleman has long been known more as an online poker crusher. But with his two WSOP bracelets and over $12.3 million in Hendon Mob cashes entering the Triton Poker London Main Event, he’s proven that his skills aren’t limited to the internet.

2023 Triton Poker London Series Updated Results

_{*Lead image courtesy of Trition}

The second-biggest Asia-Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Main Event in the history of the PokerStars sponsored live poker series has crowned a winner in the early morning hours at Okada Manila. While the majority of the rail was rooting for eventual runner-up Christopher “BIGTIME” Mateo to keep the golden shard trophy on home soil, it was China’s Yuanning Wu who came out on top of the heads-up encounter.

With a price tag of PHP65,000 (∼$1,168), the marquee 2023 APPT Manila Main Event in the stunning Coral Room drew a staggering 1,354 entries. The PHP 76,832,730 (∼$1,381,101) prize pool is the largest for an APPT Main Event thus far and the biggest share went to Wu and Mateo. They cut a deal in heads-up and left PHP1,414,730 to play for. Besides the cash prize and coveted APPT Main Event trophy, Wu also receives a package worth PHP105,000 for a future APPT stop as well.

The two eventual heads-up opponents entered the unofficial final table sixth and seventh in chips but were separated by fewer than two big blinds when the most crucial stage of the tournament was reached. Wu was one of two former finalists of the popular mid-stakes live poker event and scored his second victory with the far biggest tournament cash prize worth PHP11,414,730 ($204,769).

New Zealand’s Thomas Ward, a runner-up from back in 2015 in Macau, had to settle for eighth place after he lost the majority of pots entered during the final stages. He was visiting Manila for the birthday of a friend and continued where he left a few years ago, coming close to victory once more.

The final table also featured another two players from the Philippines in John Tech and Archie Mariano, the former of which sits in fourth place on the country ranking according to The Hendon Mob database.

Final Table Result 2023 APPT Manila Main Event

*reflects deal agreement between Wu and Mateo, with PHP1,414,730 in cash added for the eventual winner

The final day saw 30 players still in contention spread across four tables and it didn’t take long for the fireworks to start. Norbert Koh bowed out almost immediately and the same also applied for Vasa Kaushal as well. Fewer than one full level surpassed and the redraw of the final three tables was reached.

Jacque Ramsden had started the day second in chips but suffered several setbacks to see his hopes of an even deeper run vanish in 22nd place. Another notable casualty then set up the final two tables when Kenny Shih put his hopes on a gutshot and the nut flush draw, which missed against the turned two pair of Nino Pansier.

The action never really slowed down and it wouldn’t take long to reach the nine-handed unofficial final table thereafter. Local hopefuls such as Ivan Tabucal and Lloyd Locsin came up short, as did Steve Yea and Junya Kubo with the latter bowing out against the red-hot running Gyuhyuk Lee. Zhigang Chen bowed out moments later and the final nine then went on a 60-minute break.

Lee continued his domination when he flipped out Alex Chong before the down-fall of New Zealander Ward unfolded, culminating in his exit against Pansier. By then, Wu was still in the middle of the pack but doubled with queens against the sevens of Riku Sasahara.

Mariano was then knocked out by Lee, who retained the top spot. Pansier was comfortable second in chips but the final table momentum shifted when he four-bet jammed ace-king. Wu called it off with pocket tens and won the flip to change the momentum of the final table. The Dutchman and Sasahara were then eliminated by Lee as the South Korean soared to half of the chips in play.

Wu sent Tech to the rail in fourth place and then jumped into a commanding lead when his full house was paid off by Lee. The South Korean never recovered from that big blow and he succumbed in third place.

With the deal agreement in place, the heads-up encounter became a brief affair and a winner was crowned within the hour. Wu had pulled away and rivered a straight, looking up the shove by Mateo who held a pair and blockers.

Even at age 49, the “Kid Poker” moniker might still be fitting for Daniel Negreanu after the Poker Hall of Famer made a surprise guest appearance at the home game of some neighborhood teenagers on Sunday night.

There aren’t many better ways to promote the game and turn youngsters into lifelong poker fans than for arguably the biggest name in poker to show up to play some low-stakes no-limit hold’em with them.

Ask and You Shall Receive

On Sunday, Negreanu tweeted that, while out walking his dogs, he was approached by a neighborhood “kid in a suit” who asked him if he’d stop by to play some cards with his friends in what would be their final poker game together before going off to college.

The GGPoker ambassador polled his Twitter (X?) followers if he should go, and the majority said he should.

https://twitter.com/__ryanz/status/1688371044934176769

One of the players from the home game — @__ryanz — responded to the tweet asking for the poker legend to come on over. A couple hours later, Negreanu made their night. Not only did he stop by to chat with the young poker players, he brought them all some GGPoker gear and took a seat in the game, which was $0.25/$0.50 stakes, just a tad bit lower than “DNegs” is accustomed to playing.

https://twitter.com/realkidpoker/status/1688399658027270145?s=46

The group of friends Negreanu visited aren’t your Average Joe’s and Jane’s. In one cell phone video Negreanu took during the brief home game he played in, he went around the room asking everyone where they’re headed to college and for what major. One said he’s going to the University of Southern California to major in biological sciences, while another is attending Cornell, an Ivy League school.

Negreanu was impressed by the “cultured young men” in the game for their classical music selection. He showed a video of his final hand before heading home in which he was all in with AxKx against 10x7x. Unlike his all in luck the past two years at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), the six-time bracelet winner’s hand held up on his way out the door.

https://twitter.com/RealKidPoker/status/1688416190081941504

Winning and losing wasn’t what mattered in this friendly home game. It was all about a group of young poker players, playing together likely for the last time until next summer, having an experience they’ll probably never forget and just might turn them into lifelong poker fans.

Negreanu was heavily praised on social media for, as he often does, being a true ambassador for the game.

“You’re the best,” Matt Berkey said.

2013 WSOP Main Event champ Ryan Riess offered, “The goat poker ambassador.”

Many other poker players and personalities weighed in recognizing Negreanu’s kind gesture including Brian Hastings, Jeff Platt, and Joey Ingram, just to name a few.

While Negreanu won in the game, he wound up giving it all back to the soon-to-be college students.

“I told them to put $5 in each pot until it’s all gone,” said Negreanu.

Phil Ivey cracked the $40 million lifetime live tournament mark on Sunday at Triton Poker London with his umpteenth major poker win, this one being a $60,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em turbo event.

The widely considered greatest poker player of all-time captured his fourth Triton win while taking home $1,007,000 for outlasting a field of 61 entrants. Following a ho-hum World Series of Poker (WSOP), by his lofty standards, the Poker Hall of Famer is winding down his summer with a huge win across the pond, along with two other cashes, including a runner-up finish to Espen Jorstad in the $20,000 Mystery Bounty last week.

Phil Ivey Cannot Be Stopped

Poker wizzes Nick Petrangelo, Sam Greenwood, and Aleksejs Ponakovs were all among those who reached the final table. None of them, however, could defeat Ivey, who earned his 11th career seven-figure score in a live tournament.

After Santosh Suvarna busted in 10th place ($91,500), the final table was set, and it was Ivey holding the chip lead. However, he only had 41 big blinds, which meant everyone would have to play short stack poker to perfection to win.

Cary Katz, the PokerGO founder, hit a flush to send Greenwood home in ninth place ($104,000). The same player would then bust the next two at the table — Wai Yong (eighth for $137,200) and Tan Xuan (seventh for $175,700) — with pocket aces. The final table was starting to become the Cary Katz Show, but then Petrangelo would find doubles through the chip leaders and become a force.

Ivey regained the lead when his pocket jacks would hold to bust Biao Ding (sixth place for $223,200), and then Petrangelo would river a flush to eliminate Ponakovs (fifth place for $285,500).

The blinds were getting big during four-handed play to a point where everyone was close to an all-in-or-fold situation, even the big stacks. Ivey would again use pocket jacks to bust an opponent as Rodrigo Selouan, who had ace-rag, left the tournament in fourth place for $360,000.

The high roller event in Europe would come down to a trio of Americans, and Petrangelo had a golden opportunity to double through Ivey with a bigger ace, but would get sucked out on and have to settle for the $468,900 third place prize. Heads-up play would then begin with Ivey holding a 3-1 chip advantage.

Katz would get his money in good with A♥K♣ against Q♦7♥, but two queens appeared on the flop and that was all she wrote. Ivey ran like a god and claimed the $1,007,000 first place payout, while Katz took home the $715,500 consolation prize.

Triton Poker $60k NLH Turbo Final Table Results

Ivey, a 10-time WSOP bracelet winner, won his first live poker tournament since last September, also in a Triton Poker event (Cyprus). He now ranks 11th all-time in Hendon Mob cashes, a leaderboard that is once again topped by Bryn Kenney ($64.8 million), who won the $250,000 buy-in Luxon Invitational for $6.8 million on Saturday at Triton.

The Main Event, a $125,000 buy-in tournament, has also reached its final nine players with Dan “Jungleman” Cates leading the way in the quest for the $4.2 million first place prize. Final table action will take place on Monday in London.

2023 Triton Poker London Series Updated Results

_{*Lead image courtesy of Trition}