PokerNews is known throughout the world for our industry-leading live updates for both live and online events. In fact, right now we’re offering various updates right here.

Over the years, we’ve captured memorable hands, many of which have become a part of poker history. In this column, we will bring you some of the biggest hands that took place during some of the early events from the European Poker Tour (EPT) London.

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Two-Time EPT Main Event Champ Eliminated After Getting Aces Cracked

On Day 1a of the £5,300 EPT Main Event, it was Level 8 (500/1,000/1,000) when Victoria Coren Mitchell opened to 2,000 from early position and Lawrence Brandt defended out of the big blind. Before he called, the was exposed as a player folded their hand.

The flop landed and Brandt checked. Mitchell bet 2,000 and Brandt check-raised to 5,400.

“Check-raise?! Why did you do that?! Is it me?” Mitchell asked before calling.

The turn brought the and Brandt put out a stack of blue 5,000-denomination chips to put Mitchell all in. She quickly called off with around 25,000.

Victoria Coren Mitchell:
Lawrence Brandt:

Despite there being one less eight in the deck, Brandt had flopped a straight to have Mitchell drawing dead with her pocket aces headed to the river to eliminate the two-time EPT Main Event champion, who first took down 2006 EPT London Main Event for £500,000 and later 2014 EPT Sanremo Main Event for €476,100.

“Hard for me to fold that,” the two-time champ turned BBC presenter said as she left the tournament area.

Learn more about Victoria Coren Mitchell here!

Back-to-Back Eliminations for Sinclair

Also on Day 1a, albeit one level earlier in Level 7 (400/800/800), 2018 WSOP Europe Main Event champ Jack Sinclair defended his big blind after Samuel Gillis raised to 2,000 in the small blind. The flop was and Gillis bet 2,500. Sinclair called.

The turn was the and Gillis checked. Sinclair bet 7,500 and called a shove from Gillis for over 20,000.

Samuel Gillis:
Jack Sinclair:

Gillis was drawing dead against Sinclair’s turned flush, with the river sending him to the rail.

On the following hand, Sinclair three-bet after a raise and a call in front of him, and three players saw the flop. They all checked and Sinclair bet 7,000 on the turn. Lukas Zaskodny was the only caller.

The river was the and Sinclair shoved. Zaskodny had around 22,000 behind and muttered something across the table before calling.

Sinclair showed for a flopped full house, with Zaskodny showing for a rivered nut straight.

“Is that two in two since you joined the table?” asked probable tournament chip leader Ian Drake.

“No, I folded one,” replied Sinclair with a smile.

Docherty Correctly Calls River Overbet With Fourth Pair

On Day 3 of the Main Event, it was Level 17 (3,000/6,000/6,000) in a heads-up battle between the blinds when Harry Lodge led out for 8,000 on the flop of and David Docherty called.

The turn brought the and Lodge put out an overbet of 38,000 with slightly less than that in the pot. Docherty again called.

The on the river completed the board and Lodge put out yet another overbet for 145,000, which sent Docherty deep into the tank. After using three time extensions, Docherty made the call.

Lodge sheepishly turned over a stone bluff with for nine-high, leading Docherty to turn over for a rivered bottom pair after missing his straight draw.

Romero at Risk, Flops Quads to Double

Also on Day 3 in the same Level 17, Yiannis Liperis opened to 12,000 and Jordi Romero reraised from the next seat to 98,000 and was all in.

Liperis thought for a second and made the call and the players tabled their cards with Romero at risk.

Jordi Romero:
Yiannis Liperis:

Romero let out a loud tap on the table when the flop came , flopping quad nines and securing his full double up. The completed the board but had no impact as Romero stacked his newfound wealth.

Merrilees Calls Clock on Tedeschi in

On Day 1 of the £3,000 Platinum Pass Mystery Bounty in Level 12 (600/1,200/1,200) when action was caught on the turn with the board showing the .

Daniel Merrilees checked in the big blind before Paul Tedeschi bet 12,500. Merrilees then jammed for 74,400. After a few moments, Merrilees called the clock, much to the objection of Tedeschi who felt not enough time had passed.

The clock began and Tedeschi called, by splashing his bigger stack into the pot.

Daniel Merrilees:
Paul Tedeschi:

Merrilees was ahead with a superior ace but couldn’t believe his luck when the hit the river, to give his opponent two pair. A dejected Merrilees then exited the tournament area.

Check out PokerNews’ profile on Paul Tedeschi here!

Bonus Hand from Benny Glaser

Sometimes all you need is a chip and a chair…and some luck in the case of Pavel Plesuv. Down to his last two big blinds, Plesuv came all the way back to capture the title in the £3,000 Platinum Pass Myster Bounty at this year’s PokerStars European Poker Tour London.

Plesuv will be taking home £154,426 for his efforts after defeating Santhosh Suvarna in an epic heads-up battle. This was the fifth time Plesuv reached the heads-up stage of a tournament on the EPT dating back to 2016 and the third win of his career on the tour. The poker pro has amassed over $5.6 million in career tournament winnings with the majority of it coming on European soil.

The man from Moldova has not been playing much of the higher-stakes buy-ins as of late but this win will give him some renewed confidence. He will also be adding 11 bounties on top of the first-place prize for an additional £20,000 when he appears at the payout desk. As for his heads-up rival, Suvarna will earn a cool £96,700 plus some bounty money as well, pushing his total into the six-figure mark.

£3,000 Platinum Pass Myster Bounty Final Table Results

Action from Day 3

Day 3 began with 16 players returning to their seats with their sights set on the lion’s share of the prize pool that was still up for grabs. Oh, and there was also a PSPC Platinum Pass waiting in one of the remaining envelopes. However, it didn’t take long for that prize to be snagged up by Hannes Jeschka who was the first to be eliminated on the day. Jeschka headed to the treasure chest to redeem three of his unclaimed bounty tickets and one of them happened to be the coveted Platinum Pass that will earn him a direct entry into the PSPC this coming January in the Bahamas.

It was smooth sailing from there as the final table was reached in an orderly manner but that is when the action seemed to stall out. Once Paul Tedeschi was eliminated in ninth place, Bruno Soutavong followed to the payout desk when his aggressive style backfired. His nut-flush draw ran into Iacopo Brandi‘s set and Soutavong was unable to catch up.

Many players fell into the short stack at the table on multiple occasions but one thing stayed consistent and that was the big stack of Plesuv ever since the start of the day. Blaz Zerjav and Yasuhiro Waki put up a good fight but eventually, they succumbed to the blinds and bowed out in seventh and sixth place respectively. Sebastien Jung also made a climb up the leaderboard at one point, but a cold deck didn’t allow for him to get anything going afterward.

The start-of-day chip leader was Robert Macsim who battled his way up to a fourth-place finish. A cooler eventually finished him off when his pocket tens ran into the pocket kings of Suvarna. That allowed Suvarna to take over the chip lead for the time being. However, after the elimination of Brandi, Plesuv regained his crown and took a slight lead into the heads-up match.

A monster hand at the start of the heads-up match went in the favor of Suvarna who flopped a full house. Plesuv was unable to get away from his turned two pair and was left with less than two big blinds at the time. Just when everyone thought the match was over, including Plesuv, the deck had other things to say about it. In three consecutive hands, Plesuv was all in and at risk and won all of them, including two of them coming from behind. That momentum carried forward for the next two levels and by now we all know how that finished.

That wraps up the PokerNews coverage for this event but there are still a couple of days remaining at the EPT stop at Hilton Park Lane so keep it tuned in here for all of the latest updates.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) is celebrating its 20th anniversary , and the occasion will culminate in just over a month with the $10,400 buy-in, $15 million GTD WPT World Championship at Wynn Lass Vegas.

You might think that tournament, which will run December 12-18, is going to be filled with big-name pros, and while that’s likely accurate, there are also going to be dozens, if not hundreds, of qualifiers lining the field.

The Wynn is already offering live $1,100 buy-in satellite, while ClubWPT has been hosting online qualifiers since May. The winners of those qualifiers have been awarded a $12,000 Passport to the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. That passport includes the tournament buy-in, plus a hotel and travel stipend.

There have already been two dozen ClubWPT qualifiers, and PokerNews recently caught up with the first, Drew “Ainsley1” Rautenberg, to talk about his experience. Below, we profile two more qualifiers fortunate enough to punch their ticket to the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.

Last Chance to Win a $12,000 Passport on ClubWPT

Just one more chance remains for ClubWPT subscribers to win their way to Las Vegas. On Sunday, October 30 at 5:30 PM ET, a final $12K WPT World Championship Challenge will be held. If you’re already a member be sure to register, and if you’re not there’s still time to get signed up.

The $12,000 Passport Includes:

• $10,400 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas main event seat. (Flight Day 1B, Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022.)
• Four-night stay at the luxurious Wynn Las Vegas (Monday, Dec 12 thru Friday, Dec 16, 2022.)
• $1,000 cash (for travel expenses.)
• Dedicated ClubWPT VIP host.
• Official ClubWPT branded merchandise.
• Meet & greet with WPT talent.

Learn How You Can Qualify for the WPT World Championship for free on ClubWPT w/ free trial!

From Alaska to Bright Lights of Vegas

Back on Saturday, May 28, Alaska’s Bruce “wlkwolf13” Ramoth became the second player to win a coveted seat via ClubWPT. The 54-year-old from Selawik runs a small business with his loving wife, Nora.

“We have seven children and 19 grandchildren,” he told PokerNews. “I have played poker since I was around seven or eight years old. I started playing Texas hold’em about 20 years ago. This WPT tournament satellite is my biggest win playing poker so far.”

Not only is it his biggest win, but it’ll also lead to him playing in his first-ever live poker tournament! While most players might start with a $60 nightly tournament as their first tournament experience, Ramoth is going big by finding himself in the WPT World Championship. It’s there he hopes to meet several famous poker pros such as Mike “The Mouth” Matusow.

“I think he’s one of the best poker players of all time,” said Ramoth. “I am excited to be playing in my first ever live WPT event, my wife and I can’t wait to be there.”

From Busto to Playing for $15 Million

The day after Ramoth won his seat, Hartford, Connecticut’s Quran “willqdoit” Cruse followed suit and claimed a seat of his own.

It came at the right time for the unemployed 39-year-old, who had been dabbling in crypto but unfortunately lost it all. It was the latest bad beat for a man who was once wrongfully locked up for a crime he didn’t commit.

“I was visiting family in Virginia and while there I was locked up for possession of narcotics that I never had on me,” Cruse explained. “I beat the case because there was no evidence of me having it.”

While it was a rough experience for Cruse, one silver lining was that he learned how to play poker while incarcerated. He signed up for ClubWPT back in May, and it didn’t take but a month for him to ship a $10,400 seat into the WPT World Championship.

“I love playing poker but couldn’t afford to go to the casino,” said Cruse. “I’ve never played any other big tournaments, so this will be my first. I have played small-stakes tournaments and won a couple of them, but my proudest poker accomplishment came when I won this seat to WPT Wynn.”

He continued: “I’m most looking forward to having my name on the trophy because I always believed if I ever got a chance to play this big tournament I was going to take it down. I would like to meet all the great poker players. I enjoy watching everyone play.”

Cruse, who has a girlfriend he’s been with for 15 years, said his favorite poker player is Garrett Adelstein.

Learn More About the Subscription-Based ClubWPT here!

ClubWPT Qualifiers Thus Far for WPT Wynn

On a recent episode of the DAT Poker Podcast, Daniel Negreanu join Adam Schwartz and Terrence Chan to discuss a plethora of topics including Kid Poker’s win in the 2022 Super High Roller Bowl for $3.3 million, the Hustler Casino Live (HCL) cheating allegations, and a suspicious player on WSOP.com.

Another topic discussed was Negreanu sharing a list of his favorite places to play poker in Las Vegas. Before he shared his list of best Las Vegas poker rooms, Negreanu did offer a disclaimer that he hasn’t played in all rooms, so his top six were simply his personal favorites.

The discussion was spurred by Negreanu’s negative experience playing at the Bellagio, which he admitted was at one time the “pinnacle” and “the place to play.” However, he cited competition from other rooms offering a better playing experience as having knocked Bellagio from the mountaintop.

He then shared what his recent experience was like at Bellagio during the World Poker Tour (WPT) Five Diamond including having to play at a small table in a cramped space. Add in slot noise, smoke, and too many spectators on the rail, and it resulted in a less-than-stellar playing experience according to Negreanu.

On the flip side, it did give him the opportunity to reflect on his favorite places to play. Here’s a look at Negreanu’s top Las Vegas poker rooms.

1.) PokerGO Studio

It should come as no surprise that Negreanu’s favorite place to play is inside the PokerGO Studio, which has become home to the high roller scene. It was there that Negreanu recently won the Super High Roller Bowl for $3.3 million, but also where he’s taken down a couple of PokerGO Cup tournaments.

“Number one place to play poker in Las Vegas if you can […] is in the PokerGO Studio”

“Number one place to play poker in Las Vegas if you can, it’s the experience you want to have, is in the PokerGO Studio,” said Negreanu. “Obviously, this requires higher buy-ins, but it is going to be the best poker-playing experience you’re going to find in Las Vegas by a long shot.”

Sneak Peek: A Look Inside the New PokerGO Studio

2.) Wynn Poker

Approximately 15 years ago, Negreanu signed a deal to represent Wynn Las Vegas where he had an open challenge to anyone who wanted to challenge him to heads-up action. While those days are long gone, Negreanu still has an affinity for the poker room, which is largely considered by average poker players as the best in Vegas.

“The Wynn is crushing in,” admitted Negreanu. “The Wynn is doing a fantastic job with their tournament series. The facility is great, the tables are spread apart, and the room is really nice.”

Indeed, Wynn Director of Poker Operations Ryan Beauregard, tournament director Ray Pulford, and their entire professional team is credited with offering a top-notch poker experience on the Las Vegas Strip.

From juicy cash games to well-structured Wynn Classic tournament series, the room has got it going on. That will be especially true in December 2022 when Wynn plays host to the $10,400 buy-in, $15 million GTD WPT World Championship, which is slated to be one of the biggest events in poker history.

Players simply love playing at the Wynn Poker Room!

Check out the PokerNews Wynn Poker Room Review Here!

3.) Paris during WSOP

In the summer of 2022, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) moved from the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino down to the Las Vegas Strip. Festivities were split between Bally’s, which will soon become Horseshoe Las Vegas, and the luxurious Paris.

“Bally’s is a little lower end, but if you played on the Paris side on Day 1s and stuff like that, it’s a very nice place to play,” Negreanu said.

Indeed, the massive ballroom inside the Paris convention center was elegant with high ceilings, good lighting, and spacious surroundings. It’s slated to be the home of the WSOP for years to come, and Negreanu is just fine with that.

Click here to read the PokerNews Paris Poker Room Review

4.) ARIA

Another room on Negreanu’s list was ARIA Resort & Casino, which should come as no surprise as the poker room is just a stone’s throw away from PokerGO Studio as part of the CityCenter urban complex right in the heart of Las Vegas.

Opened in 2009, the resort is located between the Bellagio and Park MGM on the site of the old Boardwalk Hotel and Casino. The complex houses 150,000 square feet of gaming space, with a 24-table poker room located on the east side of the casino floor next to the main valet pick-up.

Table 1, formerly known as Ivey’s Room, plays host to some of the biggest cash games in the world, while outside players can find cash games of all different stakes and well-attended daily tournaments.

Check out the PokerNews review of the ARIA Poker Room here

5.) The Venetian

Another room Negreanu briefly mention was Venetian Las Vegas, which is one of the largest and busiest in Las Vegas. As many as 35 cash game tables are open nightly, and the number increases to 50 during busy times.

The venue is also known for its constant Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza series, which offers great tournaments at an affordable price point. Toss in standalone events like the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT), and Venetian remains one of the best rooms in Vegas.

Learn more about the Venetian Poker Room here

6.) Resorts World

On Thursday, June 24, 2021, the $4.3 billion Resorts World Las Vegas had its grand opening. The Resorts World Poker Room made its debut at the same time and quickly developed a solid reputation in the Las Vegas poker scene.

“One that I haven’t played at is Resorts, but I’ve heard amazing reviews,” said Negreanu. “Resorts is supposedly the nuts.”

Indeed, with plenty of cash games, high-limit areas, and a pair of $160 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournaments each day, and the Resorts World Poker Room has become a must-visit for any poker fan.

Resorts World Las Vegas: Everything You Need to Know

Nostalgic Mention – The Mirage

The Mirage is a Las Vegas classic, but it will soon cease to exist as the property was acquired by Seminole Hard Rock. Big changes will be coming in the years to come, but poker players shouldn’t forget The Mirage’s place in poker history. Negreanu certainly has not.

“I swear to you I get goosebumps when I walk by it whenever I’m there, which is rare”

“I swear to you I get goosebumps when I walk by it whenever I’m there, which is rare,” he said. “The Mirage is historic for me. That is where I started. I love the room, the vibe, the dark bit of it. The show would get out and people would come in and play. It is in the center of the entire casino. The Mirage is very special to my heart.”

Immortalized in the 1998 film Rounders, The Mirage was once the capital of poker in Las Vegas. Visit while you still can!

Negreanu’s Dishonorable Mention – Bellagio

Negreanu’s negative experience at the Bellagio was what kicked off the topic in the first place, and he brought it full circle by revealing his least favorite place to play in Las Vegas.

“Then at the very bottom by a wide margin now is Bellagio in terms of amenities, facilities, restaurants, accessibility,” he said. “The room itself is cramped, it’s loud … and smoky. Not ideal playing at Bellagio.”

Adam Schwartz then joked asking if he had The Orleans, largely considered a “local’s” poker room, ahead of the once lavish Bellagio.

“Probably. I haven’t played there in a long time but I would imagine I have the Orleans ahead of them,” Negreanu quipped.

We actually like the Bellagio, check out our review here!

As for the worst place he’s ever played poker, Negreanu didn’t identify the venue by name, but did say it was in London. Why? Apparently, the ceilings were too low and everyone was smoking that he just couldn’t stand it. As he told it, he intentionally busted the tournament in less than an hour just so he could get out of there.

Mexico’s Ignacio Moron is the latest in a long line of players to take down the $10,300 Super MILLION$ online at GGPoker. Moron was one of 171 entrants that fought it out for the lion’s share of the $1,710,000 prize pool, and was the last player standing once the dust had settled. Moron’s reward? Glory, bragging rights, and the not-so-small matter of $347,576 in prize money.

GGPoker Super MILLION$ Final Table Results

The first player busted 15 minutes into the final table’s action. With blinds of 20,000/40,000/5,000a, Moron min-raised to 80,000 under the gun, Zhao Zi Long three-bet to 260,000 in the cutoff, only for “LJoseph62” to four-bet to 520,000 from the big blind. Moron folded, Long shoved for 1,208,080, and LJoseph62 snap-called. It was pocket queens for Long, which were up against ace-king. A king on the flop sent Long to the rail.

Russia’s Andrei “Mr-Doberman” Nikonorov was the next player heading to the showers. Rodrigo Sirichuk min-raised to 100,000 from under the gun before instantly calling when Nikonorov three-bet all-in for 754,680 from a couple of seats across. Sirichuk showed pocket kings, which were crushing his opponent’s pocket nines. The kings remained true, and the final table was now down to seven players.

GGPoker’s $50M GTD Bounty Hunters Series is BIGGER and BETTER Than Ever Before

Those seven became six with the elimination of Aleks “JustaMortal” Dimitrov, who had let his stack dwindle to a shade over four big blinds. That super short stack went into the middle with ace-deuce under the gun, and Moron called from the small blind with pocket tens. The five community cards provided no drama, and the field was cut ever shorter.

Samuel “vivaegipto” Bernabeu busted in sixth and collected the tournament’s first six-figure haul. Bernabeu shoved for only three big blinds with what turned out to be ace-six, and Moron called in the big blind with queen-four. The door card was an ace, but the board ran with four cards to a Broadway straight, gifting Moron the pot and sending Bernabeu home.

The other finalists breathed a sigh of relief when Wiktor Malinowski fell by the wayside. LJoseph62 min-raised to 160,000 with pocket nines before calling the 803,312 shove from the dangerous Malinowski in the big blind. Malinowski turned over a pair of sevens, both players flopped a boat, but that was no good for Malinowski.

A huge hand went down immediately after Malinowski busted. It started with a raise to 215,000 from Jack Salter and a three-bet to 550,000 from LJoseph62. Salter responded with a four-bet jam worth 3,117,786, and LJoseph62 called after a little deliberation. Salter held ace-jack and needed to improve against the ace-king of LJoseph62. Salter did not improve and he headed for the rail while LJoseph62 claimed a narrow chip lead.

Third place went to Brazilian star Sirichuk, who busted at the hands of Moron when he could not let go of his pocket aces. Moron raised to 420,000 from the small blind with ace-queen, and Sirichuk decided to lay a trap and simply flat-call with pocket aces. Sirichuk’s plans backfired when the flop came down with two queens, gifting Moron trips. Moron led for 221,250, and Sirichuk called. The king of hearts turn put two hearts on the board, and Moron bet 331,875. Again, Sirichuk called. The jack of hearts completed the board, putting a possible straight and flush out there. Moron bet 1,680,000, and Sirichuk called off the 1,503,391 he had behind, only to realise he had the worst hand by some distance.

GGPoker TwitchSquad’s Hristivoje Pavlovic on Taking Down Big Fields and Hunting Big Scores

That last hand gave Moron an 11,307,899 to 5,792,101 chip advantage over LJoseph62, and Moron had one hand on the huge top prize. LJoseph62 turned the tables on his opponent before Moron fought back and reclaimed the lead. Neither player could shake the other off until LJoseph62 raised to 368,000 at the 80,000/160,000/20,000a level with nine-seven of diamonds, and Moron called with king-deuce of clubs. A four-three-three rainbow flop saw Moron check-call LJoseph62’s 248,320 bet. The king of diamonds turn gave LJoseph62 a flush draw, but Moron top pair. LJoseph62 over-bet the pot to the tune of 1,500,000, but Moron was going nowhere and he check-called. The river was an offsuit ace, and LJoseph62 continued his triple-barrel bluff when checked to with another overbet, one worth 5,129,244, which left him only 160,000 chips behind. Moron called and it was essentially game over.

The very next hand, LJoseph62 was all-in with queen-deuce against jack-five. A queen on the flop looked to have secured a double for LJoseph62, but running cards improved Moron to an unlikely wheel straight! LJoseph62 finished in second place only two weeks after finishing third; they are edging closer to a victory. Second place came with $213,685, while Moron banked $347,576 for his impressive victory.

The PokerStars EPT has returned to London for the first time in eight years. With new tournaments, new scenery and much more; we sent our own @Bittker to document his experience.

This is Part One of his journey.

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Another day of action in the PokerStars European Poker Tour London £5,300 EPT Main Event wrapped up after five levels of play and saw Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel bagging 955,000 chips among the 25 remaining players.

The legendary Seidel, who had a red-hot run at EPT Barcelona this summer that included a second-place finish in the €100K Super High Roller for €1,286,490, is chasing a Triple Crown with nine World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and a WPT (World Poker Tour) on his poker resume.

Seidel, who ended the day in spectacular fashion with a set-over-set double up through Day 2 chip leader Julien Sitbon, will have his work cut out for him as there were plenty of other top crushers who survived Day 3, including fellow high-rollers Ben Heath and Marton Czuczor, as well as EPT London Ladies Event champ Jessica Pilkington and £2,200 UKIPT High Roller runner-up Roman Hrabec, who bagged the chip lead with a stack of 1,900,000.

£5,300 EPT Main Event Top 10 Chip Counts

Plenty of Big Names Fall During Day 3

The field of 80 entries that started the day steadily dwindled down as plenty of big names dropped out of the competition.

Team PokerStars Pro Ramon Colillas was eliminated early in the day in a six-bet pot where his pocket jacks were pipped by the Ladies of Conor Beresford, who himself busted later in the evening when his pocket tens couldn’t survive a flip against the ace-queen of Benjamin Pollak.

The luscious-locked Beresford has had an impressive series that included a runner-up finish in the £1,100 UKIPT Main Event to none other than WSOP Main Event champion Martin Jacobson, who joined the Brit in the Day 3 field and before being eliminated in a straight versus straight cooler as the night wound down.

Other big names who fell during Day 3 include Adrian Mateos, Gianluca Speranza and Day 1 chips leaders Ole Schemion, Luis Faria and Henrik Hecklen, who is fresh off a victory in the £50,000 EPT London Super High Roller for £652,700.

Day 4 will commence on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at noon. The top prize of £664,400 awaits the winner in the six-day tournament that is slated to wrap up on Oct. 28.

Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team is close by and ready to report on the rest of the event ahead of the crowning of the first EPT London Main Event champion in eight years. Check out the live reporting team’s coverage of other EPT London events in the meantime.

The 888poker XL Retro Main Event drew in a crowd of 2,162 players who created a guarantee-busting $508,070 prize pool. “raw_dawg” is the player who gets to call themselves the Main Event champion and who is now $70,165 richer than a few days ago.

“raw_dawg” came into the nine-handed final table with the chip lead in tow and emerged a worthy winner after a little over two hours of play. The champion kept their cool even when there were a few technical hiccups attempting to throw a spanner in the works, and they will now forever be part of 888poker’s long and illustrious history.

XL Retro Main Event Final Table Standings

“iNFOsHOVE” was the first of the finalists to find air where their chips once stood. The second-shortest stack open-shoved with king-ten and could not win the coinflip against the pocket eights of “Rochinh2011.”

Eighth place and the tournament’s last four-figure prize went to “Illraise8.” Just like the previous elimination, the exit hand was a coinflip, Illraise8 holding king-eight and racing against the pocket fours in the hand of “brubsb.” The fours held and Illraise8 was gone.

Rochinh2011 found themselves down to ten big blinds when they looked down at king-queen. They ripped in their stack, only for “kryingkid” to wake up with the dominating ace-king two seats across. Neither player improved their hand, and Rochinh2011 fell by the wayside.

A huge pot went down during the 45th level of the tournament, which altered how things were panning out. A near six-million chip pot went to kryingkid after the Brazilian’s pocket jacks remained best against the ace-king of brubsb. Kryingkid soared to the top of the chip counts and now had almost double the number of chips as any of his opponents.

9saulte46 Takes Down the 888poker XL Retro Super High Roller

The field was whittled further when “DragoDanzig” and raw_dawg clashed. The former got their stack in good with ace-ten versus king-ten of clubs, but raw-dawg improved to a flush to leave only four players in the hunt for the title and the $70,164 top prize.

Those four became three after the untimely demise of “crizelda” at the hands of raw_dawg. Crizelda’s ace-king needed some help to beat raw_dawg’s pocket sixes but that help never arrived, and crizelda had to make do with a fourth-place finish.

Heads-up was set when a very short-stacked “mylly8” lost out as both active players checked down the hand to ensure their elimination. Raw_dawg held a near three-to-one lead over kryingkid going into heads-up, but that did not stop the duo from discuss a potential deal. However, they could not agree on the numbers and play continued.

Kryingkid clawed their way into the lead after winning a few of the early confrontations but then raw_dawg’s queens held against ace-six to put the ball firmly in raw_dawg’s favor. It was all over soon after with raw_dawg shoving with pocket threes and kryingkid calling with queen-ten suited. The board did not even hint at helping kryingkid and they headed into the night with the $51,213 consolation prize, leaving raw_dawg to bank $70,164 and the title of champion.

October 26, 2022

Through the many locations, from New Orleans to Dubai, use your skill and knowledge of Texas Hold’em poker to beat the other players and become champion!

Collect rings, earn more coins, and level up to become one of the top 100 leaders on the leaderboard, so, how far can you travel on WSOP?

What is the Champion’s Circuit?

Across the various locations which you’re able to explore and travel through the different levels of progress, this is what the champion’s circuit consists of.

Progressing worldwide through various locations, starting with 750,000 chips, the prizes you’re able to progress can win you billions of chips.

Game Locations of the WSOP

Starting in New Orleans, travel around the world and progress throughout the champion’s circuit.

This is another opportunity to be able to gain more experience points and chips enabling you to progress to more locations and even bigger games.

Among the games of Texas Hold’em, you can utilize your skills and knowledge to see how far you’re able to make it through the different locations!

New Orleans

In the first location, starting in New Orleans, this is where you join four other players in a game of Texas Hold’em.

With the buy-in at 250,000 chips, the big blinds start at 10,000 chips and a small blind of 5,000 chips. Across this game, for the five players in action, the blinds are raised every minute and the stack starts at 800,000 chips.

In addition, if you play within the New Orleans tournaments, once you reach four wins, this is when you’re able to gain the New Orleans Champion ring, in addition to a 510,000-chip bonus!

For the bonus, this is in addition to the 750,000 chips which you will win for the first prize in the game of Texas Hold’em to be able to reach the next location.

Los Angeles

As you travel forwards to Los Angeles, continue playing Texas Hold’em, however growing the number of players which you’re able to play with. Instead of playing with 5 players, this is increased by a total of 9 players.

Similarly, to the New Orleans tournament, once you reach the four wins, you’re able to win the Los Angeles ring, in addition to a 4.1 million and x3 XP bonus which you’re able to achieve.

For the first prize, within the Los Angeles location, in addition to the bonuses you’re able to win, you can also gain 15 million chips to help you progress even further!

However, if you’re not able to become the first prize winner, for second and third you’re still able to gain prizes. For 2nd prize is at 3 million chips, and the 3rd prize is at 900,000 chips.

With a starting stack of 2,000,000 chips, the blinds start at 10K/20K, through this game of Texas Hold’em, the blinds are raised every 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Rio

Throughout the tropical forests and beaches, as you reach Rio, this is where you can indulge in another game of Texas Hold’em through 5 players.

In comparison to Los Angeles, for the prizes within the competition, there is one first prize, however, this is a huge prize to win. Through the prize of 60 million chips, this is what is up for grabs!

With the blinds raising every 1 minute and 30 seconds, the blinds also start with a small blind of 50,000 chips and a big blind of 100,000 chips.

With the start starting at 10 million chips, you are able to get involved in this game through the buy-in of 20 million chips.

As mentioned above, there is a prize of 60 million chips. However, in addition to that prize, through the 4 wins of the Rio tournament, you can gain 26 million chips as a ring bonus!

Macau

Reintroducing the 9-player game of Texas Hold’em, this is where you can explore the factors in the tournament of Macau.

When you’re wanting to join this tournament in Macau, you’ll be able to join with a 120 million chip buy-in. For the blinds, the small blind starts at 250,000 chips, and the big blind starts at 500,000 chips – this is in addition to the blinds being raised every 1 minute 30 seconds.

In this game, the stack starts at 50 million chips, so have you what it takes to win?

If you have got what it takes and you come out on top, for the 3rd prize, you’ll receive 36 million chips and for the 2nd prize, you’ll be awarded 120 million chips.

However, if you truly have what it takes and reach the top, this is where you’ll receive the top prize. For first place, you’ll be awarded 600 million chips – enabling you to indulge yourself to even more games!

If you enjoy playing the Macau tournament, and if you reach four wins within this game, you will gain the tournament ring and the ring bonus of 110,000,000 chips!

Monaco

Among the Texas Hold’em game of 5 players, you can be one of those players, and join the party with the buy-in for 625 million chips.

Being raised every 1 minute and 30 seconds, the blinds start with the small blind at 5 million chips and the big blind at 10 million chips – this is in addition to the stack starting at 1 billion chips!

However, if you’re able to beat the other locations so far and reach Monaco and beat this place as well, this is where you’ll gain the 1st prize of 1.8 billion chips!

As you show off your expertise, if you’re able to beat Monaco four times, this is where you’ll gain the bonus! With the winnings of the tournament ring, you’ll also gain 640 million with the ring bonus.

Dubai

As you reach the final destination, this is where you reach the biggest buy-ins, which come with equally large prizes to be won! Ensuring that your skills, knowledge, and experience are at the forefront of this large game is crucial.

Joining within a 5-player game of Texas Hold’em, continuously experienced from the other locations in the circuit, this is where it all comes down to play.

Through the blinds, they start with the small blind at 50 million chips and the big blind at 100 million chips with them being raised every minute and a half.

If you have the skill and ability to make it all the way through the end of the locations in the many games of Texas Hold’em, this is where you’ll reach the best games to be able to level up.

Through gaining 1st prize, this is where you’ll gain 4.5 billion chips enabling you to continue your competition through different events and many more times.

In addition, if you can beat the circuit in Dubai four times, you’ll receive 1.3 billion chips, so why not see if you can reach the leaderboard?

Where Can You Play the Champion’s Circuit?

As you travel around the world within this Champion’s Circuit, one of the positives is that you don’t need to travel to interact with these games on the WSOP.

When wanting to join these games, you can get a bonus of 1,000,000 chips when registering on WSOP via PokerNews.

Last week, Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia played host to the PokerStars Road to PSPC. The event awarded a Platinum Pass to the 2023 PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC), and it was New Jersey resident Vladimir Grechnikov, a deep-sea fisherman, who came out on top as the big winner, taking home the Platinum Pass package to the PSPC on top of the first prize of $60,000.

“Incredible man, I have no words for this, I’m totally speechless, this is a dream come true,” said the 34-year-old champ. “I watched my friend’s dad quit his job and start playing professionally, and I picked up a few books of my own, played a couple of small tournaments in basements and started playing online, and took it from there.”

The $360 buy-in Road to PSPC Philadelphia attracted 1,598 entries, which more than doubled the $200,000 guarantee by creating a $487,390 prize pool.

According to The Hendon Mob, Grechnikov now has over $200,000 in lifetime tournament earnings. His latest $59,867 prize was actually the second-largest of his career as Grechnikov previously won the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Seminole Coconut Creek Main Event for $80,268 back in April.

Road to PSPC Philadelphia Final Table Results

_{*Also won a Platinum Pass valued at $30,000.}

Others to cash the tournament were Tewodros Habte (10th – $5,990), Michael Marder (13th – $4,630), Peter Palko (20th – $2,949), Alexander Wiggins (28th – $1,745), Keith Crowder (34th – $1,745), Marilyn Matthews (42nd – $1,452), and Kevin Beavers (55th – $1,111).

Vladimir Grechnikov Wins RunGood Poker Series Main Event At Seminole Casino Coconut Creek

Just the Latest Pennsylvania Winner

Grechnikov followed in the footsteps of Pennsylvania’s Rishva Iyer, who earlier this month claimed a Platinum Pass of her own. The 24-year-old Philadelphian earned the pass by topping a field of 120 players in the first-ever $200 buy-in Road to PSPC Women’s Event at Live! Casino.

“I’m like a reg here at Live! So I’m always checking the Bravo (app) for tournaments and stuff,” Iyer told Team PokerStars Pro Jen Shahade in a winner’s interview. “And I saw there was a Ladies Event and I was like, I can’t miss this. I have to play it.”

Next Chance at a Platinum Pass

Players will have another shot at a Platinum Pass on October 27 as the PokerStars Road to PSPC continues at Pittsburgh Live! In Greensburg. Another $360 buy-in tournament will run October 27-30, and while there is no guarantee attached, it’s sure to be a big field as a coveted Platinum Pass awaits the winner.

Taking place in January 2023 at the luxury Baha Mar hotel in the sun-drenched Bahamas, the Platinum Pass package, worth $30,000, grants an all-expenses paid trip comprising of the following:

• Buy-in to the $25,000 PSPC
• Six nights hotel accommodation for winner and a guest in a 5-star hotel
• Airport transfer
• $1,900 in expenses
• Platinum Pass Winner experiences during the event

Players can register for all events on-site, with more information available here.