Poker is a game of mixed fortunes and this week’s collection of big winners have bagged big payouts through a combination of luck, skill, and everything in between. From the top of a tree and a double victory by Michal Addamo to an entire poker room picking up a five-figure bad beat jackpot, we’ve covered the entire spectrum of poker performers. So, without any further ado, here are our Big Winners for the week ending Sunday, Sept. 19.
Michael Addamo
Poker Masters Events #11 and #12
PokerGo Studio
$1,840,000
($680,000 + $1,160,000)
Addamo has been one of poker’s best tournament players for the better part of five years now, and showed why again last week with back-to-back wins in the Poker Masters. Saturday’s victory in the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em event saw him defeat 33 players to win $680,000. On the same day he was taking down that event, Addamo was anteing up in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em showdown. He ended the first session with a stack large enough to dominate Sunday’s final table. Although runner-up Nick Petrangelo put up a strong fight, Addamo was on a roll. With the 29-player field left trailing in his wake, the Australian picked up his second title in two days, along with another $1.1 million. That run of results not only confirmed Addamo’s status as a poker master, but earned him the series’ coveted purple jacket and an extra $50,000.
CrazyLissy
WCOOP High Main Event
PokerStars
$1,499,942
The $5,200 WCOOP High Main Event might have fallen short of hitting its $10 million guarantee, but CrazyLissy still had to overcome a field of 1,965 entrants to claim the title. The unknown grinder bought in once and exercised their right to reenter the tournament two additional times, but it was a $15,000 investment worth making. Wednesday’s final day started with Stevan Chew in the lead. At this stage in the tournament, CrazyLissy wasn’t in the running. But, a flurry of eliminations and a few damaging blows to Chew put the Russian in contention. Chew eventually faded and, at one point, it looked as though experienced pro Pascal Lefrancois might clinch the title. However, CrazyLissy wasn’t about to settle for second place or make a deal. A final push with a set of 10s earned them the final pot and the WCOOP Main Event title without splitting the remaining prize money.
Rok Gostisa
WPT WOC Main Event
Partypoker
$959,492
Gostisa can call himself a WPT World Champion after beating a stellar field in the latest World Online Championships Main Event. 1,178 players anted up in the $5,300 tournament, including high-stakes regulars Joao Simao, David Peters, and Talal Shakerchi. Despite the presence of those pros at Tuesday’s final table, Gostisa got it done with relative ease. The self-proclaimed “nerd” and member of Team 7, alongside Ali Imsirovic and Wataru Nippa, clinched his first major title thanks to a dramatic finish with pocket 10s. Despite being ahead of David Peters’ pocket sixes, a six on the flop left Gostisa in need of some help. That help duly arrived on the river in the form of a 10. With all the chips in his possession and no one left to beat, the Slovenian banked the biggest payday of his career, a replica Mike Sexton WPT Champions Club trophy, and a Hublot watch.
Andrea Ricci
WSOP Circuit Main Event
King’s Resort
€246,839
$291,882
Players might be turning their attention to the forthcoming WSOP in Las Vegas, but the brand has been making moves in Europe over the last few weeks. The latest WSOP Circuit event came to an end in the Czech Republic this week when Ricci took down the €1,700 ($2,000) main event. 912 players anted up at King’s Resort Rozvadov last Friday, but only Ricci remained on Tuesday. In the end, the fight for the ring came down to two Italians. Simone Lombardo put up a good fight, but Ricci wasn’t going to be denied his first WSOP Circuit title.
Stations Casinos’ Poker Players
Bad Beat Jackpot
Station Casino Boulder
$230,971
Losing a pot with quad aces would hurt in most situations, but last week, it proved to be lucky for one player. The unnamed player went to a showdown at a $2/$4 No-Limit Hold’em table and expected to scoop the $60 pot. However, when their opponent tabled a royal flush, everyone was in for a surprise. Although the aces lost, the hand triggered the casino’s bad beat jackpot. The losing player pocketed $34,646, while the unnamed player with the royal flush scooped the $60 pot and an extra $23,037. Everyone else at the table split $11,549, while the remaining 108 players in the poker room — and those in the poker rooms at Red Rocks and Stations Casino Santa Fe — shared $161,679 ($1,497 each)!
Maxx Coleman
Poker Masters Event #6
PokerGo Studio
$120,000
8-Game might not be everyone’s favorite variant, but Coleman has made it his niche in recent years. Focusing on the full gamut of poker variants served him well at the final table of the $10,0000 Poker Masters’ event. As expected, 30 of the world’s best players anted up last Sunday, but only five would make it into the money. Monday’s final table was a who’s who of poker, but Coleman proved his mixed-game skills are among the best in the world. After Jeremy Ausmus, Erik Sagstrom, and Stephen Chidwick all fell by the wayside, Coleman needed to make a low in Razz to secure victory. He duly hit a nine-eight-three hand to beat Chad Eveslage’s nine-eight-five and win his first Poker Masters title.
