Thanksgiving and the gradual tapering off of events in the lead up to Christmas mean that Big Winners aren’t as abundant as they’ve been in previous weeks. However, the desire to play poker is eternal, whatever the season. With this being true, we’ve scoured the tournament scene and found another bevy of big winners. Topping this week’s list of champions is the great Greek, Georgios Sotiropoulos. He won the Merit Poker Vintage Style main event, but he wasn’t the only player to bank a six-figure score. To see who else we’ve shone a spotlight on, scroll down for CardsChat’s Big Winners of the Week ending Sunday, November 27.
Georgios Sotiropoulos
Merit Poker Vintage Style Main Event
Merit Crystal Cove Hotel & Resort
$384,150
Sotiropoulos has been on an epic run in 2022, cashing in 28 live and online events. As consistent as he’s been, the Greek pro hadn’t quite gotten over the line in first place. All that changed on Sunday night when he closed out the latest Merit Poker main event. More than 650 players entered the $3,300 tournament, but only nine could make the November 28 final table. Mustapha Kanit, who finished third in a high roller event during the series, was a strong contender for the title at the start of play. However, as the cards flew, three-time WSOP bracelet winner Sotiropoulos took control and, eventually, claimed the title after beating Robert Sanchez heads-up.
Frank Lagodich
World Series of Poker Circuit Chicago
Grand Victoria Casino
$275,896
It was a tournament of firsts for Lagodich. He made the trip to Chicago for the first-ever WSOP Circuit event at Grand Victoria Casino. A total of 1,068 entrants did the same, which pushed the $1,700 tournament’s prize pool over the $1.7 million mark. That meant Lagodich banked almost $300K by winning his first WSOP Circuit ring. His final table performance on November 21 also earned Lagodich his third live victory of 2022.
Maxime Chilaud
Merit Poker Vintage Style High Roller
Merit Crystal Cove Hotel & Resort
$184,000
Chilaud came through a tough final table that included high rollers Mustapha Kanit and Farid Jattin to win his second Merit Poker event of 2022. The Frenchman won an $880 bounty event at the Cypriot casino in March but stepped up a few levels last week by anteing up in a $5,300 high roller. The event attracted 155 entrants but, once the betting was done, Chilaud stood victorious with a trophy and his biggest-ever payday.
Niklas Astedt
High Roller Main Event
GGPoker
$90,505
In poker, Sunday usually means a ton of big online poker tournaments. GGPoker had its $1,050 High Roller tournament on Sunday, and it was a Swedish high roller who took it down. Niklas Astedt bested an online field of 495 to take home over $90K, beating the likes of Benjamin Tan and Antonio Heredia at the final table. It’s just the latest result in a very successful year for Astedt, who finished 29th in the $20M guaranteed event in September for nearly $80K. The Swedish pro has nearly $2 million in poker earnings.
Jeffery Lennon
RunGood Poker Series Season Finale Opener
TV Poker Room at Thunder Valley Casino
Lincoln, California
$78,040
Lennon wanted to play for all the marbles on Sunday in the RunGood season finale’s first event. The American made it to the $1,000 tournament’s final table with a healthy stack and wasn’t interested in doing a 9-way ICM deal. That proved to be a profitable decision as he seized the chip lead midway through the session. With everyone else seemingly interested in laddering up, Lennon pressured his opponents at every opportunity. Eventually, a flopped set allowed him to scoop the final pot, top a field of 456 players, and take home almost $80K without compromising.
Templar
Deutsche Meisterschaft Main Event
King’s Resorts Rozvadov
€70,938
($74,386)
He may have been referred to as Templar throughout the event (for reasons unknown), but the Greek grinder certainly made a name for himself in the Deutsche Meisterschaft main event. The €2,200 ($2,300) tournament attracted 145 entries, which meant Templar was playing for the lion’s share of €275,500 ($289,000). A final day of action last Tuesday saw 15 players return, but only one walk away with the title. Despite Levan Rcheulishvili and Max Bennet Kruse trying to take the title back home to Germany, Templar came through to win it for Greece.
Daniel Smyth and Kevin Taylor contributed to this report. Know a big winner we missed? tips@cardschat.com
