One Huge Blind to Champ: Nikolaos Lampropoulos Wins WSOPP $25,000 Excessive Curler PLO ($871,600)

The inaugural 2023 World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) Paradise on the five-star Atlantis Resort & On line casino concluded one of many busiest days of the collection to date. A trio of gold bracelet winners was topped on Friday night time and the final participant to raise the {hardware} occurred to be cash-game specialist Nikolaos Lampropoulos from Greece.

He did so in a relatively outstanding trend in Occasion #5: $25,000 Excessive Curler PLO, which drew a area of 140 entries for a $3,500,000 prize pool. With 22 hopefuls nonetheless within the combine, Lampropoulos misplaced a giant pot throughout the three-hour-long cash bubble and was right down to fewer than one full large blind. Nonetheless, the Greek secured a number of double-ups and finally got here out on high of a short-lived heads-up duel with Dan Shak.

“I do not actually care concerning the bracelet and all … I care about money, and this one was actually good.”

“We each already received,” Shak stated with a giant smile on his face earlier than the heads-up duel began and he added, “I used to be much more fortunate,” regardless of Lampropoulos having staged an unimaginable comeback already. The true “chip and a chair” success story then concluded fewer than ten minutes later when a setup hand noticed Lampropoulos spike a flush on the river. Each gamers flopped the identical two pair with redraws on the flip, at which level all of the chips went into the center.

The gold bracelet was not a very powerful factor for the Greek, who earned a high prize of $871,600 to greater than double his event cashes on the reside poker circuit.

“I do not actually care concerning the bracelet and all, [nor] the celebrity, I care about money, and this one was actually good,” Lampropoulos remarked throughout the winner interview. Shak was as soon as extra denied the victory as he needed to accept a comfort prize of $537,900.

5 of the final 9 contenders had been additionally aiming to enhance upon their earnings due to GGPoker’s WSOP Paradise Parlay promotion. Isaac Haxton was eradicated in ninth place and missed out on a $25,000 money prize courtesy of the main on-line poker operator by one spot, as solely the official remaining desk counts.

Yuri Dzivielevski, Michael Moncek, Nick Schulman, and Tyler Brown had been the opposite 4 with a minimum of two remaining tables and one bracelet win throughout the 2023 WSOP in Las Vegas to their title. All of them locked up $25,000 on high however missed out on a possible $100,000 for a victory, a minimum of in the interim.

WSOPP Occasion #5: $25,000 Excessive Curler PLO Remaining Desk Outcomes

Winner’s Response

“I primarily deal with money video games and often play some mid to high-level tournaments, primarily PLO. Final yr, I largely performed maintain’em tournaments and in 2023 I switched again to Omaha tournaments,” Lampropoulos talked about. He was supported by a small however boisterous rail from his house nation, all of which he considers as “maintain’em execs” regardless of Ioannis Angelou-Konstas having completed in 16th place for $47,600.

The rail performed an essential issue for Lampropoulos, who can be well-connected to a number of Greek high-stakes PLO money recreation specialists.

“It’s a unbelievable environment, I believe I used to be the one one with associates on the rail for this remaining desk and it was excellent that they supported me so shut close by, chanting Niko Niko after I received a giant pot,” a now relaxed Lampropoulos confirmed. Within the second of victory, he additionally identified that one in all poker’s most sought-after {hardware} was not a very powerful factor on his thoughts.

“I do not care concerning the glory of the bracelet or one thing, I solely care concerning the cash and this was essential for me. It was the primary $25,000 Occasion I’ve performed and perhaps I’ll play in additional of them and even larger buy-ins sooner or later,” the champion declared.

It was in no way a simple journey to victory regardless of beginning the ultimate day’s journey with a “stack of thirty large blinds”. Through the intensive bubble, the Greek misplaced a giant pot after which stored folding till he was right down to fewer than one large blind. A collection of double-ups introduced him again in rivalry and he thought-about the double-up by way of Moncek initially of the ultimate desk as a pivotal second.

“From there on, I may use my chips to place extra strain and play my recreation,” Lampropoulos talked about and he certainly turned way more energetic thereafter en path to changing into the most recent WSOP gold bracelet winner. He will definitely compete within the upcoming $5,000 Important Occasion Championship and the $10,000 PLO Championship.

Motion of the Remaining Day

The ultimate day introduced again 32 hopefuls out of a 140-entry-strong area, all aiming to safe a portion of the seven-figure prize pool. Early casualties exterior of the cash included such large names as Chino Rheem, Shaun Deeb, Alex Foxen, Chris Brewer, and Daniel Dvoress.

Likewise, Adam Hendrix and Keith Lehr got here shut however in the end missed out on one other WSOP money. It was then Jeffrey Davoud who turned the bubble boy in a curler coaster showdown in opposition to Michael Moncek.

As soon as the cash bubble had burst, six of the remaining contenders had a minimum of two remaining tables and one gold bracelet in Las Vegas earlier this yr on their resume, giving them a shot at an additional payday of as much as $100,000 due to GGPoker’s WSOP Paradise Parlay promotion. Solely Chad Eveslage got here up wanting reaching the unofficial remaining desk, which become a tense affair with a median beneath twenty large blinds.

9 hopefuls returned from the dinner break and the very first hand introduced fireworks. Haxton received it in with an ace-high rundown in opposition to the aces of Schulman and got here up second-best regardless of two golf equipment on the flop to overlook out on a $25,000 bonus for now.

The essential all-in showdowns thereafter had been stuffed with a curler coaster of feelings. Lampropoulos scored a vital double by way of Moncek when his open-ended straight and flush draw hit on the flip. He then knocked out Dzivielevski in outstanding trend, spiking a lucky river suckout in opposition to the Brazilian.

Derwiche claimed the stack of Wantman and Shak got here out on high of a spectacular three-way all-in in opposition to Moncek and Lampropoulos when his kings rivered a full home. Schulman fell to Brown, who then misplaced most of his chips with a gutsy bluff and have become the following casualty.

That ensured a maiden WSOP gold bracelet winner and it could be Lampropoulos who earned the cherry on high. Derwiche’s demise was additionally in gorgeous trend when a flopped wheel was crushed by operating hearts. Heads-up play took a mere eight minutes, as one other setup hand ended the event simply earlier than midnight.