WPT Online Series: Leo Fernandez Wins WPT Opener

The WPT Online Series crowned its first champions on May 4 as the Opener, Mini Opener and Knockout concluded. That quartet of winners walked away with almost $750,000 between them!

WPT #01 – Opener: $2M Gtd

Argentina’s Leo Fernandez got his hands on the massive $409,638 first-place prize in the $2 million guaranteed Opener.

The top 64 finishers received a slice of the $2,173,150 prize pool with the payout list reading like a who’s who of poker.

Such luminaries as Jorryt van Hoof, Ryan Riess, Adrian Mateos, and Patrik Antonius cashed. As did Sorel Mizzi, Mike Watson, Dario Sammartino, and Sami Kelopuro.

Michel Dattani was the final table’s first casualty. His eighth-place exit yielding a $36,943 score. Former November Niner Sylvain Loosli finished in seventh, Umut Kara in seventh and Stewart Kirby finished in fifth, collecting the $98,661 prize, the last payment not to weigh in at six-figures.

Istvan Birzdo finished in fourth for $139,081 before start of the day chip leader Joey Weissman fell in third for a $199,929 which set up a one-on-one battle between Fernandez and Zachary Clark.

The difference between first and second place was a huge $118,002 but the heads-up duo played out the tournament naturally. This meant Fernandez banked $409,638 for his victory while Clark had to make do with the still giant $291,636 second-place prize.

WPT #01 – Mini Opener: $500K Gtd

The only thing mini about the Mini Opener was the word in its name because 1,362 players piled in and created a $681,000 prize pool, $181,000 more than the advertised $500,000 guarantee.

Russia’s Evgeny Galakhov was the main beneficiary of this juicy prize pool because he was the last man standing. The Russian turned his $530 into $115,293 after defeating Ukraine’s Pavel Veksler heads-up. Veksler, although disappointed not to win, padded his bankroll with $81,992.

Before Galakhov won this event, dozens of the game’s elite grinders saw a return on their investments.

Michael Tureneic, our very own Patrick Leonard, Jeff Gross, Dzmitry Urbanovich and Joni Jouhkimainen, Niall Farrell, Jack Salter, and Benjamin Rolle all navigated their way into the money places.

WPT #02 – Knockout: $1M Gtd

Progressive Knockout tournaments are extremely popular and when you see results like this it is easy to see why.

A field of 501 entrants created a $1,002,000 prize pool in the $1M Gtd Knockout. This princely sum was split half between the top 64 finishers with the remaining 50% going on the heads of each and every player.

Bounties can and do grow massive in the higher buy-in PKO tournament and this event was no different. The champion, Germany’s Paul Hofer, actually won more bounty payments than prize money! Hofer collected $74,004 from the main prize pool plus $81,970 worth of bounties!

Part of those bounties were on the head of runner-up Niklas Astedt of Sweden. The Swede is the number one ranked online poker tournament player with some considering him to be online poker’s GOAT. Astedt had to settle for the $73,903 second-place prize plus $14,705 from the bounty prize pool.

WPT #02 – Mini Knockout: $500K Gtd

We may need to rethink calling any of the WPT Online Series tournaments Mini because the Mini Knockout was anything but. Some 2,548 players paid $215 to enter and created a $509,600 prize pool.

Brazilian star Vitor Dzivielenski secured the largest slice of this ample pie, namely $32,332 plus $25,354. The Brazilian defeated Poland’s Jakub Michalak heads-up for the title. The Pole, the champion of the International Stadiums Poker Tour at Wembley Stadium for $566,226 back in 2013, consoled himself with $32,280 and bolstered that prize with $5,434 worth of bounties.

WPT Online Series Events Taking Place Today

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