We’re through the first weekend of the 2019 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and 15 enormous tournaments, which began on Sunday, came to their conclusion on Monday. How did everyone do? Very well actually. Full details in our latest round-up from the WCOOP tables.
TODAY’S HEADLINES
• Fifteen tournaments wrap on first WCOOP Sunday
• Two largest tournaments so far, with $1.3 million prize pools
• Addamo and Joukimainen among winners
• British based players place 1-2-3 in Sunday Warm-Up
• Fifteen more tournaments begin on Monday
BEHIND THE HEADLINES
• The biggest winner of the WCOOP weekend, and the biggest winner of WCOOP 2019 so far, was Michael “imluckbox” Addamo, now representing Thailand having moved there from his native Australia. A regular on the high roller live circuit, Addamo is also a long-time online crusher, and previously won a SCOOP title in 2006. This victory banked Addamo $258,952 as he beat the 272-entry field in WCOOP-13-H, the $5,200 Sunday Million high roller. Addamo beat Finland’s Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden into second place.
• The $1.36 million prize pool in WCOOP-13-H was the second biggest of the festival so far, but it was a shade less than the Sunday Million proper, also known as WCOOP-13-M with a $530 buy-in. In that one, Belgium’s “XMorphineX” prevailed, two years since he finished third in the WCOOP $2,100 Sunday Million, banking slightly more than $200K. This weekend, having gone two spots better, he picked up another $202,420. That was the biggest slice of the $1.385 million prize pool.
• China’s “h280138” won his country’s second tournament of the week, and to do so held off one of the world’s best: David “dpeters17” Peters. “h280138″‘s victory was worth $91,219.81, with $44K of that coming thanks to a mighty haul of bounties.
• There was a British clean sweep in WCOOP-12-H, the $1,050 Sunday Warm-Up, where the Union Flag appeared beside the names of all top three finishers. That said, a tiny bit of research reveals that the UK is the principal beneficiary of Spanish players now setting up base in the UK to play in the global .com player pool. The title winner Andrés “wisopekeño!” González, who took $125,950, is supplanted to the UK from Spain, while the runner up “deivid29” ($101,130, after a heads-up deal) has a Twitter account that name-checks London and Zaragoza. is a Spaniard based in the UK. In the absence of any other information, let’s say that “gynaikologos“, who came third for $70,298, is a full Brit.
Joni Jouhkimainen in fine form in Barcelona
• In the high buy-in 5-Card PLO, Finland’s Joni “bustoville” Jouhkimainen prevailed from a Nordics-heavy final table to win the $85K top prize. There were three Swedes at the six-max final, which also featured Joryt “TheCleaner11” Van Hoof, but “bustoville” closed it out to add WCOOP triumph to the SCOOP title he won in 2016. Jouhkimainen’s largest live cash, from $3.5 million live earnings, remains the near $500K he picked up for third place at the memorable EPT Barcelona final table of 2012.
• A number of players in this year’s series so far have won titles many years after their first success — and overnight Ireland’s “adiprene1” became another. In 2011, “adiprene1” won a SCOOP title in Omaha Hi/Lo, and last night he also won WCOOP-14-M 5-Card PLO, worth $28,352.
TODAY’S RESULTS
| Tournament | Entries | Prize pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
| WCOOP-11-L: $5.50 NLHE PKO Mini Sunday Kick-Off | 14,180 | $69,482 | Gustavo_spb | Brazil | $5,849.53† |
| WCOOP-11-M: $55 NLHE PKO Sunday Kick-Off | 7,110 | $355,500 | GoTelesGO | Brazil | $31,285.55† |
| WCOOP-11-H: $530 NLHE PKO | 1,194 | $597,000 | h280138 | China | $91,219.81† |
| WCOOP-12-L: $11 NLHE 8-Max | 13,570 | $132,986 | GhRibeiro | Brazil | $16,644.44 |
| WCOOP-12-M: $109 NLHE 8-Max, Sunday Warm-Up | 4,810 | $481,000 | Ebaaa11 | Russia | $68,478.97 |
| WCOOP-12-H: $1,050 NLHE 8-Max, Sunday Warm-Up | 770 | $770,000 | wisopekeño! | UK | $125,950.29* |
| WCOOP-13-L: $55 NLHE Mini Sunday Million | 11,275 | $563,750 | rmullen | Canada | $62,763.77* |
| WCOOP-13-M: $530 NLHE Sunday Million | 2,770 | $1,385,000 | XMorphineX | Belgium | $202,420.81 |
| WCOOP-13-H: $5,200 NLHE High Roller | 272 | $1,360,000 | imluckbox | Thailand | $258,952.34 |
| WCOOP-14-L: $22 5-Card PLO [6-Max] | 3,301 | $66,020 | Polarizing-1 | Austria | $9,494.11 |
| WCOOP-14-M: $215 5-Card PLO [6-Max] | 847 | $169,400 | adiprene1 | Ireland | $28,351.70 |
| WCOOP-14-H: $2,100 5-Card PLO [6-Max] | 220 | $440,000 | bustoville | Finland | $85,020.30 |
| WCOOP-15-L: $11 NLHE | 8,057 | $78,959 | guga 18735 | Brazil | $10,179.90* |
| WCOOP-15-M: $109 NLHE | 3,222 | $322,200 | DanielLUCKY | Sweden | $46,419.49 |
| WCOOP-15-H: $1,050 NLHE | 431 | $431,000 | roo_400 | Canada | $77,614.59 |
†inc. bounties
*denotes deal
STAT TRACKER
Events completed: 45
Entries so far: 214,458
Prize pools so far: $17,882,495
First prizes so far: $2,751,348.09
In-the-money finishers so far: 35,977
Tournaments starting today: 15
BINGO! BINGO! BINGO!
The PokerStars ambassadors are playing WCOOP bingo. And you can play too. Read Jason Kirk’s explainer of how you could be in for a $1,000 payday, without even playing any WCOOP events yourself!
TWITCH WATCH
Fintan “EasyWithAces” Hand‘s run to the final four tables of the WCOOP-15-M represented the best showing of a PokerStars ambassador in WCOOP so far. But he then found pocket eights and wasn’t sure if shoving was the correct move. But he shoved… (“MaxHendrix” went on to finish 17th for $1,572. Hand had to make do with $798.99.)
TOP TWEETS
Kat “ThePokerBaffer” Arnsby is well known for her ability to deal out blunt truisms about poker. Her experience of a Sunday night at the WCOOP tables will likely resonate:
Me, at 19:30:
Think I’ll have some WCOOP action and a few other tourneys.
My boss will understand if I roll in late tomorrow after I go deep tonight.
We work in poker, it’s all cool.Me, at 22:30:
Night then.
I’ll be at my desk by 7am. pic.twitter.com/titXVBHQ3h— Kat Arnsby (@ThePokerBaffer) September 9, 2019
Meanwhile consider this a trailer for Spraggy II, coming to your screens tonight:
In classic fashion I busted the $1050 WCOOP with 15 minutes left of Day 1 with AJ<TT. Cashed for ~$3,000. THE GOOD NEWS IS….Of 23,853 players in the $11 version of the same event I made Day 2 with 198 remaining!
See you all tomorrow for more high energy $11 minefield action. pic.twitter.com/hBad4fgry6
— Benj Spragg (@spraggy) September 10, 2019
ONGOING TOURNAMENTS
WCOOP-19: NLHE 4-Max – Buy-ins: $5.50, $55, $530
You can’t write the name Adam “Adamyid” Owen without preceding it with “mixed games specialist” but, after already winning a title this week in no limit hold’em, Owen is eyeing another in two-card chicken. He leads the 95 players left, from a field of 767 entries, in the $530 NLHE 4-Max tournament, which resumes today.
WCOOP-17: NLHE PKO – Buy-ins: $11, $109, $1,050
There’s still a long way to go in this one, with 80 players left in the high buy-in, and 145 in the medium and 198 in the low. But in addition to Spraggy’s hopes (he’s currently 167th overnight in the $11 event), there are some double champion prospects in the $1,050. Both Gleb “Ti0373” Tremzin and “XMorphineX” have big stacks, seeking to add to their trophy haul.
WCOOP-18: NL Omaha Hi/Lo – Buy-ins: $5.50, $55, $530
It’s surprising to have gone this far in a ‘COOP festival without yet mentioning Calvin “cal426888” Anderson, but he currently leads the $530 buy-in Omaha Hi/Lo, with 41 players left, and will continue his search for a customary title. Ari “BodogAri” Engel has already secured one runner-up spot in this year’s WCOOP, and he is currently in third.
COMING UP TODAY
Two huge hold’em tournaments to look out for this evening as the medium and high buy-ins of the Super Tuesday equivalent boasts two more $1 million guaranteed prize pools. Meanwhile, as all the no-limit-only advocates groan, the bat signal will have gone up above Terrence “unassigned” Chan‘s house for the first the Limit Hold’em events of the week. Chan previously won two limit SCOOP tournaments on the same night, and also has a fixed limit WCOOP title. He’s the one to beat. Oh, and Razz!
WCOOP-20: NLHE – Buy-ins: $11, $109, $1,050
WCOOP-21: Limit hold’em 6-Max – Buy-ins: $11, $109, $1,050
WCOOP-22: NLHE 8-Max Super Tuesday – Buy-ins: $55, $530, $5,200
WCOOP-23: Razz – Buy-ins: $11, $109, $1,050
WCOOP-24: NLHE 6-Max – Buy-ins: $22, $215, $2,100
PREVIOUS ROUND-UPS