The $200 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em One Day event wasn’t one of the events that stood out on the WPT Global Festival Panama schedule, yet it has hit the headlines. It attracted 138 entrants and had a $27,600 prize pool, which are hardly newsworthy headlines. However, the fact that Philipp Gruissem was the last man standing is.
Gruissem has over $11.5 million in live poker tournament earnings, enough for 12th place on Germany’s all-time money list. According to The Hendon Mob Database, Gruissem last cashed in December 2023, when he reached the money in the $5,300 NLHE World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise Main Event for $8,500.
When The Hendon Mob Database next updates, Gruissem’s last cash will be a victory in the $200 One Day event, a win worth $5,650.
WPT Global Festival Panama One Day Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philipp Gruissem | Germany | $5,650 |
| 2 | Alexis Zhu | Panama | $3,500 |
| 3 | Carlos Uribe | Colombia | $2,400 |
| 4 | Fernando Arias | Dominican Republic | $1,800 |
| 5 | Christian Correa | Colombia | $1,400 |
| 6 | Daniela Orta | Venezuela | $1,100 |
| 7 | Carlos Aguad | Peru | $900 |
| 8 | Mike Chapman | United States | $750 |
| 9 | Estefan Foster | Canada | $600 |
Gruissem advanced to the nine-handed final table with 1,800,000 chips, almost twice as many as any other player. With blinds of 15,000/30,000, Gruissem had 60 big blinds, far more experience than anyone else, so it may have been inevitable that he would ultimately come out on top.
Canadian Estefan Foster was the first to fall, his quest to improve his position as the shortest stack falling flat.
Mike Chapman crashed out in eighth before Carlos Aguad and Daniela Orta busted. Orta had doubled through Fernando Arias with pocket jacks versus ace-king but couldn’t build on that momentum and bowed out in sixth.
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Fifth place went to Christian Correa of Colombia. This was their third in-the-money finish in Panama, having cashed in the WSOP International Circuit Panama $1,000 Mystery Bounty and $500 Closer ring events back in May.
Gruissem claimed his first final table scalp when his ace-nine remained the best hand against Arias’ dominated ace-six, to leave only three hopefuls in contention for the title. He then eliminated Carlos Uribe with king-ten against king-eight to take a massive chip lead into the heads-up clash with Alexis Zhu.
Zhu, a Panamanian, would have made a worthy champion, but overcoming a huge chip disadvantage and outmaneuvering a player of Gruissem’s caliber was always going to be a tall order. Gruissem came out on top after a brief one-on-one battle and claimed the $5,650 top prize before posing for the winner’s photograph.
According to Poker Noticias, Gruissem is the chip leader in the $350 No-Limit Hold’em PKO event, where only 18 of the 172 field remain in contention for the $7,900 top prize and any bounties collected along the way.
Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor