The finish line for the 2023 WSOP Online is in sight, with just two more bracelets up for grabs before the series concludes on Tuesday, October 3. Still to play out is the $5,000 WSOP Main Event, which just passed its $25 million guarantee and looks to best its record-breaking prize pool from 2020. The $10 million guaranteed $10,000 GGMillion$ High Roller is also waiting to reach its conclusion, with Day 2 getting underway later today.
There have also been a trio of bracelets awarded over the last few days. Each of the latest winners picked up their first piece of WSOP hardware, with Enrique Rodriguez, Rodrigo Seiji and 2011 EPT Berlin Main Event champion Ben Wilinofsky being the fortunate winners.
Balaev Holds Main Event Chip Lead; More Than $2.6M for First
With the series in its final stretch, the conclusion of the Main Event inches closer as Day 2 for the tournament begins later today at 7 p.m. BST. The biggest story so far from the showstopper is that the $25 million guarantee has been surpassed and has the opportunity to become the biggest online poker tournament of all time as the final Day 1 flight is set to play out before Day 2 gets going.
The record, which stands at $27,559,500 from the 2020 WSOP Online Main Event, is under threat as $26,315,000 currently sits in the prize pool thanks to the 5,540 entries collected so far. For the new record to be set, that number must rise to at least 5,803.
As it stands, 642 players have navigated their way over the first hurdle. Viacheslav Balaev is the player who will enter the second session in pole position and will undoubtedly have his eyes on the $2,640,836 that has been allocated for the eventual champion. Of course, that figure is expected to rise with one Day 1 flight remaining.
Christopher Frank is hot on his heels and is the only other player with a stack worth more than 200 big blinds. The German has already been heads-up for a bracelet this series but came up short against Yuri Dzivielevski in the $10K PLO Championship. Can he go one better this time around?
As mentioned, Day 2 gets underway at 7 p.m. on October 2. The day will end when the final table has been determined. There will be a live stream of the final table with cards-up coverage on GGPoker.TV, with the broadcast set to commence at 6 p.m. UTC on Tuesday, October 3.
#28: $5,000 WSOP Online MAIN EVENT Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viacheslav Balaev | Russia | 2,770,492 | 231 |
| 2 | Christopher Frank | Germany | 2,415,428 | 201 |
| 3 | Gergely Kulcsar | Hungary | 2,276,337 | 190 |
| 4 | “DeviLInMe” | Montenegro | 2,246,633 | 187 |
| 5 | Daniyar Aubakirov | Kazakhstan | 2,122,973 | 177 |
| 6 | “krxlkrxl53” | Austria | 2,107,591 | 176 |
| 7 | Jon Vallinas | Spain | 1,937,424 | 161 |
| 8 | Lukas Hafner | Austria | 1,964,207 | 164 |
| 9 | Aleksander Doan | Poland | 1,934,812 | 161 |
| 10 | “Crayola8” | Ukraine | 1,920,083 | 160 |
Here’s Your Chance to Win a WSOP Paradise Getaway to The Bahamas on GGPoker
Bounty Delight for Rodriguez
Spain’s Enrique Rodriguez is one of the recent winners from the series after he took down #30: $2,100 6-Handed Bounty for a bankroll boosting $207,600. Rodriguez collected $78,123 for the win and managed to secure a staggering $129,477 in bounty prizes to beef up his payout.
The Spaniard bested Andrii Derzhypilskyi in heads-up play to top the 976-entry field and lock up the lion’s share of the $1,952,000 prize pool.
Notable names to make the money but miss out on the final table included Ole Schemion (15th – $23,145), Dario Sammartino (44th – $7,108) and Alex Kulev (124th – $5,523)
#30: $2,100 6-Handed Bounty No-Limit Hold’em Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Bounty | Prize | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enrique Rodriguez | Spain | $129,477 | $78,123 | $207,600 |
| 2 | Andrii Derzhypilskyi | Ukraine | $49,746 | $77,929 | $127,675 |
| 3 | Fernando Nogami | Brazil | $49,016 | $61,948 | $110,964 |
| 4 | Arsenii Malinov | Mexico | $16,449 | $49,183 | $65,632 |
| 5 | Miguel Silva | Portugal | $12,969 | $39,049 | $52,018 |
| 6 | Ahmed Ibrahimi | France | $20,859 | $31,003 | $51,862 |
| 7 | Chris Klodnicki | Canada | $5,742 | $24,614 | $30,356 |
Wilinofsky Denies Simao to Win PLO High Roller
Canada’s Ben Wilinofsky took down the final Pot-Limit Omaha event of the series and picked up his maiden WSOP bracelet after reigning supreme in #31: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller. The EPT Main Event winner denied Joao Simao, who was looking for bracelet #3, to claim the $243,934 first-place prize.
https://twitter.com/BenWilinofsky/status/1708582497448231370
The 228-player field created a $1,083,000 prize pool and featured a star-studded final table with the likes of Dzivielevski, Sam Greenwood and Renan Bruschi in attendance.
Dzivielevski and Greenwood were the first names to depart the final table before the exits of Janne Peltoniemi and Eric Yanovsky set up three-handed play.
Wilinofsky was able to overcome the Brazilian duo of Bruschi and Simao and is now just a WPT Main Event title away from joining poker’s illusive Triple Crown club.
#31: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Wilinofsky | Canada | $243,934 |
| 2 | Joao Simao | Brazil | $176,369 |
| 3 | Renan Bruschi | Brazil | $127,519 |
| 4 | Eric Yanovsky | United States | $92,198 |
| 5 | Janne Peltoniemi | Finland | $66,661 |
| 6 | Sam Greenwood | Canada | $48,197 |
| 7 | Yuri Dzivielevski | Brazil | $34,848 |
Martirosian Wins WSOP Online $10K HU Championship; Vieira Gets Bracelet #3 in $25K GGMillion$
Seiji Ends WSOP Online on a High
Rodrigo Seiji is another crusher to have crossed their name off the best without a bracelet list in this series after winning the festival’s penultimate event.
In #32: $1,500 The Closer NLH, Seiji was the last player standing from the 1,263-entry field and pocketed $187,120 for his efforts. He accrued $111,839 in bounties and topped up his payout with the $75,281 up top.
Sven Mc Dermott missed out on his second bracelet in just a few days, bowing out in third place. The Irishman recently won #21: $1,500 WSOP GGMasters HR Freezeout for a career-best score of $253,823 and has followed that up with a respectable $89,022 payday.
#32: $1,500 The Closer NLH Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Bounty | Prize | Total |
| 1 | Rodrigo Seiji | Brazil | $111,839 | $75,281 | $187,120 |
| 2 | Yago Simplicio Dos Santos | Brazil | $33,679 | $75,100 | $108,779 |
| 3 | Sven Mc Dermott | Ireland | $31,309 | $57,713 | $89,022 |
| 4 | Linus Hjulstrom | Norway | $22,099 | $44,298 | $66,397 |
| 5 | Manfred Hermann | Germany | $22,214 | $34,002 | $56,216 |
| 6 | Ioannis Konstas | Ireland | $7,623 | $26,099 | $33,722 |
| 7 | Oihan Abarzuza | Georgia | $13,223 | $20,032 | $33,255 |
| 8 | Florian Gaugusch | Australia | $13,322 | $15,376 | $28,698 |
| 9 | Mario Tony | Brazil | $15,148 | $11,802 | $26,950 |
Watson Leads $10K GGMillion$ High Roller
#33: $10,300 GGMillion$ High Roller is the final event on the WSOP Online schedule, and oh boy, has it been worth the wait. With any $10K event, poker’s most elite players turn up from all corners of the globe to battle it out.
Like the Main Event, Day 2 gets underway later today, with the champion being crowned on Tuesday, October 3. There’s also one last chance flight remaining for those who haven’t already booked their spot for tomorrow.
106 of 909 entries have bagged and tagged a stack for Day 2, and sees Mike Watson lead the pack of survivors with Finnish pair Samuel Vousden and Eelis Parssinen rounding out the top three biggest stacks. Online legend Linus Loeliger is also not too far behind and sits in fourth.
At the time of writing, there is currently an overlay of $910,000 as the $10 million guarantee has yet to be hit, but this could all change when Day 2 kicks off.
#33: $10,300 GGMillion$ High Roller NLH Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Watson | Canada | 2,774,994 | 139 |
| 2 | Samuel Vousden | Finland | 2,532,177 | 127 |
| 3 | Eelis Parssinen | Finland | 2,530,800 | 127 |
| 4 | Linus Loeliger | Switzerland | 2,359,722 | 118 |
| 5 | Said Madani | Germany | 2,162,892 | 108 |
| 6 | Asheque Elahi | Bangladesh | 2,090,811 | 105 |
| 7 | “One Big Lottery” | Finland | 1,986,556 | 99 |
| 8 | Rodrigo Selouan | Brazil | 1,854,672 | 93 |
| 9 | Ole Schemion | Germany | 1,817,607 | 91 |
| 10 | “plainojashol” | Mexico | 1,731,265 | 87 |
Yuri Dzivielevski Becomes a Four-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner on GGPoker
2023 WSOP Online Results
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1: $108 Bankroll Builder Bounty NLHE | 7,619 | $761,900 | Or “Nezer21” Nezer | $58,884 |
| #2: $300 Gladiators of Poker Opener, $2.5M GTD [Final Day] | 9,488 | $2,647,152 | Vinicius Steves | $234,707 |
| #3: $2,100 Bounty NLH Championship | 667 | $1,354,000 | Sergei “Meruemu” Koliakov | $158,345 |
| #4: $840 Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha | 706 | $564,800 | Paulius “redpillgame” Vaitiekunas | $81,848 |
| #5: $500 Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship | 167 | $79,325 | Jessica “butfirstwine” Marks | $16,613 |
| #6: $1,500 MONSTER STACK No-Limit Hold’em | 1,207 | $1,719,975 | Sean “EEewashu99” Boyle | $231,821 |
| #7: $210 Mystery Millions – $1M Top Bounty, $10M GTD [Day 2] | 51,211 | $10,242,200 | Yurii “pumbiko_O” Olinyk | $360,139 |
| #8: $2,500 Limit Hold’em Championship | 124 | $294,500 | Terrance Chan | $64,021 |
| #9: $315 Bounty No-Limit Hold’em | 2.856 | $848,232 | Sergio “Nextgoal” Ballestin Mur | $65,595 |
| #10: $1,050 Beat the Pros Bounty NLH | 956 | $956,000 | Leonid Yanovich | $110,843 |
| #11: $100 FLIP & GO No-Limit Hold’em, $1M GTD [Go Stage] | 7,688 | $1,260,365 | Jinlong “yiliuqi” Hu | $122,587 |
| #12: $500 Mini Main Event No-Limit Hold’em, $2.5M GTD | 8,709 | $3,565,350 | Peng “gaosinimen999” Zhou | $326,692 |
| #13: $5,000 6-Handed NLH Championship | 487 | $2,313,250 | Boris “Zivakov” Neykov | $426,171 |
| #14: $500 The BIG Bounty NLH | 2,623 | $1,245,925 | Oleg “Ispanec” Tarnovski | $106,133 |
| #15: $800 Ultra Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em | 1,573 | $1,195,480 | Panagiota “ANXXOO333” Dimitrakopoulou | $153,195 |
| #16: $1,050 Secret Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha | 865 | $865,000 | Geraldo “UmReiNoRiver” Neto | $159,567 |
| #17: $1,500 MILLIONAIRE MAKER in Paradise | 3,496 | $5,000,000 | TBD at WSOP Paradise | TBC |
| #18: $5,000 Short Deck Championship [3-Stack] | 126 | $598,500 | “SuperSolid” | $153,471 |
| #19: $777 LUCKY SEVENS Bounty 7-Handed NLH | 2,052 | $1,514,684 | Tomi “BAAABUUSKIIII” Brouk | $150,011 |
| #20: $1,000 DOUBLE CHANCE NLH [2-Stack] | 1,119 | $1,063,050 | Marius Kudzmanas | $145,533 |
| #21: $1,500 WSOP GGMasters HR Freezeout NLH | 1,358 | $1,935,150 | Sven Mc Dermott | $253,823 |
| #22: $400 COLOSSUS, $3M GTD | 10,812 | $4,065,312 | Aayush Arya | $326,901 |
| #23: $400 PLOSSUS | 3,847 | $1,431,084 | Ognyan Dimov | $148,786 |
| #24: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship | 153 | $1,484,100 | Yuri Dzivielevski | $368,343 |
| #25: $525 Superstack Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em | 2,516 | $1,258.000 | “Symmetry” | $109,622 |
| #26: $10,000 Heads Up NLH Championship | 127 | $1,231,900 | Artur Martirosian | $424,698 |
| #27: $500 FIFTY STACK Pot-Limit Omaha | 1,080 | $513,000 | Amit Ben Yacov | $76,703 |
| #28: $5,000 WSOP Online MAIN EVENT | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| #29: $25,000 GGMillion$ Super High Roller Championship | 145 | $3,552,500 | Joao Vieira | $760,396 |
| #30: $2,100 6-Handed Bounty No-Limit Hold’em | 976 | $1,952,000 | Enrique Rodriguez | $207,600 |
| #31: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller | 228 | $1,083,000 | Ben Wilinofsky | $243,934 |
| #32: $1,500 The Closer NLH | 1,263 | $1,799,775 | Rodrigo Seiji | $187,120 |
| #33: $10,300 GGMillion$ High Rollers NLH | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
Editor & Live Reporter
Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.