The 2023 PokerStars World Championship Of Online Poker (WCOOP) exploded into action over the weekend, drawing in some online poker’s most recognizable stars. The 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Espen “Hymn2Ninkasi” Jorstad was one of those stars, and the United Kingdom-based Norwegian started his 2023 WCOOP campaign with a $122,371 score.
Jorstad was one of 132 entrants in WCOOP 03-H: $3,150 NLHE Progressive KO, each competing for the largest portion of the $400,000 prize pool. Seventeen places were paid from the regular prize pool, and by the time the nine-handed final table was set, each player was guaranteed almost $8,000 with bounty payments included.
David “MissOracle” Yan ($9,337) and Hungary’s “kZhh” ($7,985) were the first two finalists to tall. Ognyan “cocojamb0” Dimov ($17,939) and “bnbm73” ($13,116) followed suit before the elimination of Canada’s “13santoy13” ($22,936) left only four players in the hunt for the title, and what would a six-figure haul.
British star Patrick “pads1161” Leonard ($21,748), Jortad’s partner in the 2022 WSOP Tag Team event, was cut down in fourth, with Pedro “pvigar” Garagnani ($30,129) bowing out in third, leaving Jorstad heads-up against Dumitry “pora Adrian” Pora.
Just as he did in the 2022 WSOP Main Event, Jorstad came out on top, and got his hands on $122,371, resigning Pora to a $45,167 consolation prize.
WCOOP 03-H: $3,150 NLHE Progressive KO Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Bounties | Prize | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Espen “Hymn2Ninkasi” Jorstad | Norway | $84,703 | $37,668 | $122,371 |
| 2 | Dumitry “pora adrian” Pora | Romania | $7,500 | $37,667 | $45,167 |
| 3 | Pedro “pvigar” Garagnani | Brazil | $4,546 | $25,583 | $30,129 |
| 4 | Patrick “pads1161” Leonard | United Kingdom | $1,875 | $19,873 | $21,748 |
| 5 | 13santoy13 | Canada | $7,500 | $15,436 | $22,936 |
| 6 | bnbm73 | Malta | $1,125 | $11,991 | $13,116 |
| 7 | Ognyan “cocojamb0” Dimov | Bulgaria | $8,625 | $9,314 | $17,939 |
| 8 | kZhh | Hungary | $750 | $7,235 | $7,985 |
| 9 | David “MissOracle” Yan | New Zealand | $3,375 | $5,962 | $9,337 |
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Romanovsky Bags Biggest Score of the 2023 WCOOP
Ukraine’s Roman “RomeOpro” Romanovskyi captured the biggest score of the 2023 WCOOP so far, a cool $203,121. Romanovky’s colossal haul will likely be one of the biggest prizes of the entire series.
The Ukrainian received the bankroll-boosting prize after coming out on top in WCOOP 04-H: $10,300 NLHE High Roller, an event that saw 85 entrants create an $850,000 prize pool. Team PokerStars’s Lex “L. Veldhuis” Veldhuis narrowly missed out on a final table appearance, crashing out in 10th place for $21,452.
Jans “Graftekkel” Arends‘ ($26,783) time at the final table proved to be limited, as did that of Tom “7tHEcROw7” Macdonald ($33,440). The untimely demises of “Jesper8” ($43,270) and Aleksejs “APonakov” Ponakovs ($55,991) saw a six-figure score come within touching distance of the surviving players.
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Swedish online poker legend Niklas “Lena900” Astedt ($72,451) busted in fifth, with his fellow Swede “flerrhuve” ($93,750) bowing out in fourth and receiving the tournament’s last five-figure payout.
Third place ultimately went to Benjamin “bencb789” Rolle ($121,311), before Romanovsky claimed Rodrigo “SELOUAN1991” Selouan‘s stack and the $203,121 top score. Selouan may have been disappointed not to come away with the victory, but the $156,974 second-place prize will go some way to numbing the pain of defeat.
WCOOP 04-H: $10,300 NLHE High Roller Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roman “RomeOpro” Romanovsky | Ukraine | $203,121 |
| 2 | Rodrigo “SELOUAN1991” Selouan | Brazil | $156,974 |
| 3 | Benjamin “bencb789” Rolle | Austria | $121,311 |
| 4 | flerrehuve | Sweden | $93,750 |
| 5 | Niklas “Lena900” Astedt | Sweden | $72,451 |
| 6 | Aleksejs “APonakov” Ponakovs | Latvia | $55,991 |
| 7 | Jesper8 | Austria | $43,270 |
| 8 | Tom “7tHEcROw7” Macdonald | United Kingdom | $33,440 |
| 9 | Jans “Graftekkel” Arends | Austria | $26,783 |
Bruschi Flies the Brazilian Flag in the First World Championship Event of 2023
Some 201 players exchanged $5,200 for 100,000 chips and the opportunity to become the champion of the first Championship Event of the 2023 WCOOP, the World Championship of Progressive KO NLHE. A cool $1,005,000 was in the prize pool, and the eventual worthy winner reeled in almost $200,000 of that sum.
Such luminaries as Team PokerStars’ Parker “tonkaaaa” Talbot, Ole “wizowizo” Schemion, and Andras “probirs” Nemeth missed out on a final table appearance, while the likes of Paul “_pauL€FauKL_” Hoefer, Ivan “Negriin” Luca, and Sergei “Futti18” Koliakov fell short of the victory.
Heads-up was contested by two of Brazil’s elite-level grinders: Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi and Rodrigo “seijistar” Seiji. Despite the vast difference in the final bounty payments and the fact both players know each other well, there no deal struck. The lack of any negotiations meant Bruschi collected $198,664 when he emerged from the one-on-one battle victoriously, while Seiji scooped $113,272 for his efforts.
WCOOP $5,200 World Championship of Progressive KO NLHE Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Bounties | Prize | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi | Brazil | $110,312 | $88,352 | $198,664 |
| 2 | Rodrigo “seijistar” Seiji | Brazil | $24,921 | $88,351 | $113,272 |
| 3 | retro_cheetah01 | Poland | $30,312 | $59,505 | $89,817 |
| 4 | Ebaaa11 | Montenegro | $35,937 | $45,974 | $81,911 |
| 5 | Sergei “Futti18” Koliakov | Kazakhstan | $8,125 | $35,520 | $43,645 |
| 6 | Ivan “Negriin” Luca | Argentina | $23,593 | $27,443 | $51,036 |
| 7 | HardiZ1 | Germany | $7,031 | $21,203 | $28,234 |
| 8 | Paul “_pauL€FauKL_” Hoefer | Austria | $15,087 | $16,382 | $31,460 |
| 9 | Mikson92 | Poland | $13,438 | $13,438 |
Breaking Down the Budget: Non-Hold’em 2023 PokerStars WCOOP Events
2023 PokerStars WCOOP Results
There were plenty of other impressive results during the opening events of the 2023 PokerStars WCOOP. PokerNews streamer Lukas “Lukas_robo” Robinson, fresh from his impressive Sunday Party victory at PartyPoker, finished third in the WCOOP 02-M: $44 NLHE WCOOP Kickoff for $16,714.
Austria’s “WhySoS€rious” denied Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser yet another ‘COOP title by defeating him heads-up in WCOOP 05-H: $1,050 PLO 6-Max. Glaser has another opportunity to add to his collection of titles as he is currently second in chips with six remaining in the $2,100 H.O.R.S.E. event.
| Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #02-L: $5.50 NLHE WCOOP Kickoff | 11,728 | $57,467 | Iwersen9724 | $7,500 |
| #02-M: $55 NLHE WCOOP Kickoff | 4,768 | $238,400 | Dangerzinn | $33,941 |
| #02-H: $530 NLHE WCOOP Kickoff | 666 | $333,000 | DontMesswithM11 | $57,432 |
| #03-L: $33 NLHE PKO | 8,203 | $246,090 | Rebozeio | $22,491* |
| #03-M: $320 NLHE PKO | 1,506 | $451,800 | cjames14 | $54,754* |
| #03-H: $3,150 NLHE PKO | 132 | $400,000 | Espen “Hymn2Ninkasi” Jorstad | $122,371* |
| #04-L: $109 Sunday Million | 11,374 | $1,137,400 | move15 | $148,387 |
| #04-M: $1,050 NLHE | 1,008 | $1,008,000 | Mr.LuckyMan88 | $104,193 |
| #04-H: $10,300 NLHE High Roller | 85 | $850,000 | Roman “RomeOpro” Romanovsky | $203,121 |
| $5,200 World Championship of PKO | 201 | $1,005,000 | Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi | $198,664* |
| #05-L: $11 PLO 6-Max | 3,732 | $36,573 | NICasinos | $5,234 |
| #05-M: $109 PLO 6-Max | 1,006 | $100,600 | AANordstrand | $16,439 |
| #05-H: $1,050 PLO 6-Max | 172 | $172,000 | WhySoS€rious | $34,306 |
| #06-L: $11 NLHE 6-Max | 8,542 | $85,000 | AlexLytvyn | $10,280 |
| #06-M: $109 NLHE 6-Max | 2,872 | $287,200 | Ceff98 | $41,717 |
| #06-H: $1,050 NLHE 6-Max | 385 | $385,000 | umvelt900 | $70,671 |
| #07-L: $5.50 NLHE Turbo PKO | 7,653 | $37,499 | tommyman1112 | $3,599* |
| #07-M: $55 NLHE Turbo PKO | 4,338 | $216,900 | JustRazze | $20,787* |
| #07-H: $530 NLHE Turbo PLO | 530 | $265,000 | Vocaaas | $43,571* |
| #08-L: $5.50 NLO8 6-Max | 2,922 | $14,317 | tablepanic | $2,074 |
| #08-M: $55 NLO8 6-Max | 795 | $39,750 | marek_heinz | $6,751 |
| #08-H: $530 NLO8 6-Max | 174 | $87,000 | vratario | $15,861 |
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