Jason Koon continued his brilliance on the high-stakes scene with a dominant victory in the $100,000 buy-in Triton Cyprus High Roller Series Main Event for $2,451,082.

The GGPoker ambassador beat out 65 of the top high rollers in the world, including his heads-up opponent, Sam Greenwood, who received $1,923,918 as a consolation prize.

Koon has been quite impressive during the series with four final table appearances, including two titles. He also won Event #2: $20,000 No-Limit Hold’em 7-Handed for $663,000. In total, the West Virginia native has for just under $3.6 million during the series in North Cyprus with just a couple events remaining.

Emotional Poker Pro Crushes Stacked Final Table

The Triton Cyprus Main Event final table was stacked with some high roller superstars, including Dan Smith, who finished in fifth place for $762,000. Earlier in the day, however, he engaged in a heated argument at the table with the eventual champion.

Smith, as seen in the video below from the Triton live-stream and posted by Rob Kuhn, had asked the others at the table to be quiet while he was in the middle of a hand. Koon didn’t take too kindly to his opponent’s comments.

“Buddy, I had two VIP’s, not one, but two come up to me and say how awful it was playing with you because you berated them for having a conversation at a live poker table,” Koon said to Smith.

Koon then criticized Smith for taking too long to act and told him it’s a repeated issue and referred to the tanking as “obnoxious.”

After Smith was eliminated, Henrik Hecklen took fourth place for $946,000, followed by the Steve O’Dwyer elimination in third place ($1,171,000). That set up a heads-up match between Koon and Greenwood. Both players agreed to a chop based on chip value and stack at the time. Koon was in the lead so he received the largest payout. They left behind an extra $84,000 following the chop to be awarded to the winner.

Koon’s lead was about 4-1, but he was all in and ahead on the first hand of heads-up play with Q♠10♦ on a flop of Q♥9♥J♣ against the A♦K♣ of Greenwood. The turn was J♠, no help to either player, and then Koon wrapped up the tournament title when the 7♥ appeared on the river.

Both players shook hands and Koon was brought to tears of joy. Koon, a Triton brand ambassador, will likely end up winning Triton’s Ivan Leow Player of the Year trophy, named in honor of the late Ivan Leow, the Triton co-founder who tragically passed away last year at age 39.

“I was here a little under a year ago when we lost Ivan,” Koon said, choking back tears after the tournament wrapped. “Ivan was a good friend of mine. And walking through these halls every day I feel a little bit emotional about that. Just the title of Player of the Year, it gets me emotional. I miss the guy.”

Koon’s victory brought his career live tournament cashes up to over $47.3 million, good for fifth all-time, according to Hendon Mob. He’s certainly at least in the conversation as the best player in the world right now.

Triton Cyprus Main Event Final Table Results

_{*Images courtesy of Joe Giron/Triton Poker.}

PokerStars ambassadors Lex Veldhuis and Benjamin Spragg are coming towards the end of their 2023 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) grind, with the series concluding in just over a weeks time. And as SCOOP inches closer to the start of its Main Events, Veldhuis and Spragg put in the reps over the weekend in various SCOOP events.

It was another good weekend on the orange virtual felt for Veldhuis, who scored numerous cashes across various events. His latest SCOOP showing also resulted in him making the final table for SCOOP 75-H: $5,200 PKO Titans, where he sits in fifth place from the nine remaining players.

Veldhuis is gunning for his first-ever SCOOP title and has gone agonizingly close on several occasions over the last few weeks. You will be able to see if Veldhuis can shake off his SCOOP hoodoo on PokerStars’ Twitch channel, with cards up coverage beginning at 6 p.m. BST.

Spragg, on the other hand, had a relatively muted Saturday and Sunday, with just one SCOOP cash recorded. It was for a sizeable $8,393 after a 21st-place finish in SCOOP 62-M $1,050 PKO Thursday Thrill, which wrapped up on Saturday.

However, the Englishman celebrated his 33rd birthday on Friday in spectacular style as Spragg took down the $530 Bounty Builder for $33,600 and played “one of the most incredible hands” of his career against Parker Talbot, who was also denied a SCOOP title over the weekend.

Birthday Delight for Spragg

There’s only one thing better than having quads, and that’s getting paid off with them. And it was even sweeter for Spragg, as it was his colleague and friend Talbot that helped propel him to victory.

From there on, Spragg sealed out the victory to start off his birthday weekend in the best way possible. However, the birthday run good would be shortlived as Spragg fell short of cashing the $5,200 PKO Titans and also found himself on the wrong side of a preflop cooler in the $1,050 PKO Thursday Thrill for his only SCOOP result of the weekend.

Veldhuis’ Wild Ride to $5,200 PKO Titans Final Table

As mentioned, Veldhuis returns in the middle of the pack for $5,200 PKO Titans final table, with Jonathan “x_zola25” Skovsen sitting in pole position. The event saw 154 entries, creating a $770,000 prize pool which bested the $600,000 guarantee.

Also still in contention are Felipe “lipe piv” Boianovsky, Patrick “pads1161” Leonard and Pedro “PadiLhA SP” Padilha.

They’ve all locked up $11,363 for getting to this stage, but of course, they will all be gunning for $71,023 for the winner plus any additional bounties.

$5,200 PKO Titans Final Table Standings

Place	Player	Country	Bounty	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Jonathan “x_zola25” Skovsen	Denmark	$15,457	6,012,917	43
2	“retro_cheetah01”	Poland	$10,313	5,952,304	43
3	Felipe “lipe piv” Boianovsky	Brazil	$18,125	5,222,432	37
4	Patrick “pads1161” Leonard	United Kingdom	$20,781	5,090,584	36
5	Lex “L.Veldhuis” Veldhuis	Netherlands	$9,375	4,770,482	34
6	Pedro “PadiLhA SP” Padilha	Brazil	$15,781	3,736,676	27
7	“PAX176”	Poland	$0	3,665,344	26
8	“milanov888”	Bulgaria	$2,500	2,767,158	20
9	“Haringbuis”	Malta	$9,844	1,282,103	9

As we await for the final table to get underway, why not check out how Veldhuis navigated his way to the final table?

Veldhuis’ Weekend SCOOP Results

Event	Position	Payout
68-M $530 PLO	20/273	$1,466
SCOOP Edition: Big $109	94/1104	$244
70-H $215	8-Game PKO 8/240	$1,514
71-M $109 NLHE PKO	5/1663	$3,224
72-L $55 NLHE Turbo	126/2968	$197

Date Start Time (BST) Event

22-May 17:30 SCOOP 79 L: $55 NLHE, $250K Gtd

22-May 17:30 SCOOP 79 M: $530 NLHE, $350K Gtd

22-May 17:30 SCOOP 79 H: $5,200 NLHE [High Roller], $400K Gtd

22-May 19:15 SCOOP 80 L: $11 Stud, $10K Gtd

22-May 19:15 SCOOP 80 M: $109 Stud, $20K Gtd

22-May 19:15 SCOOP 80 H: $1,050 Stud, $35K Gtd

22-May 20:05 SCOOP 81 L: $5.50 NLHE [5-Max, Progressive KO], $45K Gtd

22-May 20:05 SCOOP 81 M: $55 NLHE [5-Max, Progressive KO], $150K Gtd

22-May 20:05 SCOOP 81 H: $530 NLHE [5-Max, Progressive KO], $200K Gtd

22-May 21:30 SCOOP 82 L: $11 NLHE [Progressive KO, Freezeout], $40K Gtd

22-May 21:30 SCOOP 82 M: $109 NLHE [Progressive KO, Freezeout], $150K Gtd

22-May 21:30 SCOOP 82 H: $1,050 NLHE [Progressive KO, Freezeout], $200K Gtd

22-May 22:30 SCOOP 83 L: $22 PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO, Single Re-entry], $25K Gtd

22-May 22:30 SCOOP 83 M: $109 PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO, Single Re-entry], $20K Gtd

22-May 22:30 SCOOP 83 H: $530 PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO, Single Re-entry], $75K Gtd

23-May 11:05 SCOOP 84 L: $2.20 NLHE, $12.5K Gtd

23-May 11:05 SCOOP 84 M: $22 NLHE, $50K Gtd

23-May 11:05 SCOOP 84 H: $215 NLHE, $75K Gtd

23-May 16:30 SCOOP 85 L: $5.50 NL 2-7 Single Draw [7-Max, Progressive KO], $7.5K Gtd

23-May 16:30 SCOOP 85 M: $55 NL 2-7 Single Draw [7-Max, Progressive KO], $17.5K Gtd

23-May 16:30 SCOOP 85 H: $530 NL 2-7 Single Draw [7-Max, Progressive KO], $35K Gtd

23-May 17:30 SCOOP 86 L: $109 NLHE [Super Tuesday], $400K Gtd

23-May 17:30 SCOOP 86 M: $1,050 NLHE [Super Tuesday], $650K Gtd

23-May 17:30 SCOOP 86 H: $10,300 NLHE [Super Tuesday High Roller], $600K Gtd

23-May 19:15 SCOOP 87 L: $22 PLO8 [6-Max], $25K Gtd

23-May 19:15 SCOOP 87 M: $215 PLO8 [6-Max], $65K Gtd

23-May 19:15 SCOOP 87 H: $2,100 PLO8 [6-Max], $100K Gtd

23-May 20:05 SCOOP 88 L: $22 NLHE [7-Max, Frezeeout], $75K Gtd

23-May 20:05 SCOOP 88 M: $215 NLHE [7-Max, Frezeeout], $200K Gtd

23-May 20:05 SCOOP 88 H: $2,100 NLHE [7-Max, Frezeeout], $175K Gtd

23-May 21:30 SCOOP 89 L: $5.50 NLHE [6-Max, Progressive KO], $40K Gtd

23-May 21:30 SCOOP 89 M: $55 NLHE [6-Max, Progressive KO], $175K Gtd

23-May 21:30 SCOOP 89 H: $530 NLHE [6-Max, Progressive KO], $250K Gtd

24-May 16:30 SCOOP 90 L: $11 HORSE, $12.5K Gtd

24-May 16:30 SCOOP 90 M: $109 HORSE, $30K Gtd

24-May 16:30 SCOOP 90 H: $1,050 HORSE, $50K Gtd

24-May 17:30 SCOOP 91 L: $33 NLHE [Progressive KO], $175K Gtd

24-May 17:30 SCOOP 91 M: $320 NLHE [Progressive KO], $300K Gtd

24-May 17:30 SCOOP 91 H: $3,150 NLHE [Progressive KO], $350K Gtd

24-May 19:15 SCOOP 92 L: $11 FL Badugi [6-Max], $7.5K Gtd

24-May 19:15 SCOOP 92 M: $109 FL Badugi [6-Max], $15K Gtd

24-May 19:15 SCOOP 92 H: $1,050 FL Badugi [6-Max], $25K Gtd

24-May 20:05 SCOOP 93 L: $11 NLHE [Progressive KO, Frezeeout], $60K Gtd

24-May 20:05 SCOOP 93 M: $109 NLHE [Progressive KO, Frezeeout], $200K Gtd

24-May 20:05 SCOOP 93 H: $1,050 NLHE [Progressive KO, Frezeeout], $200K Gtd

24-May 21:30 SCOOP 94 L: $3.30 NLHE [Mini Fenomeno SE], $18K Gtd

24-May 21:30 SCOOP 94 M: $33 NLHE [Fenomeno SE], $80K Gtd

24-May 21:30 SCOOP 94 H: $320 NLHE [Fenomeno HR SE], $150K Gtd

25-May 15:05 SCOOP 95 L: $22 NLHE [9-Max, Early classic], $100K Gtd

25-May 15:05 SCOOP 95 M: $109 NLHE [9-Max, Early classic], $200K Gtd

25-May 15:05 SCOOP 95 H: $530 NLHE [9-Max, Early classic], $225K Gtd

25-May 16:30 SCOOP 96 L: $11 5-Card PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO], $15K Gtd

25-May 16:30 SCOOP 96 M: $109 5-Card PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO], $40K Gtd

25-May 16:30 SCOOP 96 H: $1,050 5-Card PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO], $85K Gtd

25-May 17:30 SCOOP 97 L: $55 NLHE [Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill], $400K Gtd

25-May 17:30 SCOOP 97 M: $530 NLHE [Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill], $650K Gtd

25-May 17:30 SCOOP 97 H: $5,200 NLHE [Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill High Roller], $600K Gtd

25-May 19:15 SCOOP 98 L: $22 8-Game [6-Max], $25K Gtd

25-May 19:15 SCOOP 98 M: $215 8-Game [6-Max], $45K Gtd

25-May 19:15 SCOOP 98 H: $2,100 8-Game [6-Max], $70K Gtd

25-May 20:05 SCOOP 99 L: $33 NLHE [6-Max, Frezeeout], $100K Gtd

25-May 20:05 SCOOP 99 M: $215 NLHE [6-Max, Frezeeout], $175K Gtd

25-May 20:05 SCOOP 99 H: $1,050 NLHE [6-Max, Frezeeout], $150K Gtd

25-May 21:30 SCOOP 100 L: $11 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO], $85K Gtd

25-May 21:30 SCOOP 100 M: $109 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO], $225K Gtd

25-May 21:30 SCOOP 100 H: $1,050 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO], $250K Gtd

27-May 15:05 SCOOP 101 L: $5.50 NLHE [Deep Stacks], $40K Gtd

27-May 15:05 SCOOP 101 M: $55 NLHE [Deep Stacks], $200K Gtd

27-May 15:05 SCOOP 101 H: $530 NLHE [Deep Stacks], $250K Gtd

27-May 17:30 SCOOP 102 L: $55 NLHE [Progressive KO], $325K Gtd

27-May 17:30 SCOOP 102 M: $320 NLHE [Progressive KO], $375K Gtd

27-May 17:30 SCOOP 102 H: $1,050 NLHE [Progressive KO], $500K Gtd

27-May 19:15 SCOOP 103 L: $11 NLO8 [6-Max], $15K Gtd

27-May 19:15 SCOOP 103 M: $109 NLO8 [6-Max], $35K Gtd

27-May 19:15 SCOOP 103 H: $1,050 NLO8 [6-Max], $80K Gtd

27-May 20:05 SCOOP 104 L: $11 NLHE [6-Max], $65K Gtd

27-May 20:05 SCOOP 104 M: $109 NLHE [6-Max], $150K Gtd

27-May 20:05 SCOOP 104 H: $1,050 NLHE [6-Max], $175K Gtd

27-May 21:30 SCOOP 105 L: $2.20 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO, Last Player Standing], $12.5K Gtd

27-May 21:30 SCOOP 105 M: $22 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO, Last Player Standing], $75K Gtd

27-May 21:30 SCOOP 105 H: $215 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO, Last Player Standing], $115K Gtd

28-May 13:05 SCOOP 106 L: $5.50 NLHE [Mini Sunday Kickoff], $45K Gtd

28-May 13:05 SCOOP 106 M: $55 NLHE [Sunday Kickoff], $225K Gtd

28-May 13:05 SCOOP 106 H: $530 NLHE [Sunday Kickoff], $350K Gtd

28-May 15:05 SCOOP 107 L: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Warm-Up, Freezeout], $40K Gtd

28-May 15:05 SCOOP 107 M: $55 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Warm-Up, Freezeout], $250K Gtd

28-May 15:05 SCOOP 107 H: $530 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Warm-Up, Freezeout], $450K Gtd

28-May 17:30 SCOOP 108 L: $109 NLHE [Main Event], $2M Gtd

28-May 17:30 SCOOP 108 M: $1,050 NLHE [Main Event], $4M Gtd

28-May 17:30 SCOOP 108 H: $10,300 NLHE [Main Event], $5M Gtd

28-May 18:30 SCOOP 109 L: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO, Women’s Event], $4K Gtd

28-May 18:30 SCOOP 109 M: $22 NLHE [Progressive KO, Women’s Event], $10K Gtd

28-May 18:30 SCOOP 109 H: $109 NLHE [Progressive KO, Women’s Event], $20K Gtd

28-May 20:05 SCOOP 110 L: $109 PLO [6-Max, PLO Main Event], $200K Gtd

28-May 20:05 SCOOP 110 M: $1,050 PLO [6-Max, PLO Main Event], $500K Gtd

28-May 20:05 SCOOP 110 H: $10,300 PLO [6-Max, PLO Main Event], $800K Gtd

28-May 21:30 SCOOP 111 L: $11 NLHE [Progressive KO, Mini Sunday Cooldown, Freezeout], $85K Gtd

28-May 21:30 SCOOP 111 M: $109 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Cooldown, Freezeout], $300K Gtd

28-May 21:30 SCOOP 111 H: $1,050 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Cooldown High Roller, Freezeout], $350K Gtd

29-May 17:30 SCOOP 112 L: $11 NLHE [Progressive KO, Series Saver], $150K Gtd

29-May 17:30 SCOOP 112 M: $109 NLHE [Progressive KO, Series Saver], $600K Gtd

29-May 17:30 SCOOP 112 H: $1,050 NLHE [Progressive KO, Series Saver], $1M Gtd

29-May 18:30 SCOOP 113 L: $215 NLHE, $350K Gtd

29-May 18:30 SCOOP 113 M: $2,100 NLHE, $350K Gtd

29-May 19:05 SCOOP 113 H: $25,000 NLHE [Super High Roller], $1M Gtd

29-May 19:15 SCOOP 01 L: $2.20 NLHE [Phase 2], $125K Gtd

29-May 19:15 SCOOP 01 M: $11 NLHE [Phase 2], $500K Gtd

29-May 19:15 SCOOP 01 H: $55 NLHE [Phase 2], $1M Gtd

29-May 20:05 SCOOP 114 L: $55 NLHE [Main Event 2nd Chance], $200K Gtd

29-May 20:05 SCOOP 114 M: $530 NLHE [Main Event 2nd Chance], $300K Gtd

29-May 20:05 SCOOP 114 H: $5,200 NLHE [Main Event 2nd Chance], $400K Gtd

29-May 21:05 SCOOP 115 L: $2.20 NLHE [6-Max], $15K Gtd

29-May 21:05 SCOOP 115 M: $22 NLHE [6-Max], $125K Gtd

29-May 21:05 SCOOP 115 H: $215 NLHE [6-Max], $225K Gtd

30-May 17:30 SCOOP 116 L: $11 NLHE [Super Tuesday], $100K Gtd

30-May 17:30 SCOOP 116 M: $109 NLHE [Super Tuesday], $300K Gtd

30-May 17:30 SCOOP 116 H: $1,050 NLHE [Super Tuesday], $350K Gtd

30-May 18:30 SCOOP 117 L: $33 NLHE [Progressive KO], $100K Gtd

30-May 18:30 SCOOP 117 M: $320 NLHE [Progressive KO], $135K Gtd

30-May 18:30 SCOOP 117 H: $3,150 NLHE [Progressive KO], $175K Gtd

30-May 19:15 SCOOP 118 L: $5.50 NLHE/PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO], $18K Gtd

30-May 19:15 SCOOP 118 M: $55 NLHE/PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO], $60K Gtd

30-May 19:15 SCOOP 118 H: $530 NLHE/PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO], $75K Gtd

30-May 20:05 SCOOP 119 L: $5.50 NLHE [Heads-Up TKO Zoom], $35K Gtd

30-May 20:05 SCOOP 119 M: $55 NLHE [Heads-Up TKO Zoom], $125K Gtd

30-May 20:05 SCOOP 119 H: $530 NLHE [Heads-Up TKO Zoom], $115K Gtd

31-May 17:30 SCOOP 120 L: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO, Final Freeze], $35K Gtd

31-May 17:30 SCOOP 120 M: $55 NLHE [Progressive KO, Final Freeze], $150K Gtd

31-May 17:30 SCOOP 120 H: $530 NLHE [Progressive KO, Final Freeze], $150K Gtd

31-May 20:05 SCOOP 121 L: $3.30 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO, Series Wrap-Up], $50K Gtd

31-May 20:05 SCOOP 121 M: $33 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO, Series Wrap-Up], $125K Gtd

31-May 20:05 SCOOP 121 H: $320 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO, Series Wrap-Up], $135K Gtd

The $2 million guaranteed XL Spring Series kicked off at 888poker on May 21 with the festival’s trio of opening events. Those tournaments came with buy-ins of $55, $109, and $530, with guarantees tipping the scales at $35,000, $120,000, and $40,000, respectively.

The $120,000 guaranteed Mystery Bounty Opening event attracted 1,061 entrants, which resulted in a sizeable $13,900 overlay. Thirteen 888poker players took home at least $1,000 worth of mystery bounties, but nobody took home more than Sweden’s “Dynamon.”

The Swede busted in 23rd place and collected $306 for their efforts. However, they pulled out $13,360 from the golden mystery bounty envelopes for a total haul worth $13,666; only the champion secured a larger payout.

That champion was “Iroquois” of Montenegro. They captured the $9,288 top prize, which was boosted by a juicy bounty haul worth $5,857, meaning they took home $15,145. Iroquois now has plenty of ammunition for the rest of the XL Spring Series.

$120,000 XL Spring #02 – Mystery Bounty Opening Final Table Results

888poker Guarantees $2 Million for the XL Spring Series; Starts May 21

High Roller Champion Cleans Out the Mystery Bounties

Germany’s “riclam02” ran super-hot in the $530 buy-in Mystery Bounty HR Opening event. Not only did riclam02 outlast all of their 75 opponents but they also captured most of the mystery bounties in play.

First place came with a $6,000 payday, but the champion won an additional $10,880 from the mystery bounty prize pool, which included the $4,000 top bounty amount and both of the $2,000 bounties!

Sometimes, the stars align, and it is your day. riclam02 certainly took full advantage of variance being on their side, and it one to watch for the rest of the XL Spring Series.

$40,000 XL Spring #03 – Mystery Bounty HR Opening Final Table Results

Incredible: Second $10K Mystery Bounty for the Same Player in a Month at 888poker

British Grinders Dominate the $35,000 Gtd Mini Opening Event

Some 779 players bought into the Mini Opening Event for $55 and created a guarantee-busting $38,950 prize pool. It was players from the United Kingdom that shone the brightest in the tournament, with four of them navigating their way to the nine-handed final table.

“WalnutPix” bowed out in eighth for $649, leaving a trio of Union Jacks in the hunt for the title. Those three British stars ultimately finished in the top three finishing positions, taking home the bulk of the prize money.

“splors2” finished in third for $2,135 before “Geebotics” defeated “zecheese” heads-up to reel in a $4,249 score and resign the runner-up to a $3,271 consolation prize.

$35,000 XL Spring #01 – Mystery Bounty Mini Opening Final Table Results

$200,000 Gtd and $500,000 Gtd Main On the Horizon

There are two other XL Spring Series events that have guaranteed prize pools worth six-figure amounts. Event #19 is a $160 buy-in 8-Max Mystery Bounty affair that has a cool $200,000 guaranteed to be won. The first of this event’s Day 1s start on May 24 and runs through to May 29.

The XL Spring Series Main Event commands a $250 buy-in unless you win your seat via one of the many satellites. For your $250 investment, you get a shot at a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool, which includes a top mystery bounty of a cool $50,000! Day 1s run May 31 through June 5.

Remaining 888poker XL Spring Schedule

The first of two starting flights in the World Poker Tour (WPT) $5,250 buy-in Gardens Poker Championship in southern California wrapped up on Sunday evening after ten levels of play with just 54 players remaining. Leading the star-studded field that includes multiple WPT champions is Los Angeles native Girish Reknar with a stack of 459,500.

Day 1a drew 162 players as WPT made its return to Gardens Casino, one of the biggest poker rooms in the country. Those who advanced to Day 2 included WPT champions Adam Weinraub, Joshua Pollock, Anthony Zinno, Matthew Wantman and Frank Stepuchin, who took down the 2019 $10,000 WPT Gardens Poker Championship for $548,825.

Others who bagged in Day 1a include southern California pro Gal Yifrach, seven-time WPT final tablist David “The Dragon” Pham and high-stakes investor Dan Shak.

Check Out the WPT Hub on PokerNews!

Big Personalities at Gardens

It was an exciting morning inside the Gardens Casino as a handful of big personalities made their way to the tournament area and quickly made their presence known.

Stepuchin, who PokerNews spoke with earlier in the day, received a personal introduction from Gardens Casino Tournament Manager Cavin Quintanilla over the tournament area speakers, while Buckner wasted no time shouting at a player on the other side of the table.

“You play poker so bad!” Buckner yelled in one of the early levels.

Buckner was after his first WPT title after two runner-up finishes in 2022, first in the WPT Choctaw Main Event and then in the Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Unfortunately for “Cuz,” he was eliminated in the final level of the day when he check-raised all-in with queen-nine on a nine-high flop, only to be called by the ace-nine of Jim Collopy, according to WPT live updates.

A different WPT star who knows a thing or two about close calls, six-time final tablist Ray Qartomy, was another character in the Gardens Casino on Sunday. He and Stepuchin, who both made the 2019 WPT Gardens Poker Championship final table, once again shared a table for the early part of the day. At one point, Qartomy chased “Frank the Tank” around the table as the two played an impromptu game of casino football.

Qartomy, who is after his first WPT title despite a lengthy resume, as highlighted in this WPT feature, was eliminated when his four-five was dominated by the ace-five of his opponent.

Others who fell on Day 1a include WPT ambassador Brad Owen, southern California high-stakes regular Bill Klein and WPT Rolling Thunder final tablist Albert Tapia.

The 54 players who survived Day 1a will return for Day 2 on May 23. Before that, Day 1b will take place on May 22 and will follow a similar structure of the first starting flight with ten 60-minute levels and a 90-minute dinner break after Level 6.

PokerNews is here in southern California and will continue bringing you stories from the WPT Gardens Poker Championship.

_{*Images courtesy of WPT.}

With a legendary career that spanned more than five decades, Doyle Brunson picked up plenty of wisdom and life experience that he often shared with his nearly 400,000 followers on Twitter.

Brunson, who passed away this past Sunday at age 89, also had razor-sharp wit and a keen sense of humor that often came out whenever @TexDolly typed up a tweet.

From his hilarious back-and-forths with longtime friend Lex Veldhuis to his recollection of run-ins with notorious mobster Anthony “Tony the Ant” Spilotro, here is a look back at some of the late poker legend’s greatest Twitter moments.

The “Godfather of Poker,” Doyle Brunson has Passed Away at 89

A Final Message From The Poker Godfather

Many players were touched in the week following Brunson’s death when his Twitter account left the poker world one last message. And, in typical Brunson fashion, that message included a needle to Mike Matusow.

“I’ll save you all a seat in Dolly’s game in Heaven,” the final message from Brunson reads.

Strangest Pot He Ever Played

Brunson played hundreds of thousands of poker hands throughout his poker career, but one stood out to Texas Dolly as the strangest of them all. The hand took place against a casino owner who called a $60,000 river bet “with the worst hand possible.”

Here is Brunson’s recollection in June 2021 of what he called one of the “strange(st) pots I’ve played.”

Putting Brutal Beat on Crandell Addington

When Jonathan Little asked players to share the worst bad beat they ever put on someone, one hand with Poker Hall of Famer Crandell Addington stood out to Brunson.

A Look at Doyle Brunson Through the Lens – PokerNews’ Best Photos of Texas Dolly

Doyle Versus The Mob

Brunson frequently tweeted about his run-ins with Anthony “Tony the Ant” Spilotro in the 1970s and 80s, a feared Las Vegas mobster who served as the inspiration for Joe Pesci’s character Nicky Santoro in Casino.

“The SOB that tried to kill me,” Brunson tweeted in February 2022 with a photo of Spilotro.

Brunson noted that Spilotro, who was murdered in 1986, “was certainly an ‘enemy’ of mine because I refused to go his way of cheating poker players.”

“I told him I didn’t have to cheat to win,” Brunson tweeted in May 2020. “That seemed to infuriate him but I believe he respected me. He had numerous opportunities to stiff me but never did.”

Getting Robbed at Gunpoint

In his 2009 autobiography Godfather of Poker, Brunson told stories from his early career as a Texas road gambler where games would occasionally end with gunfire. Brunson also shared many of these stories on Twitter.

Poker Players From All Eras Pay Tribute After Doyle Brunson’s Passing

Personal Security

Ever wonder how Brunson stayed safe during the road gambling days while carrying around tens of thousands of dollars? He gave the answer in January 2019.

Good Times With Poker Legends

It wasn’t all robbery and gunfire in the early days. Here are some light-hearted stories Brunson has tweeted about involving fellow poker legends Stu Ungar, Chip Reese and Brian “Sailor” Roberts.

Golf Prop Bet

Speaking of fun times with poker legends, here’s a golf prop bet story involving Jack Strauss and Billy Baxter that Brunson shared in April 2021.

Doyle Doesn’t Hold Back

A lifelong Texan, Brunson always liked to tell it how it was. Here was his response when someone asked if Brunson had any fond memories of their uncle.

Doyle Doesn’t Like Your Fan Art

Brunson didn’t go any easier on those he knew. Here’s how Brunson reacted in March 2019 when his friend Mike Gorodinsky shared his drawing of the Poker Godfather.

Thanks For the Escalade

After winning some money off of his opponents in Bobby’s Room in the summer of 2018, Brunson took to Twitter to let them know that they helped finance his new Cadillac Escalade.

Brunson later that the tweet was a “tongue in cheek” remark and that he had actually “traded in my 10 year old Escalade.”

Doyle and Lex

Perhaps the greatest demonstration of Brunson’s sense of humor was his banter with PokerStars streamer Lex Veldhuis, who Brunson tangled with on shows like The Big Game during the Poker Boom.

The Texan and Dutchman would frequently needle one another on Twitter over the years, but both were also sure to make clear that it was all in good fun and that they were friends.

Doyle Brunson’s Best Televised High Stakes Poker Hands

$1 For An Autograph

After Brunson’s death, James McManus wrote that Brunson was “one of the greatest players ever but without an arrogant cell in his body.”

Brunson confirmed his humility years earlier when he shared a story of a Polish fan who sent him three pictures to sign and a $1 bill.

“I found out what my autograph is worth today,” he joked.

Doyle the TV Critic

After largely retiring from poker in 2018, Brunson became an amateur TV critic and would frequently tweet his thoughts on shows like Game of Thrones, Better Call Saul and Justified.

The Value of Time

Brunson’s cancer diagnosis in his 20s gave him a unique outlook on life and perspective on “how valuable our time is.” Brunson shared his wisdom on the subject in January 2020.

Texas Dolly Signs Off

In announcing his retirement from poker in 2018, Brunson tweeted about “probably the last (tournament) I’ll ever play,” the $10,000 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship that he ended up finishing sixth in for $43,963. Making the deep run sweeter, his son, Todd Brunson, finished tenth for $18,955.

Though Brunson did end up returning to the WSOP in 2021, the tweet serves as a somber signoff from the most important and iconic player in poker history.