N4kai, the first Polish player to post a win in the WCOOP, has taken the gold in Event 18. His first place prize of $107,515.78 was earned in just over eight hours of action in this $320 No Limit Holdem contest.
In keeping with the numbers of several recent WCOOP events, this particular tournament absolutely shattered its guaranteed prize pool. Before the tournament, PokerStars had ensured a sum of at least $350,000. But, by the time registration had closed, the final tally had reached all the way to $688,500 – more than double the initial guarantee.
Featuring 10-minute levels, action roared along into the early hours of Saturday morning. Once things were whittled down to the final table, it took very little time for the remaining players to eliminate one another. Finally, with just three left, a deal was made to split up the final winnings. Over their next few hands, things were quickly settled.
Here’s how the final table finished up:
#1 – N4kai ($107,515.78)
#2 – rockstar2 ($74,073.34)
#3 – sirtenzoe ($73,156.39)
#4 – alexlabatyuk ($42,687.00)
#5 – HelloDeli82 ($30,982.50)
#6 – lucasr33 ($24,097.50)
#7 – gladius_85 ($17,212.50)
#8 – mi777 ($11,704.50)
#9 – loblaise ($6,540.75)
In total, 2,295 players ponied up the necessary $300+$20 for this tournament, which sent the top 288 places home with a minimum cash prize of $550.80. Some of the more famous faces to cash in Event 18 included James “Andy McLEOD” Obst (65th, $1,308.15), Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar (171st, $791.77) and Shyam “G’s zee” Srinivasan (17th, $2,754). The later pair are now tied with Daniel Negreanu for the second most cashes by WCOOP players this year.