2021 WSOP Online [International]: Arthur Conan wins career first bracelet at the Heads Up Championship; Last chance to enter the Main Event $20M GTD

French player Arthur Conan became the newest player minted at the 2021 World Series of Poker Online [International] after he swept the final two stages of the WSOP #15: $10K Heads Up NLH Championship. In just under 2.5 hours, Conan defeated Spain’s Adrian Mateos at the semis and Latvia’s Aleksejs Ponakovs at the finals to win the prestigious WSOP title and coveted gold bracelet. You can relive the action on GGPoker.tv with broadcasters Norman Chad and Lon McEachern or via our recap down below. 

For those just tuning in, the 2021 World Series of Poker Online [International] is ongoing at online platform Natural8 [GG Network]. Eight gold bracelets have yet to be claimed including the series headliner $20 Million guaranteed Main Event title. With the final day running later this evening, today is your last chance to qualify. An overlay is brewing with over 1,000 entries still needed. For players signed up on Natural8, expect plenty of added perks and exclusive prizes. You can read up on those incentives at the bottom of the page or via this link:

Natural8 offers $400,000 incentive to play 2021 WSOP Online

WSOP #15: $10K Heads Up NLH Championship – Arthur Conan – US$ 466,167

After a two week break, the WSOP #15: $10K Heads Up NLH Championship resumed with the final four players back in action and the gold just two matches away. At the semi finals, French pro Arthur Conan sent Adrian Mateos packing up in a quick 40 minutes of play then drained out Aleksejs Ponakovs at the finals in an hour and 45 minutes. Conan locked up his first ever gold bracelet and the handsome US$ 466,167 cash prize. He gave France its first win in this series and 24th bracelet overall. 

Taking a look at Conan’s achievements, he has cashed at 29 prior WSOP events which included two deep runs in this series. He placed 9th at the $5K Pot Limit Omaha Championship for US$ 21,047 and 4th at THE BIG 500 for US$ 63,391. He also has three World Poker Tour titles with the latest claimed back in April at the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in Los Angeles, California. His win was one of the most talked about stories of that festival. Conan raced from just one big blind chip to champion at the final four of the $50K Super High Roller Championship to pocket his largest career score of US$ 733,320. To date, he has well over US$ 2.3 Million in The Hendon Mob tracked live and online earnings. 

Event recap

The event kicked off on August 21 with 161 players ponying up the US$ 10K buy in for a prize pool of US$ 1,561,700. Only the top 10 percent earned a cut. Among them were Niklas Astedt, Sami Kelopuro, Michael Watson, Yen Liang “yao_poker” Yao, Joakim Andersson, and Vlad Stefan Lache. The game paused at the final four and resumed on September 4. 

Day 1: August 21
Buy in: US$ 10,000
Players: 161
Prize pool: US$ 1,561,700
ITM: 16 places
Final day: September 4

Final 4 payouts

1st Arthur Conan – France – US$ 466,167
2nd Aleksejs Ponakovs – Latvia – US$ 279,700
3rd Daniel Soltys – USA – US$ 155,389
4th Adrian Mateos – Spain – US$ 155,389

Semi finals: Adrian Mateos vs Arthur Conan / Aleksejs Ponakovs vs Daniel Soltys

Leading up to the semis, Adrian Mateos, Arthur Conan, Aleksejs Ponakovs, and Daniel Soltys each knocked out five players to earn their spot. You can read the recap via this link: 

WSOP #15: $10K Heads Up Championship Final Four

Among the finalists, Mateos was undoubtedly the most decorated and favored to win. Not only did he boast three bracelets, one of them was for his victory at this same event back in 2017. However, his bid for a fourth gold was denied by Arthur Conan who knocked out the Spanish pro in just 40 minutes. Conan dominated Mateos throughout, taking the lead within the first few minutes and held it to the end. The final hand saw Mateos jam on the river with flush, Conan called with the nut flush on a board . (Hand pictured above)

At the other table, it took roughly one hour for Aleksejs Ponakovs to defeat Daniel Soltys. Ponakovs took the early lead, Soltys challenged back, resulting in the chip lead switching multiple times. One of the biggest pots was a board , Ponakovs fired on the flop and turn, both players checked the river, Ponakovs two pair, Soltys pair. From this point onwards, Ponakovs stayed ahead. The final hand saw the board complete , Soltys check-shoved the flop with top pair, Ponakovs snap called with straight. (Hand pictured above)

Finals: Arthur Conan vs Aleksejs Ponakovs

The race for the gold bracelet came down between Arthur Conan and Aleksejs Ponakovs, both players seeking their first ever WSOP title. Early action had Ponakovs ahead but midway through level 4 (around the 40 minute mark), Conan took the lead with top two pair over Ponakovs’ on a board . From there, Conan stayed ahead, claiming another good pot on a failed bluff by Ponakovs. On a board , Ponakovs check-raised, Conan tank-called with his low straight. The hard fought battle ended with Conan shoving , Ponakovs risked it with , the cards favored Conan as it landed for a higher two pair. (Hand pictured above)

Open: WSOP #27: $5,000 MAIN EVENT, $20M GTD

Last chance to qualify for the WSOP #27: $5,000 MAIN EVENT Online Championship $20 Million GTD with the final day just hours away. An overlay is possible with 3,181 entries at the time of writing. Buy in is US$ 5,000. Last year, this event generated a massive 5,802 entries for a record breaking US$ 27,559,000 online tournament prize pool. 

Day 1 flights: August 22 to September 5
Buy in: US$ 5,000
Guarantee: US$ 20,000,000
Final Day: September 5

2021 WSOP Online bracelet events stats

WSOP #1 – #24 prize pool: US$ 54,893,842
Seven figure prize pools: 19 events
Cumulative entries: 87,246
First time bracelet winners: 20
Natural8 champions: 3 
Million dollar payouts: 2 
Multiple final tables: 13 players 
Deepest run by Asian player: Keun Woo “POLALIFE!” Lee – Korea – 1st place at WSOP #12: $1,000 DOUBLE STACK No Limit Hold’em

Fields and Prize Pools

Largest phased field: WSOP #1: $50 The Return NLH – 30,810 entries
Largest one day entry field: WSOP #5: $315 Bounty Deepstack NLH – 2,989 entries
Biggest pot (phased): WSOP #7: $1,500 MILLIONAIRE MAKER NLH – US$ 7,747,725
Biggest pot (single day entry): WSOP #21: $25,00 Super High Roller Championship NLH – US$ 6,247,500
Smallest field: WSOP #18: $5,000 Short Deck Championship – 144 entries
Smallest pot: WSOP #9: $400 DOUBLE CHANCE PLO – US$ 366,600

2021 WSOP Online champions

WSOP #1: $50 The Return NLH – Bartlomiej “Chester20o” Swieboda – Poland – US$ 161,110
WSOP #2: $1,111 Caesars Cares Charity Event – Joao Simao – Brazil – US$ 206,075
WSOP #3: $2500 Limit Hold’em Championship – Nicolo Molinelli – Italy – US$ 88,461
WSOP #4: $800 DOUBLE CHANCE NLH – Thiago “IneedWasabi” Macedo – Brazil – US$ 161,636
WSOP #5: $315 Bounty Deepstack No Limit Hold’em – Kacper Pyzara – Poland – US$ 79,789
WSOP #6: $200 FLIP & GO No Limit Hold’em – Georgios Sotiropoulos – Greece – US$ 117,022
WSOP #7: $1,500 MILLIONAIRE MAKER NLH – Eduardo Pires – Brazil – US$ 1,384,013
WSOP #8: $5,000 6-Handed NLH Championship – Daniel Smiljkovic – Germany – US$ 423,426
WSOP #9: $525 Superstack Turbo Bounty NLH – Lucio “WizardOfAz” Lima – US$ 91,204
WSOP #10: $400 DOUBLE CHANCE PLO – Roland “Quina Quen” Czika – Hungary – US$ 55,369
WSOP #11: $10,000 Super MILLION$ High Roller – Erik Seidel – USA – US$ 977,842
WSOP #12: $1,000 DOUBLE STACK No Limit Hold’em – Keun Woo “POLALIFE!” Lee – Korea – US$ 635,575
WSOP #13: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship – Vincas “seimininkas” Tamasauskas – Lithuania – US$ 268,926
WSOP #14: $500 THE BIG 500 – Renan Carlos Bruschi – Brazil – US$ 150,326
WSOP #15: $10K Heads Up NLH Championship  – Arthur Conan – France – US$ 466,167
WSOP #16: $1,050 WSOP GGMasters HR Freezeout NLH – Samuel Vousden – Finland – US$ 274,519
WSOP #17: $400 PLOSSUS [Bounty] – Gabi “kidrurim” Livshitz – Israel – US$ 152,165
WSOP #18: $5,000 Short Deck Championship – Radmir “KOPOBA” Sadirov – Russia – US$ 169,110
WSOP #19: $840 6 Handed Bounty No Limit Hold’em – Andrii Derzhypilskyi – Ukraine – US$ 154,322
WSOP #20: $1,500 Monster Stack NLH Freezeout – Eduardo Cappellaro “Ghazbaran” Rodrigues – Brazil – US$ 212,815
WSOP #21: $25,000 Super High Roller Championship NLH – Alexandros Theologis – Greece – US$ 1,212,032
WSOP #22: $400 COLOSSUS – Armando D’avanzo – Italy – US$ 409,007
WSOP #23: $600 Deepstack Championship NLH – Nuno “Albertov” Capucho – US$ 190,273
WSOP #24: $1,050 Bounty Pot Limit Omaha – Dmitry Yurasov – Russia – US$ 92,710

Ninth career bracelet won

Erik Seidel – USA – WSOP #11: $10,000 Super MILLION$ High Roller

Second career bracelet won

Nicolo Molinelli – WSOP #3: $2500 Limit Hold’em Championship
Georgios Manousos Sotiropoulos – WSOP #6: $200 FLIP & GO No Limit Hold’em
Dmitry Yurasov – WSOP #24: $1,050 Bounty Pot Limit Omaha

Seven figure payouts

Eduardo Pires – WSOP #7: $1,500 MILLIONAIRE MAKER NLH – US$ 1,384,013
Alexandros Theologis – WSOP #21: $25,000 Super High Roller Championship NLH – US$ 1,212,032

Bracelets by Country

Brazil – 6
Poland – 2
Italy – 2
Greece – 2 
Russia – 2
Germany – 1
Hungary – 1 
Korea – 1
USA – 1
Lithuania – 1
Israel – 1
Finland – 1
Ukraine – 1
Portugal – 1
France – 1 

Multiple final tables

Stanislav Kuvaev 
8th – WSOP #3: $2,500 Limit Hold’em Championship
5th – WSOP #9: $525 Superstack Turbo Bounty NLH 

Renan Carlos Bruschi 
2nd – WSOP #3: $2500 Limit Hold’em Championship
1st – WSOP #14: $500 THE BIG 500 

David “MPEW299” Wang 
5th – WSOP #13: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship
8th – WSOP #14: $500 THE BIG 500 

Joao Vieira
7th – WSOP #3: $2500 Limit Hold’em Championship
2nd – WSOP #18: $5,000 Short Deck Championship

Yen Liang “yao_poker” Yao
2nd – WSOP #6: $200 FLIP & GO No Limit Hold’em
3rd – WSOP #18: $5,000 Short Deck Championship

Giuseppe Dario Sammartino 
5th – WSOP #18: $5,000 Short Deck Championship
2nd – WSOP #20: $1,500 Monster Stack NLH Freezeout 

Romain Jean “Flingue” Dours 
6th – WSOP #3: $2500 Limit Hold’em Championship 
6th – WSOP #20: $1,500 Monster Stack NLH Freezeout 

Karolis “Internecik” Sereika
7th – WSOP #19: $840 6 Handed Bounty No Limit Hold’em
9th – WSOP #20: $1,500 Monster Stack NLH Freezeout 

Mark Radoja
9th – WSOP #3: $2500 Limit Hold’em Championship
5th – WSOP #21: $25,000 Super High Roller Championship NLH 

Rui Neves Ferreira 
9th – WSOP #11: $10,000 Super MILLION$ High Roller
7th – WSOP #21: $25,000 Super High Roller Championship NLH 

Felipe Ramos
2nd – WSOP #12: $1,000 DOUBLE STACK No Limit Hold’em
9th WSOP #23: $600 Deepstack Championship NLH 

Yan Shing “Anson” Tsang
2nd – WSOP #8: $5,000 6-Handed NLH Championship
7th – WSOP #24: $1,050 Bounty Pot Limit Omaha 

Arthur Conan
4th – WSOP #14: $500 THE BIG 500
1st – WSOP #15: $10K Heads Up NLH Championship 

Seven figure prize pools

WSOP #1: $50 The Return NLH – US$ 1,417,260
WSOP #2: Caesars Cares Charity Event  – US$ 1,759,824
WSOP #4: $800 Double Chance NLH – US$ 1,248,680
WSOP #6: $200 FLIP & GO No Limit Hold’em – US$ 1,209,920
WSOP #7: $1,500 MILLIONAIRE MAKER NLH – US$ 7,747,725
WSOP #8: $5,000 6-Handed NLH Championship – US$ 2,275,250
WSOP #9: $525 Superstack Turbo Bounty NLH – US$ 1,114,500
WSOP #11: $1,000 DOUBLE CHANCE NLH – US$ 5,599,300
WSOP #12: $10,000 Super MILLION$ High Roller NLH – US$ 6,052,800
WSOP #13: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship – US$ 1,268,250
WSOP #14: $500 THE BIG 500 – US$ 1,253,525
WSOP #15: $10K Heads Up NLH Championship – US$ 1,561,700
WSOP #16: $1,050 WSOP GGMasters HR Freezeout NLH – US$ 2,240,000
WSOP #17: $400 PLOSSUS – US$ 1,738,880
WSOP #19: $840 6 Handed Bounty No Limit Hold’em – US$ 1,642,000
WSOP #20: $1,500 MONSTER STACK NLH, Freezeout – US$ 1,539,000
WSOP #21: $25,00 Super High Roller Championship NLH – US$ 6,247,500
WSOP #22: $400 COLOSSUS – US$ 4,099,528
WSOP #23: $600 Deepstack Championship NLH – US$ 1,607,400

Natural8 Exclusive Promo results

Natural8 Team Bling Sponsorship Package winners

Joao Simao – WSOP #2: Caesars Cares Charity Event – US$ 10,000 Sponsorship
Eduardo Augusto Pires – WSOP #7: $1,500 MILLIONAIRE MAKER NLH – US$ 10,000 Sponsorship
Vincas “seimininkas” Tamasauskas – WSOP #13: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship – US$ 10,000 Sponsorship

Natural8 WSOP 2-in-1 Challenge winners

Week 1
“Masukito83” – Dominican Republic – US$ 823.61
“DanielTsai” – Taiwan – US$ 597.12
“LotusFocus” – India – US$ 433.33

Week 2
Wai Yew “wong0410” Wong Malaysia – US$ 851.94
Richard Gryko – Canada – US$ 624.04
“All6886” – Vietnam – US$ 457.42

Week 3
Jonathan Katz – Argentina – US$ 851.94
“Flip888” – Hong Kong – US$ 624.04
“PhilIveyBrother” – Vietnam – US$ 457.42

Week 4
“Alexander800” – Taiwan – US$ 841.51
“IMEMYSELF” – India – US$ 616.58
“Kachikaku” – Japan – US$ 451.95

Natural8 WSOP Amazing Race Leaderboard update

Asia Pacific
Joshua McCully – New Zealand – 7,761.51 points
“Imar54” – New Zealand – 3,572.16 points
Vincent “Moist” Huang – New Zealand – 3,565.45 points
Michael Addamo – 3,547.88 points
David “MPEW299” Wang – Malaysia – 2,630.26 points
Hun Wei Lee – New Zealand – 2,121.43 points

Latin America
Rafael “riskgambler” Furlanetto – Brazil – 8,242.98 points
Eduardo Augusto Pires – Brazil – 5,207.47 points
Marcelo Asensio – Brazil – 4,630.36 points
Luciano Santos de Hollanda – 4,174.54 points
Daan “DaanOss” Mulders – Mexico – 4,169.51 points
Joao Simao – Brazil – 4,017.87 points
Assad “KammyStyyle” Kamran – Argentina – 3,651.57 points

Rest of World 
Vincas “seimininkas” Tamasauskas – 7,034.46 points
Tomas “CoronaMyAss” Jozonis – Lithuania – 6,980.83 points
Isaac Haxton – Canada – 6,073.36 points

Taiwan 
Pete Chen – 4,105.93 points
Yen-liang “yao_poker” Yao – 2,450.39 points
Chin-Wei “davidchien88” Chien – 1,365.61 points

Thailand 
George Kitsios – 2,467.99 points
“LuffyJd” – 2,053.23 points
SpeedWrap – 1,111.27

Vietnam
“LittleFishVN” – 1,585.58 points
“QuiCoc” – 1,018.52
“huethuong89” – 1,010.35 points

Japan 
“8809” – 2,090.45 points
Takashi “IKAIKA” Ogura – 1,201.12 points

Hong Kong 
Dicky Siu Hang “Floatinworld” Tsang – 5,891.71 points
Edward “edyam1” Yam – 2,238.06 points

India
Sriharsha “Upswinger” Doddapaneni – 5,195.86 points
“happysim” – 2,505.95 points

Exclusive Natural8 promos

To give more value to your buck, Natural8 players can expect added incentives amounting to US$ 400,000 up for grabs throughout the series. We’ve broken them down right here. 

WSOP Team Bling Sponsorship

Win any of the 2021 WSOP Online bracelet events and you are assured entry to Team Bling along with one of these fine sponsorship packages listed: 

Main Event = $100,000 Team Bling Sponsorship*

Win the WSOP Main Event and you’ll not only become a part of Team Bling, you’ll be the CAPTAIN of the team. This exclusive package includes:

12 month Team Bling Sponsorship
$25,000 for live event buy in sponsorships
$5,000 to cover expenses
T$70,000 in online event sponsorships, paid out over 12 months

Buy-ins of $1,000 and above = $10,000 Team Bling Sponsorship*

Win a WSOP Bracelet from any event with a buy-in of $1,000 and above, and you’ll get a Team Bling package that includes:

6 month Team Bling Sponsorship
$7,500 for live event buy in sponsorships
$2,500 to cover expenses

Buy-ins from $50 to $999 = $5,000 Team Bling Sponsorship*

Win a WSOP Bracelet from any event with a buy-in of $999 and below, and you’ll get a Team Bling package that includes:

6 month Team Bling Sponsorship
$3,500 for live event buy in sponsorships
$1,500 to cover expenses

WSOP Amazing Race

Top the leaderboards to win a piece of the US$ 75,000 prize pool! There are nine leaderboards running throughout the series with varying prizes. Points can only be earned at bracelet events and WSOP side events. Three different LiveX packages up for grabs are listed: 

US$ 5,000 LiveX Gold which includesUS$ 3,500 live event buy in sponsorship and US$ 1,500 in expenses. 

US$ 3,000 LiveX Silver which includes US$ 2,000 live event buy in sponsorship and US$ 1,000 in expenses. 

US$ 2,000 LiveX Bronze which includes US$ 1,500 live event buy in sponsorship and US$ 500 in expenses. 

WSOP 2-in-1 Challenge

Win a share of US$ 30,000 via the WSOP 2-in-1 incentive. This unique perk is only offered in Natural8. To start off, play any of the WSOP bracelet events and WSOP side events to earn points. As written on the website,

“Take part in any WSOP Branded Tournaments to earn points and boost those points by playing in cash games. We’ll multiply the points you’ve earned by playing tournaments with the points from cash games to reveal your chipstack for the final WSOP 2-in-1 Challenge Flipout.“

Natural8 offers $400,000 incentive to play 2021 WSOP Online

Plenty of action ahead so stick with us at Somuchpoker as we bring you recaps of the ongoing 2021 WSOP Online [International] on Natural8.