While this trying time brought about by the pandemic has been difficult for many, this is certainly not the case for Philippines’ poker pro Lester Edoc. After a successful month last May, the unbelievably skilled player has once again dominated the online poker tables scooping up another six-digit score. Edoc, who is not unfamiliar with massive wins has been raking in huge profits for 2020, starting the year with a bang after claiming the Red Dragon Super High Roller title for over $100k. With multiple major series lined up across numerous leading platforms, it is undoubtedly going to be a very productive first half for the pro.
High Roller MILLION$ Victory for $285,646.40
The multi-day High Roller MILLION$ tournament was one of the biggest games on the Natural8 GGnetwork platform scheduled for this week’s eventful Sunday. With at least four day 1 qualifiers held every day from Monday to Saturday, the event drew in a total of 1,832 entries posting a $500 buy-in with only 687 making it to the final day. Players who jumped in the action were already in for good value as an overlay of $1,129,800 was recorded from the guaranteed prize pool of $2 million.
Roughly eight hours of play was what it took for Filipino poker pro Lester Edoc to claim the burly victory. The outstanding player’s aggressive and exploitative approach proved to be very effective as Edoc consistently held the chip leader status for the last two to three tables. The final table was no different as the skilled pro held the lead all throughout raking over 70% of the total chips three-handed. Runner-up Lucky_Luke1 however, was not giving up and constantly raked in small pots to land a 58 big blind stack against Edoc’s 81 to start the heads up battle. Unfortunately for Lucky_Luke1, it only took less than ten minutes to conclude the tournament as the final hand arose sending Edoc’s opponent to the rail.
Eager to double up off of his aggressive contender, Lucky_Luke1 called off with pocket kings on a board of 
after firing a huge bet on the turn only to get shoved on for his last 28 big blinds. What turned out to be a good call against Edoc’s 
ended up to be a bad result as the river came a 
giving Edoc a straight and the eventual top prize of $285,646.40.
“It feels amazing & satisfying for this one definitely! It feels like my effort & perseverance are paying off but i give glory to the blessings of our lord that i got this achievement that every online poker player are aiming for during this time of our crisis.”, Edoc commented after bagging his win.
“Looking forward to be playing more bigger online poker events! Also i miss the live poker action that i hope will be back soon. My online poker results are at peak during this past few months hence i still miss live poker because of the fun and thrill it brings that i enjoy the most.”, he further added.
Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Result |
| 1 | mon$terDad | $285,646.40 |
| 2 | Lucky_Luke1 | $203,618.40 |
| 3 | supermoustache | $145,146.20 |
| 4 | 00COEL | $103,465 |
| 5 | Simmon Higgins | $73,753.40 |
| 6 | Negriin | $52,573.80 |
| 7 | ExoticJoe | $37,476.20 |
| 8 | THEfaryboy | $26,714.20 |
| 9 | ChurrilhoMaluko | $19,042.80 |
Not His First Online Result
With the limitations on live poker continuing to ensue, many pros are taking their skills to battle it out on the virtual felt instead. Edoc, a regular crusher on live circuits both local and international has proven that the online path may be as profitable as the live scene provides. His almost $300k score just comes in following of his recent final table finish of fourth place in the WSOPC Online Big $500 $2M GTD event. The exceptional player bagged a six-digit score of $159,979, adding to his already million dollar record winnings.
Additionally, the pro also made two second place finishes in the last APT online festival for the mini main event and a high roller event held on the same platform. Edoc however, was awarded an APT trophy and championship ring also just the other day for topping the cancelled Mini Main Event in the current APT online series. With 151 players remaining out of 3,532, the final day was ultimately cancelled after two hours of play and awarded the players prizes based on ICM wherein Edoc was credited the overall victory.
Falling short of actually sealing the deal a couple of times, Edoc finally scored himself a huge victory with the recently concluded High Roller MILLION$ event, positively more to come in the next couple of weeks.
“Online poker feels like a grind i think because of the fast tempo plus multi-tabling feature a player must really put so much work not to be sleepy and never miss an oppurtunity nor make one mistake that will be a big factor on your results. Live game is much more complex and interesting for me because of different factors which are social,mental and physical aspects of the game so certainly I am looking forward to be playing live poker again when its safe hopefully anytime soon.”, Edoc said in a statement.
As the WSOP Online is scheduled to run in a month on the Natural8 GGNetwork platform, notable Asian players like Edoc will be given a great chance to compete for the highly coveted WSOP Bracelet. A total of 54 bracelets will be awarded in the anticipated festival with a variety of games to cater to a wide range of players. Not only is this an excellent opportunity for poker enthusiasts all over the world but the accessibility and less costly games will surely provide each one a different but renowned WSOP experience.
Coming from a landslide of wins, the pro had a few words for players looking for a big score, “Work hard in silence Let your success be the noise, Never give up and keep on grinding! Keep Learning and studying also pile up those countless hours of playing. Trust yourself for the moment that when the opportunity comes you will be ready for it because poker tournaments is preparedness waiting for the right opportunity and a little bit of luck with blessing above you will one day hit the big score and that “one time” will be fulfilled.”
