In this column, we deliver you the latest and most interesting online poker industry news from across the world and all platforms.
Phil Ivey appears in WPTGlobal advert
Legendary Phil Ivey surprised fans last week having appeared in a World Poker Tour Global promotional video alongside popular host Tony Dunst. The advert featuring the brand’s ongoing Summer Festival, showcased the ten-time bracelet winner as a customer service agent handling inquiries about the app’s eye-catching $1 for $1 million tournament. The video received tons of positive feedback from the community with poker fans sharing their enthusiasm in seeing Ivey’s usual stern outlook shift to a much lighter one.
WPT Summer Festival now at @wpt_global including the $1 buy-in $1 million guaranteed event. See you there pic.twitter.com/OrL3cXOOJE
— Phil Ivey (@philivey) July 23, 2022
Followingly, fellow WPT ambassador Brad Owen released his own entertaining version with stars Andrew Neeme and Jamie Kerstetter. The advertised $1 for $1 million event is currently running qualifiers available every Wednesday and Sunday through August 22nd, wrapping up WPT Global’s $3.5M GTD Summer Festival. Additionally on the same day, the $1 million guaranteed Main Event is scheduled to conclude, awarding two WPT champions the lion’s share of the seven-figure prize pools.
Lots of very cool @wpt_global events going right now including the $1 for 1 million. I may have gotten a little carried away with the planning of it; as a result, we expect an overlay… pic.twitter.com/mGCzkIIYm2
— Brad Owen (@TheBradOwen) July 22, 2022
Sebastian Gaehl defeats Bryn Kenney for Super MILLION$ title
GGPoker’s Super MILLION$ events have always been a fan-favorite amongst high rollers with its time and time again recorded great turnouts as well as notable top prizes. Capping off July with an impressive Super MILLION$ win was Austria’s Sebastian Gaehl, who walked away with $243,381 in winnings after beating the controversial Bryn Kenney in heads up play. Kenney, who has seen his share of the spotlight amid a stack of cheating allegations, laddered up quite well having started 8th in chips yet was eventually denied by Gaehl for the title.
The final table featured some of the industry’s best players including five-time Super MILLION$ champions Niklas Astedt and Michael Addamo. Both players fell a few places short in sealing the deal for a sixth title but still bagged a worthy profit after being eliminated in 8th and 6th place respectively. With blinds adding up on the pressure, preflop all-in battles ensued right until Russia’s Yakov Nesterov ran a cooler against Kenney and exited in 3rd place. Having turned a weaker two-pair vs the Canadian pro, Nesterov shipped his stack to Kenney, giving him a chip advantage heading into heads up play.
Luck however wasn’t on his side for long as a massive cooler soon played out with Kenney this time, on the losing end. Having both flopped trip Kings, Gaehl’s better kicker and turned full boat gave him a significant lead and successfully closed just a few hands later. Kenney was left to settle for a runner-up finish and $190,070 in prizes while Gaehl celebrated his second Super MILLION$ title this year alone.
GGPoker Super MILLION$ Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize (US$) |
| 1 | Sebastian Gaehl | Austria | $243,381 |
| 2 | Bryn Kenney | Canada | $190,070 |
| 3 | Yakov Nesterov | Russia | $148,437 |
| 4 | Volodymyr Palamar | Ukraine | $115,923 |
| 5 | Andras Nemeth | Austria | $90,531 |
| 6 | Michael Addamo | Hong Kong | $70,701 |
| 7 | Andrei Nikonorov | Russia | $55,214 |
| 8 | Niklas Astedt | Norway | $43,120 |
| 9 | Joseph Cheong | Canada | $33,675 |
Winning Poker Network’s $25M GTD OSS Cub3d XVI underway
US-friendly Winning Poker Network is continuing down its tournament craze with over $25,000,000 in prizes to be awarded through August 29th. The second flagship Online Super Series Cub3d XIV for 2022 boasts a total of 63 events on schedule including three multi-flight tourneys: $2.5 Million ($630 buy-in), $1.5 Million PKO ($215 buy-in) and $250,000 ($22 buy-in), and all Day 2s set for the last day of the series. Three tiered Main Events additionally complete the line up for the next three weeks with the two latter ones featuring a $1 Million prize pool.
The biggest tournament to keep an eye on remains to be the BIG MULTI-FLIGHT $2,500,000 event for an entry fee of $630. Qualifiers have officially kicked off last August 1st and will play through 44 flights. Blind levels are set to increase every ten mins and 12% of the field heading into Day 2, August 29th. Players who make it through are automatically in the money for a minimum payout of $1,200.
OSS Cub3d XVI Highlights
- MOSS $500,000 Main Event ($55 buy-in) – multiflight with Day 2 on August 7th
- OSS $1,000,000 Main Event ($630 buy-in) – Day 1 on Sunday, August 21st
- BOSS $1,000,000 Main Event ($2,650 buy-in) – Day 1 on Sunday, August 28th
- BIG MULTI-FLIGHT $2,500,000 ($630 buy-in) – Day 2 on Monday, August 29th
- BIG MULTI-FLIGHT $1,500,000 PKO ($215 buy-in) – Day 2 on Monday, August 29th
- BIG MULTI-FLIGHT $250,000 ($22 buy-in) – Day 2 on Monday, August 29th
Natural8’s Zodiac Festival features two Mystery Bounty specials
Ten days of action is left on schedule as Natural8 – GGNet’s ongoing Zodiac Festival completes its CNY 35M (US$ 5M) special online series this August 14. The festival comes with a Daily ¥300K GTD Zodiac Main Event, and a boosted ¥500K GTD on Sundays in addition to the site’s regular tournament offerings. Buy-ins for the Zodiac events range from ¥50 to ¥5,500 with plenty of satellites available for those looking to extend their bankrolls.
Two highlighted events remain center stage with both multi-day tournaments featuring the popular and exciting Mystery Bounty format. Final day for the ¥210 buy-in, ¥2M GTD event is set for this coming Sunday, August 7 while the pricier yet juicier ¥2,100 buy-in, ¥5M GTD finale will conclude on Sunday, August 14.
