"WhatIfGod" Wins the 2020 PokerStars EPT Online $5,200 Main Event ($1,019,082)
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The 2020 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Online has crowned a champion in the EPT Online 16: $5,200 NLHE [8-Max, Main Event] and it was Sweden's "WhatIfGod" who overcame a final table line-up filled with talented and experienced opponents to claim the top prize of $1,019,082. In a short-lived heads-up duel of just seven hands, "WhatIfGod" overcame Canadian High Roller regular Timothy "Tim0thee" Adams, who had to settle for a consolation prize of $728,633.
The flagship tournament of the festival drew a total of 1,304 entries, including 924 unique players and 380 re-entries, and the top 159 spots earned a portion of the $6,520,000 prize pool. Nine players from nine different countries reached the final table, which also featured big names such as David "MissOracle" Yan, Viacheslav "VbV1990" Buldygin, Andreas "daskalos20" Christoforou, and Jon "apestyles" Van Fleet.
Ultimately, it was "WhatIfGod" who prevailed after five hours and a quarter on the final day and he actually attended an EPT live festival previously. That was six years ago back in 2014, however, the Swede didn't play any of the tournaments back then. Instead, "WhatIfGod" collected the two bracelets he won during the 2014 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and almost exclusively plays online ever since, now topping off the resume with a seven-figure score after making a deep run in the 2020 WCOOP Main Event earlier this year (12th for $76.643) and winning two titles during the 2020 SCOOP.
Third-place finisher Yan was responsible for two spectacular eliminations by cracking aces and kings before carefully nursing a shorter stack for an extended period of time. No stranger to the live and online circuit, the payday of $520,966 was one of the biggest to date for the young New Zealander.
Final Result 2020 PokerStars EPT Online $5,200 Main Event
| Place | Winner | Country | Payout (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WhatIfGod | Sweden | $1,019,082 |
| 2 | Timothy "Tim0thee" Adams | Canada | $728,633 |
| 3 | David "MissOracle" Yan | New Zealand | $520,966 |
| 4 | tikidiii | Finland | $372,485 |
| 5 | Viacheslav "VbV1990" Buldygin | Russia | $266,323 |
| 6 | Enio "Bozzano JNR" Bozzano | Brazil | $190,419 |
| 7 | Andreas "daskalos20" Christoforou | Cyprus | $136,147 |
| 8 | Jon "apestyles" Van Fleet | United States | $97,344 |
| 9 | vip25459 | Kazakhstan | $78,797 |
The Action of the Final Day
Every pay jump on the final table was significant and yet it only took some 40 minutes to lose the first three contenders. First to fall was "vip25459" who three-bet jammed their short stack with king-jack suited into the aces of Jon "apestyles" Van Fleet. However, the American online poker legend was the next casualty when he lost a flip with ace-king against the pocket jacks of Viacheslav "VbV1990" Buldygin.
The exit of Andreas "daskalos20" Christoforou came in an agonizing fashion when his aces were cracked by the ace-king suited of David "MissOracle" Yan. Going forward, the chip lead changed several times for the next 90 minutes, yet Brazil's Enio "Bozzano JNR" Bozzano was never able to leave the bottom of the leaderboard. His exit, too, came against Yan when kings were cracked by queens in a preflop contest.
Yan became a significant short stack after that and doubled to get back into contention, as did "WhatIfGod" against Timothy "Tim0thee" Adams with aces versus nines. Adams and Finland's "tikidiii" cruised at the top of the leaderboard and Viacheslav "VbV1990" Buldygin then lost a flip to "WhatIfGod" to bust in 5th place.
The next hopeful to run out of chips was "tikidiii" and Yan went from joint chip leader to short stack after a failed bluff attempt against "WhatIfGod". This hand would turn out to be pivotal, as Yan was unable to stage another comeback and succumbed with his short stack when tens were cracked by then ace-four of Adams.
Adams entered heads-up with a small lead and won just two out of the hands that took place from thereon. When the Canadian and "WhatIfGod" flopped top pair and rivered trips, the chips went into the middle on each street and Adams had to settle for the runner-up spot.
The final three days of the 2020 PokerStars EPT Online $5,200 Main Event were broadcasted on the PokerStars YouTube and Twitch channels with cards-up coverage and commentary on a 30-minute delay. PokerNews provided exclusive live updates for each of the 20 trophy events, the coverage and all the results can be found right here.