Dan Sepiol Wins WPT World Championship ($5.3 Million) w/ Brilliant Final Table Performance

7 months ago

One of nan largest tournaments successful poker history, nan $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship, came to its conclusion pinch Dan Sepiol finishing disconnected Georgios Sotiropoulos to adjacent it retired for nan $5,282,954 first spot prize via a heads-up ICM chop.

Day 7 — nan last array — began a spot aft 4 p.m. PT Thursday day from wrong Wynn Las Vegas. A World Poker Tour (WPT) Champions Club spot and millions of dollars were astatine liking betwixt nan last six players from nan 3,835 entrants who sought a portion of that juicy $40 cardinal guaranteed prize pool.

WPT World Championship Final Table Results

RankPlayerPrize

1	Dan Sepiol	$5,282,954
2	Georgios Sotiropoulos	$4,167,246
3	Andrew Lichtenberger	$2,798,700
4	Chris Moorman	$2,095,300
5	Ben Heath	$1,583,100
6	Artur Martirosian	$1,207,000

Final Table First Half Action

When play began Lichtenberger had a sizable spot lead and Sepiol was among nan short stacks. But nan shorty pulled disconnected nan bluff of nan tourney against nan large stack early successful nan day.

Sepiol three-bet preflop pinch K♥10♥ successful position against "Lucky Chewy" who had A♦10♦. On a flop of 4♠3♥3♦, Lichtenberger checked and past called a stake of 3,500,000, astir one-fourth nan size of nan pot. When nan 9♦ deed connected nan turn, it was bad news for Sepiol because he only had 29,000,000 down and his force picked up a flush draw.

Still, he stake 8,000,000 and again received a call. But nan 3♣ connected nan stream was a blank, and pinch 38,000,000 successful nan pot, Lichtenberger checked 1 much clip earlier releasing his manus — nan champion manus — to an each successful wager of 21,000,000 chips.

Moments later, Sepiol showed immoderate much aggression erstwhile he jammed preflop pinch 5♦5♣ to unit nan shortest stack, Martirosian, disconnected A♣10♦. He'd astir doubled his stack astatine that constituent simply by being being nan aggressor.

Coincidentally, an hr aliases truthful later, Martirosian would move each successful pinch nan pouch fives, and Sepiol would telephone pinch pouch sevens and clasp up. The sixth-place finisher took location $1,207,000.

Sepiol would past move a consecutive against Heath, who rivered 2 pair, and usage that manus to move into nan spot lead aft starting nan day pinch conscionable 29 large blinds. He was uncovering nan correct operation of luck and well-timed aggression to predominate play.

Heath, who entered nan tourney pinch astir $20 cardinal successful The Hendon Mob cashes, was adjacent to bust (fifth spot for $1,583,100) moments aft having his spot stack decimated by Lichtenberger. In his last hand, he raised to 12,900,000 pinch Q♥J♦, leaving conscionable 5,000,000 behind. Sotiropoulos, pinch A♣7♣ successful nan large blind, put him each successful and he made nan call.

No thief came for Heath connected nan committee arsenic Sotiropoulos deed apical pair, and he was eliminated successful 5th spot for $1,583,100. Although he'd conscionable doubled up, Sotiropoulos was still nan short stack, but would soon aft triumph a decent cookware to jump up of Moorman.

Moorman would past telephone disconnected his last 16 large blinds pinch Q♣J♥ and tally into a higher queen — K♣Q♦ — that Sotiropoulos had successful nan hold. The committee came retired A♣A♦10♠9♠7♥ and Moorman, 1 of nan apical tourney and online players successful poker, busted successful 4th spot for $2,095,300.

Three-Handed Play Begins

Following nan elimination of Moorman, Lucky Chewy held a slim lead complete Sepiol, while Sotiropoulos was riding a "short" stack, though pinch 46 large blinds, he had plentifulness of dancing chips to make a tally astatine nan Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup trophy.

Not agelong after, nan tourney wholly shifted successful Sepiol's guidance arsenic he would triumph nan biggest cookware of nan tourney and nonstop 1 of nan astir accomplished poker pros successful history home.

Lichtenberger limped successful nan mini unsighted for 2,500,000 pinch A♣K♦ earlier nan large blind, Sepiol, made it 8,500,000 pinch J♥J♦. A limp-raise to 32,500,000 was successful store, followed by an each successful jam — and past a telephone — for 142,300,000 effective. Off to nan races nan 2 poker pros went, and it was Sepiol whose pouch brace held up connected nan 7♣Q♠9♠2♥10♥ board.

The high-stakes poker fable was retired successful 3rd spot for $2,798,700, and Sepiol would statesman heads-up play pinch a immense spot advantage complete Sotiropoulos.

Sepiol, a Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) and World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) champion, appeared to beryllium moments distant from a career-defining win. Just 2 years ago, he won a societal media title to compete successful a WPT location crippled astatine Steve Aoki's house against Phil Ivey and Aoki, a WPT ambassador astatine nan time.

On Thursday, he was competing for life-changing money and nan biggest people successful WPT Main Tour history, surpassing Eliot Hudon, who took down this aforesaid arena past twelvemonth for $4.1 million.

But nan tourney triumph wasn't a guarantee for Sepiol erstwhile heads-up play began contempt being up 4-1 successful chips. Sotiropoulos, a Greek poker prima pinch astir $4 cardinal successful unrecorded tourney results anterior to nan WPT World Championship, is nary slouch and wouldn't spell distant easily.

Following a lengthy break aft Lichtenberger's elimination to movie immoderate interviews for television, nan last 2 players returned to nan felt to conflict for nan trophy and millions of dollars.

Sotiropoulos would springiness his heads-up force a battle, particularly early on. But he wasn't capable to dress up overmuch crushed for rather immoderate clip arsenic he couldn't look to scoop a large pot. But aft dropping backmost to astir 10 large blinds, he'd triumph a 60/40 to double up. And past he'd double up a 2nd clip moments later, and past again into nan spot lead aft being down 11-1 successful chips astatine 1 constituent successful nan match.

Sepiol would regroup and get it each backmost earlier long. The tourney would inevitably extremity pinch Sotiropoulos going each successful pinch K♥Q♣ but losing to K♣3♥ erstwhile a 3♦ appeared connected nan turn. For nan runner-up, he took location $4,167,246 arsenic a consolation prize aft nan last 2 players agreed to an ICM chop earlier connected a break.

Sepiol, connected nan different hand, earned $5,282,954 for dominating a reliable last table. In doing so, he moved into 4th spot connected Indiana's all-time unrecorded tourney net list, according to The Hendon Mob. He now has conscionable complete $6.6 cardinal lifetime, little than $50,000 short of Mike Sexton, nan longtime WPT announcer who passed distant successful 2020.

Like Sexton, Sepiol is simply a WPT Champions Club personnel and now an Indiana poker legend.

Dan Sepiol Plays Poker astatine Steve Aoki's House

*Image courtesy of World Poker Tour.