While millions of people worldwide downed tools for the festive period, hundreds of PartyPoker players used their spare time to hit the online poker tables with renewed vigour and battled it out in the PartyPoker Championship (PPC) Winter Edition events.
The biggest buy-in event of the PPC Winter edition took place on New Year's Day, the $1,050 buy-in The Grand. Some 95 players bought in and fought for a slice of the $100,000 prize pool.
Everyone at the nine-handed final table secured a payout of at least $3,281, the sum that found its way into the PartyPoker account of ninth-place finish Luke Jones of the United Kingdom. Gytis Lazauninkas ($3,768), Patrick Cyr ($4,291), and Ihor Hula ($4,928) were the following casualties. Hula is enjoying the PPC Winter edition, having captured the early chip lead in the $500,000 guaranteed Main Event on Day 1A.
The final five became four with the elimination of Christopher Day ($5,958), with the Roman Hrabec ($7,749) crashing by the wayside in fourth and receiving the event's final four-figure sum.
Alexandros Theologis bowed out in third ($10,626), which left Denmark's Jonathan Skovsen heads-up against Alexander Tkatschew of Austria. The heads-up duo struck a deal to lessen the pay jumps, resulting in an $18,198 score for Tkatschew when he busted in second and a $19,968 addition to Skovsen's bankroll in addition to the title of champion.
PPC Winter #05 The Grand Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Skovsen | Denmark | $19,968* |
| 2 | Alexander Tkatschew | Austria | $18,198* |
| 3 | Alexandros Theologis | Austria | $10,626 |
| 4 | Roman Hrabec | Austria | $7,749 |
| 5 | Christopher Day | United Kingdom | $5,958 |
| 6 | Ihor Hula | Ukraine | $4,928 |
| 7 | Patrick Cyr | Canada | $4,291 |
| 8 | Gytis Lazauninkas | Ireland | $3,768 |
| 9 | Luke Jones | United Kingdom | $3,281 |
*reflects a heads-up deal
Host of Stars Progress From the PPC Winter #01 Main Event Day 1B
Day 1B of the $530 buy-in $500,000 guaranteed PPC Main Event saw 138 players enter, but only 21 progressed to Day 2. Denmark's Oskar Massesson excelled on the second of six Main Event flights, turning his 500,000 starting stack into an impressive 10,834,120, a pile of betting tokens substantial enough for Massesson to occupy second-place in the Day 2 chips counts. There's still a long way to go, but Massesson must fancy his chances of going super-deep in the Main Event.
The second flight was the Day 1 of choice for several big-name players. Carlos Chadha-Villamarin bagged up 5,682,736 chips and captured Day 1B's second place. Former MILLIONS Online champion Benjamin Chalot finished third, with the likes of Dalton Hobold, Niklas Astedt, and Jerry Odeen bagging top 10 stacks.
Others who progressed from Day 1B included Jans Arends, Team PartyPoker's Matthew Staples, Tomi Brouk, and Artur Martirosian.
Day 1C and 1D commence at 7:05 p.m. GMT on January 8 and January 15, respectively, with Day 1E and the Day 1 Turbo kicking off at 4:05 p.m. GMT and 6:05 p.m. GMT on January 16.
PPC Winter #01 Main Event Day 1B Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oskar Massesson | Denmark | 10,834,120 |
| 2 | Carlos Chadha-Villamarin | Canada | 5,682,736 |
| 3 | Benjamin Chalot | Hungary | 5,132,455 |
| 4 | Marin Georgiev | United Kingdom | 4,476,807 |
| 5 | Dalton Hobold | Brazil | 4,167,842 |
| 6 | Jakub Maryska | Czech Republic | 4,113,091 |
| 7 | Niklas Astedt | Sweden | 4,033,315 |
| 8 | Tomas Devenney | Ireland | 3,729,845 |
| 9 | Jerry Odeen | Sweden | 3,610,984 |
| 10 | Aleksandr Zhilin | Argentina | 3,097,783 |
Other Numbered PPC Winter Results
| Event | Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #03 Omaha PKO Championship | $109 | 411 | $41,100 | Ricardo Moreira | $6,788* |
| #04 Mini Omaha PKO Championship | $22 | 938 | $18,760 | Emily Maher | $3,084* |
| #05 The Grand | $1,050 | 95 | $100,000 | Jonathan Skovsen | $19,968 |
| #06 The Great Game | $530 | 68 | $40,000 | Georgios Damianidis | $10,324 |
*includes bounty payments
Upcoming/In-Play PPC Winter Events
You still have plenty of chances to get involved in the PPC Winter Edition. There are still ten numbered events to get your teeth into and dozens of side events across a range of buy-ins and disciplines. Get 2023 off to a flying start by becoming a PPC Winter champion.
| Event | Buy-in | Guarantee | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| #01 Main Event | $530 | $500,000 | Jan 8-17 |
| #02 Mini Main Event | $55 | $100,000 | Jan 8-17 |
| #07 PKO Championship | $215 | $150,000 | Jan 4-9 |
| #08 Mini PKO Championship | $33 | $50,000 | Jan 4-9 |
| #09 The Grand | $1,050 | $100,000 | Jan 8 |
| #10 The Great Game | $530 | $40,000 | Jan 8 |
| #11 Omaha Championship | $109 | $30,000 | Jan 9-16 |
| #12 Mini Omaha Championship | $22 | $15,000 | Jan 9-16 |
| #13 The Grand | $1,050 | $100,000 | Jan 15 |
| #14 The Great Game | $530 | $40,000 | Jan 15 |
PPC Winter Edition SPINS
PPC Winter Edition SPINS are a great way to try and win your way into the various tournaments taking place between now and January 17. They cost $10 to enter and pay their winner either $20 cash or PPC Winter tickets worth between $33 and $530. The three-handed hyper-turbo sit & go games are over in a matter of minutes, making them perfect for those who do not have the time to grind traditional satellite tournaments.
| Multiplier | 1st Prize | Frequency in 1M Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $20 cash | 653,193 |
| 3.3 | $33 PPC Winter Edition ticket | 249,807 |
| 5.5 | $55 PPC Winter Edition ticket | 75,000 |
| 10.9 | $109 PPC Winter Edition ticket | 20,000 |
| 21.5 | $215 PPC Winter Edition ticket | 1,500 |
| 53 | $530 PPC Winter Edition ticket | 500 |
