Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) 2023 dates: 7-31 May, 2023

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SCOOP NEWS IN BRIEF

A quick day-by-day recap of the latest SCOOP news:

TUESDAY, MAY 30

WATSON LEADS FINAL 6 IN $25K

One of the largest buy-in events kicked off yesterday: the $25,000 Super High Roller (#113-H), which received 42 total entries to produce a $1.03 million prize pool. 

Just six remain, led by Mike “SirWatts” Watson. With three bullets fired, the two-time EPT champ will need to finish at least fifth to make a profit in this one, but he’s in a great position to win a whole lot more than that. 

Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden (who won a title last night – see below), Bruno “great dant” Volkmann, Pedro “pvigar” Garagnani, Daniel “SmilleThHero” Smiljkovic and Sam “Str8$$$Homey” Greenwood round off the final table.

There’s $362,102 awaiting the winner.

VOUSDEN VICTORIOUS

Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden picked up a fourth SCOOP trophy on Monday, taking down the $530 Sunday Warm-Up PKO (#107-H) for $71,415 including $32,948 in bounties. 

Vousden, from Finland, defeated a 1,118-entry field over two days of play. He previously won titles in 2015, 2017, and 2021.

BIGGEST PRIZE OF THE DAY

That went to “Uwintakeit” of Canada who won their maiden SCOOP title in the $5,200 Turbo Main Event 2nd Chance (#114-H). The victory over the 97-entry field was worth $103,950.

To do it, they not only had to defeat Benjamin “bencb789” Rolle heads up, but overcome a final table that included Sam “Str8$$$Homey” Greenwood (3rd), Steven “random_chu” Chew (4th), Espen “Hymn2ninkasi” Jørstad (5th), Timothy “Tim0thee” Adams (6th), Leonard “Grozzorg” Maue (7th), and Mark “AceSpades11” Radoja (8th). 

SECOND TITLE FOR BUNGAKAT 

Popular poker coach Jargo “bungakat” Alavalli captured the second title of his career yesterday, winning the $530 Turbo Main Event 2nd Chance (#114-M) for $61,229 after a heads-up deal with Thailand’s “whereisdonny”.

The tournament received 776 entries and produced a tough final table that included Daniel “Oxota” Dvoress (3rd), “monzemann” (4th), Michel “FreeLancerZZ” Dattani (5th), Dinesh “NastyMinder” Alt (6th), and Elias “SinKarma” Gutierrez (7th).

MAIN EVENT UPDATES

$10,300 NLHE (#108-H)
Players: 40 / 587
1st place: $1,036,199

They’re down to the final five tables in the big one and Canada’s “AnyExtras” is out in front, followed by recent EPT Monte Carlo champion Mike “SirWatts” Watson. Others still in contention include Alex “FutureofMe” Kulev, Benjamin “bencb789” Rolle, and Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden – who captured his fourth SCOOP title last night.

$1,050 NLHE (#108-M)
Players: 79 / 4,206
1st place: $600,639

Just 79 remain in the $1K, led by the UK’s “2ndOnly2God”. PokerStars Team Pro Ramon Colillas is still in the hunt, sitting 16th in chips, and he’ll be joined today by the likes of Vicente “vicenfish” Delgado, Roman “Gogac Sniper” Hrabec, and Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, to name but a few crushers.

$109 NLHE (#108-L)
Players: 157 / 22,663
1st place: $232,582

“Sodaski” of Ukraine holds the chip lead in the $109 with 157 remaining. All NLHE Main Events play down to a final table tonight.

$10,300 PLO 6-Max (#110-H)
Players: 7 / 77
1st place: $215,927

They’ve already reached the final table in the biggest PLO Main and “WhySoS€rious” from Austria is out in front. Chris “lissi stinkt” Frank and Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov are the two shortest stacks.

$1,050 PLO 6-Max (#110-H)
Players: 18 / 544
1st place: $96,084

Three tables remain in the $1K, led by Austria’s “aufsuckerter”. Sami “Lrslzk” Kelopuro is arguably the biggest name still in contention.

$109 PLO 6-Max (#110-L)
Players: 18 / 2,318
1st place: $34,346

While “Neptune04” of the UK holds the chip lead with 18 left, it’s Dzmitry “Colisea” Urbanovich who headlines the final day. He sits sixth in chips.

MONDAY, MAY 29

WELCOME TO THE MAIN EVENTS 

Today’s update will be briefer than usual, but not for a lack of action.

Sunday saw the three no limit hold’em and PLO SCOOP Main Events begin, as well as the Sunday Kickoffs and Sunday Warm-ups. That’s 12 events with Day 2’s resuming on Monday.

Registration remains open in all of the Mains., so we’ll bring you all of the numbers tomorrow morning. But here are a few notable stories from Sunday:

Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber is 29th in chips out of 36 remaining in the $530 Sunday Kickoff (#106-H). The event received 878 total entries and has $72,952 up top. The PokerStars Team Pro has $1,886 locked up.

Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg busted the $10,300 NLHE Main Event (#108-H) in his very first hand. But by the end of the evening, he’d won himself another seat, going $109 > $1,050 > $10,300.

PARDO DENIES MORAES

Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo took down the fourth SCOOP title of his illustrious career last night, defeating PokerStars Team Pro Rafael “GM_VALTER” Moraes heads-up in the $1,050 Turbo PKO (#111-H).

Pardo banked $60,438 for victory over the 364-entry field, including $31,293 in bounties. Moraes, meanwhile, will have to wait for his third trophy.

‘PAN_KOTAN’ WINS WOMEN’S EVENT

A player from Belarus who goes by “pan_kotan” took down the $109 Women’s Event PKO (#109-H) for $3,478, including $2,648 in bounties.

She defeated a 190-entry field to earn her first SCOOP title.

SUNDAY, MAY 28

LEKNES FINALLY CLINCHES TITLE #7, HIS THIRD OF THE YEAR

It seems like Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser really opened the floodgates when he won his third SCOOP title of 2023 on Thursday, as two more players have now joined him on the triple champs’ list.

Tobias “Senkel92” Leknes finally captured his third SCOOP trophy of 2023 on Saturday, and his seventh of his career, having finished runner-up multiple times throughout the series (including another second place last night).

Leknes, who also has a record-tying nine WCOOPs, took down the $1,050 NLO8 6-max (#103-H) for $26,752, besting a 119-entry field. A mixed-game master, this is the Norwegian’s first SCOOP win in NLO8.

GIERSE ALSO BECOME TRIPLE CHAMP

Marius “DEX888” Gierse joins Glaser and Leknes as a three-time winner in 2023. He won the $1,050 6-max turbo (#104-H) for $47,727 on Saturday, defeating all of the event’s 247 total entries. 

To get the job done this time, the Austria-based German defeated Pavel “silentm0de” Plesuv heads-up. All four of his SCOOP titles have come in no limit hold’em.

LARGEST PRIZE GOES TO MELLO 

The biggest prize of Saturday night went to Brazil’s Allan “allan sheik” Mello with his victory in the $5,200 Thursday Thrill (#97-H). Mello banked a whopping $164,980 for his win over the 155-entry field, including $93,496 in bounties. 

The final table of this one included Mello’s countryman Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha, who he defeated heads-up, as well as Hungary’s “Wildace_hun” and Uruguay’s Francisco “Tomatee” Benitez.

This is Mello’s second career SCOOP title and his first since 2019.

CHILLOLINI AND ELGSTROMN WIN TITLE #5

Leknes isn’t the only master of mixed games hailing from Norway. “Chillolini” is another constant crusher on those streets and on Saturday he captured his fifth career title, defeating Leknes heads-up.

The event was the $2,100 8-game 6-max (#98-H) and Chillolini finished on top out of 46 entries to win $32,342. Leknes had to settle for $21,421 and another silver, while Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov, Christian “CMoosepower” Elgstrømn, Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi, and Dzmitry “Colisea” Urbanovich rounded off the final table.

Elgstrømn might have finished third in that one, but over in the $215 8-game (#98-M) he emerged victorious for $10,139, defeating Strebkov heads-up. This is the Dane’s fifth career title and second of 2023.

MAIN EVENTS START TODAY!

The biggest Sunday of SCOOP 2023 so far has arrived, with three NLHE Main Events ($109, $1,050, $10,300) and three PLO Main Events ($109, $1,050, $10,300) kicking off.

It’s an action-packed day, and even more so for those who made Day 2s on Saturday.

Both Lex Veldhuis and Ramon Colillas will return in the $1,050 NLHE PKO (#102-H) with 42 remaining out of 561 total entries. There’s $43,128 up top plus bounties in that one.

SATURDAY, MAY 27

As we head into Main Event weekend and the final few days of what’s been an incredible SCOOP 2023, it’s time we speak to the man of the moment.

Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser has not only won three titles throughout this series but he’s also tied Calvin “cal42688” Anderson as the greatest SCOOP player of all time (10 titles) while extending his lead as the best COOP player in history.

His performance this month has been nothing short of extraordinary, and yet it wasn’t unexpected. Glaser has managed to win at least one title for 11 COOP series in a row and now has 18 victories across SCOOP and WCOOP.

His latest victory came on Thursday, May 25, and incredibly, it was his first win in a no limit hold’em event, confirming what everyone already knew: Glaser is simply one of the best all-around poker players on the planet.

You can check out all of Glaser’s SCOOP and WCOOP titles below, but first, here’s our conversation with the guy who has dominated the headlines in this series.

PokerStars Blog: Hey Benny, congratulations on an incredible series so far. Where are you playing SCOOP this year and are you doing anything differently from previous years? 

Benny Glaser: Thanks! I played the first half of SCOOP 2023 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico then halfway through I moved to Vancouver which involved a bunch of difficulty and skipping a few days. I always used to play SCOOP from the UK.

I was in Mexico because it has a friendlier time zone for me, it’s a slightly later start. Vancouver I find it a bit hard because of the time zone. The starts are often too early so most days I miss the earliest events.

Winning three in a year is impressive for any player, but even more so in your case because you already had the most COOPs. Was extending the lead and tying/possibly overtaking Calvin Anderson on your mind heading into the series? 

It’s somewhat in my mind heading into a series, but I wasn’t expecting to get three or more in one series and overtake Cal. It’s definitely a dream to win the most and it’s a fun goal for the future. But I wasn’t expecting it this year.

How important is it to get off to a strong start during a big series like SCOOP? How did winning a title early on impact your results after?

I think it’s somewhat important to have a strong start but it really depends on the person. For me, it’s always a relief when I get at least one title for a series. I’ve managed to win at least one title for 11 COOP series in a row, so it’s fun to get that out the way. It’s always a morale boost. 

But it’s important to stay hungry and go for more titles and even aim for the leaderboards if you get a very strong start.

This year, as I had to miss the earlier events and skipped some of the highest buy-in events, I really wasn’t expecting to win three titles. It’s obviously a very nice thing. Had I played the earlier events and got off to a strong start I probably would have gone for the leaderboards, but this year I just found it too difficult.

It’s been a really interesting battle with yourself, Joao “Naza114” Vieira, Tobias “Senkel92” Leknes, Ole “wizowizo” Schemion, Matthew “MUSTAFABET” Ashton etc. all winning titles and keeping things close. Do you keep an eye on how your closest competitors are doing?

I do keep an eye on how my competitors are doing, just naturally out of competition and to see how people are amassing titles. Especially guys like Vieira, if they’re nearing me in that regard.

But I’m just generally interested to see how people are doing in a series, so I do look to see all the winners from each event.

The latest win is your first NLHE title. What does that mean to you? 

It’s really nice to finally get one in no limit hold’em. There have been times in the past when people have asked me how many of my COOP titles are in NLHE and they’re always surprised when I say zero! I’d had two second-place finishes in NLHE events before Thursday, so it’s great to win one.

We’re heading into Main Event weekend and the final few days. If you had to pick two events left on the schedule for title #4 of 2023, which one would be the dream win, and which one do you think is the most realistic? 

I’m actually going to be missing the SCOOP Mains this year, unfortunately, as the schedule clashes with the World Series of Poker (WSOP). So I’m going to fly to Vegas before SCOOP finishes to play there. 

But I would definitely have said the SCOOP Main would be my dream win. Out of the remaining events, the one that would have been interesting for me is the $1K NLO8 (#103-H) – if I could win two of those in the same series I think that would have been pretty sick. It also would have been the most realistic as it will have smaller fields and I think I have a good edge in that game.

GLASER’S 10 SCOOP TITLES

2023 – 100-M: $109 NLHE 7-Max PKO – $33,669*
2023 – 87-M: $215 PLO8 6-Max – $12,578
2023 – 22-H: $1,050 NLO8 6-Max PKO – $35,555*
2022 – 09-H: $2,100 HORSE – $31,080
2021 – 73-M: $215 PLO 6-Max, PKO – $29,549*
2020 – 06-H: $2,100 8-Game – $54,853
2019 – 13-M: 2-7 Triple Draw – $215 – $14,667
2019 – 41-H: 8-Game – $1,050 – $45,840
2018 – 17L: $22 FLHE – $6,201
2016 – 33H: $2,100 Stud Hi/Lo – $54,390

GLASER’S 8 WCOOP TITLES

2022 – 14-H: $1,050 HORSE – $19,107
2022 – 4-L: $11 NLO8 6-Max – $2,334 
2022 – 18-H: $1,050 PLO 6-Max – $39,638 
2022 – 09-H: $2,100 HORSE – $33,300 
2021 – 50-M: $55 NLO8 6-Max – $9,293
2020 – 55-H: $2,100 HORSE – $43,055
2019 – 23-M: $109 Razz – $10,924
2018 – 27-L: $55 PLO 6-Max – $23,807 

FRIDAY, MAY 26

BENNY GLASER: THE GREATEST COOP PLAYER OF ALL TIME

Friday is a well-earned day off for SCOOP players, but spare a thought for whoever polishes Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser’s COOP trophies. They’re working overtime today.

Glaser became the first triple champion of 2023 last night, taking down the $109 7-max PKO (#100-M) for $33,669, including $17,104 in bounties. Not only has he tied Calvin “cal42688” Anderson on 10 SCOOP titles, but he extends his all-time COOP lead to 18.

The Brit – who also has four World Series of Poker bracelets – defeated a 2,681-entry field to further cement his legacy as the greatest COOP player in history. And incredibly, this is Glaser’s first no limit hold’em title.

I did another thing! 😁
My third title of this #SCOOP series, and my 18th overall, for $33.4k!
Really happy to finally get my first COOP win in NLHE! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Xn5fqCMaQn

— Benny Glaser (@BennyGlaser) May 26, 2023

NOTABLE WINNERS

Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm captured his maiden SCOOP title on Thursday with his victory in the $3,150 NLHE PKO High Roller (#91-H). The 22-year-old Austria-based German (who we recently wrote about as one to watch) defeated a 136-entry field to bank $94,666, $56,625 of which came from bounties. Lex Veldhuis finished sixth in this one for $15,860.

It’s hard to believe that Scott “Aggro Santos” Margereson didn’t have a SCOOP title until yesterday. The Brit, now playing from Ireland, captured his first by winning the $1,050 PKO Freezeout (#93-H) for $38,157, including $17,980 in bounties. The event received 235 unique entries and the final table included Daniel “SmilleThHero” Smiljkovic (3rd) and Espen “Hymn2ninkasi” Jørstad (4th).

Bulgaria’s Ognyan “cocojamb0” Dimov won the second SCOOP title of his career on Thursday, taking down the $109 Early Classic (#95-M) for $33,516. His first came last year in a $10K High Roller, worth $246K.

THURSDAY, MAY 25

GLASER EXTENDS COOP TITLE LEAD TO 17

There hasn’t been a single dull day so far in SCOOP 2023. Not one.

Today’s recap has to begin with the brilliance of Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser. The Brit won his eighth SCOOP title earlier this series, taking his total tally of wins across SCOOP and WCOOP up to 16 – more than anyone else. And he’s now extended that lead.

Glaser took down the 335-entry $215 PLO8 6-max (#87-M) for $12,573 on Wednesday, defeating Player of the Series contender James “TheDrunkLife” Whittet heads-up. The win puts Glaser on 17 COOP titles, nine of which are SCOOPs. He’s just one spring victory away from tying Calvin “cal42688” Anderson as the player with the most SCOOP trophies.

COOP title #17! 🏆
Very nice to get this win 😁 pic.twitter.com/9cdyeeuEq1

— Benny Glaser (@BennyGlaser) May 25, 2023

Spare a thought for Paul “_pauL€Faul_” Höfer. The German, playing from Austria, finished third in the $215 PLO8 6-max for $6,259, as well as second in the $2,100 edition (87-H) for $29,861 (Denmark’s “Mr Longhit” won that one for $39,947). Höfer is still seeking his maiden SCOOP title.

AMAZING ASHTON DOES IT AGAIN

Next up under the spotlight is Matthew “MUSTAFABET” Ashton, another mixed game crusher from the UK who can now call himself an eight-time SCOOP champion.

Ashton won his second of the year by besting a 38-entry field in the $1,050 FL Badugi 6-max (#92-H) – an event he won last year – banking $14,909. James “TheDrunkLife” Whittet finished third in this one, while Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi was runner-up.

Ashton is now tied with Ole “wizowizo” Schemion, Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, and “Premove” on eight SCOOP titles.

Incredibly, Ashton has now defended both of his 2022 titles: the $1K razz and $1K FL badugi. 

LEFRANCOIS WINS $10K SUPER TUESDAY

Pascal “Pass_72” Lefrancois picked up the largest prize of the series so far on Wednesday, taking down the 87-entry $10,300 Super Tuesday High Roller (#86-H) for $207,901.

The Canadian held the chip lead coming into the final table and navigated his way through the likes of Roman “Gogac sniper” Hrabec (6th), Niklas “Lena900” Astedt (5th), and Marius “DEX888” Gierse (3rd), before defeating Austria’s “monzemann” heads-up.

This is the second SCOOP trophy for Lefrancois, his first coming in style back in 2020 when he won the $5,200 second-chance Main Event for $416,742.

Gierse earned $124,166 for his third-place finish, while also winning his second title of the year in another event. Read about that below.

VELDHUIS’ QUEST CONTINUES WITH ANOTHER FINAL TABLE

PokerStars Team Pro Lex Veldhuis has reached yet another SCOOP final table in his quest for a maiden title. This time it’s the $3,150 PKO HR (#91-H) where he’s guaranteed $6,021 plus $3,750 in bounties with nine players remaining. 

It’s the young wizard Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm who leads, while “fierrehuve”, Markku “markovitsus” Koplimaa, Ramiro “ramastar88” Petrone, and “Old brock” are among those still in contention.

Tune in to Veldhuis’ stream tonight for the conclusion. There’s $38,041 plus bounties awaiting the winner.

NOTABLE WINNERS

Poland’s Dzmitry “Colisea” Urbanovich won his third SCOOP title on Wednesday, ending the drought since his last victory back in 2015. Urbanovich, playing from Latvia, took down the 62-entry $1,050 HORSE (#90-H) for $19,265, denying runner-up Tobias “Senkel92” Leknes his seventh SCOOP title. Leknes has already won two and finished second in two this year.

Austria’s “BigM_King17” won their second title of the year by taking down the $1,050 Super Tuesday (#86-M), besting 698 total entries for a whopping $118,828. They won a $22 NLHE event earlier in the series for $20,132.

Marius “DEX888” Gierse also became a double champion in 2023, winning the $215 7-max Freezeout (#88-M) for $36,518. The event had 1,154 entries. Gierse’s first of the year came in a $2,100 NLHE PKO for $62,000.

Another player adding their name to the double champs list is Canada’s “Jamil11”. They won the $320 Fenomeno (#94-H), defeating Alexandre “aminolast” Raymond heads-up for $36,518.

Finally, “Tydarax” of Austria defeated Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm heads-up to win the $2,100 7-max Freezeout (#88-H) for $56,988. The event had 130 players.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24

ARTHOUSE2011 ENDS HUBER’S DREAM RUN

An incredible final table played out on the PokerStars Twitch stream last night, one which saw a player win their third career SCOOP for a whopping $129,044 while denying PokerStars Team Pro its second title of the series.

Before we get to the winner, let’s shine the light on Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber. The Team Pro and Dare2Stream winner qualified for #79-H – a $5,200 NLHE High Roller – for just $55 and spun that into a third-place finish for $76,066, the largest of Huber’s career so far.

It was a superb run and one that took a brutal river to end. Four-handed, Huber was all in with pocket queens against the queen-ten offsuit of chip leader “Arthouse2011” and pocket eights of short-stacked Alex “Pwndidi” Theologis. A ten on the flop and another on the river eliminated both.

Absolute mad day! New highscore and had the sickest stream/grind of my life.
Happy and grateful, much love for the support ✌️❤️@PokerStars @BBZPoker pic.twitter.com/Stdkq4RtuS

— Huber Sebastian (@peace_ndloove) May 23, 2023

Ireland’s Arthouse2011 went on to defeat Brazil’s Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi heads up to capture their third SCOOP title, having won two $1K buy-in events last year (a NLHE 6-max and a PLO event).

That means Lasse “Wistern” Jagd Lauritsen remains the only Red Spade to pick up a trophy so far in 2023, as the list of close calls continues to grow. A massive congratulations to Huber though. What a run.

DON’T MISS THE $10K TONIGHT

What a final table we’ve got in store for you today on the PokerStars stream. The $10,300 Super Tuesday (#86-H) is down to nine from 87 entries and two superstars are playing for their ninth SCOOP trophy.

Niklas “Lena900” Astedt is seeking a 2023 hat trick, having won two events on Monday night, while Ole “wizowizo” Schemion is looking to win his second of the year. If either can do it, they’ll become the sole player with nine SCOOP victories, just one behind the all-time leader, Calvin “cal42688” Anderson.

But the final table is full of crushers. Chip leader Pascal “Pass_72” Lefrancois, Marius “DEX888” Gierse, and Roman “Gogac sniper” Hrabec are all seeking their second SCOOP trophies. Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden is after his fourth. And the reigning WSOP Main Event champ Espen “Hymn2ninkasi” Jørstad is also hoping to become the first three-time winner of 2023.

Don’t miss the action tonight. Play resumes at 17:30 WET.

THIS ONE’S INTERESTING…

While the $10K Super Tuesday hogs the spotlight, there’s another event playing down to a winner today that could prove very interesting indeed.

The $215 PLO8 6-max (#87-M) is down to nine from 335 entries and among them are players looking to make history, not to mention improve their chances of winning Player of the Series.

James “TheDrunkLife” Whittet is chip-leading and currently sits fourth on the overall leaderboard. He’s followed by “Premove” who’s hoping to win their third title of the year and move up to nine career titles. That’s a goal shared by Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser, who’s sixth in chips. Joao “Naza114” Vieira remains in contention, too.

We’ll let you know how things play out tomorrow.

NOTABLE WINNERS

Sweden’s “Fkiw” won their second SCOOP trophy last night, besting a 1,031-entry field in the $530 NLHE (#79-M) to win $84,183. Fkiw’s maiden title came in 2021 when they won a $1K Sunday Cooldown PKO for $138K.

Another Swede, Andreas “mrAndreeew” Berggren, won his third career SCOOP on Tuesday, emerging victorious in the $530 6-max turbo PKO (#89-H) for $42,589, including $21,865 bounties 552 entries. Berggrens other titles came in 2014 and 2021.

TUESDAY, MAY 23

HUGE NIGHT FOR HUBER

Everyone loves a spin-up story and tonight we could see one for the ages.

Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber doesn’t usually play $5,200 buy-in High Roller tournaments, but he loves to battle against the best when the opportunity arises. Last night, the opportunity came in the form of Event 79-H, a $5K with $400K guaranteed in the prize pool.

In a bid to book a seat for cheap, the PokerStars Team Pro entered a $55 satellite. If he didn’t win a seat, he wouldn’t have played it.

You can see where this is going. He won the satellite and when the night was over, he’d made the final table. Huber – who won the 2021 Dare2Stream competition – is currently guaranteed $16,972 with just nine of 112 entries remaining. But he’ll have his heart set on the $129,043 up top, plus a maiden SCOOP title to add to his 2022 WCOOP victory.

There are many obstacles standing in his way, though, including Alex “Pwndidi” Theologis, Ognyan “cocojamb0” Dimov, “hello_totti” and Patrick “pads1161” Leonard. 

Make sure you tune in to Huber’s stream to see how it all plays out. The final table begins at 17:30 WET.

Best of luck tonight, Seb!

One funplayer is running deep in a $5.200 SCOOP Highroller on @PokerStars and has his biggest spot ever!

Much love for the support, back tomorrow early for the SCOOP grind! pic.twitter.com/KGvrReHsLp

— Huber Sebastian (@peace_ndloove) May 23, 2023

Check out Huber’s tips for SCOOP

TWO IN A NIGHT FOR AMAZING ASTEDT

Just because what we’re about to tell you isn’t surprising at all, that doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly impressive.

Niklas “Lena900” Astedt – regarded as one of the best tournament players of all time by his peers – picked up two SCOOP titles on Monday, taking his career tally up to eight. He entered his session chip leading both the $530 Sunday Kickoff PKO (#73-H) and $215 NLO8 6-max PKO (#76-M) and got the job done in both.

The Swede defeated a 508-entry in the former to win $42,611, including $22,974 in bounties. Then finished off the 433-entry NLO8, earning $16,022 including $9,387 in bounties.

Astedt has now tied Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser, Ole “wizowizo” Schemion and “Premove” with eight SCOOP trophies. They all need two more to catch up with Calvin “cal42688” Anderson.

PADS PADS THE BANKROLL

Perennial SCOOP performer Patrick “pads1161” Leonard pulled off one of the largest bounty-to-prize ratios we’ve seen in a while* yesterday, winning the $5,200 Titans PKO (#75-H) for $197,117. That breaks down as $71,023 for first place plus a monstrous $126,094 in bounties.

*There was another enormous bounty-to-prize ratio on Tuesday, with “Premove” winning more than double their first-place prize. Read about that below in Notable Winners. 

Leonard held a big chip lead for much of the final table, eventually defeating Poland’s “PAX176” heads-up. PokerStars Team Pro Lex Veldhuis finished seventh in this one for $27,128 in total.

This is Leonard’s seventh SCOOP victory and puts him first on the High SCOOP Leaderboard. He won his first title in 2017 and has captured at least one every year since 2020. 

VIEIRA VICTORIOUS

After several near misses this year, another titan of the COOPs picked up some more SCOOP silverware yesterday.

Joao “Naza114” Vieira took down the 507-entry $530 NLHE 5-max PKO (#81-H) for $32,763, including $17,015 in bounties. The Portuguese superstar, who plays from the UK, now has six SCOOPs and nine WCOOPs.

NOTABLE WINNERS

Montenegro’s “Premove” took down the $2,100 NLO8 6-max PKO (#76-H) for $61,970, including a staggering $43,172 in bounties – more than double the first-place prize of $18,798. This is “Premove”s eighth SCOOP title and second of the year, putting them in illustrious company.

“PotnaPekka” of Finland denied Sam “SamSquid” Grafton his second SCOOP trophy yesterday. PotnaPekka took down the $1,050 Sunday Warm-Up (#74-H) for $110,835 while Grafton banked $81,004 for second place.

Canada’s “13santoy13” won a $1,050 NLHE event (#77-H) for $105,250 and their first SCOOP title.

MONDAY, MAY 22

THRILLER FOR SINKARMA

One of the world’s most popular Twitch poker streamers, Elias “SinKarma” Gutierrez, gave his audience a show to remember on Saturday night. The Spaniard, who plays from Japan and streams as Zeros Poker, went all the way in the $10,300 Thursday Thrill (#62-H) to win the largest prize of the series so far and the second SCOOP title of his career.

Gutierrez bested a stacked 82-entry field and overcame a final table that included Parker “Tonkaaaa” Talbot (6th for ~$32k), Pavel “silentm0de” Plesuv, Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson and Poland’s “PAX176” to win $205,564, including a massive bounty haul of $118,750.

Gutierrez’s maiden SCOOP came in 2021 when he took down a $5k 7-max event for $174k.

NO STOPPING THENERDGUY

The player who previously held the honour of winning SCOOP 2023’s most significant prize was Brazilian crusher Yuri “theNERDguy” Dzivielevski when he won the $10k Super Tuesday (#15-H) for $205,131 last week. 

He might have relinquished that top spot, but he’s now added a second title of the year to make up for it.

Dzivielevski took down the $5,200 PLO 6-max High Roller (#68-H) for $95,217, topping a 60-entry field.

This is Dzivielevski’s third career SCOOP win, his first coming in 2021 in a $215 HORSE event.

NOTABLE STORIES AND WINNERS

We’ve lost count of the number of final tables Lex Veldhuis has made so far, but here’s another one: he’s fifth out of nine remaining in the $5,200 Titans PKO (#75-H) and already has more than $20k locked up. There’s ~$150k awaiting the winner though. Make sure you tune in tonight to watch the conclusion as he battles the likes of Patrick “pads1161” Leonard and Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha.

Finland’s Tomi “Elmerixx” Brouk captured his second career SCOOP trophy on Saturday, winning the $1k Thursday Thrill (#62-M) for $104,925, including $50,746 in bounties. Brouk denied “Ebaaa11” their second title of the year to top the 734-entry field. Brouk’s first SCOOP came last year when he won a $2,100 buy-in 8-max event for $59,192.

Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, widely considered one of the greatest tournament players of all time, is the overnight chip leader in two events heading into Monday’s action. The Swede leads both the $530 Sunday Kickoff PKO (#73-H) with 11 remaining, and the $215 NLO8 6-max PKO (#76-M) with 15 remaining. Astedt has six SCOOP titles as of Sunday.

FRIDAY, MAY 19

THURSDAY THRILLER FOR TALBOT AND SPRAGGY 

Fridays are a rest day for SCOOP players and both Parker “Tonkaaaa” Talbot and Benjamin “Spraggy” Spraggy are going to need it after last night’s shenanigans. Both of the PokerStars Team Pros enjoyed massive sessions and Twitch streams, culminating in them both making Day 2s for Saturday. 

Talbot sits sixth in chips with 11 remaining in the $10,300 Thursday Thrill (#62-H), where he already has $5,000 locked up in bounties plus the min-cash of $10,640. The event received 82 total entries.

On Saturday he’ll be joined by the likes of Pavel “silentm0de” Plesuv, Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson, Joao “Naza114” Vieira, and Spanish Twitch poker giant Elias “SinKarma” Gutierrez. Poland’s “PAX176” leads the way and has an impressive $23,750 bounty haul already. There’s $86,814 plus a large sum of bounties awaiting the winner in that one. 

Meanwhile, Spraggy was running deep in the $1,050 Thursday Thrill (#62-M) and will return 13th in chips with 24 remaining out of 734 entries. He’s won $5,719 in bounties already, but there’s a tough field standing between him and the $54,179 up top. 

We’ve also got to dip outside of SCOOP to mention that both Talbot and Spraggy reached the final table of Thursday’s $530 Bounty Builder only for Spraggy to eliminate his good friend in an incredible hand.

Here it is. The sickest hand I’ve ever streamed. 5 players left on the Final Table of the $530 Bounty Builder. @tonkaaaap and I are 1st and 2nd in chips. Everyone else is miles behind…

Then this happens… pic.twitter.com/DwjavuSKVr

— Spraggy (@spraggy) May 19, 2023

Spraggy went on to win it for $33,628 including bounties, on his 33rd birthday no less. Many happy returns!

I just won the $530 Bounty Builder for $33,000 on my 33rd birthday.

How is that real? Incredible stream. Wow. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/dXv46fOlHZ

— Spraggy (@spraggy) May 19, 2023

MUSTAFABET MAKES IT SEVEN, DENYING SENKEL92

Matthew “MUSTAFABET” Ashton added a seventh SCOOP trophy to his mantle by winning the $1,050 razz (#57-H), denying Tobias “Senkel92” Leknes a record-tying 16th COOP title.

Ashton banked $16,468 for his victory over the 53-entry field, while Leknes – who is also chasing his seventh SCOOP and third of the year – settled for $11,286.

POKER IN THE EARS PODCAST

There’s a new episode of Poker in the Ears out today, covering SCOOP and recapping EPT Monte Carlo with Main Event champion (and two-time EPT winner) Mike Watson.

James and Joe start this week’s podcast by paying tribute to the ‘The Godfather of Poker’, Doyle Brunson, who sadly died this week at the age of 89. 

They then recap their trip to Monaco and talk to Watson about his incredible victory. 

Plus, mid-way through the series we’re treated to a series update from PokerStars Blog’s own Howard Swains, the official SCOOP correspondent. 

NOTABLE WINNERS

High-roller regular “ContraSpemSper0” of Ukraine won their first SCOOP title yesterday, taking down the $3,150 NLHE High Roller (#56-H) for $52,692 after a three-way chop with runner-up Christian “WATnlos” Rudolph ($65,701) and third-place finisher Rodrigo “Seijistar” Seiji ($62,578).

Sweden’s “WhatIfGod” (who won the EPT Online Main Event twice in back-to-back years) captured their fourth career SCOOP title and second of 2023 with a victory in the $1,050 NLHE 6-max PKO (#58-H) for $54,335, including $29,408 in bounties. The event had 300 total entries. 

Matas “Bebaimis777” Cimbolas added another trophy with his win in the $530 NLHE (#60-H) for $48,621, besting 550 total entries. This is Cimbolas’ second SCOOP title, his first coming last year for an almost identical amount ($1k NLHE for $48,841).

“Azrarn” of Belarus denied Joao “Naza114” Vieira his sixth SCOOP title by winning the $530 fixed limit hold’em 6-max (#61-H) for $11,464. Vieira banked $7,807 for his runner-up finish, while Azrarn earned a maiden SCOOP win.

THURSDAY, MAY 18

ALCANTARA WINS SUPER TUESDAY

The $1,050 buy-in Super Tuesday (#51-H) took centre stage on the PokerStars stream yesterday and ended with another title going to Brazil.

Leo “LeoAlcantara” Alcantara captured the first SCOOP title of his career by besting the 566-entry field, earning himself $99,913 and outlasting the likes of Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson (6th) and Roman “Rome0pro” Romanovsky (5th).

WEIS MAKES IT THREE

Oliver “sk2ll_m0dr” Weis added a third SCOOP victory – and his first non-hold’em title – to his impressive resume, taking down the $2,100 PLO 6-Max PKO (#50-H) for $59,575, including a whopping $38,125 in bounties.

The German, who lives in Austria, bested a final table that included Player of the Series leader Rui “RuiNF” Ferreira (3rd) and tournament legend Niklas “Lena900” Astedt (4th).

ALL THAT RAZZ

If you’re a fan of poker’s mixed games, you’re in for a treat today. Just nine players remain in the $1,050 Razz (#57-H), and among them are some of the very best players in the world.

Leading the way is Chris “Apotheosis92” Kruk, a regular in the highest-stakes mixed games in Las Vegas who’s seeking his maiden SCOOP title. Behind him, there’s six-time SCOOP champion Matthew “MUSTAFABET” Ashton. 

Third in chips is Tobias “Senkel92” Leknes, looking to capture his third title of the series and seventh of his incredible career. Then you’ve got Dzmitry “Colisea” Urbanovich, Yuri “theNERDguy” Dzivielevski, Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, and Adam “Adamyid” Owen also in contention.

There’s $16,468 awaiting the winner of this 53-entry event.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17

FERREIRA AND WHITTET BATTLE FOR PLAYER OF THE SERIES

There’s a real tug-of-war going on in the Player of the Series leaderboards, with the two frontrunners both capturing titles last night.

Portuguese phenomenon Rui “RuiNF” Ferreira picked up his second SCOOP of the series, taking his total tally up to seven. Ferreira first won a $109 NL 5-card draw event (#14-M) last week for $4,485, but that amount pales in comparison to what he picked up last night.

Ferreira clinched the top spot in the $530 Deep Stack (#49-H), defeating 482 entries and earning himself $42,842. He’s also currently second in chips on the $2,100 PLO 6-Max PKO (#50-H) final table with seven players remaining. Swedish superstar Niklas “Lena900” Astedt leads that one, while also being second in the $215 edition with 11 remaining.

But that victory wasn’t enough for Ferreira to hold on to the top spot on the overall leaderboard. James “TheDrunkLife” Whittet, who plays from Hungary, took down his third SCOOP title (and first of 2023) with a win in the $530 6+ PKO (#54-H) for $13,970, including bounties.

Whittet – who won two titles in 2022 – has come close several times already this year, most notably finishing second in one of the series openers (#2-H) for $50,731.

He’s in front on the leaderboard with 475 points, while Ferreira has 435.

Check out all the SCOOP leaderboards here.

SENKEL92 MAKES IT SIX

Mixed game master Tobias “Senkel92” Leknes is having an incredible series so far, but then there’s nothing surprising about that. The Norwegian crushes non-hold’em events during every COOP and is tied for the most WCOOP wins ever with nine (Joao “Naza114” Vieira joins him on the top spot).

Leknes is storming up the SCOOP title rankings too, winning two in 2023 so far. His first came on May 9 when he took down a $1,050 NL 5-card draw PKO (#14-H) for $13,702 total. Last night he collected a second — and sixth of his career — emerging victorious in the $2,100 FL 2-7 triple draw (#52-H).

He banked $31,500 for that win and believe us, it was well earned. The final table of this one was just ridiculous, with Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi (2nd), Patrick “pads1161” Leonard (3rd), Yuri “theNERDguy” Dzivielevski (5th), Matthew “MUSTAFABET” Ashton (6th), and Joao “Naza114” Vieira (7th) all missing out on more SCOOP silverware.

“DANI AZIZ” WINS SUNDAY MILLION…AGAIN

Brazil’s Daniel “dani aziz” Aziz was the night’s biggest winner, taking down the $530 Sunday Million (#39-M) and defeating a massive 2,580 field after three days of play. Aziz won $166,765 after a heads-up chop with Bulgaria’s “vladulaNko”. 

The victory marks a maiden SCOOP title for Aziz, but amazingly, he’s won the Sunday Million before. Back in 2020, Aziz won the historic event for $109,729. He now joins a very exclusive club of multiple Milly champions.

ANOTHER RUNNER-UP FINISH FOR LEX

What can we say? Lex Veldhuis is crushing this SCOOP, but alas, a maiden title still eludes him.

He had another runner-up finish last night in the $5.50 6+ (#54-L), having battled through 4,083 total entries. As Veldhuis stated on his stream, this wasn’t about the prize money. The $1,537 he won wouldn’t even cover a buy-in for some events he usually plays. It was all about the title. But it wasn’t to be.

Congratulations to Denmark’s “TrineFiro870” who took it down for $1,848 total.

NOTABLE WINNERS

Andrey “Anjeyyy” Novak of Ukraine won his third SCOOP title yesterday, besting 330 entries to win the $1,050 NLHE (#45-H) for $61,329.

Estonia’s Markku “markovitsus” Koplimaa clinched his first SCOOP trophy by winning a $1,050 6-max PKO (#54-H) for $58,001, including $36,187 in bounties. He defeated Patrick “pads1161” Leonard heads-up. 

TUESDAY, MAY 16

WORLD CHAMP MAKES IT TWO

As the reigning World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion, you’d have forgiven Espen “Hymn2ninkasi” Jørstad if he decided to take it easy on the grinding. He did win $10 million last summer, after all.

But Jørstad has gone the other way, playing a busy schedule, and playing better than ever.

The Norwegian, who lives in the UK, took down one of the biggest prizes of the series so far last night, winning the $5,200 Titans (#39-H) for $165,317. To do so, he had to overcome a final table that included runner-up Rui “RuinF” Ferreira (who was looking for his seventh SCOOP win) and Sam “SamSquid” Grafton.

This is Jørstad’s second SCOOP title of 2023. He already won a $215 7-Max PKO (#7-M) title for $35,543, including bounties.

Scroll down for a full list of multiple champions in 2023.

SCHEMION TIES GLASER ON EIGHT

Not to be outdone by Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser’s eighth SCOOP victory a few nights ago, Ole “wizowizo” Schemion bagged an eighth trophy of his own last night with a victory in the $1,050 5-Card PLO 6-Max (#44-H) for $32,631. The event received 161 entries.

Schemion and Glaser are now tied in second place on SCOOP’s greatest players list, trailing only Calvin “cal42688” Anderson with 10.

SECOND OF SERIES FOR DALTONHB

Another addition to the multiple winners’ list for 2023 is Brazil’s Dalton “daltonhb” Hobold, who clinched his second of the year last night. Hobold took down the $530 NLHE Turbo Big Antes (#46-H) for $36,579, including bounties.

The tournament had 391 total entries, with both Ben “Spraggy” Spragg and Alejandro “[Papo]AR” Lococo running deep for Team Pro.

MONDAY, MAY 15

ANOTHER CLOSE CALL FOR LEX

Lex Veldhuis came agonisingly close to his maiden SCOOP victory once again on Sunday, having finished runner-up in an event last week.

Veldhuis finished third in the $1,050 Saturday KO (#33-H) for $45,823, including almost $17K in bounties. The tournament had 620 total entries and a prize pool of $620,000.

It took a bad beat to eliminate him, leaving Niklas “Lena900” Astedt and “Faboulus888” heads-up. The latter took it down for $94,454, denying Astedt his seventh SCOOP trophy.

Another close one! If we keep this up it doesn’t even matter if I win them or not :D.

🥉3rd for $45,800. pic.twitter.com/FYuDS8GTzM

— Lex Veldhuis (@LexVeldhuis) May 14, 2023

GRAFTON HEADLINES FIRST SCOOP STREAM

The PokerStars live stream returns tonight with cards-up coverage of the $5,200 Titans (#39-H) final table, but unfortunately, you won’t hear the insights of one Sam “SamSquid” Grafton.

That’s because the PokerStars Team Pro and commentator is one of the final nine, battling for his second SCOOP title and a first-place prize of $165,317. Grafton enters play fifth in chips and will battle the likes of chip leader Pavel “silentm0de” Plesuv, five-time SCOOP champ Rui “RuiNF” Ferreira, Renan “Internett930” Bruschi, and Daniel “SmilleThHero” Smiljkovic.

Don’t miss the action tonight on the PokerStars Twitch and YouTube channels.

NOTABLE WINNERS

Jerry “Perrymejsen” Ödeen took down the $320 Rebuy (#29-H) for $44,828 after a heads-up chop with his fellow Swede, “fierrehuve2.

Brazil’s Dalton “daltonhb” Hobold emerged victorious in the $109 7-Max Hyper PKO, defeating a 1,695-entry field to bank $21,671, including bounties. Fintan “easywithaces” Hand went deep in this one, busting in tenth.

FRIDAY, MAY 12

GLASER EXTENDS LEAD AS ALL-TIME COOP WINNER

Not a year goes by where Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser doesn’t win a SCOOP title.

Seriously. The Brit has won at least one title in the springtime every year dating back to 2018 (and also has one from 2016). A master of mixed games, Glaser is a major threat in every single tournament on the schedule. Variant? Format? Buy-in? You name it, Glaser crushes it.

Last night he picked up his eighth SCOOP title with a win in the $1,050 NLO8 6-Max PKO (#22-H) for $35,554, including $22,843 in bounties. The final table was ridiculous, with Jerry “perrymejsen” Ödeen, “Premove”, “WhatIfGod”, Tobias “Senkel92” Leknes, and Yuri “theNERDguy” Dzivielevski making up the final six. 

Here’s a look at all of Glaser’s SCOOP titles:

• 2023 – 22-H: $1,050 NLO8 6-Max PKO – $35,554
• 2022 – 09-H: $2,100 HORSE – $31,080
• 2021 – 73-M: $215 PLO 6-Max, PKO – $29,549
• 2020 – 06-H: $2,100 8-Game – $54,853
• 2019 – 13-M: 2-7 Triple Draw – $215 – $14,667
• 2019 – 41-H: 8-Game – $1,050 – $45,840
• 2018 – 17L: $22 FLHE – $6,201
• 2016 – 33H: $2,100 Stud Hi/Lo – $54,390

He now extends his lead as the most decorated COOP player in history with a staggering 16 titles. Yep, Glaser also has eight WCOOP wins under his belt.

COOP title #16!🏆
Let’s go!🥳 pic.twitter.com/JGigPQW0nH

— Benny Glaser (@BennyGlaser) May 12, 2023

SO CLOSE FOR VELDHUIS

A thrilling show ended in congratudolences last night as Lex Veldhuis came as close as he could to winning his long-overdue maiden SCOOP title. 

The PokerStars Team Pro entered the final table of the $3,150 7-Max High Roller (#21-H) with a monstrous chip lead and maintained it throughout as the likes of Joao “Naza114” Vieira and Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet departed.

That left Veldhuis heads-up against Montenegro’s “Ebaaa11”, also seeking their first win in SCOOP. Between his YouTube and Twitch channels, there were more than 20,000 people watching.

The two clashed in an enormous tournament-defining pot, Veldhuis’ K♦ Q♥ up against A♥ J♥ . A king hit the flop to give Veldhuis the lead before an ace on the river saw almost all his chips slide Ebaaa11’s way.

Veldhuis will have to wait a bit longer for a COOP triumph, and we’re sure it’s only a matter of time. Still, he picked up $72,185 for the runner-up finish, a very healthy score indeed. For their victory, Ebaaa11 banked $94,456 and the trophy.

ANOTHER FT FOR WISTERN

Fresh off his SCOOP win in one of the first events of the series, Lasse “Wistern” Jagd Lauritsen reached another final table last night in the $215 NLHE PKO (#23-M). The Team Pro only managed ninth this time but padded his bankroll with an extra $2,682.

Glaser also made the FT in that one, falling in third for an additional $14,895. The event was won by Lithuania’s “RUNRANRUNIT” who banked $43,866.

Thursday, May 11

SECOND SCOOP FOR THENERDGUY, WINS $10K HIGH ROLLER

Brazil’s Yuri “theNERDguy” Dzivielevski entered SCOOP 2023 with one title, a HORSE event he won in 2021 for $17K. That number pales in comparison to his seven WCOOP victories.

But he managed to chalk up another one last night in the biggest buy-in of the series so far. Dzivielevski bested a field of 76 entries to win the $10K High Roller (#15-H) for $205,131, overcoming a final table that included Sami “Lrslzk” Kelopuro, Pablo “pabritz” Brito, and Dzmitry “Colisea” Urbanovich. 

CLOSE CALLS FOR HAND AND SPRAGG

Wednesday was an evening of close calls for PokerStars Team Pro, with both Fintan “easywithaces” Hand and Ben “Spraggy” Spragg reaching significant final tables.

Hand navigated his way to the $1,050 Super Tuesday (#15-M) FT, joined by the likes of Patrick “pads1161” Leonard and Hungarian crusher “FishOnHeater”. It looked promising when he called all-in with K♣ Q♥ against Q♠ 9♠ for a huge pot, but a nine on the flop ended his run in seventh for $17,023. 

It was a similar story for Spraggy over in the $530 Fenomeno (#24-H). He made the finale alongside Dzivielevski (fresh off his $10K win) and Alexandru “steakaddict.” Papazian and reached the final four after those two busted. Alas, his A♠ K♦ couldn’t hold versus the chip leader’s A♦ Q♦ and he missed out on a podium finish, cashing for $15,713.

Still, a great start to SCOOP for these two. Expect more deep runs from them as the series progresses.

ALL EYES ON LEX

Make sure you tune in to watch Lex Veldhuis on either YouTube or Twitch tonight as he’s in an incredible position to capture his first COOP trophy.

Veldhuis dominated proceedings in the $3,150 7-Max High Roller (#21-H) and enters the final table of seven with a commanding chip lead of 7.1M, while his nearest competitor – perennial SCOOP superstar Joao “Naza114” Vieira – has 2.1M.

It won’t be easy for Veldhuis. Vieira has five SCOOP titles already, plus nine WCOOP wins, so he knows how to manoeuvre on big FTs. Then there’s Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet third in chips, another beast looking to win his first SCOOP. 

There’s $94,456 up top in this one, with all seven currently guaranteed $18,817. Moreover, Veldhuis also has Day 2 of the $1,050 PKO (#23-H) to play, with 39 remaining out of 323 entries. 

It’s going to be an entertaining session, that’s for sure. Don’t miss it.

NOTABLE WINNERS

Germany’s “Sintoras” won their second SCOOP title on Wednesday, taking down the $1,050 PLO 6-Max (#16-H) for $35,469. Sintoras’ first came back in 2018, a $1K NLHE 6-Max event for $86,826.

Tuesday, May 9

Stefan “baeks22” Schillhabel won his first SCOOP title in the $1K Sunday Warm-Up (#3-H) for $87,530 after a heads-up deal with the UK’s Nick “bot35” Marchington.

Sweden’s “WhatifGod” – who took down the EPT Live Main Event in back-to-back years – won his fourth SCOOP trophy with victory in the $1K 7-Max Turbo PKO (#7-H) for $51,091 (including $28,609 in bounties).

Ukraine’s Roman “RomeOpro” Romanovsky picked up his third SCOOP title when he took down a $1K 7-Max Turbo PKO (#12-H) for $54,181 (including $31,832 in bounties). PokerStars Team Pro Rafael “GM VALTER” Moraes finished fourth in this one for just shy of $16K.

Kyrgyzstan’s “Ant1K1ller” emerged victorious in the first SCOOP Sunday Million (#4-M), besting a whopping 7,093 total entries to win $138,825 (including $52,532 in bounties). This is Ant1K1ller’s first SCOOP title.

RESULTS SO FAR

2023 MULTIPLE CHAMPIONS

As we enter the final few days of SCOOP 2023, we’ve seen three triple champions and 16 double winners.

TRIPLE CHAMPIONS

Tobias “Senkel92” Leknes (Norway)

#14-H $1,050 NL 5-card draw PKO – $13,702*
#54-H $2,100 FL 2-7 triple draw – $31,500
#103-H $1,050 NLO8 6-max – $26,752

Marius “DEX888” Gierse (Austria)

#17-H $2,100 NLHE 8-max PKO – $62,000*
#88-M $215 7-max Freezeout – $36,518
#104-H $1,050 6-max turbo – $47,727

Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser (UK)

#22-H $1,050 NLO8 6-max PKO – $35,555*
#87-M $215 PLO8 6-max – $12,578
#100-M $109 NLHE 7-max PKO – $33,669*

DOUBLE CHAMPIONS

Matthew “MUSTAFABET” Ashton (UK)

#57-H $1,050 Razz – $16,468
#92-H $1,050 FL Badugi – $14,909

“BigM_King17” (Austria)

#13-M $22 NLHE 8-max – $20,132
#86-M $1,050 Super Tuesday – $118,828

“Jamil11” (Canada)

#72-M $320 NLHE 8-max turbo – $32,440
#94-H $320 Fenomeno – $36,518

Niklas “Lena900” Astedt (Sweden)

#73-H $530 Sunday Kickoff PKO – $42,611*
#76-M $215 NLO8 6-max PKO – $16,022*

“Premove” (Montenegro)

#66-M: $33 NLHE 8-max Weekend Starter – $7,750
#76-H: $2,100 NLO8 6-max PKO – $61,970*

“roo_400” (Canada)

#38-H $1,050 NLHE 8-max PKO Sunday Warm-Up – $92,563*
#83-H $530 PLO 6-max Turbo PKO – $20,881*

Yuri “theNERDguy” Dzivielevski (Brazil)

#15-H $10,300 Super Tuesday – $205,131
#68-H $5,200 PLO 6-max High Roller – $95,217

“WhatIfGod” (Sweden)

#07-H $1 050 NLHE 7-max Turbo PKO – $51,091*
#58-H $1,050 NLHE 6-max PKO – $54,335*

“Killinfields” (Romania)

#38-M $109 NLHE 8-max PKO Sunday Warm-Up – $39,232*
#58-M $109 NLHE 6-max PKO – $26,378*

Oliver “sk2ll_m0dr” Weis (Austria)

#18-H $1,050 6+ Hold’em – $17,327
#50-H $2,100 PLO 6-max PKO – $59,575*

Rui “RuiNF” Ferreira (Brazil)

#14-M $109 NL 5-card draw PKO – $4,485*
#49-H $530 Deep Stack – $42,842

Blaž “Scarmak3r” Žerjav (Slovenia)

#30-H $1,050 NLHE 6-max Turbo PKO – $53,893*
#43-H $1,050 NLHE 6-max PKO – $66,342*

Espen “Hymn2ninkasi” Jørstad (UK)

#7-M $215 7-Max PKO – $35,543*
#39-H $5,200 Titans – $165,317

Dalton “daltonhb” Hobold (Brazil)

#36-M $109 7-Max Hyper PKO – $21,671*
#46-H $530 NLHE Turbo PKO Big Antes – $36,579*

Bernardo “Bedias” Dias (Brazil)

#9-M $215 HORSE – $9,638
#22-M $109 NLO8 6-Max PKO – $9,887*

“Davideriksso” (Sweden)

#21-M $320 NLHE 7-Max – $47,401
#25-H $530 NLHE – $12,712

*includes bounties

PEACE&LOOVE ON HIS $76K SATELLITE SPIN-UP

Published Thursday, May 25, 2023

Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber has been a poker pro for a good few years now. But during SCOOP 2023, he enjoyed a run that everyone – from absolute beginners to grizzled veterans – dreams about.

He satellited his way into a big buy-in tournament – one he wouldn’t normally get to play – and ended up going further than he ever imagined.

Huber, who became a PokerStars Team Pro after winning the Dare2Stream competition, has been on fire since winning his maiden WCOOP title in 2022. Still, he’s not quite a regular in the $5,200 buy-in events just yet. So to try and win his way into SCOOP Event 79-H – a $5,200 NLHE High Roller – he tried his luck in a $55 satellite tournament.

He won a seat and from there things went from great to unbelievable. Huber battled his way through a merciless field of the game’s best players and reached the final table, ultimately falling in third out of 112 entries to win $76,066 – the largest score of his career to date.

We spoke to Huber to find out what the run was like on his end, and what it means to him. Plus, he gives some valuable advice for players hoping to qualify for a huge event themselves.

PokerStars Blog: It’s a dream of many readers to win their way into an event like this and battle against the best. Can you tell us what the experience was like?

The experience was one of the best I’ve ever had playing poker. It’s already incredible to satty into an event like that but running deep as well was just amazing, and obviously super lucky. 

It’s also super tough because everyone gets attacked in every single spot, especially me because I was one of the weakest players. 

How were you feeling heading into the final table?

I couldn’t sleep a lot before the final table, I was just too nervous. That wasn’t the biggest problem, though, because I was anyway full of adrenaline. On the poker side, I tried to keep it as simple as possible. Just do my best, nothing too crazy, and see what result I could get. 

You missed out on the SCOOP title but it’s still an unreal result. What does this score mean to you?

Yes, I missed out on a SCOOP title, but it will hopefully come at some point. I don’t think I’ve completely realised yet how big the score is and what an impact it could have on the future. At the moment I’ll just try to focus on the rest of SCOOP and get more great results. 

How important are satellites for players aspiring to move up in stakes?

On the one hand, satellites are a really good opportunity to get a big score. But on the other, they can be really dangerous as they have crazy amounts of variance in them. 

If people want to play satellites, I always tell them to be careful and not play too many of them. Just because you might win a seat for a big event, doesn’t mean that you will win there as well. That was true for me in the $5,200. I didn’t expect to cash at any moment, I was just happy to get to play with the best. 

What would you say to any players out there who want to follow in your footsteps and satellite their way into a big event?

If you want to play satellites, prepare your mindset and bankroll for a huge swing. That means don’t play satellites as high as your regular tournament buy-ins, and at the end of the day, always make sure you have fun if you get the opportunity to play a huge event. Good luck guys!

Wistern wins first for Team Pro

Published Wednesday, May 10, 2023

We’re just two nights into the SCOOP 2023 series and PokerStars Team Pro already has a victory in the books.

The honour fell to Lasse “Wistern” Jagd Lauritsen who captured his maiden COOP title – and his first major poker trophy – in one of the series’ opening events. And he did it live on stream.

Lauritsen, from Denmark, took down the $109 Sunday Warm-Up (#3-M) for a career-best $56,462 following a heads-up deal with Germany’s “calvinius2”. After the win, Lauritsen celebrated in style by popping champagne Formula 1-style (and getting it everywhere!)

We spoke to Lauritsen the morning after his triumph.

PokerStars Blog: Hey Lasse, how did you feel when you woke up this morning?

Lasse “Wistern” Jagd Lauritsen: I’ve never had an easier time getting out of bed than this morning! I’ve had my worst downswing ever over the last 7–8 months and to wake up to all this love from the community was truly amazing. It was definitely a sigh of relief mixed with the happiness of winning my first big trophy.

What does being a SCOOP champion mean to you?

I’ve always been an online grinder and before the summer of 2022 I hadn’t really played any live poker, so in my opinion, the two biggest things to win are either a SCOOP or a WCOOP tournament. So it brings me so much happiness and I’m super proud to be a SCOOP champion. This is a huge step in the right direction, not only to be seen as a content creator but also as a more respected poker player.

And how long did it take to clean up all the spilt champagne?

It was baaaad! It’s 12 hours later and I still find spots of the champagne on the walls or screens. But I had to celebrate it! It was worth every single second of cleanup afterwards and I’ll never forget this moment.

ABOUT THE SERIES

The SCOOP schedule is here and let’s just cut right to the good stuff. The SCOOP schedule consists of 363 tournaments with $75M guaranteed across the series.

A decent chunk of that guaranteed money will be distributed to those who cash in the NLHE Main Events, with $11M guaranteed across the low, medium and high versions. They take place on May 28, with cards in the air at 18:30 CET, with buy-ins of $109, $1,050 and $10,300.

• $109 NLHE, $2M Gtd
• $1,050 NLHE, $4M Gtd
• $10,300 NLHE, $5M Gtd

If you prefer four cards to two, then don’t worry the 6-Max PLO Main Events are also back for 2023 with $109, $1,050 and $10,300 editions, guaranteeing $200K, $500K and $800K respectively. 

If those buy-ins are too steep for your bankrolls, don’t fret. Countless satellites for SCOOP events will be running, most notably the Fast Track into the Main Event.

The Fast Track steps are as follows:

• Step 1: $1.50 Sng
• Step 2: $20 Sng and MTTs
• Step 3: $109 MTTs
• Step 4: $1,050 MTTs

Your SCOOP, Your way

It’s a cliché, but there really is something for everyone on the vast SCOOP schedule. No matter your bankroll, experience level, or specialities, there will be plenty of events for you.

Buy-ins start at just $2.20 and it’s not just one token $2.20 event either, you’ll find half a dozen events with that entry fee, including an 8-Game event.

We also understand that not everyone’s schedule allows them to stay up all night and play poker, that’s why on May 11, 16, 20 and 23, you’ll find events that start at 12:05 CET on the schedule.

On Main Event Sunday, there are three dedicated Women’s events, with buy-ins of $5.50, $22 and $109 and new for 2023 are two sets of Special Edition Fenomeno tournaments. They take place on Wednesday May 10 and 24.

Bring it in

We’ve really only covered hold’em events above, but if you’re a member of the #MixedGamesMovement, you’ll also have plenty of events to look forward to.

As well as Pot-limit Omaha, the following variants are all covered: HORSE, NL 5-Card Draw, 6+, NLO8, FLO8, Stud, Stud Hi/Lo, 8-Game, 5-Card PLO, PLO8, FL 2-7 Triple Draw, NL 2-7 Triple Draw, Razz and Badugi.

SCOOP Schedule

The full glorious schedule is below, all start times are ET (BST-5, CET-6)

LAST YEAR’S SCOOP (2022)

For 14 years, SCOOP has been one of the most prestigious online poker series in the world; a launchpad for countless careers; a battleground for the very best in the game.

The 2022 edition of the Spring Championship of Online Poker was one of the largest to date, with 106 events, 316 total tournaments, more than 1.2 million entries, and more than $96 million in total prize pools.

Austria’s “WElcomeINnferNO” banked the biggest prize of the series, taking down the $10,300 SCOOP-H Main Event for $1.14 million. The next largest score went to the UK’s “paythetable101” who won $509,837 for their victory in the $1,050 medium Main Event, following a four-way deal on the final table.

For more SCOOP 2022 stats, including:

• Multiple champions
• The biggest prize pools
• The biggest bounties
• The biggest fields
• Countries standings

Head to our SCOOP 2022 overview.

ALL-TIME SCOOP STATS (2009 – 2022)

Here’s a look at our all-time Spring Championship of Online Poker stat tracker, covering every SCOOP event played from the very first series in 2009 up to and including the 2022 edition.

Events: 852
Tournaments: 2,554
Total entries: 12,296,195
Total prize pools: $1,232,548,443
Total first-place prizes: $188,573,962

Yep, you read that right.

Across the 2,554 SCOOP tournaments played, we’ve seen a staggering one billion, 232 million, 548 thousand and 443 dollars in prizes awarded.

Plus, more than 188 million dollars in first-place prizes.

Now let’s take a look at the countries who have won SCOOP titles in that time:

281 titles – Brazil
266 – UK
212 – Canada
205 – Russia
178 – Germany
97 – Netherlands
95 – Austria, Sweden
92 – USA
70 – Finland
68 – Norway
65 – Ukraine
64 – Mexico
57 – Poland
56 – Romania
52 – Hungary
38 – Argentina
36 – Ireland
33 – Greece, Malta
30 – Bulgaria
28 – Czech Republic
26 – Denmark
27 – Belarus
21 – Australia, Belgium, Lithuania
19 – Costa Rica
17 – Croatia, Estonia, Latvia
16 – Uruguay
15 – Switzerland
10 – Thailand
9 – Chile, China, Israel
8 – Cyprus, Lebanon, Montenegro, Portugal, Peru
7 – Japan
6 – Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Spain
5 – Moldova, New Zealand, Panama, Serbia
4 – Colombia, Dominican Republic, France, Gibraltar, Luxembourg, North Macedonia
3 – Bolivia, Macau
2 – Georgia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Slovakia, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Vietnam
1 – Antigua & Barbuda, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ecuador, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Ivory Coast, Mongolia, South Africa, The Bahamas, Turks & Caicos Islands, Uzbekistan.

Of the 79 nations that have captured SCOOP glory, no country has enjoyed more success than Brazil.

The UK isn’t far behind on the overall leaderboard, but considering the way Brazilians have dominated proceedings in recent years, it’s going to be tough for anyone to catch them.

GREATEST SCOOP PLAYERS

As SCOOP 2023 approaches, let’s take a look at the greatest SCOOP players of all time, the pros who have won more trophies than anybody else.

Read: WHICH POKER PLAYERS HAVE THE MOST SCOOP TITLES? (2023 EDITION)

HOW THE SCHEDULE WAS BUILT

How do you decide which tournaments should go where?

How do you cater for players with different wants and needs, in different time zones around the world?

And how do you settle on a guarantee for a tournament?

Find the answers to all of those questions in this article:

The science of SCOOP: How the SCOOP schedule is put together

SCOOP SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

From May 7-31, you’ll find SCOOP tournaments for everyone to enjoy, regardless of your bankroll, skill level, or format preference.

But what are the standout no limit hold’em tournaments for players with micro bankrolls, low bankrolls, and medium bankrolls?

In this article, we’ve combed through the schedule and picked out the events we think you won’t want to miss.

Read: SCOOP schedule breakdown for micro, low and medium stakes players

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