$10,400 WPT World Championship
Day 7 Completed
2023 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas
$10,400 WPT World Championship
Day: 7
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Players Info - Day 7
2023 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas
Buy-in
$10,400
Prize Pool
$40,000,000
Entries
3,835
Entries
1
Players Left
1
One of the largest tournaments in poker history, the $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship, came to its conclusion with Dan Sepiol finishing off Georgios Sotiropoulos to close it out for the $5,282,954 first place prize via a heads-up ICM chop.
Day 7 — the final table — began a bit after 4 p.m. PT Thursday afternoon from inside Wynn Las Vegas. A World Poker Tour (WPT) Champions Club spot and millions of dollars were at stake between the final six players from the 3,835 entrants who sought a piece of that juicy $40 million guaranteed prize pool.
WPT World Championship Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 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 chip lead and Sepiol was among the short stacks. But the shorty pulled off the bluff of the tournament against the big stack early in the day.
Sepiol three-bet preflop with K♥10♥ in position against "Lucky Chewy" who had A♦10♦. On a flop of 4♠3♥3♦, Lichtenberger checked and then called a bet of 3,500,000, about one-fourth the size of the pot. When the 9♦ hit on the turn, it was bad news for Sepiol because he only had 29,000,000 behind and his opponent picked up a flush draw.
Still, he bet 8,000,000 and again received a call. But the 3♣ on the river was a blank, and with 38,000,000 in the pot, Lichtenberger checked one more time before releasing his hand — the best hand — to an all in wager of 21,000,000 chips.
Moments later, Sepiol showed some more aggression when he jammed preflop with 5♦5♣ to force the shortest stack, Martirosian, off A♣10♦. He'd nearly doubled his stack at that point simply by being being the aggressor.
Coincidentally, an hour or so later, Martirosian would move all in with the pocket fives, and Sepiol would call with pocket sevens and hold up. The sixth place finisher took home $1,207,000.
Sepiol would then turn a straight against Heath, who rivered two pair, and use that hand to move into the chip lead after starting the day with just 29 big blinds. He was finding the right mix of luck and well-timed aggression to dominate play.
Heath, who entered the tournament with nearly $20 million in The Hendon Mob cashes, was next to bust (fifth place for $1,583,100) moments after having his chip stack decimated by Lichtenberger. In his final hand, he raised to 12,900,000 with Q♥J♦, leaving just 5,000,000 behind. Sotiropoulos, with A♣7♣ in the big blind, put him all in and he made the call.
No help came for Heath on the board as Sotiropoulos hit top pair, and he was eliminated in fifth place for $1,583,100. Although he'd just doubled up, Sotiropoulos was still the short stack, but would soon after win a decent pot to jump ahead of Moorman.
Moorman would then call off his final 16 big blinds with Q♣J♥ and run into a higher queen — K♣Q♦ — that Sotiropoulos had in the hold. The board came out A♣A♦10♠9♠7♥ and Moorman, one of the top tournament and online players in poker, busted in fourth place for $2,095,300.
Three-Handed Play Begins
Following the elimination of Moorman, Lucky Chewy held a slim lead over Sepiol, while Sotiropoulos was riding a "short" stack, although with 46 big blinds, he had plenty of dancing chips to make a run at the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup trophy.
Not long after, the tournament completely shifted in Sepiol's direction as he would win the biggest pot of the tournament and send one of the most accomplished poker pros in history home.
Lichtenberger limped in the small blind for 2,500,000 with A♣K♦ before the big blind, Sepiol, made it 8,500,000 with J♥J♦. A limp-raise to 32,500,000 was in store, followed by an all in jam — and then a call — for 142,300,000 effective. Off to the races the two poker pros went, and it was Sepiol whose pocket pair held up on the 7♣Q♠9♠2♥10♥ board.
The high-stakes poker legend was out in third place for $2,798,700, and Sepiol would begin heads-up play with a huge chip advantage over Sotiropoulos.
Sepiol, a Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) and World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) champion, appeared to be moments away from a career-defining win. Just two years ago, he won a social media contest to compete in a WPT home game at Steve Aoki's house against Phil Ivey and Aoki, a WPT ambassador at the time.
On Thursday, he was competing for life-changing money and the biggest score in WPT Main Tour history, surpassing Eliot Hudon, who took down this same event last year for $4.1 million.
But the tournament win wasn't a guarantee for Sepiol when heads-up play began despite being up 4-1 in chips. Sotiropoulos, a Greek poker star with nearly $4 million in live tournament results prior to the WPT World Championship, is no slouch and wouldn't go away easily.
Following a lengthy break after Lichtenberger's elimination to film some interviews for television, the final two players returned to the felt to battle for the trophy and millions of dollars.
Sotiropoulos would give his heads-up opponent a battle, especially early on. But he wasn't able to make up much ground for quite some time as he couldn't seem to scoop a big pot. But after dropping back to around 10 big blinds, he'd win a 60/40 to double up. And then he'd double up a second time moments later, and then again into the chip lead after being down 11-1 in chips at one point in the match.
Sepiol would regroup and get it all back before long. The tournament would inevitably end with Sotiropoulos going all in with KxQx but losing to Kx3x when a 3x appeared on the turn. For the runner-up, he took home $4,167,246 as a consolation prize after the final two players agreed to an ICM chop earlier on a break.
Sepiol, on the other hand, earned $5,282,954 for dominating a tough final table. In doing so, he moved into fourth place on Indiana's all-time live tournament earnings list, according to The Hendon Mob. He now has just over $6.6 million lifetime, less than $50,000 short of Mike Sexton, the longtime WPT announcer who passed away in 2020.
Like Sexton, Sepiol is a WPT Champions Club member and now an Indiana poker legend.
Dan Sepiol Plays Poker at Steve Aoki's House
*Image courtesy of World Poker Tour.
After the two traded doubles over heads-up play, Georgios Sotiropoulos opened to 7,000,000. Dan Sepiol moved all in and Sotiropoulos called for 66,700,000.
Georgios Sotiropoulos: K♥Q♣
Dan Sepiol: K♣3♥
Sotiropoulos was in line for another double to prolong heads-up play as the flop came J♦8♣4♥
However, the 3♦ on the turn saw Sepiol make a pair and the 2♦ bricked to see Sepiol emerge victorious.
Sotiropoulos has to settle for second place and $4,167,246.
Andrew Lichtenberger started the day with the chip lead and had a shot to become a massive chip leader three-handed. But he'd have to race for his tournament life against Sepiol.
The hand began with "Lucky Chewy" limping from the small blind for 2,500,000, and then Sepiol, in the big blind, making it 8,500,000. The three-bet to 32,500,000 followed, and then an all in jam for 142,300,000. Sepiol made the call and off to the races they went.
Andrew Lichtenberger: A♣K♦
Daniel Sepiol: J♥J♦
The five community cards showed 7♣Q♠9♠2♥10♥ and Lichtenberger, who began the final table with the chip lead and was a heavy favorite, was eliminated in third place, good for $2,798,700. Sepiol becomes the massive chip leader at the start of heads-up play against Georgios Solitoropoulos.
Mikita Badziakouski became $7,114,500 richer on Wednesday by winning a thrilling World Poker Tour (WPT) Big One for One Drop final table, defeating Mario Mosboeck heads-up to close it out.
Six players returned to Wynn Las Vegas for one final session — Day 3 — but only four would go home with money. Two others left the casino with nothing but memories of the $1 million they spent to enter the tournament.
WPT Big One for One Drop Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikita Badziakouski | $7,114,500 |
| 2 | Mario Mosboeck | $4,663,950 |
| 3 | Dan Smith | $2,806,750 |
| 4 | Isaac Haxton | $1,224,800 |
With the blinds now 1,000,000/2,000,000, here are the chip counts of the final three players who remain fairly deepstacked:
Daniel Sepiol - 150,000,000 (75 big blinds)
Andrew Lichtenberger - 135,700,000 (68 big blinds)
Georgios Sotiropoulos - 97,400,000 (49 big blinds)
Chris Moorman had 16 big blinds and faced an all in bet from Georgios Sotiropoulos. He tanked a bit before deciding to call it off, only to find out he was well behind.
Chris Moorman: Q♣J♥
Georgios Sotiropoulos: K♣Q♦
After the board ran out A♣A♦10♠9♠7♥, king-high was good and Moorman was out in fourth place for $2,095,300.
The WPT World Championship, which started with 3,835 entries is down to just four after Ben Heath was eliminated at the final table by Georgios Sotiropoulos.
Heath raised preflop to 12,900,000, leaving just 5,000,000 behind. Sotiropoulos then put him all in and he made the call.
Ben Heath: Q♥J♦
Georgios Sotiropoulos: A♣7♣
The board ran out 10♣5♥A♠2♣10♥, giving Sotiropoulos top pair and it sent Heath home in fifth place for $1,583,100.
According to the , Dan Sepiol raised from the small blind to 5,000,000. Artur Martirosian shoved from the big blind for 43,000,000 and Sepiol called.
Artur Martirosian: 5♥5♣
Daniel Sepiol: 7♠7♦
The board ran out K♦Q♣8♣2♣A♠ and Sepiol became the first elimination of the WPT World Championship final table. He takes home $1,207,000.
