Simon Mattsson Wins the 2022 WSOP Online Main Event

GGNetwork was packed with competition from August 14 to September 27 as players competed for World Series of Poker Online bracelets. Swedish internet sensation Simon Eric Mattsson grabbed the highly sought Main Event title and gold for a massive takeout of $2.79 Million. Runner-up Thai pro Kannapong Thanarattrakul “Sakooh,” Singapore’s Feng Zhao “dynastyzhao” (3rd), and Finland’s Samuel Vousden also took home life-changing seven figures (4th).

Over the course of 45 days, the 2022 WSOP Online [International] awarded 33 bracelets. Pete Chen and Jonas Lauck won their first career gold medals in the first half, while Markus Prinz and Scott Ball Jr were the first to reach seven figures.

Claas Segebrecht of Germany, the only player to win two bracelet events during the tournament, rose to prominence in the second half. In reality, Germany came out strong, winning six trophies, the most of any country. Other standout performers were China’s Ren Lin “Zha Zi Long,” who tied Segebrecht with four final tables, and Ewald Mahr, who awarded Peru its first WSOP gold bracelet. Read on for full 2022 WSOP Online highlights.

Simon Mattsson Wins the Main Event

Swedish internet sensation Simon Eric Mattsson was a heavy favorite to win the Main Event heading into the final table, and he did not disappoint. Mattsson defeated the final two players standing in his way, Singapore’s Feng Zhao (3rd) and Thailand’s Kannapong Thanarattrakul (runner up), to capture the championship, the coveted gold bracelet, and the series’ greatest first prize of $2,793,574.

The WSOP Online Main Event garnered 4,984 entrants for the third year in a row, exceeding the intended $20M guarantee. 815 players proceeded through nine qualifying heats for a shot at the now-expanded prize fund of $23,674,000. Among the top 100 were well-known pros and Asia-Pacific players: 2020 champion Damian Salas, Yuri Dzivielevski (85th), Ren Lin (82nd), recently minted David Yan (79th), Hun Wei Lee (59th), Niklas Astedt (29th), and Joseph Cheong, who finished 11th.

The final table arrived, with one bracelet holder, Samuel Vousden, searching for his second gold, while the rest were vying for their first. Thanarattrakul, Zhao, and China’s Yanfei Chi were among the Asian players in the field. Mattsson led the way with a huge chip lead.

Players from Asia controlled the early play, with Zhao knocking out the shortest stacked Timothy Rutherford in ninth place. Thanarattrakul followed up by eliminating Oliver James Sprason (8th) and Jordan Spurlin (7th) in quick succession. Zhao almost joined the rail, but his JsJd spiked the two outer, allowing him to survive Chi’s QsQd. The defeat sent Chi tumbling, and the rest of his chips were finally grabbed by Vousden.

Istvan Briski ran into Zhao’s aces with five remaining. Vousden three-bet shoved on the big blind with 6d6c, and initial raiser button player Thanarattrakul called with AsJs in a spectacular move. As three spades were swiftly disseminated on the flop, the board favored the suited cards. Vousden finished fourth and received the first seven-figure reward of $1,178,040. This was Vousden’s highest career total.

Thanarattrakul raced to the top with the extra chips, but it didn’t last. Mattsson reclaimed leadership with a complete house over top pair against Zhao, then put Zhao out in third place shortly after. This was another outstanding accomplishment for Zhao, who received his first seven-figure payment of $1,570,941. Last November, he came close to winning a bracelet at the WSOPE, but finished second in the PLO 8-Handed tournament.

It was a one-sided heads-up. Despite Thanarattrakul’s best efforts, Mattsson increased his advantage. Thanarattrakul shoved the river with Jc10c top pair, but Mattsson had him defeated with a winning 5c6c straight on the last hand. The gold may have eluded the Thai pro, but Thanarattrakul still walked away with a tidy sum of $2,094,884. He far outperformed his previous third-place finish at the Triton SHR Series Cyprus $50K NLH 6-Handed, when he earned a career-high $646,500. Mattsson, the champion, increased his GGNet tournament earnings to more than $10.8 million.

Here are the final table payouts:

Claas Segebrecht Wins two Bracelets

Claas Segebrecht of Germany, the only player to secure two bracelets, was undoubtedly one of the series’ standout performers. On the first day, Segebrecht won Event #2: Every1 for War Relief for his first career bracelet, then a few weeks later at the end, he won Event #31: Beat the Pros Bounty [Freezeout]. Each victory netted him six figures, totaling $264,167.

The larger of the two prizes came in the latter tournament, as he eliminated many players to earn $107,670 in bounty rewards and an additional $54,315 for his victory. Matheus Luis (8th) with pocket Aces shattered by a rivered two pair, Shenqiang Peng “Peng888” (3rd) with pocket Fours cracking Tens, and Naomie Haddad (2nd) with pocket Nines holding strong against overcards were among Segebrecht’s knockouts. Furthermore, the two-time winner reached two further final tables, finishing fifth at the Flip & GO and third at CRAZY EIGHTS.

Here are the final table payouts:

Ren Lin “Zha Zi Long” Reaches Four Final Tables

Aside from Segebrecht, who has won the series twice, China’s Ren Lin “Zha Zi Long” has had four final tables and nearly won one of them. Lin finished eighth at Event #3: $2,500 Limit Holdém Championship on the first week, and seventh at Event #15: $777 Limit Holdém Championship two weeks later. After winning the Lucky Sevens Bounty 7-Handed NLH, he surged up to second place in Event #19: $5K Pot Limit Omaha Championship five days later. His fourth final table appearance was at Event #26: $1K Double Chance NLH, where he finished ninth. Lin appears to be due for a WSOP crown, whether it’s live or online. He came close to a bracelet twice in 2021, coming second at the $50K High Roller NLH and third at the $5K Freezeout NLH 8-Handed. 

Germany Wins the Most Bracelets

German players were serious business at the series, winning six of the 33 available bracelets. Opening day winners Stefan Schillhabel, who won Event #1: The Housewarming No Limit Hold’em, and Claas Segebrecht, who won Event #2: Every1 for War Relief, set the tone. Both competitors received their first bracelets in their careers. Days later, countryman Jonas Lauck won Event #6: Monster Stack NLH to finish his career second. The fourth gold was won at one of the most coveted tournaments, The Millionaire Maker, by Markus Prinz, who also took home a hefty seven-figure reward. During the final week, Segebrecht won his second bracelet at Event #31: Beat the Pros Bounty [Freezeout], while Marc Radgen “Pelinkovac89” was minted at Event #32: The Closer NLH.

Asian Winners and Runner-Ups

At several of the events, Asian players posed significant threats. Nine of them competed for the gold, with just two coming out on top. Yenhan Chen aka Pete Chen, a highly recognized N8 Team Hot ambassador, was the first to rein it in. Chen delivered Taiwan’s fourth gold bracelet, which he secured in Event #15: Lucky Sevens Bounty 7-Handed NLH $777 This was Chen’s second WSOP victory.

At Event #21: Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship, the second Asian champion was crowned. Huanhua Long “King-Dong” of Hong Kong went the distance, defeating the more experienced Canadian pro Vanessa Kade “Niffler” in heads up. Long’s first WSOP triumph followed in the footsteps of two-time champion Anson Tsang, Danny Tang, and Chan Lok Ming.

Here are the final table payouts:

Thailand’s Kannapong Thanarattrakul was one of the players that almost missed out on gold, losing to Sweden’s Simon Eric Mattsson in the Main Event. While Thanarattrakul was the last Asian to reach heads up, Hong Kong’s Jifeng Huang “Snakey” was the first Asian to do it at Event #3: Limit Hold’em Championship.

Ewald Mahr Wins First Ever WSOP Bracelet for Peru

Ewald Mahr “PAUPAU” may not have won many live or online cashes, but his name is now entrenched in history. Mahr won Event #19: Flip and GO to become Peru’s first WSOP gold bracelet winner. The Peruvian defeated bracelet winners Claas Segebrecht and Christopher Klodnicki at the final table.

Here are the final table payouts:

Mark Radoja Wins Career Third Bracelet at Fifty Stack Bounty NLH

After nine years of searching, Canadian pro Mark Radoja has finally secured his third WSOP bracelet. Radoja earned his first series gold at the 2011 WSOP $5K NLH Shootout event, which he followed up with a triumph at the 2013 WSOP $10K NLH Heads Up Championship two years later. Since then, he’s been after gold #3, which he almost got at the 2019 WSOP $888 Crazy Eights tournament, where he finished second. Radoja came close again in 2021, reaching two WSOP Online final tables. His dreams of greatness were realized last week when he won Event #27: Fifty Stack Bounty NLH. Radoja’s WSOP earnings have already surpassed $3 million.

The Fifty Stack Bounty NLH was the roster’s 27th bracelet event. 1,597 people entered for a prize pool worth $2,275,725. Radoja was the sole WSOP winner at the final table. Asia had two finalists: India’s Shardul Parthasarathi, who finished eighth, and Hong Kong’s Fengli He, who finished ninth. Shardul’s second deep run came when he finished 10th in Event #24: $2,100 Bounty NLH Championship, narrowly missing the final table.

Here are the final table payouts:

Ourania Zarkantzia Wins The COLOSSUS

The COLOSSUS event typically draws a large crowd, and for this occasion, 10,090 people showed up to break the $3M promise. The largest share of the $3,793,840 pot went to Greek player Ourania Zarkantzia “SlimLady,” who transformed her $400 buy in into a massive $378,507 payoff. Based on Zarkantzia’s GGNet metrics, this victory seems predetermined. He has been raking up wins across various buy in tiers and field sizes since May 2022. Zarkantzia won the High Roller GGMasters in late July for $116,197, his highest network score before this bracelet success. He became the 10th Greek player to win a WSOP bracelet.

Here are the final table payouts:

Rui Neves Ferreira Wins $5K Pot Limit Omaha Championship

Rui Neves Ferreira, a Portuguese pro, has been on fire for the last two months. Ferreira won the EPT Barcelona €10,300 NLH High Roller in late August for a career high €767,750 (US$ 772,454). Two weeks later, he defeated a stacked field of fellow pros to win another championship and his first WSOP bracelet at the WSOP Online $5K Pot Limit Omaha Championship. Ferreira faced off against China’s Ren Lin “Zhao Zi Long,” who was also on a roll. Ferreira won and took home the $287,736 first prize. Ferreira has earned $7.95 million in network tournament earnings as a regular participant on the GGNet.

Here are the final table payouts:

Hernan Restrepo Wins $2,100 Bounty NLH Championship

After winning the two-day $2,100 Bounty No Limit Hold’em Championship, Hernan Restrepo “Winner51” earned Colombia its second WSOP bracelet. Restrepo also received US$ 91,478 in gold and US$ 79,643 in bounties for a total payment of US$ 171,121.

The 24th bracelet tournament had 985 entrants for a prize money of US$ 1,970,000. The top 134 players each received a share of the main prize. Rayan Chamas “Beriuzy” (32nd) of Canada and 2020 WSOP Main Event champion Damian Salas were among the money winners (44th). Day 2 began with 23 players returning to the hunt. The final table was reached in little under two hours, with Asia’s last hope, Shardul Parthasarathi “tiltjam,” finishing in 10th place for a payout of over US$ 30K. Shardul is one of India’s fastest emerging live tournament players.

After four blow outs, including bracelet holder Gediminas Uselis (7th), Dutch player Duco Olivier Haven “WouldIlieToYOU” went on a tear, eliminating three opponents in a row to go to the heads-up versus Restrepo. However, Haven’s momentum was halted by a losing flush over flush, giving Restrepo the advantage. Restrepo increased the margin to 8:1 before closing it off with Ace-Ten defeating King-Nine.

Here are the final table payouts:

Benjamin Miner Wins $5K Short Deck Championship

Benjamin Miner of the United States exceeded his live WSOP run with seven total cashes at the online series, including three final table finishes and a bracelet triumph. Miner won the $5K Short Deck Championship, outlasting the 145-entry field and earning a series best lifetime prize of US$172,678. Among those he defeated was Shota Nakanishi, the 2022 WSOP $10K Short Deck winner, who finished 10th.

Here are the final table payouts:

Joni Jouhkimainen Wins 6-Handed Bounty NLH

Finland’s Joni Jouhkimainen finally received the coveted gold bracelet after six final tables since 2013 and two runner-up finishes in 2021. The Finnish pro defeated the 2,024-entry field of Event #30: $840 6-Handed Bounty No Limit Hold’em, defeating ring winner Rodrigo Semeghini “digopapel” (5th) and WPT India champion Ashish Munot mfish 007″. (3rd). It was one of India’s deepest runs in the series, according to Munot. Jouhkimainen won the first prize of US$ 66,004 and a mountain of rewards totaling US$ 80,062 for a total payment of US$ 146,006.

Here are the final table payouts: