Aliaksandr Shylko Wins 2023 PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship For $3.1 Million

Aliaksandr Shylko has received the second-largest $25,000 buy-in poker event ever held. The 26-year-old Belarusian poker professional defeated a near-record discipline of 1,014 entries within the 2023 PokerStars Gamers No-Restrict Maintain’em Championship, securing a career-defining title and the highest prize of $3,121,838.

This victory was by far the most important event rating but for the younger skilled participant. Previous to this win, the Minsk resident’s high stay event rating had been a $106,770 payday for a fourth-place exhibiting within the 2021 World Collection of Poker Worldwide Circuit King’s Resort €1,700 buy-in fundamental occasion. Shylko now has greater than $3.5 million in recorded event earnings to his identify.

“It looks like a dream. It’s unbelievable,” mentioned Shylko after popping out on high. “It was an incredible expertise, I had numerous enjoyable. I met numerous good folks. And successful such an enormous event – it means the world for me.”

Along with the title and the cash, Shylko was additionally awarded 3,360 Card Participant Participant of the Yr factors because the 2023 PSPC champion. This was his first stay final-table end of the yr, however it alone was sufficient to catapult him into the outright lead within the 2023 POY race standings offered by International Poker.

This huge event ran from Jan. 30 – Feb. 3 on the Baha Mar Resort & On line casino in The Bahamas as a part of the resurrected PokerStars Caribbean Journey pageant. The freezeout event attracted over a thousand whole entries by the point registration closed on day 2, making a prize pool of $24,843,000. Solely the 2019 operating of this identical occasion, which drew 1,039 entries, had a bigger turnout for a poker event with a buy-in at this value level.

Of the greater than a thousand entrants, over 400 took a seat because of changing into a PokerStars Platinum Move winner. These proverbial golden tickets have been handed out over the previous few years via all kinds of promotions, contests, and leaderboards.

Loads of large names have been among the many 175 gamers that cashed, together with three-time bracelet winner and World Poker Tour champion Dominik Nitsche (thirty fourth), two-time bracelet winner and WPT champion Chris Moorman (twenty sixth), bracelet winner and 2019 Tremendous Excessive Curler Bowl Bahamas champion Daniel Dvoress (twenty third), two-time bracelet winner and high-stakes famous person Fedor Holz (twenty first), five-time bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus (thirteenth), and 2022 Coin Rivet Invitational winner Sam Grafton (twelfth).

The ultimate day started with bracelet winner and two-time Latin American Poer Tour champion Nacho Barbero within the lead and simply six gamers nonetheless in competition. The primary hour of play featured quite a lot of weird occurrences. First, Barbero slid out an enormous stack of chips from the small blind considering he was elevating all-in towards a brief stack within the large blind, solely to study that he had missed Shylko, who was second in chips on the time, min-raising from below the gun. Shylko moved all-in excessive of Barbero’s 5,125,000 elevate for round 12 million whole with pocket jacks and Barbero, who had been making a transfer with 93 considering he was solely risking the efficient stack of round 3.8 million held by Max Menzel, was pressured to fold.

If you are going to misclick, strive to not do it on the closing desk of a $25K.

The ultimate 5 within the #PSPC are again of their seats, watch the cards-up protection at https://t.co/SB357usSaR or https://t.co/ZarB0RN21O#PSPC pic.twitter.com/fViAxhtE7K

— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) February 3, 2023

Shortly after Barbero’s stay misclick, Philipe Pizzari mucked the successful hand when his 74 on a Q84QJ board would have bested Ok10 for Platinum Move winner Niclas Thumm, who confirmed his king excessive after the betting was closed. Pizzari both misinterpret or misremembered the board or his personal holding and slid his playing cards face down into the muck, forfeiting a pot with 5 large blinds to one of many quick stacks.

Barbero obtained again on observe by scoring the primary knockout of the day. Thumm open-shoved for 4,400,000 from the small blind with A-2 and Barbero referred to as with Ok-Q suited from the massive blind. Barbero took the lead on a king-high flop and improved to journeys on the river to win the pot and slim the sector to 5. Thumm took house $1,001,200 for his first recorded stay event money ever. The 29-year-old German accountant and Twitch poker streamer reportedly averages a $12 buy-in value level taking part in on-line, however because of this deep run, he’s now a poker millionaire.

Regardless of successful that large hand, Barbero quickly discovered himself on the quick stack after he misplaced an enormous pot with aces and sixes to the turned aces and tens of Philipe Pizzari. Pizzari’s time on the very high of the leaderboard was temporary, although, as his A-Ok was cracked by the A-10 of Shylko to see the Belarusian surge into the lead.

Pizzari wound up on the opposite facet of a dominated ace showdown not lengthy after that, along with his A6 going through the AOk of Portugal’s Pedro Marques. The board ran out 522A6 to see Pizzari river aces and sixes for the win. Marques, who completed fourth within the 2018 EPT Barcelona fundamental occasion for a earlier profession excessive of $817,092, earned $1,251,500 for his exhibiting on this occasion. He now has almost $4.3 million in lifetime stay earnings.

Barbero’s run on this occasion got here to an finish in fourth place. His closing hand noticed Pizzari limp in from the small blind with 53. Barbero checked his choice within the large blind with 85 and the 2 noticed a flop of 532. Barbero wager 1,500,000 along with his high pair when checked to, solely to have Pizzari check-raise all-in. Barbero referred to as all-in for simply shy of 4 million whole and was proven high two pair. The A flip and seven river have been no assist and Barbero was eradicated in fourth place ($1,551,300). This was the most important rating of the 40-year-old Argentinian’s profession, bringing his profession earnings to greater than $6.5 million.

There was greater than $8.5 million in remaining prize cash up for grabs after Barbero’s exit in fourth place. The ultimate three determined to hash out a deal that may redistribute that prize cash a bit based mostly on ICM. The settlement noticed the trophy and $200,000 put aside for the winner, an extra $100,000 for the runner-up, after which the next assured payouts:

Aliaksandr Shylko – $2,921,838
Max Menzel – $2,759,990
Philipe Pizzari – $2,524,871

Shylko began with a slight lead, however quickly fell behind Menzel. He then jumped manner out in entrance when he picked up pocket aces towards the pocket queens of Menzel and held on a ten-high runout. Pizzari was down to simply over seven large blinds when his closing hand was dealt. He shoved with J-7 suited and was referred to as by the Ok-Q suited of Menzel. The flop gave Menzel queens and threes, whereas Pizzari picked up a flush draw. The flip and river saved Menzel forward, although, and Pizzari was despatched to the rail with the $2.5 million he negotiated for within the deal. The 37-year-old Brazilian finance employee, who’s now based mostly out of Miami, now has greater than $2.8 million in stay event scores below his belt.

Heads-up play started with round a 2:1 chip benefit in favor of Shylko. The ultimate hand of the occasion started with Shylko limping in from the button for 800,000 with 105. Menzel checked from the massive blind with J9 and the flop got here down 855. Menzel took a stab as the primary to behave, betting a single large blind. Shylko simply referred to as along with his journeys and the ten hit the board on the flip.

Menzel wager 2,800,000 along with his open-ended straight draw and Shylko flat referred to as with fives filled with tens. The Q on the river gave Menzel a queen-high straight. He checked and Shylko wager 4,500,000 along with his full home. Menzel check-raised all-in for 12,300,000 and Shylko shortly referred to as to win the pot and the title.

Menzel took house $2,859,990 because the runner-up. The 37-year-old German logistics firm supervisor, now based mostly in Singapore, received a Platinum Move into this occasion at a ‘Highway to PSPC’ occasion in Manila, and parlayed the chance right into a multi-million-dollar payday.

Here’s a have a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the closing desk:

Photograph credit: Danny Maxwell, Joe Giron / Rational Mental Holdings Ltd.