As we reached Day 6 of the XL Blizzard, with three high roller tournaments concluding, we've completed half of the series, having finished 18 out of the 34 scheduled events, continuing until January 28.
With the XL Blizzard set to award over $2.8 million, there are still plenty of thrilling competitions lined up, including a $150 entry buy-in for Event #25: $25,000 Knockout, a $160 buy-in for Event #28: $50,000 6-Max, and the grand finale – the $1,050 buy-in, $1,000,000 Guaranteed Main Event taking place on January 28.
We are excited to introduce some fresh promotions, such as substantial cash prizes for those who win multiple events (including a massive $1,000,000 prize for winning five), alongside a unique tournament called the “Bubble of Bubbles” where players get entry after finishing just short of winning, plus the highly anticipated return of the Champion of Champions event.
The Champion of Champions is back for this XL Blizzard, and one fortunate player from 888poker will receive a $12,000 WSOP Vegas package. By participating in any XL Blizzard event, you will accrue leaderboard points, and the top 50 players will earn a ticket to the Champion of Champions tournament scheduled for January 30 at 18:00 GMT.
Here’s a concise overview of the highlights from the XL Blizzard so far:
Day 1 – Jans \"Graftekkel\" Arends from the Netherlands triumphed in the Opening Event, taking home over $17,000, while “bygavuga” and “scellone94” celebrated their own victories.
Day 2 – Participants “Jamasutra” and “Pasha813” both achieved ‘Twin Wins’ in Events #4 and #5, respectively.
Day 3 – Norway’s “Rekrutt1” seized victory in Event #6: Crazy 8, earning more than $10,000; past winners from XL Eclipse, “NeveGiveUp” and “msksevart,” also captured titles in the XL Blizzard.
Day 4 – In Event #9: $120,000 Mega Deep, “23NoraB” redeemed himself following a second-place finish in the previous XL Inferno Mega Deep. Additionally, three ambassadors from 888poker made impressive runs in the Whale, while Niklas “tutten7” Åstedt narrowly missed out on earning an XL Blizzard title not once, but twice.
Day 5 – “DeltaSpider” became the fourth Russian player to secure an XL Blizzard title, while “yarik1903” achieved the second title for Ukraine.
For comprehensive details on the XL Blizzard, check here.
“SteveyBG” Claims Victory in $250K High Roller, With Parker “Tonkaaaa” Talbot Finishing 9th thPlace
Event #16: $250,000 High Roller, which required a $2,100 buy-in, attracted 84 players who opted for 34 rebuys. The tournament featured some of the biggest stars in poker including 888poker Ambassadors Martin “MJacobson888” Jacobson, Sofia Lövgren, and Dominik “888Dominik” Nitsche, along with players like Ole “olekonjole” Schemion and XL Eclipse High Roller champion Roman “Romeopro33” Romanovsky.
Nitsche was eliminated at Level 15 (1,500/3,000/350), going all in on a flop of 6♥5♥10♠ with 10♦J♥ but ran into the K♥K♠ of “SteveyBG.” Neither the 4♦ on the turn nor the 7♥ on the river helped, resulting in Nitsche finishing in 20th place.thplace just a few spots shy of the money.
Falling one spot shy of cashing in 18thIn 18th place, Russia’s “Biack88” secured a spot in the “Bubble of Bubbles” tournament.
The only 888poker Ambassador to cash was Parker “Tonkaaaa” Talbot, who was streaming his gameplay on Twitch. Unfortunately, he was eliminated as one of the final nine players.
During Level 19 (3,000/6,000/875), Talbot pushed all in holding A♣J♥ but faced the A♠K♣ of “OINKOinkOink.” He couldn’t pair his kicker on the flop of 4♣2♠Q♠7♦10♥, ending his run in ninth place for a prize of $7,500.
Ukraine’s “yarik1903” was close to achieving a second XL Blizzard title within two days – a feat that would have netted him a $1,000 bonus – but he finished in fifth place when his ace-six was unable to outplay the Big Slick of “aIderfaIder.” Shortly after, Sebastian “p000cket000” Sikorski was eliminated in third place with a payout of $35,000.
Ultimately, “OINKOinkOink” and “SteveyBG” reached an agreement for heads-up play, with the latter finishing as champion for $64,697.19, while the former took second place with $51,302.81. This marked the second XL series win for “SteveyBG,” after winning the XL Inferno Event #1: $30,000 Sunday Lightning last May with a prize of $13,893.
Quick Comeback for “OINKOinkOink”
Just moments after finishing second in the Event #16: $250,000 High Roller with a payout of $51K, Germany's “OINKOinkOink” swiftly won Event #17: $100,000 Mini High Roller, with a $215 buy-in, taking home $24,179.40. This event saw 417 entries with 213 rebuys, creating a prize pool of $126,000 which far exceeded the initial guarantee.
Busting in 55thIn 18th place, Sweden’s “TrollKonst8” won his entry into the “Bubble of Bubbles.” Among those who managed to finish in the money included Robin “Inho” Ylitalo (52nd).ndfor $630), Parker “888tonkaaaa” Talbot (28thfor $756), Roman “Romeopro33” Romanovsky (24thfor $882), Nicholas “PKaiser” Fierro (14thfor $1,386), XL Blizzard Event #4 champ “Pasha813” (6thfor $5,355), and “sivvis” (4thfor $10,080).
After 9 hours and 14 minutes, “OINKOinkOink” outplayed fellow countryman “Charlymogo” in heads-up play, taking home $17,955. This was Charlymogo's second second-place finish in the XL Blizzard – last week, he was runner-up to “scellone94” in Event #3, the $20,000 Late Opening Event for $4,312.
“Ao1ing” Falls Just Short in Late High Roller, “LovePorn69” Triumphs After Heads-Up Agreement
The late-night high roller event, with a $160 buy-in for Event #18: $30,000 Late High Roller, welcomed 212 players who made 76 rebuys, creating a prize pool of $43,200. This amount was distributed among the top 27 finishers, meaning the luck of Russia’s “Ao1ing” continues.
Sure, he busted as the bubble boy in 28thAlthough he finished in 20th place, Ao1ing's efforts earned him a spot in the exclusive “Bubble of Bubbles” tournament. This adds another achievement to his list, having led the XL Blizzard Leaderboard for most of the series’ initial half.
Notable cash winners included 888poker Ambassador and 2014 WSOP champion Martin “MJacobson888” Jacobson (23rd).rdfor $432), Event #9: Mega Deep winner “23NoraB” (14thfor $648), “dmg34” (8thfor $1,296), and “Fukuruku” (4thfor $3,780).
After Sweden’s “Clay_Born” was eliminated in third place with a payout of $5,076, the final two competitors struck a deal 6 hours and 23 minutes into the competition. Russia’s “P0vorachivay” finished second and received $7,933.94 while “LovePorn69” took home the title and an $8,050.06 prize.
This marked the second time “P0vorachivay” had secured a runner-up position in an XL event; he finished second to Nicholas “PKaiser” Fierro in the XL Eclipse Event #17: $15,000 Lightning 6-Max last September.
What’s Coming Up on Wednesday?
Another three exciting events are scheduled for Wednesday.
Both the $109 buy-in Event #19: $40,000 8-Max and the $12 buy-in Event #20: $10,000 Mini 8-Max will start concurrently at 19:00.
Two hours later, at 21:00, the day will conclude with the $30 buy-in Event #21: $10,000 Late 8-Max.
