888 Weekly: Japan's Akira Ohyama Cashes for $24,000 in The $150,000 WHALE
Japan's Akira Ohyama, 888poker's latest signing before Dominik Nitsche joined the world's second-biggest online poker site, is proving to be a great addition to the room's Pro Team.
Earlier this month, Ohyama joined the field at the Asian Poker Tour Manila Main Event where he cashed for PhP66,000 ($1,464), finishing seventeenth out of a field of 147. Thanks to his cash in Manila, Ohyama managed to pass Yoshihiro Tasaka in Japan's all-time money list rankings on the HendonMob, where he currently sits in twenty-ninth position.
Since then, the Japanese pro has been dominating the 888poker online tournament scene with final table appearances starting to mount up.
His latest big result was a second-place finish in the $150,000 Whale on June 21 for $24,004.02. According to a message posted on Twitter, he also final tabled the Crocodile and the Monsoon the same night.
According to PocketFives, Ohyama has racked up online earnings of $1,863,947 and is considered one of the most accomplished multi-table players in Japan; in fact, Ohyama is Japan's second biggest online winner behind "yasunori66", who tops the list with online winnings for $2,082,759.
Analysts Confirm 'Hold' Rating for 888holdings
While the poker world gets ready for even more takeovers — like the one that brought the World Poker Tour in the hands of China's Ourgame International Holdings — financial analysts chose to reaffirm the 'hold' status for 888holdings.
As MarketBeat reports, analysts from Deutsche Bank and Canaccord Genuity have reiterated their 'hold' rating, while others from Numis Securities Ltd. and Investec chose to keep the 'buy' rating for the company's stocks.
Listed at the London Stock Exchange, the parent company of 888poker, 888 casino, 888sport, and 888bingo, is considered by many to be a safe investment - especially as there is a concrete possibility for it to take control of the bwin.party digital entertainment group.
To do so, however, 888holdings will have to beat the competition of PokerStars' parent company Amaya, which sees the assets owned by bwin.party as a great opportunity to consolidate its position in the poker market and increase its footprint in the casino and sports betting verticals.
According to The Telegraph, Amaya have recently joined forces with GVC Holdings to make a €1.5-billion bid for bwin.party. The offer became public right as 888holdings issued a statement to confirm its interest in the bwin.party group and said that "the board believes that there is significant industrial logic in a combination of 888 and bwin.party, benefiting both companies and all shareholders and accordingly, has submitted a proposal regarding the acquisition of the entire issued and to be issued share capital of bwin.party for consideration comprising cash and 888 shares."
888Live Local Kicks Off in Tallinn on Friday
The Tallinn leg of 888Live Local begins on Friday, June 26, at the Olympic Casino. Thanks to the 888poker Live event, the Estonian capital will host a three-day event with a light schedule that features a €220 buy-in €20,000 GTD Main Event.
"We are glad to host such an important event and we'd like to invite all players from around the world to come and join us this summer," the poker manager at the Olympic Entertainment Group Risto Suurpõld said. "The 888Live Local Series guarantees a nice tournament with an impressive prize pool."
This week's event in Tallinn, however, is not the only one that 888poker has planned for the charming capital of Estonia, as in September they'll return with another leg of the 888Live.
Running from September 2-6, the next stop of the poker series organized by 888 will allow all players "to discover the magic and mystery of one of Eastern Europe's most enchanting capital cities and explore the medieval magnificence of the ancient city," with activities that include "a guided tour of the Old Town and luxury sailing trip."
Although 888live events feature slightly higher entrance fees — the buy-in for September's Main Event is set for €550 — 888poker is already offering everyone the chance to qualify through its online platform.
If you live in a country where 888poker is legal, just launch 888poker's client and head to the 'Live Events' tab. It's there you will get the opportunity to join one of the 888Live Tallinn Poker Tournaments and play for a $2,000 package that includes:
- 4 nights at the five-star Swisshotel in Tallinn
- $550 Main Event buy-in
- $500 to cover your travel expenses
- One entry to a special bounty tournament
- A guided tour of Tallinn's Unesco-protected Old Town
- Access to the VIP party
- The 888Live kit
Head to 888poker for more information about the tournament and to discover everything about promotions currently available to PokerNews players.
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Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.
