Adrian Mateos Takes Down the PokerStars Titans Event for $82,611
Table Of Contents
With almost $55 million in live poker tournament earnings, it is easy to typecast Adrian "Amadi_017" Mateos as a live grinder. However, like many of his peers, Maeos cut his poker chops in the online poker world, and if his latest victory at PokerStars is anything to go by, the five-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner is just as terrifyingly brilliant at clicking buttons as he is battling face-to-face with poker's greats.
Mateos was one of 47 PokerStars players who parted company with $5,200 of their bankroll for the chance to become the latest Titans Event champion. The high buy-in resulted in a $235,000 prize pool, significantly higher than the advertised $150,000. Due to the compact field size, only the top six finishers got their hands on a slice of that pie.
Such luminaries as Brunno "botteonpoker" Botteon, Andy "BowieEffect" Wilson, and Pascal "Pass_72" Lefrancois came close to navigating to the final table, but were cut down in the shark-infested waters before that happened. Mexico-based "Roelaaand" was the tenth-place finisher, their exit setting a start-studded final table.
Almaz "Alister307" Zhdanov and Leon "RUMUKULUS " Sturm were the first two high rollers to bow out at the final, each doing so empty-handed. Then came the demise of Ognyan "cocojamb0" Dimov in seventh. Dimov's downfall popped the money bubble and locked in more than $12,000 for each of the surviving players.
The United Kingdom's Gavin "gavz101" Cochrane, who won the Titans Event on January 13 for $73,348, had to make do with a $12,429 sixth-place prize this time around.
Brazilian soccer sensation Neymar was the next Titan to be taken out. With the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A not due to kick off until January 28, Neymar found himself with some downtime between training sessions for his club, Santos. Neymar ultimately finished fifth for $18,154.
Fourth place and $26,515 went to Mikita "fish2013" Badziakouski. The Ukraine-based Belarusian is another player who excels in High Roller and Super High Roller events worldwide but still turns out in high-stakes online tournaments.
The $5,200 Titans progressed to the heads-up stage when Leonard "Grozzorg" Maue was mauled in third. Maue received a $38,726 payout, while Mateos and Switerland's "donartu20" locked horns for the title and the lion's share of the spoils.
Mateos again found a way to get the job done, and he sent his Swiss opponent to the showers, resigning him to a still-welcome $56,562 consolation prize. Mateos added another $82,611 to his bankroll and lifetime online poker earnings.
$5,200 Titans Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian "Amadi_017" Mateos | United Kingdom | $82,611 |
| 2 | donartu20 | Switzerland | $56,562 |
| 3 | Leonard "Grozzorg" Maue | Austria | $38,726 |
| 4 | Mikita "fish2013" Badziakouski | Ukraine | $26,515 |
| 5 | Neymar "neymar-jr" Jr | Brazil | $18,154 |
| 6 | Gavin "gavz101" Cochrane | United Kingdom | $12,429 |
| 7 | Ognyan "cocojamb0" Dimov | Bulgaria | $0 |
| 8 | Leon "RUMUKULUS" Sturm | Austria | $0 |
| 9 | Almaz "Alister307" Zhdanov | Belarus | $0 |
Benjamin Rolle Wins the $1K Sunday Warm-Up; Almost Does a Double
Raise Your Edge founder Benjamin "bencb789" Rolle gave himself plenty of new options for training video material by coming out on top of the $1,050 Sunday Warm-Up 7-Max at PokerStars. Like the $5,200 Titans Event, this tournament had a compact field (40) but an all-star cast.
Gavin "gavz101" Cochrane and Andrey "Anjeyyy" Novak were the two unfortunate souls who managed to reach the seven-handed final table but still did not see a return on their investments.
With Novak nullified and the bubble burst, Canada's "uwintakeit" crashed out in fifth and banked $2,479. Fellow Canadian "roo_400" followed suit in fourth for $3,995 before Samuel "€urop€an" Vousden ran out of steam in third, a finish good for $6,437.
Rolle found himself up against a formidable foe in Brazilian ace Pedro "PaDiLhA SP" Padilha. A tough opponent Padilha may have been, but Rolle came out on top and reeled in a $16,714 prize, leaving his fallen foe to bank $10,373.
Later in the evening, Rolle almost won a second PokerStars tournament. As the clock approached eight hours of play in the $530 Bounty Builder High Roller, Rolle was heads-up against Tomas "T 59 T 97s" Paiva for the title. Although Rolle fell at the final hurdle, he still took home $15,353 for his efforts.
$1,050 Sunday Warm-Up 7-Max Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benjamin "bencb789" Rolle | Bulgaria | $16,714 |
| 2 | Pedro "PaDiLhA SP" Padilha | Brazil | $10,373 |
| 3 | Samuel "€urop€an" Vousden | Finland | $6,437 |
| 4 | roo_400 | Canada | $3,995 |
| 5 | uwintakeit | Canada | $2,479 |
| 6 | Andrey "Anjeyyy" Novak | Ukraine | $0 |
| 7 | Gavin "gavz101" Cochrane | United Kingdom | $0 |
SCOOP Warm-Up Hits PokerStars From February 1
The 2026 edition of the iconic Spring Championship Of Online Poker (SCOOP) lands at PokerStars from March 1, an earlier than usual start for one of the most eagerly anticipated online poker festivals. While the 2026 SCOOP is rapidly approaching, something big is coming to PokerStars from February 1: The SCOOP Warm-Up.
The SCOOP Warm-Up rans from February 1-16. It boasts 69 numbered events, each with low buy-ins from $2.20 and high buy-ins to $5,200. The SCOOP Warm-Up Main Events come in the form of a $109 Sunday Million with $1 million guaranteed, and a $1,050 edition guaranteeing $300,000; both shuffle up and deal on February 15.
