2023 888poker XL Winter Series

$250 Main Event ($500,000 GTD)
Day: 3
Event Info

2023 888poker XL Winter Series

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aj
Prize
$34,525
Event Info
Buy-in
$250
Prize Pool
$500,000
Entries
2,059
Players Info - Day 3
Players Left
1

$250 Main Event ($500,000 GTD)

Day 3 Completed

"AMG_people" Comes from Behind to Win 2023 888poker XL Winter Series Main Event for $34,525

2023 888poker XL Winter Series Main Event Final Lobby
2023 888poker XL Winter Series Main Event Final Lobby

The final table of the $500k 2023 888poker XL Winter Series Main Event went like a whirlwind, taking just over an hour to complete. In the end, "AMG_people" had to come back from a huge heads-up deficit to take down the big prize in a field that saw more than 2,050 entries and 402 Day 2 players.

The winner also picked up more than $3k in bounties over the course of the game, making their final score more than $37.5k. That was the highest total prize from the final table, but with $4k more in bounties, second place "alwaySsmilee" came close with just over $32.5k.

The one player in the game who capped the winner was 29th-place finisher "SickSlick" from Germany. That player only pocketed $900 in prizes, but they took the $50k bounty plus a few more for a bounty total of $56,333.84. "Sim0nK", who finished 7th, banked almost $20k in bounties for the third-best FT total, and "Lenny03041" scored $15k in bounties without even cashing.

2023 888poker XL Winter Series Main Event Final Table Results with Big Bounty Winners

PlacePlayerCountryBountyPrizeTotal Prize
1AMG_peopleUkraine$3,067$34,525$37,592
2alwaySsmileeUkraine$7,367$25,200$32,567
3Dan "badrobot27" CharltonUnited Kingdom$3,668$18,525$22,193
4MgrazziotinBrazil$3,867$13,725$17,592
5TuckaIFUnited Kingdom$1,601$10,150$11,751
6_zarkou_Finland$1,834$7,575$9,409
7Sim0nKLithuania$19,802$5,675$25,477
8RUNRANRUNIT8Lithuania$1,334$4,300$5,634
9kellerassel0Germany$1,300$3,275$4,575
29SickSlickGermany$900$56,334$57,234
306Lenny03041$0Germany$15,000$15.000

Main Event Action

After Day 1 flights throughout the series, there were a total of 2,059 entries including rebuys for the $500k 2023 888poker XL Winter Series Main Event. That wasn't quite enough to break the $500k guarantee, so it meant that 240 players would share in that guaranteed prize pool.

Ian Simpson
Ian Simpson

A total of 402 players bagged stacks for Day 2, which played out over five and a half hours on Jan 30. Three members of Team888 started the day with chips, but the best result from the sponsored players came from Ian "simpioni" Simpson in 108th.

The big $50k bounty went pretty early in the day, so much of the bounty excitement was quelled, but that didn't stop the game from getting from 402 down to the 240 money spots within three levels of the start of the day. The play never really slowed down through the whole day, and "alwaySsmilee" went on a late-day run to take over the lead for the final day of play.

Winning Hand in 2023 888poker XL Winter Series Main Event
Winning Hand in 2023 888poker XL Winter Series Main Event

They held that lead through nearly the whole day and looked like they'd go wire to wire on Day 3. "AMG_people" had other ideas, however. Both players were from Ukraine, but the eventual winner was out-chipped by more than 6 to 1 coming into the final phase after arriving on the final day seventh in chips with barely 1 million.

They took the lead shortly after the heads-up began after doubling with a flopped straight, then taking down a three-bet pot on a king-high flop. "alwaySsmilee" came back to take a small lead but then it all went south, with "AMG_people" taking it down with a dominated ace a few hands later.

That brings the PokerNews coverage of 888poker's XL Winter Series to a close. Stay tuned for more coverage from poker series around the globe on both the real and virtual felt.

"alwaySsmilee" Out in 2nd Place for $25,200

"alwaySsmilee" Out in 2nd Place for $25,200
"alwaySsmilee" Out in 2nd Place for $25,200

Level 44, Blinds: 200,000/400,000 (50,000)

"alwaySsmilee" came into heads up with a huge lead, but "AMG_people" turned it on in the final two, coming back to take the lead. "alwaySsmilee" managed to come back into a small lead after taking a three-bet pot down on the flop, but after that, it was all downhill for them.

In the final hand, the luck turned against them when they got it in good with ace-king over ace-jack, but the flop came ace-jack high to send all the chips to the Ukrainian winner.

Stay tuned for a Main Event recap shortly.

Player Chips Progress
AMG_people ua
AMG_people
20,590,000 9,169,076
alwaySsmilee ua
alwaySsmilee
Busted

"AMG_people" Takes Lead

"AMG_people" Takes Lead
"AMG_people" Takes Lead

Level 43, Blinds: 150,000/300,000 (37,500)

It was a pretty big pot pre-flop when "AMG_people" raised, then called a three-bet from "alwaySsmilee". The flop came king-high but "alwaySsmilee" check-folded to the bet, giving "AMG_people" the lead for the first time. The hands were ace-three suited for the winner against five-four.

Player Chips Progress
AMG_people ua
AMG_people
11,420,924 4,792,000
alwaySsmilee ua
alwaySsmilee
9,169,076 -4,792,000

"AMG_people" Doubles to Stay Alive

"AMG_people" Doubles to Stay Alive
"AMG_people" Doubles to Stay Alive

Level 43, Blinds: 150,000/300,000 (37,500)

"alwaySsmilee" came into heads-up with a massive lead but shortly after the break "AMG_people" cut into that lead. They flopped a nut straight but had to tank-call the river for their life when the board paired. They limped to the flop and called a bet before raising turn.

Player Chips Progress
alwaySsmilee ua
alwaySsmilee
13,961,076 -3,654,462
AMG_people ua
AMG_people
6,628,924 3,654,472

Dan "badrobot27" Charlton Out in 3rd Place for $18,525

Dan "badrobot27" Charlton Out in 3rd Place for $18,525
Dan "badrobot27" Charlton Out in 3rd Place for $18,525

Level 42, Blinds: 125,000/250,000 (31,250)

The game is now heads-up after Dan "badrobot27" Charlton's jacks couldn't hold against the steamroller ace of "alwaySsmilee". Charlton picked up more than $3,600 in bounties along the way as well.

Player Chips Progress
alwaySsmilee ua
alwaySsmilee
17,615,538 2,167,388
AMG_people ua
AMG_people
2,974,452 820,790
Dan "badrobot27" Charlton gb
Dan "badrobot27" Charlton
Busted

"Mgrazziotin" Out in 4th Place for $13,725

"Mgrazziotin" Out in 4th Place for $13,725
"Mgrazziotin" Out in 4th Place for $13,725

Level 41, Blinds: 100,000/200,000 (25,000)

It's been a quick final table so far with "Mgrazziotin" ending their run in 4th place for $13,725. Thye had the best of it with ace-jack, but chip-leader "alwaySsmilee" keeps stacking chips with more than 15 million now after getting there with a seven on the river.

Player Chips Progress
alwaySsmilee ua
alwaySsmilee
15,448,150 4,533,952
Dan "badrobot27" Charlton gb
Dan "badrobot27" Charlton
2,988,188 182,000
AMG_people ua
AMG_people
2,153,662 -1,484,000
Mgrazziotin br
Mgrazziotin
Busted

Tags: "Mgrazziotin" Out in 4th Place for $13725

"TuckaIF" Out in 5th Place for $10,150

"TuckaIF" Out in 5th Place for $10,150
"TuckaIF" Out in 5th Place for $10,150

Level 41, Blinds: 100,000/200,000 (25,000)

"TuckaIF" was short-stacked and ran their queen into the jacks of "alwaySsmilee", who is back up over 10 million and approaching 11.

Player Chips Progress
alwaySsmilee ua
alwaySsmilee
10,914,198 1,267,511
AMG_people ua
AMG_people
3,637,662 -307,500
Mgrazziotin br
Mgrazziotin
3,231,952 -392,500
Dan "badrobot27" Charlton gb
Dan "badrobot27" Charlton
2,806,188 555,000
TuckaIF gb
TuckaIF
Busted

"_zarkou_" Out in 6th Place for $7,575

"_zarkou_" Out in 6th Place for $7,575
"_zarkou_" Out in 6th Place for $7,575

Level 40, Blinds: 80,000/160,000 (20,000)

"_zarkou_" ran into an overpair situation, running their sixes into the tens of "AMG_people". No help came on the board and they were out for $7,575 plus more than $1,800 in bounties.

Player Chips Progress
alwaySsmilee ua
alwaySsmilee
9,646,687 -647,226
AMG_people ua
AMG_people
3,945,162 852,004
Mgrazziotin br
Mgrazziotin
3,624,452 2,072,226
Dan "badrobot27" Charlton gb
Dan "badrobot27" Charlton
2,251,188
TuckaIF gb
TuckaIF
1,122,511 -440,000
_zarkou_ fi
_zarkou_
Busted

"Sim0nK" Out in 7th Place for $5,675

"Sim0nK" Out in 7th Place for $5,675
"Sim0nK" Out in 7th Place for $5,675

Level 39, Blinds: 70,000/140,000 (17,500)

"AMG_people" got there with the ace to crack the kings of "Sim0nK". That brings the field down to 6.

Player Chips Progress
alwaySsmilee ua
alwaySsmilee
10,293,913 279,000
AMG_people ua
AMG_people
3,093,158 2,098,266
Dan "badrobot27" Charlton gb
Dan "badrobot27" Charlton
2,251,188 -432,500
_zarkou_ fi
_zarkou_
1,837,004 -195,000
TuckaIF gb
TuckaIF
1,562,511 23,500
Mgrazziotin br
Mgrazziotin
1,552,226 -432,500
Sim0nK lt
Sim0nK
Busted