Event #81: People's Choice Event [Spin the Wheel]
Day 1 Completed
2020 GGPoker WSOP Online Bracelet Events
Event #81: People's Choice Event [Spin the Wheel]
Day: 1
Level 42
: 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante
After a heads up battle that lasted over an hour, Italy's Nicolo "Paquitooo" Molinelli has emerged victorious in Event #81: People's Choice Event [Spin the Wheel], winning the biggest share of the nearly $2 million prize pool. He battled through the field of 1,925 runners and won $243,415 including a massive bounty of almost $100,000.
With no preset format, the structure of Event #81 was determined based on random spins of a prize wheel. Once they were done, the format for #81 was set as a 6-handed No Limit Hold'em Bounty with a $1,050 buy-in.
Check out below how Dan 'Artosis' Stemkoski and Calvin Lee determined the format for this event.
WSOP Online Event #81: People's Choice Event [Spin the Wheel] Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Total Prize | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicolo "Paquitooo" Molinelli | Italy | $243,415 | $144,199 |
| 2 | Kyle "Eskimo Bro" Menard | Canada | $128,417 | $104,644 |
| 3 | Lukas "rustyhusky" Hafner | Austria | $98,899 | $75,940 |
| 4 | Longyun "Mr Li" Li | China | $66,875 | $55,110 |
| 5 | Sami Kelopuro | Finland | $47,821 | $39,993 |
| 6 | Aleksandr "Srinavasan" Grishchuk | Russian Federation | $30,898 | $29,023 |
| 7 | Itai "PokerSmart" Drory | Israel | $31,303 | $21,062 |
| 8 | Pavel "EzzzGame" Plesuv | Moldova | $31,078 | $15,285 |
| 9 | Michelle "hu4trollzz" Shah | United States | $24,920 | $11,092 |
Action of the Day
Within an hour of registration closing, the bubble had burst and players were in the money including, once again, GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu who was one of the players to fall before the late stages.
By the time the final table was reached action slowed down significantly compared to the earlier pace. Short stack Michelle "hu4trollzz" Shah busted rapidly in ninth place, but play lasted almost an hour before Pavel "EzzzGame" Plesuv exited in eight after losing the race with fives versus Lucas "rustyhusky" Hafner's ace-king.
Itai "PokerSmart" Drory and Aleksandr "Srinavasan" Grishchuk went down pretty quickly after, with Grishchuk nurturing his short stack long enough to sneak in some payjumps. After another hour, high-staker Sami Kelopuro from Finland fell in fifth place when Kyle "Eskimo Bro" Menard's ace-queen cracked his kings. Longyun "Mr Li" Li then ran his short stack into Menard's ace-ten to leave the field with three.
Thirty minutes later, Hafner ran into Molinelli's aces to set up a heads-up match that went on for over hour. While Menard was the short stack for most of it he fought on valiantly, chipping up to even stacks at one point, before Molinelli hit a straight against his eights to crush his stack. Menard came back with a double, but it all ended a few hands later when his ace-queen was cracked by king-eight.
Level 42
: 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante
Kyle "Eskimo Bro" Menard raised to 900K and Nicolo' "Paquitooo" Molinelli called. The flop came 
and Molinelli check-raised from 600K to 1.885M, and Menard called. The turn was 
and Molinelli bet 2,217,500. Menard called, and on the 
river he shoved after a check. Molinelli called it off.
Kyle "Eskimo Bro" Menard: 
Nicolo' "Paquitooo" Molinelli: 
Board:
Molinelli flopped a king, and that was all he needed to send Menard home with almost $24,000 in bounties on top of the $104,644 2nd place prize.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
48,125,000
10,060,672
|
10,060,672 |
|
Busted |
Level 42
: 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
38,064,328
-1,570,000
|
-1,570,000 |
|
|
10,060,672
1,570,000
|
1,570,000 |
Level 42
: 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante
Kyle "Eskimo Bro" Menard raised to 1M, and Nicolo' "Paquitooo" Molinelli called. Molinelli check-called for 1.2M on 
and again for 3.3M on 
turn. They check-called again for 9M on the 
river, and took it down with jack-four against a pair of eights. Two hands later, Menard got his small stack in and doubled with jack-eight when he rivered a straight.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
39,634,328
13,519,124
|
13,519,124 |
|
|
8,490,672
-13,519,664
|
-13,519,664 |
Level 42
: 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
26,115,204
216,540
|
216,540 |
|
|
22,010,336
-216,000
|
-216,000 |
Level: 42
Blinds: 200,000/400,000
Ante: 50,000
Level 41
: 160,000/320,000, 40,000 ante
Kyle "Eskimo Bro" Menard raised and Nicolo' "Paquitooo" Molinelli called to see 
on the flop. Molinelli check-called fro 500K, and again for 1.4M on the 
turn. He check-called for 3.8M on the 
turn, but showed down the weaker ace and the pot went to Menard.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
25,898,664
-6,540,000
|
-6,540,000 |
|
|
22,226,336
6,540,000
|
6,540,000 |
Level 41
: 160,000/320,000, 40,000 ante
After a limp and a call pre-flop, Kyle "Eskimo Bro" Menard check-called for 320K on the 
flop. He check-called ahain for 1.12M on the 
turn, and for 4.52M on the river. His king-seven was good against the six-three bluff for Molinelli.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
32,438,664
-4,711,200
|
-4,711,200 |
|
|
15,686,336
4,711,200
|
4,711,200 |
Level 41
: 160,000/320,000, 40,000 ante
Kyle "Eskimo Bro" Menard raised to 800K and Nicolo' "Paquitooo" Molinelli called to see 
on the flop. Molinelli check-called 750K on the flop, and again for 2.8M on the 
turn. Molinelli fired 2.675M on the 
river, and Menard called.
Kyle "Eskimo Bro" Menard: 
Nicolo' "Paquitooo" Molinelli: 
Board:
Menard smashed the flop, but Molinelli went runner-runner straight for the win.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
37,149,864
6,589,800
|
6,589,800 |
|
|
10,975,136
-6,589,800
|
-6,589,800 |