Alexandros Kolonias Wins 2019 WSOPE Main Event, First WSOP Bracelet And Over €1.1 Million

The 2019 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) has finally concluded and it was Greek poker pro Alexandros Kolonias who emerged as the biggest winner, taking home €1,133,678 ($1,258,383) and his maiden gold bracelet.
Second-Biggest WSOPE Main Event
The 2019 WSOPE Main Event attracted a field of 541 entries to create a whopping €5,139,500 in total prize pool, making it the second-biggest Main Event in the history of the European festival. Kolonias, who does not play as many live events as his opponents, managed to make his Rozvadov trip truly one to remember after taking home the sixth gold bracelet for his home country of Greece. The 32-year-old outclassed Germany’s Claas Segebrecht heads-up to secure the title.
Final Table Position Helped Kolonias
During his post-win interview, Kolonias was blown away with his win and was yet to come to grips to what really happened. He said he was satisfied with how he played at the final table given the fact that his competition at the final table was really tough. The Greek poker pro also said his position during the final table partly contributed to his victory.
Kolonias entered the final day second in chips. On his left was the short stack. The Greek pro said if he was given the chance to choose positions, he would pick exactly the same position he was in when the final battle kicked off.
Kolonias is a native of Volos but currently resides in London. He usually plays high-stakes games and tournaments online under his screen name “mexican222”. His online earnings sit at over $3.1 million. He does not play live events very often, which makes his 2019 WSOPE Main Event victory even more meaningful.
When asked about his future plans in the tournament arena after his win, Kolonias had no definite answer, but he said he intends to play the usual five to six festivals every year.
Final Table Results
A total of nine players made it to the official final table, each coming from nine different countries. The first to be eliminated was Marek Blasko from Slovakia who finished 9^th place to take $84,840. He was followed to the rail by Denmark’s Jakob Madsen who earned $110,506 for his 8^th place finish. French player Julien Martini failed to capture his second WSOP bracelet after finishing in 7^th place for $146,539.
Six players battled it out on the final showdown, with American poker pro Anthony Zinno leading the chips. The first to go was Sweden’s Rifat Palevic in 6^th place after shoving his last remaining chips with Kh2d, against Anh Do’s QdQc. The Swedish pro took home $197,770 for his efforts. Businessman Do was the next to go in 5^th place after running Kh9h into the Segebrecht’s pocket kings. Prior to that, Do lost a huge pot against 2019 WSOP Main Event runner-up Dario Sammartino.
No Bracelet for Sammartino, Zinno
Sammartino eventually ended his quest for his first gold bracelet after going all in with AhKh against Segebrecht’s Jh10c. The latter picked up a jack-high on the flop, sending Sammartino to the rail in 4^th place for $379,289 — his fourth final table finish of the year. The Italian pro also finished 8th in Event #6: €25,500 Short Deck High Roller earlier in the festival.
Subsequent action saw Zinno succumbing to Kolonias in a crucial three-bet shove. The American player held Ad9c against the Jd10h of the Greek. Kolonias eventually secured a pair of jacks, putting an end to Zinno’s bid for a third bracelet. Zinno won $538,673 for finishing 3^rd to register his seventh final table of the year. A victory in the WSOPE Main Event could have earned him the top spot in the 2019 WSOP Player of the Year race. Zinno currently ranks 4^th on the player of the year (POY) leaderboard.
Road to Victory
A heads-up battle then ensued between Kolonias and Segebrecht, with the former holding the chip lead. The final match didn’t last that long though. The deciding moment came during a preflop coinflip, with Kolonias holding AsKs, against his German opponent’s 3d3c. The board gave Kolonias an ace-high flush to secure the pot, earning him his first seven-figure cash. Segebrecht walked away with $777,709 as runner up.
Kolonias’ latest victory has brought his total live earnings to $3.7 million, putting him at the top of Greece’s All-Time Money List.