Kyriakos Papadopoulos Wins Zynga Poker WPT500 Las Vegas for $207,940!

By Donnie Peters

It’s a wrap from Las Vegas! Kyriakos Papadopoulos topped a field of 2,983 entries in the Zynga Poker WPT500 Las Vegas at ARIA Resort & Casino to win $207,940 and etch his name in poker history. Papadopoulos defeated Bobby Poe in heads-up play at a final table that included the experienced Chris Bell and Zynga Poker VIP player Hugh Grant. Bell and Grant finished in fifth and eighth places, respectively.

Zynga Poker WPT500 Las Vegas Final Table Results

1st: Kyriakos Papadopoulos – $207,940
2nd: Bobby Poe – $139,960
3rd: Hoan Nguyen – $103,060
4th: Adi Ben Ami – $76,750
5th: Chris Bell – $57,800
6th: James Morris – $44,000
7th: Greg Gius – $33,800
8th: Hugh Grant – $26,310
9th: Joseph Guarino – $21,110

Papadopoulos (pictured above) entered the final table with the chip lead with 15.675 million. Bell wasn’t too far off with 13.1 million, and then the next closest stack was Poe’s 7.1 million.

About 20 minutes into the final table, Bell moved into the chip lead, but not because he won a pot to overtake Papadopoulos. Instead, it was Adi Ben Ami who doubled through Papadopoulos to knock Papadopoulos back to second in chips. Shortly after that, Joseph Guarino went out in ninth place.

The next player eliminated was the story of the tournament, Zynga Poker VIP player Hugh Grant (pictured above). Grant moved all in for 4.325 million with the blinds at 125,000-250,000 with a 250,000 big blind ante. Bell was next to act and plopped in the chips to make the call. Everyone else folded, and it was Grant’s against the for Bell. The board failed to give Grant the win and he was out in eighth place for $26,310. Grant was part of a group of 23 VIP players from Zynga Poker that participated in the event and earned the largest live tournament score of his career.

With seven players left, Bell was in the lead. He took a hit when Hoan Nguyen doubled through him, and then Papadopoulos won a sizeable pot off Bell to move back in front. Bell stormed right back with a knockout blow to Greg Gius and retook the lead shortly thereafter.

Papadopoulos then eliminated James Morris in sixth place to score a knockout of his own and close the gap as both he and Bell looked to be the clear favorites at the table.

Ben Ami found a double through Bell when his won a flip against Bell’s , and then Papadopoulos took a pot off Bell to move to 20 million in chips about two and a half hours into the final table. After that, the slide for Bell continued. First, Ben Ami shoved on Bell on the flop to win a pot. Then, Papadopoulos three-bet Bell preflop to win another pot. After that, Ben Ami spiked a big double through Bell to leave Bell with less than 10 big blinds.

Bell was able to find one double through Papadopoulos, but a second wouldn’t come when the two got the money in again. Bell’s lost out to the pocket nines of Papadopoulos, earning Bell fifth place and a $57,800 payday.

With four players left, Papadopoulos was firmly in control as the other three players jockeyed for position.

Ben Ami was bounced in fourth place, as Poe’s pocket jacks beat his pocket tens, and then a big three-way clash almost ended the tournament when Papadopoulos, Poe, and Nguyen all got the money in.

With the blinds at 300,000-600,000 with a 600,000 big blind ante, Poe moved all in on the button for 6 million. Nguyen called from the small blind, and then Papadopoulos reraised all in from the big blind. Nguyen turned his hand over, pushed in his remaining 1.2 million in chips, and it was off to the races. Nguyen had the , Poe had the , and Papadopoulos had the . The flop, turn, and river ran out to give Poe a triple up and eliminate Nguyen in third place.

Heads-up play began with Papadopoulos in a commanding lead – his 41.1 million to Poe’s 18.6 million. He even took the first three pots of the match, but Poe (pictured below) held tough and worked his way back to a tie with Papadopoulos. Papadopoulos wasn’t phased by Poe’s toughness and he stretched his lead once again. Poe was able to find another double to narrow the gap, but in the end, Papadopoulos proved too strong to overcome.

On the final hand, Papadopoulos shoved with the , Poe called with the , and the board ran out to give Papadopoulos the victory. Poe earned $139,960 for his runner-up performance.

Next Up for WPT500 Is Los Angeles!

The WPT500 tour makes its next stop in Los Angeles at the Bicycle Hotel & Casino. From August 18-27, 2018, players will have the chance to compete for a $1 million guaranteed prize pool in a $570 buy-in event. There are plenty of opportunities to play, with 16 starting flights from August 18-25. Each day over that time period will have two starting flights. The first will be at 11:30 a.m. PT, and the second will be at 4 p.m. The second flight of each day will be a turbo flight.

All players that advance to Day 2 will join together on Sunday, August 26, to play down to the final table. The WPT500 Los Angeles final table will take place Monday, August 27. For more information, stay tuned to the event hub on WPT.com.

Photography by Joe Giron / PokerPhotoArchive.com

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