WSOP: Christian Rudolph Wins $25K Poker Players Championship

Lance Bradley · August 29, 2020

Christian Rudolph shined brightest at a final table full of some of the game's best players on Saturday to win his first WSOP bracelet and $1.8 million. (partypoker photo)

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the delayed final table of the World Series of Poker Online $25,000 Poker Players Championship included some of the best poker players in the world. High regulars like Jason Koon, a former #1-ranked online poker player in Chris Hunichen, and respected grinders like Shinkar Pillai, Aleksejs Ponakovs and Brazilian superstar Bruno Botteon were all chasing their first career WSOP bracelet and the $1.8 million first place prize.

None of them it seemed were ready for the locomotive that was Christian Rudolph. The German poker pro eliminated five of his final eight opponents to win his first career WSOP bracelet.

It took 19 minutes to get the first elimination of the final table. From the button, Shankar Pillai made it 400,000 to go before Aliaksei Boika moved all in for 2,172,276 from the big blind. Pillai called and turned over which was bad news for Boika who showed . The board ran out to eliminate Boika in ninth place.

A battle of the blinds between the two shortest stacks lead to one of them going home. Action folded to Aram Zobian in the small blind and he moved all in for 3,009,190 and Paulius Plausinaitis called all in from the big blind. Zobian tabled but Plausinaitis showed . The flop gave Zobian control and Plausinaitis was unable to find any help on the turn or river and was out in eighth.

Jason Koon started the day with the chip lead but after doubling up Chris Hunichen, the Team partypoker Pro struggled to regain his footing and his tournament ended with a typical preflop race. Rudolph raised to 1,750,000 from UTG+1. Koon moved all in for 4,182,781 from the big blind and Rudolph called. Koon was ahead to Rudolph’s . The flop moved Rudolph ahead and neither the turn or river improved Koon’s and he was eliminated in seventh.

Brazilian players have posted impressive results throughout the 2020 WSOP Online and Bruno Botteon, the #5-ranked online poker player in the world, was hoping to become the fifth player from his home country to pick up a bracelet this summer. That hope was dashed by Rudolph in another blind versus blind situation. Rudolph raised from the small blind to 9,256,969 and Botteon called from the big blind for 3,080,027. Rudolph held and Botteon showed . The flop gave Rudolph a gutshot straight draw. The turn completed that draw and Botteon was drawing dead to anything but a chop as the completed the board to send him to the rail in sixth place.

Rudolph continued to steamroll the rest of the table and found another victim ten minutes later. Rudolph raised to 600,000 from the button before Zobian moved all in for 3,239,745 from the small blind. Chris Hunichen folded his big blind but Rudolph called and showed . Zobian was flipping with . The board ran out to give Rudolph an unneeded rivered set of nines to end Zobian’s run in fifth.

Four-handed play lasted nearly 30 minutes before the next elimination and Rudolph was the one doing the heavy lifting once again. Aleksejs Ponakovs doubled through Rudolph once but it wasn’t enough to slow his momentum. On the next hand Ponakovs raised from the to 1,225,000 before Rudolph re-raised to 2,800,000. Ponakovs called off the last 300,402 in his stack and showed . Rudolph tabled and then watched the runout give him another pot and eliminated Ponakovs in fourth place.

Rudolph maintained the chip lead for the next 14 minutes before the next elimination saw him watching instead of working. Pillai moved all in from the button for 6,415,460, Rudolph folded his small blind, but Hunichen called from the big. Pillai got bad news after tabling only to see Hunichen turn over . The flop kept Hunichen in control. The turn gave Pillai extra outs but the river was a brick and Pillai was out in third.

That hand moved Hunichen to within five big blinds of Rudolph. That was as close as Hunichen got. Over the 18 minutes that followed, Rudolph maintained control and slowly worked Hunichen’s stack into his own. On the final hand Hunichen moved all in 2,492,208 from the button for and Rudolph called showed and Hunichen was in good shape with . The flop flipped the script and Hunichen found no relief on the turn or river and was eliminated as the runner-up, giving Rudolph his first WSOP bracelet.