Sami Kelopuro Closes Book on $69 Million Partypoker Powerfest

September 24th, 2018 | by Greg Shaun

The latest Partypoker Powerfest Championship has wrapped up with Finnish high stakes pro Sami Kelopuro taking down the $5,200 main event.

Sami Kelopuro closes the book on another successful Partypoker Powerfest series. (Image: BT.dk)

Following 15 days of online action that saw almost $70 million in prize money paid out, the 2018 Powerfest came to a dramatic conclusion in the early hours of September 24. With 327 players joining the mix, the $1 million guarantee was surpassed by a healthy $635,000, the eventual winner was set to take home more than $300,000.

Kelopuro’s Confidence Earns Him the Win

As the chips started to fly, Kelopuro was by far the most recognizable player and he used his reputation to good effect. By the time only A3PTEH stood in the Finn’s way, many expected a deal to take place.

With almost $100,000 between first and second, even the best players like to cut a deal in the final throes of an MTT. However, with $3.8 million in online tournament winnings and just as much in cash game takings, Kelopuro was content to play for all the marbles.

That confidence paid off as the veteran pro managed to make light work of A3PTEH to take down his 15^th MTT title and earn his second biggest online payday.

Partypoker Powerfest Final Table Results

1. Sami Kelopuro – $317,190
2. A3PTEH – $228,900
3. NoLoitering – $158,595
4. BuyThaPot – $113,632
5. Oliver Weis – $80,932
6. PickYouOFF – $60,004
7. ubicaprofi – $41,692
8. Sheparentao – $30,411

Partypoker Challenging PokerStars’ Position of Power

Beyond the main event, the 2018 Partypoker Powerfest saw thousands of players take part in 670 tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $1.10 to $25,500. Although the $69 million prizepool couldn’t quite match the recent PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker’s (SCOOP) $110 million+ giveaway, it’s a marked improvement on recent years.

In fact, since launching Powerfest in February 2016, Partypoker has upped its guarantees by more than $50 million. This added value has helped make the online series a credible challenge to the 16-year-old SCOOP.

For players, the recent rise of Partypoker’s Powerfest is another example of how competition is good for the community. Partypoker has worked to revamp its online package over the last two years through a combination of tournaments, new signings and site improvements.

The latest Powerfest is a testament to this and example of how players can now have more viable options outside of PokerStars.