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Today in the 3-Bet we find a new record for live poker in Europe, Kenny Hallaert thundering through the summer and Nipun Java hotter than lava.
1) Goliath = Goliath
There's a new record for the biggest live poker event ever held in Europe (or outside Vegas for that matter).
Breaking its own record of 5,242 entries last year the £120 buy-in GUKPT Goliath at the Grosvenor Casino in Coventry set a new record over the past week with 6,385 entries.
The $890,000 prize pool nearly tripled the $325,550 guarantee and paid out $111,665 to the winner, Elliot Marais.
Working off of just one buy-in ($156), that's a pretty solid return on investment for Marais. Considering he had exactly $1,111 in live earnings prior, it's astonishing.
Next stop for the GUKPT is in Leeds next month where the field might not be quite as huge but the value should be similarly high.
If watching small-stakes poker is your bag there will be a live stream for all four days of play, which is very cool.
Watch an interview with the winner and runner-up below.
2) Kenny Hallaert is a Boss
Did you know Belgian Kenny 'SpaceyFCB' Hallaert has over $7m in combined live and online tournament earnings?
Hallaert came to the attention of most poker fans for the first time during his impressive run to the 2016 WSOP Main Event November Nine and 6th-place finish.
He made even more fans this year with another deep run in the Main Event that ended in 68th. But Hallaert's legacy in poker goes well beyond just those two big scores.
A full-time tournament director for the Unibet Poker Tour (among others) Hallaert has been a big contributor on the industry side of the game in Europe for over a decade.
He also has a startlingly impressive online poker resume with $3.8m in career earnings - a number which grew even further this past week. Taking little rest from his summer exploits (9 WSOP cashes for > $450,000) Hallaert won his second career online Triple Crown with 3 nice wins:
- PokerStars $1,050 Super Tuesday for > $60,000
- partypoker $15K Gtd Eliminator
- 888poker $120,000 Whale on Sunday for $44,250
A pretty successful 10-day grind, then:
Completed my Triple Crown today in style!! It was a good 10 day grind.Couple of days off now. pic.twitter.com/3cJlne6YEa
— Kenny Hallaert (@SpaceyFCB) August 7, 2017
Well earned for one of the nicest guys in poker.
3) Nipun Java Wins $570 SHRPO Deep Stack for $230,849
Speaking of poker players on impressive runs ... Nipun Java is having a summer to remember, too.
A regular on the tournament scene since around 2011 the New Delhi-based Java has posted some dazzling results over the past two months.
It started at the very beginning of the 2016 WSOP when he and partner Aditya Sushant earned the first-ever bracelets for India in the $1k Tag Team event. He followed that up with an even more impressive solo bracelet in the $1k Online Championship July 7.
Less than a month later he's added another live title to his Hendon page as he topped 3,173 entries to win the $570 Deep Stack at the Seminole Hard Rock in Florida over the weekend.
After a four-handed deal Java collected $230,849 to push his career earnings up over $2m - and even further ahead at #1 on India's all-time money list.
Even with the Indian poker scene booming of late, it may take a very long time for his $1.3m lead over second-place Raghav Bansal (a Macau regular) to be overcome.
