Raigo Aasmaa Wins Grand Series of Poker (GSOP) Live

The Prague Poker Festival ran from November 29 until this week, with Estonian Raigo Aasmaa collecting €80,000 for winning the Grand Series of Poker (GSOP) Live tournament to complete a trio of huge events.

Young German PokerStars qualifier Martin Finger might have won the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague main event at the Hilton Prague Hotel to take home €720,000, but that wasn’t the only big event in the Czech Republic’s capital city this past week or so. Before the 21-year-old had picked up his winnings, 22-year-old Russian Andrey Pateychuk had won the World Poker Tour (WPT) Prague main event for $630,263.

There were many big-name pros present for this massive tournament, but it was Aasmaa who beat Roger Hairabedian – after his fifth place finish in the Partouche Poker Tour (PPT) main event last month for €230,000 – to the title after overcoming the Frenchman’s 2 to 1 chip lead.

In fact, Aasmaa steamrolled Hairabedian to secure the title, swiftly drawing level with his French opponent by winning as many as five straight hands at a time to eventually move ahead.

However, Hairabedian eventually had to go all-in and chose to shove with just 9-7 on a flop of 5 6♦ 2♦.

Aasmaa called with K♦ J♦ to be well ahead and, when the turn was a blank, the river did complete the Estonian’s flush for victory.

The GSOP now heads off to Austrian city Salzburg for the February 1 to 4 tournament, which includes the €1,500+€150 main event.

Top nine placings and payouts from the Grand Series of Poker (GSOP) Live tournament:

1. Raigo Aasmaa (Estonia) – €80,000 (approximately $106,816/£67,816)

2. Roger Hairabedian (France) – €70,000 ($92,577/£59,337)

3. Kimmo Kurko (Finland) – €60,000 ($79,352/£50,861)

4. Piotr Madej (Poland) – €36,664 ($48,485/£31,079)

5. Christopher Kiefert (UK) – €27,631 ($36,537/£23,422)

6. Mark Adorjanyi (Hungary) – €21,255 ($28,106/£18,017)

7. Ville Salmi (Finland) – €16,738 ($22,129/£14,188)

8. Grudi Grudev (Bulgaria) – €12,753 ($16,861/£10,809)

9. Emmanuel Obregon (Argentina) – €9,830 ($12,997/£8,332)