Espen Jorstad Kicks Off the 2023 PokerStars WCOOP With a $122K Score

Matthew Pitt Senior Editor

Sep 12, 2023 5 min read Last updated Sep 13, 2023

The 2023 PokerStars World Championship Of Online Poker (WCOOP) exploded into action over the weekend, drawing in some online poker's most recognizable stars. The 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Espen "Hymn2Ninkasi" Jorstad was one of those stars, and the United Kingdom-based Norwegian started his 2023 WCOOP campaign with a $122,371 score.

Jorstad was one of 132 entrants in WCOOP 03-H: $3,150 NLHE Progressive KO, each competing for the largest portion of the $400,000 prize pool. Seventeen places were paid from the regular prize pool, and by the time the nine-handed final table was set, each player was guaranteed almost $8,000 with bounty payments included.

David "MissOracle" Yan ($9,337) and Hungary's "kZhh" ($7,985) were the first two finalists to tall. Ognyan "cocojamb0" Dimov ($17,939) and "bnbm73" ($13,116) followed suit before the elimination of Canada's "13santoy13" ($22,936) left only four players in the hunt for the title, and what would a six-figure haul.

British star Patrick "pads1161" Leonard ($21,748), Jortad's partner in the 2022 WSOP Tag Team event, was cut down in fourth, with Pedro "pvigar" Garagnani ($30,129) bowing out in third, leaving Jorstad heads-up against Dumitry "pora Adrian" Pora.

Just as he did in the 2022 WSOP Main Event, Jorstad came out on top, and got his hands on $122,371, resigning Pora to a $45,167 consolation prize.

WCOOP 03-H: $3,150 NLHE Progressive KO Final Table Results

Rank	Player	Country	Bounties	Prize	Total Prize
1	Espen "Hymn2Ninkasi" Jorstad	Norway	$84,703	$37,668	$122,371
2	Dumitry "pora adrian" Pora	Romania	$7,500	$37,667	$45,167
3	Pedro "pvigar" Garagnani	Brazil	$4,546	$25,583	$30,129
4	Patrick "pads1161" Leonard	United Kingdom	$1,875	$19,873	$21,748
5	13santoy13	Canada	$7,500	$15,436	$22,936
6	bnbm73	Malta	$1,125	$11,991	$13,116
7	Ognyan "cocojamb0" Dimov	Bulgaria	$8,625	$9,314	$17,939
8	kZhh	Hungary	$750	$7,235	$7,985
9	David "MissOracle" Yan	New Zealand	$3,375	$5,962	$9,337

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Ukraine's Roman "RomeOpro" Romanovskyi captured the biggest score of the 2023 WCOOP so far, a cool $203,121. Romanovky's colossal haul will likely be one of the biggest prizes of the entire series.

The Ukrainian received the bankroll-boosting prize after coming out on top in WCOOP 04-H: $10,300 NLHE High Roller, an event that saw 85 entrants create an $850,000 prize pool. Team PokerStars's Lex "L. Veldhuis" Veldhuis narrowly missed out on a final table appearance, crashing out in 10th place for $21,452.

Jans "Graftekkel" Arends' ($26,783) time at the final table proved to be limited, as did that of Tom "7tHEcROw7" Macdonald ($33,440). The untimely demises of "Jesper8" ($43,270) and Aleksejs "APonakov" Ponakovs ($55,991) saw a six-figure score come within touching distance of the surviving players.

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Swedish online poker legend Niklas "Lena900" Astedt ($72,451) busted in fifth, with his fellow Swede "flerrhuve" ($93,750) bowing out in fourth and receiving the tournament's last five-figure payout.

Third place ultimately went to Benjamin "bencb789" Rolle ($121,311), before Romanovsky claimed Rodrigo "SELOUAN1991" Selouan's stack and the $203,121 top score. Selouan may have been disappointed not to come away with the victory, but the $156,974 second-place prize will go some way to numbing the pain of defeat.

WCOOP 04-H: $10,300 NLHE High Roller Final Table Results

Rank	Player	Country	Prize
1	Roman "RomeOpro" Romanovsky	Ukraine	$203,121
2	Rodrigo "SELOUAN1991" Selouan	Brazil	$156,974
3	Benjamin "bencb789" Rolle	Austria	$121,311
4	flerrehuve	Sweden	$93,750
5	Niklas "Lena900" Astedt	Sweden	$72,451
6	Aleksejs "APonakov" Ponakovs	Latvia	$55,991
7	Jesper8	Austria	$43,270
8	Tom "7tHEcROw7" Macdonald	United Kingdom	$33,440
9	Jans "Graftekkel" Arends	Austria	$26,783

Bruschi Flies the Brazilian Flag in the First World Championship Event of 2023

Some 201 players exchanged $5,200 for 100,000 chips and the opportunity to become the champion of the first Championship Event of the 2023 WCOOP, the World Championship of Progressive KO NLHE. A cool $1,005,000 was in the prize pool, and the eventual worthy winner reeled in almost $200,000 of that sum.

Such luminaries as Team PokerStars' Parker "tonkaaaa" Talbot, Ole "wizowizo" Schemion, and Andras "probirs" Nemeth missed out on a final table appearance, while the likes of Paul "_pauL€FauKL_" Hoefer, Ivan "Negriin" Luca, and Sergei "Futti18" Koliakov fell short of the victory.

Heads-up was contested by two of Brazil's elite-level grinders: Renan "Internett93o" Bruschi and Rodrigo "seijistar" Seiji. Despite the vast difference in the final bounty payments and the fact both players know each other well, there no deal struck. The lack of any negotiations meant Bruschi collected $198,664 when he emerged from the one-on-one battle victoriously, while Seiji scooped $113,272 for his efforts.

WCOOP $5,200 World Championship of Progressive KO NLHE Final Table Results

Rank	Player	Country	Bounties	Prize	Total Prize
1	Renan "Internett93o" Bruschi	Brazil	$110,312	$88,352	$198,664
2	Rodrigo "seijistar" Seiji	Brazil	$24,921	$88,351	$113,272
3	retro_cheetah01	Poland	$30,312	$59,505	$89,817
4	Ebaaa11	Montenegro	$35,937	$45,974	$81,911
5	Sergei "Futti18" Koliakov	Kazakhstan	$8,125	$35,520	$43,645
6	Ivan "Negriin" Luca	Argentina	$23,593	$27,443	$51,036
7	HardiZ1	Germany	$7,031	$21,203	$28,234
8	Paul "_pauL€FauKL_" Hoefer	Austria	$15,087	$16,382	$31,460
9	Mikson92	Poland		$13,438	$13,438

Breaking Down the Budget: Non-Hold'em 2023 PokerStars WCOOP Events

2023 PokerStars WCOOP Results

There were plenty of other impressive results during the opening events of the 2023 PokerStars WCOOP. PokerNews streamer Lukas "Lukas_robo" Robinson, fresh from his impressive Sunday Party victory at PartyPoker, finished third in the WCOOP 02-M: $44 NLHE WCOOP Kickoff for $16,714.

Austria's "WhySoS€rious" denied Benny "RunGodlike" Glaser yet another 'COOP title by defeating him heads-up in WCOOP 05-H: $1,050 PLO 6-Max. Glaser has another opportunity to add to his collection of titles as he is currently second in chips with six remaining in the $2,100 H.O.R.S.E. event.

Event	Entrants	Prize Pool	Champion	Prize
#02-L: $5.50 NLHE WCOOP Kickoff	11,728	$57,467	Iwersen9724	$7,500
#02-M: $55 NLHE WCOOP Kickoff	4,768	$238,400	Dangerzinn	$33,941
#02-H: $530 NLHE WCOOP Kickoff	666	$333,000	DontMesswithM11	$57,432
#03-L: $33 NLHE PKO	8,203	$246,090	Rebozeio	$22,491*
#03-M: $320 NLHE PKO	1,506	$451,800	cjames14	$54,754*
#03-H: $3,150 NLHE PKO	132	$400,000	Espen "Hymn2Ninkasi" Jorstad	$122,371*
#04-L: $109 Sunday Million	11,374	$1,137,400	move15	$148,387
#04-M: $1,050 NLHE	1,008	$1,008,000	Mr.LuckyMan88	$104,193
#04-H: $10,300 NLHE High Roller	85	$850,000	Roman "RomeOpro" Romanovsky	$203,121
$5,200 World Championship of PKO	201	$1,005,000	Renan "Internett93o" Bruschi	$198,664*
#05-L: $11 PLO 6-Max	3,732	$36,573	NICasinos	$5,234
#05-M: $109 PLO 6-Max	1,006	$100,600	AANordstrand	$16,439
#05-H: $1,050 PLO 6-Max	172	$172,000	WhySoS€rious	$34,306
#06-L: $11 NLHE 6-Max	8,542	$85,000	AlexLytvyn	$10,280
#06-M: $109 NLHE 6-Max	2,872	$287,200	Ceff98	$41,717
#06-H: $1,050 NLHE 6-Max	385	$385,000	umvelt900	$70,671
#07-L: $5.50 NLHE Turbo PKO	7,653	$37,499	tommyman1112	$3,599*
#07-M: $55 NLHE Turbo PKO	4,338	$216,900	JustRazze	$20,787*
#07-H: $530 NLHE Turbo PLO	530	$265,000	Vocaaas	$43,571*
#08-L: $5.50 NLO8 6-Max	2,922	$14,317	tablepanic	$2,074
#08-M: $55 NLO8 6-Max	795	$39,750	marek_heinz	$6,751
#08-H: $530 NLO8 6-Max	174	$87,000	vratario	$15,861

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Matthew Pitt Senior Editor

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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