The name Rudolph is synonymous with Christmas but this article is not about the famous red-nosed reindeer but rather the incredible poker tournament player with the same surname. Christian Rudolph is widely regarded as one of the best tournament players of his generation, and his magical results at GGPoker this weekend added weight to those claims.
Rudolph bought into the $525 Bounty Hunters HR Main Event alongside 1,893 opponents, each vying for a slice of the $1,000,000 prize pool. Half the prize pool went on the heads of each entrant with the remaining 50% being shared by the top 278 finishers.
Each of the nine players who navigated their way to the final table locked in a five-figure prize for their efforts. Vasileios “Turtas72” Panagiotou was the first finalist out of the door; the Cypriot won $17,909 thanks to more than $12,500 worth of bounties.
“Iiukeshitou,” Cristian “quetacuen” Sampaoli, Tu “chutumirea” Chu Hong, and Mongolia’s “iLOVETH1SGAME” were the next casualties, the latter padding their bankroll with $26,859.
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Ukraine’s Andrii Derzhypilsky, winner of a WSOP bracelet online earlier this year, finished fourth for $31,401 before “Lee0r of Israel bowed out in third for $35,331.
Rudolph and “TUTUTUTUTUTUTU” locked horns heads-up and there was only ever going to be one result. Rudolph got the job done and his hands on $95,855 in total, resigning his final opponent to a $60,909 consolation prize.
$525 Bounty Hunters HR Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Bounties | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian Rudolph | Austria | $52,459 | $95,855 |
| 2 | TUTUTUTUTUTUTU | Hong Kong | $17,620 | $60,909 |
| 3 | Lee0r | Israel | $3,214 | $35,331 |
| 4 | Andrii Derzhypilskyi | Ukraine | $7,603 | $31,401 |
| 5 | iLOVETH1SGAME | Mongolia | $9,225 | $26,859 |
| 6 | Tu “chutumirea” Chu Hong | Vietnam | $1,499 | $14,566 |
| 7 | Cristian “quetacuen” Sampaoli | Argentina | $1,609 | $11,291 |
| 8 | Iiukeshitou | China | $4,566 | $11,740 |
| 9 | Vasileios “Turtas72” Panagiotou | Cyrpus | $12,593 | $17,909 |
Rudolph Switches To PLO; Still Wins!
It not only no-limit hold’em that Rudolph excels because he is no slouch at pot-limit Omaha either. Rudolph was one of 47 players to enter the $5,250 buy-in Omaholic Bounty Super High Roller, and he was the last man standing.
British PLO specialist Gavin Cochrane fell in sixth for $9,939, with “Givenchy-LOT” collecting $14,141 for their fifth-place finish.
Sebastian Trisch’s run ended abruptly in fourth for $26,408 with Andras Nemeth, who won the Super MILLION$ last week, finished third for $28,562.
Rudolph found himself one-on-one with India’s Tarun “AreYouAhead” Goyal. Rudolph must have bulldozed his way to this point because when he defeated his final opponent, his bounty payment weighed in at $72,812, giving him a total prize worth $100,954. Goyal walked away with $29,368, giving some context to how impressive the victor’s score was.
$525 Bounty Hunters HR Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Bounties | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian Rudolph | Austria | $72,812 | $100,954 |
| 2 | Tarun “AreYouAhead” Goyal | India | $1,250 | $29,368 |
| 3 | Andras Nemeth | Hungary | $6,875 | $28,562 |
| 4 | Sebastian Trisch | Austria | $9,687 | $26,408 |
| 5 | Givenchy-LOT | Finland | $1,250 | $14,141 |
| 6 | Gavin Cochrane | United Kingdom | $ | $9,939 |
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Other Notable Scores at GGPoker
- Yakov “YaNesterov” Nesterov – first-place in the $1,050 GGMasters High Rollers for $141,384
- Georgi Sandev – first-place in the $1,050 Sunday High Rollers Main Event for $105,361
- Tamas “szagos” Adamszki – first-place in the $5,250 Sunday Blade 300 for $86,576
- Oleh “mirroring” Vashchenkov – first-place in the $105 Bounty MILLION$ for $77,222*
- Michal “houzhumi888” Wywrot – first-place in the $5,250 Bounty Hunters Super High Roller fior $69,052*
- Silent777 – first-place in the $150 GGMasters for $57,510
- BeginAgain – first-place in the $250 Sunday Main Event for $34,650
- Sterke Vis – first-place in the $3,150 High Rollers Blade Bounty King for $32,477*
- Elio Fox – first-place in the $2,100 Sunday High Rollers Heater Bounty Turbo for $32,194*
- Artisom Prostak – first-place in the $1,050 Omaholic Sunday Main Event HR for $30,979
- Christian Jeppsson – first-place in the $315 Sunday Bounty King for $30,382*
- Isaac Haxton – first-place in the $2,625 High Rollers Blade Closer for $25,016
- Rodrigo Sirichuk – first-place in the $525 Sunday High Rollers Special for $24,361
- Patrick Leonard – first-place in the $525 Bounty Hunters HR Encore for $21,204*
*includes bounty payments