Ioannis Angelou-Konstas Wins PartyPoker LIVE MILLIONS UK Main Event

The 2018 PartyPoker LIVE MILLIONS UK wrapped up this weekend, closing out the massive series with the £5,000,000 guaranteed £5,300 buy-in main event. The tournament attracted a field of 1,015 total entries, and after five full days of action, that huge number was narrowed down to just one player: Greece’s Ioannis Angelou-Konstas. As the champion of this event he earned £940,000 ($1,222,000 USD) and his first major live tournament title.

In addition to the money and the glory, Angelou-Konstas was also awarded 1,920 Card Player Player of the Year points. This was his second victory of the year, having taken down a €1,200 WPT DeepStacks event in Brussels in March. With these two scores he has earned a total of 2,400 POY points, enough to see him move into 56th place in the overall POY race standings for 2018.

Here are five key hands that propelled Angelou-Konstas to victory.

Tournament: PartyPoker LIVE MILLIONS UK
Buy-In: £5,300 ($6,956)
No. of Entries: 1,015
Prize Pool: £5,000,000 ($6,500,000)
1st Place Prize: £940,000 ($1,222,000)

Grafton Exits In Fifth Place

The Action

After taking out Michael Wang in sixth place, Angelou-Konstas kept the pressure on, shoving from the small blind. Sam Grafton, sitting on the short stack, decided to call off the rest of his stack with J 10, and he was pleased to see Angelou-Konstas with just 7 6. Unfortunately for him, the flop of A 7 6 gave Angelou-Konstas two pair. The 7 on the turn improved his opponent to a full house, and Grafton busted in fifth place, winning £205,850 ($267,605).

Tom Hall Bows Out In Fourth Place

The Action

Hall raised to 44 million from under-the-gun and Angelou-Konstas moved all-in from the big blind. Hall snap called the other half of his stack off with K Q, but was dominated by Angelou-Konstas and his A K. The flop of 10 9 5 was no help to Hall, but the J on the turn gave him a straight. Angelou-Konstas was about to pay off the double when the 8 hit the river, giving him a backdoor flush and the pot. Hall was eliminated in fourth place, taking home £300,000 ($390,000).

Angelou-Konstas Gets Very Lucky To Double Through Foxen

The Action

Foxen raised to 30 million in the small blind, and Angelou-Konstas opted to shove all in for 390 million behind him. Foxen asked for a count, and after using a time-extension chip, made the call with pocket eights. Angelou-Konstas was in bad shape with pocket sixes. Even worse, he had made a huge Independent Chip Model (ICM) error since Antoine Labat held just 76 million in chips in the three-handed battle. Fortunately for Angelou-Konstas, the board ran out K 9 3 6 A, to give him a turned set and a massive double up worth nearly 80 percent of the chips in play.

Labat Gets Flushed Out In Third Place

The Action

Labat raised to 28 million on the button and Angelou-Konstas called from the big blind. The flop fell 6 6 2 and Angelou-Konstas checked. Labat moved all in for 52 million, and Angelou-Konstas called immediately. Labat must have thought he was drawing dead with his meager K 8 for two over cards, but he was actually ahead of Angelou-Konstas’s 10 9. The 7 on the turn, however, gave Angelou-Konstas a flush and the lock on the hand. Labat picked up £440,000 ($572,000) for his third-place finish.

Foxen Makes The Wrong Call To End The Tournament

The Action

After striking a deal heads-up, Foxen raised to 22 million from the button and Angelou-Konstas called from the big blind. The flop fell A K 4 and Angelou-Konstas checked. Foxen continued with a bet of 13 million, and Angelou-Konstas called. The turn was the 3 and Angelou-Konstas checked once again. This time, Foxen checked behind. The river was the 10 and Angelou-Konstas checked for one last time. Foxen bet 46 million, and Angelou-Konstas opted to check-shove all-in. Foxen went into the tank for a bit, using one of his time-extension chips, and eventually made the call with pocket eights. Foxen clearly thought his opponent missed some sort of flush draw, but Angelou-Konstas showed Q J for a rivered Broadway straight. Foxen picked up £720,000 ($936,000) for his runner-up finish, while Angelou-Konstas banked £940,000 ($1,222,000) and the biggest title of his career.

Final Table Results

1. Ioannis Angelou-Konstas — £940,000 ($1,222,000)*
2. Alex Foxen — £720,000 ($936,000)*
3. Antoine Labat — £440,000 ($572,000)
4. Tom Hall — £300,000 ($390,000)
5. Sam Grafton — £205,850 ($267,605)
6. Michael Wang — £140,000 ($182,000)
7. John Haigh — £100,000 ($130,000)
8. Dara O’Kearney — £70,000 ($91,000)

*Based on a deal made during heads-up play.