Recently, we saw several players etching their name into poker history, including Eric Yanovsky, Yucel Eminoglu, and Eero Abbey. Eric Yanovsky took down the opening event of the 2024 WPT Seminole Rock ‘n’ Roll Open, while Yucel Eminoglu and Eero Abbey claimed victories in the Main Event of the GUKPT and the Master Classics of Poker, respectively. Here is a quick recap!
Eric Yanovsky Wins $400 Monster Stack Opening Event of 2024 WPT Seminole Rock ‘n’ Roll Open
The 2024 World Poker Tour Seminole Rock ‘n’ Roll Open kicked off with 22-year-old Eric Yanovsky, winning the $400 Monster Stack event for a career-best payday of $261,920. Yanovsky also added a Seminole Hard Rock trophy to his poker resume.
The $400 buy-in opening saw a massive turnout of 6,480 entrants, pushing the $2 million GTD to $2,138,400. After five days of poker action and eight starting flights, 650 players advanced to Day 2 to collect a payday.
The young gun defeated Omar Morillo in heads-up play. Morillo earned a career-high $173,000 for his runner-up finish. Another amateur player, Rafael Sosa Lopez, earned $129,000 for placing on the podium.
$400 Monster Stack WPT Seminole RROP Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Prize (USD) |
| 1st | Eric Yanovsky | $261,920 |
| 2nd | Omar Morillo | $173,000 |
| 3rd | Rafael Lopez | $129,000 |
| 4th | Michael Tarafa | $96,000 |
| 5th | Jessica Cai | $73,000 |
| 6th | Bradley Grossman | $55,000 |
| 7th | Maurice Hawkins | $42,500 |
| 8th | Kevin Vail | $33,000 |
| 9th | Caleb Powell | $26,000 |
Yucel “Mad Turk” Eminoglu Wins GUKPT Midi Main Event
Poker veteran Yucel Eminoglu won the £560 2024 GUKPT Grand Final Midi Main Event, adding the GUKPT trophy and the top prize of £26,330 to his accolades. It marked Eminoglu’s third poker title of 2024. Earlier this year, he competed for a WSOP bracelet but fell short in Event #59: $1,000 Super Seniors NLH. The poker veteran now boasts over $1.8 million in live poker earnings.
The £560 buy-in event drew 247 entrants, with 29 players sharing the £118,560 prize pool. Tony Phillips, the winner of the 2009 GUKPT Newcastle Main Event, fell short of reaching heads-up play but secured £13,630 for his third-place finish.
Adam Bonham, a consistent grinder in the GUKPT, came close to victory again. After narrowly missing the title in the 2023 GUKPT £2,000 Grand Final, he faced another setback. Despite his strong performance at the final table, he was unable to overcome Eminoglu in heads-up play. Bonham’s king-queen of hearts was outmatched by Eminoglu’s ace-deuce, as an ace appeared on the board. Bonham earned £19,690 for his runner-up finish..
2024 GUKPT Midi Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Prize (Pound) |
| 1st | Yucel Eminoglu | £26,330 |
| 2nd | Adam Bonham | £19,690 |
| 3rd | Tony Phillips | £13,630 |
| 4th | Lin Chen | £9,130 |
| 5th | Tom Clack | £6,400 |
| 6th | Sebastien Jung | £4,740 |
| 7th | Matt Bonham | £3,800 |
| 8th | Zhicheng Miao | £3,220 |
| 9th | Christopher Yong | £2,850 |
Eero Abbey Wins €3,000 MCOP Main Event
Finland’s Eero Abbey emerged victorious in the €3,000 buy-in Master Classics of Poker (MCOP) Main Event, banking a career-best €203,800 and securing his second-ever poker title, following his win in the WSOP Circuit Tallinn non-ring event.
The €3,000 buy-in MCOP Main Event attracted 427 players, generating a total prize pool of €1,150,765. As the massive field narrowed down, only the top 63 players cashed.
Several notable pros ran deep, with some making it to the final table, including the recent EPT Monte Carlo Main Event champion, Derk Van Luijk. Van Luijk couldn’t advance beyond 5th place but walked away with an impressive €57,193. The heads-up play stage set after Netherlands’ Erik van den Berg finished in 3rd place for a career-high €96,894.
Abbey continued his poker success in 2024 by defeating Dutch player Jeroen Kalthof in heads-up play, adding the MCOP Main Event title to his achievements. Kalthof earned a six-figure payout of €135,675 for his runner-up finish.
MCOP Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Prize (Euro) |
| 1st | Eero Abbey | €203,800 |
| 2nd | Jeroen Kalthof | €135,675 |
| 3rd | Erik van den Berg | €96,894 |
| 4th | Mitar Saric | €74,570 |
| 5th | Derk Van Luijk | €57,193 |
| 6th | Totti Arosou | €43,844 |
| 7th | Conor O’Rourke | €33,717 |
| 8th | Wouter Beltz | €25,892 |
| 9th | Unkown Player | €20,023 |
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