WCOOP High Roller Won By Phil “Grindation” McAllister, Twitch Stream Record Smashed

September 21st, 2016 | by Kaycee James

Phil “Grindation” McAllister won the WCOOP High Roller Event in style. (AP Image)

The 2016 WCOOP, as it always does, attracted plenty of headlines: a controversial re-entry ban and major wins for major players.

But in a week when in-form German pro Fedor Holz came close, another big online player also just missed out on a WCOOP title.

Doug “WCG|Rider” Polk finished second in Event #53 this week, the showpiece $10,300 No Limit Hold’em 8-Max High Roller.

While a $455,000 runner-up prize was pretty impressive for the online player, more impressive was the fact he won it while streaming his gameplay on the Twitch platform.

356 High Rollers Ante Up in WCOOP Showpiece

Over 350 players stumped up the $10,300 buy-in for Event #53. 39 players shared the cash, but ultimately the big money went to a three-way chop.

Doug Polk’s Twitch chatbox was filled with emojis as “LLinusLLove” bust in fifth place. With it, he was guaranteed a $263,000 payout at least, enough to wipe out his lost online buy-ins up to that point. After Alexandros “mexican222” Kolonias bust in fourth position, Polk’s guaranteed payout rose to $357,491, prompting Twitch themselves to go into overdrive:

“Congrats to @DougPolkPoker for the largest cash in @TwitchPoker history!” screamed the official Twitch Twitter feed.

Three-handed play saw the remaining players pause for a deal. For the online phenom, who had put a halt to his Twitch bankroll challenge to compete in the WCOOP, a deal was never on his mind. Indeed, he admitted (perhaps rather foolishly) of never having done a chop before in his life.

Ultimately, an ICM deal was thrashed out based on the remaining chipstacks. Phil “Grindation” McAllister took $514,400.27, with Polk taking $452,629.92. Finnis pro, €urop€an, took $460,714.75. It was yet another cash for a player who had only won Event #35 ($1,575 Super Tueday SE) earlier in the series.

“Grindation” Closes Out WCOOP In Style

After €urop€an bust out in third place, McAllister put his 3-to-1 chip advantage to good use in the heads-up phase. But despite regaining some ground after hitting a full house with J-5 on a J-10-5-5-6 board, Polk found himself on the wrong end of a 5-5 vs Q-Q battle. McAllister’s queens held on a K-8-3-4-2 board to give him the title (his first WCOOP) and a final payout of $58,415.23.

It was another milestone in the career of US pro, Polk. He already boasts two WSOP bracelets to his name, but his exploits online are gaining him a new generation of followers. He took down the inaugural $1,000 NLHE Tag Team event in Las Vegas this summer, winning with team partner Ryan Fee.

With a final prize payout of $455,000, he smashed the previous biggest win for a Twitch-streamed online tournament. Earlier this year, the comically-monikored “SolidPenis” made around $279,000 winning a Spin & Go tournament on PokerStars.

WCOOP

Event 53: $10,300 No Limit Hold’em 8-Max
Entrants: 356

Final Table Payouts

1^st Phillip “Grindation” McAllister $584,415.23*
2^nd Doug “WCG|Rider” Polk $455,000.00*
3^rd “€urop€an” $459,529.71*
4^th Alexandros “mexican222” Kolonias $263,731.20
5^th “LLinusLLove” $194,561.47
6^th “ShefanHilaly” $143,532.79
7th Chris “Big Huni” Hunichen $105,887.92
8^th Keven “Stammdogg” Stammen $78,116.36