WSOP: Seth Fischer Wins $1,500 GGMasters High Roller For $444K
Seth Fischer navigated his way up from one of the shortest stacks at the final table of the 2020 World Series of Poker Event #56 ($1,500 GGMasters High Roller) to top the 2,153 player field and bring home the $444,868.59 first-place prize, a World Series of Poker Europe package and the coveted gold bracelet.
For the first half of the final table, bustouts took place at breakneck speed. This allowed Fischer to bide his time, win some key hands, and eventually assume a commanding chip lead which he leveraged to win his first WSOP gold bracelet.
It didn’t take long for the final table to lose their first player. Right after the player break Israel’s Yonatan Basin shipped his short stack holding 
and was called by Russian online poker superstar Arsenii Karmatckii and his 
. The flop came 
leaving Basin looking for an ace or running straight cards to stay alive. The turn came the 
and the river the 
awarding Karmatckii the hand and sending Basin to the rail in ninth for $32,633.
On the very next hand, Karmatckii was involved in an all-in confrontation again. France’s Clement Tripodi put in a raise from the cutoff holding 
only to be three-bet shoved on by Karmatckii who had the 
. Tripodi called off his remaining 20 big blinds for his tournament life. The flop fell 
giving Karmatckii some additional outs. Turn was not one of them. Just as Karmatckii flashed the ‘praying’ emoji, the ripped off on the river, giving him the pot. Tripodi exited in eighth for $45,386.
After Sebastien Grax put in a raise from under the gun, Lukas Parednis shipped his remaining 20 big blinds with the 
. When folded back to Grax, he quickly made the call holding 
and the pair were flipped with Parednis at risk. The board ran out 
pairing Grax’s ace and sending Parednis home in seventh for $63,124.
Dominykas Mikolaitis quickly followed his fellow Lithuanian out the door when he shoved his final eight big blinds in with only to be called by Canadian Michael Nugent’s 
. The flop came 
giving Mikolaitis some additional chop outs. But the 
turn and the 
river did not help him get there. Mikolaitis finished in sixth place for $87,793.
Latvia’s Evaldas Aniulis put in a small raise off his short stack holding 
and was three-bet by Karmatckii who woke up with 
. Aniulis called for the rest of his stack and the pair saw a flop of . Aniulis’ top pair offered him some more outs and the 
even brought in some chop opportunities. But the unnecessary river gave Karmatckii top set for the pot. Aniulis finished in fifth place for a six-figure score of $122,102.
Nugent raised his 
from the button only to be flatted by Grax in the small blind holding 
. The flop came 
and when checked to Nugent put in a bet, only to be promptly check-raised Grax. With top pair Nugent shipped his remaining 20 big blinds and Grax made the call with the over pair. The 
hit the turn and the 
river was of no help to Nugent who fell in fourth place and walked away with $169,821 in his second WSOP final table in the past two weeks.
After Fischer doubled through Grax during three-handed play, the chip stacks evened out and play finally slowed down. The chips began to flow in the direction of Fischer as Grax lost momentum and eventually clashed with Karmatckii in a hand that sealed his fate in the tournament.
Karmatckii raised to 400,000 on the button with and Grax three-bet shipped his twenty big blind stack holding . Karmatckii called putting himself at risk. The pair were flipping for over a $100,000 pay jump. The 
flop hit Karmatckii and left Grax looking for help. The 
turn and the river was of no use to him and Grax was left with 1/10 of a big blind which he lost on the very next hand to Fischer. Grax walked away in third place for $236,188.
Despite Karmatckii’s double up, Fischer headed into heads-up play holding a sizable chip lead which he never relinquished.
On the final hand, Fischer open-shoved holding and Karmatckii committed his final ten big blinds with 
. The duo watched as the board ran out 
giving FIsher the hand and his first WSOP gold bracelet. Karmatckii wrapped up as the runner-up and ended up earning a career-high online score of $328,491.
Final Table Payouts
- Seth Fischer – $444,868.59 + WSOPE Ticket Package
- Arsenii Karmatckii – $326,491
- Sebastien Grax – $236,188
- Michael Nugent – $169,821
- Evaldas Aniulis – $122,102
- Dominykas Mikolatis – $87,793
- Lukas Parednis – $63,124
- Clement Tripodi – $45,386
- Yonatan Basin – $32,633