Samuel Mullur Wins WSOP Paradise $25K GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship ($2,726,300)

On the third and final day of play, Austria’s Samuel Mullur won his first bracelet and $2,726,300 by conquering Event #3: $25,000 GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship at the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise. Mullur defeated American actor Frank Brannan in heads-up play following a three-hour battle at Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas.

The high roller tournament drew a whopping 533 entries from two live starting flights and an online flight to create a prize pool of $13,325,000. 80 players advanced to the live felt on the second day in the money, and only eight returned to Day 3 with eyes on the bracelet.

Event #3: $25,000 GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship Final Table Results

Mullur, who had just over $100,000 in live tournament earnings before this victory, increased his career live earnings by 2,626% and told PokerNews he was “very grateful” to be in the position he’s in.

“I had a couple interesting hands… two or three hands where I’m still unsure if I made the best play,” he said in a winner’s interview. “But other than that I’m really happy with how I performed.”

“I’m working with Fedor, I’m working with a couple other guys… and I’m just very happy to be a part of their team. I feel like I’m working with the best in the world and it makes me so happy to be where I’m at,” he said. “Also the support of (my) family and my brother (who) was railing like crazy… shout out to all of them.

GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship Action

The 80 players who made it to Day 2 were all in the money and guaranteed a payday of at least $42,200. Some of those who fell on the second day include 2022 WSOP Main Event champion Espen Jorstad (71st – $42,200), 2021 WSOP Main Event champion Koray Aldemir (64th – $46,100), and GGPoker ambassadors Bertrand Grospellier (63rd – $46,100), Ren Lin (59th – $46,100), Fedor Holz (35th – $66,600), Daniel Negreanu (26th – $77,000), and Jason Koon (22nd – $90,700).

Germany’s Daniel Smiljkovic led the pack into the final day and got off to a hot start when he eliminated Matthew Stumpf in eighth place for $267,500. Four-time bracelet winner Adrian Mateos was fortunate to make it to the final day as he lost a pot against Erik Seidel on Day 2 that left the Spanish pro with a single big blind which he was able to run back up. Still, he couldn’t complete the “chip and a chair” story as he then fell to Smiljkovic in seventh place for $349,400.

When six players remained, Mullur was the short stack but that quickly changed when he doubled twice to take the chip lead. Mullur stayed near the top of the counts and continued his hot streak as he got into a blind-versus-blind confrontation against chip leader Klemens Roiter with ace-king against tens. A king on the turn vaulted him in front and he took the clear chip lead.

Roiter was left with enough for only a small blind, and although he doubled up several times, he was eventually eliminated in sixth place for $463,700. Lithuanian Arunas Sapitavicius followed him out the door shortly after when he got his short stack in with ace-deuce against Mullur’s pocket tens and failed to improve, eliminating him in fifth place for $625,400.

Mullur held more than 65% of the chips when four-handed play and was set to score another knockout before Brannan came from behind to stay alive with a double. 2020 WSOP Main Event champion Damian Salas had his eyes on another bracelet, but he ran king-queen into Brannan’s ace-king and was eliminated in fourth place for $856,800. Not long after, Smiljkovic got his shorter stack in with king-nine against Brannan’s ace-four and found no help, eliminating the German player in third place for $1,192,300.

When heads-up play began, Mullur held a chip lead of nearly two-to-one, but it would prove to be a lengthy battle that would last more than three hours. Mullur almost claimed the title shortly after heads-up play began when he got ace-king in against Brannan’s king-queen. Brannan turned a flush, however, and the stacks were nearly even.

The two continued to exchange chips before Brannan took the lead and held double his opponent’s stack. Brannan had an opportunity to win on the turn with his top pair of jacks against Mullur’s pocket kings, but he couldn’t improve. Kings would prove to be the hand of the day as Brannan soon jammed his stack in with queen-ten and ran right into pocket kings once again. Mullur flopped a full house and swiftly ended the tournament to claim his first WSOP bracelet.