The second event of this year’s PokerGO Cup ended with a big confrontation between card sharps as two legendary modern poker players battled for the title. Dylan Weisman beat Daniel Smiljkovic to the title as the German missed out on victory just a few short weeks after winning last season’s PokerGO Tour $1 million freeroll for $500,000. With 89 entries, this time around the entry fee was $10,100 as a dozen players reached the money places.

Chidwick Crashes Out, Foxen Makes the Money

With 13 players remaining, someone had to miss out on the money, and it was the British player Stephen Chidwick who was the unfortunate player to leave. All-in with , he was called by Dylan Weisman with and the player with the bigger stack at the time won… in perhaps the most painful way he could. The flop of gave Chidwick bottom set. A on the turn gave Weisman a Broadway straight and the changed nothing, handing Weisman a crucial pot at one of the best players in the room’s expense.

Stanley Weng was the first player to bust inside the money places, cashing for $22,250 in 12^th place, and he was followed from the felt by some other stars of the game. Brian Luo (11^th for $26,700), Dylan Linde (10^th for $26,700) and Joris Ruijs (9^th for $26,700) all left, before Alex Foxen moved all-in from the small blind with . Calling with , the powerfully stacked Anthony Hu was behind, but the board came to give Hu middle pair and the winning hand, the former GPI Player of the Year Foxen missing out on his second title of the year after winning big at the Lucky Hearts Poker Open earlier this month.

Heading the final table of seven as they went into the last elimination of the night, Hu was in the lead, with Byron Kaverman trailing him by a few big blinds. Bottom of the chipcounts was Morten Klein but the Norwegian managed to score a double-up through Smiljkovic. Klein went for it again, all-in with on a flop of . He was a kicker ahead of Watson’s but the turn changed everything as Watson made two pair. The river ended Klein’s hopes and brought about the final six players to return on the second and final day.

Sir Watts Dies by the Sword

David Coleman was the next player out, leaving in sixth place for $44,500. He moved all-in for 395,000 chips pre-flop with and was called by the dominating hand of held by Daniel Smiljkovic. A board of sent Coleman to the rail as he departed and in busting him, Smiljkovic elevated his position to second on the leaderboard.

Mike ‘Sir Watts’ Watson was the next player to leave, and he was desperately unlucky to lose his stack. Dylan Weisman shoved with and Watson correctly called off his stack with . The at-risk player couldn’t hold, as a flop of came to decimate Watson’s chances and leave him searching for one of three jacks in the deck. The turn added Broadway outs but none of them came in on the river, leaving Watson on the rail with $62,300.

Anthony Hu had slid down the leaderboard between that hand and his own exit. Hu was also ahead when he got his last chips in, holding against Byron Kaverman’s . But the board of was a heartbreaker on the river for Hu as Kaverman hit a gutshot straight to take the chip lead and send Hu to the rail for $80,100.

Weisman the Wise Man as Smiljkovic Second Again

It’s already been quite the year for Daniel Smiljkovic, with his epic $1million freeroll victory closing out last season with a top prize worth $500,000 to the German. Incredibly, it could easily have been better, with Daniel Negreanu beating him heads-up in a PGT Kick Off event and now Dylan Weisman preventing him from grabbing a PokerGO Cup too.

While Kaverman led by a small margin when three-handed play kicked off, that didn’t last long and the Liverpool F.C. supporter was on the rail soon after for $111,250. All-in when the short stack with , it was Kaverman’s turn to lose with the best hand as Weisman called with and immediately drew to the best hand, a flop of giving him a flopped straight. The turn of a gave Kaverman cause for optimism but it was false hope as the river ended his event just before heads-up.

Going into the final battle, Weisman’s stack of 10,200,000 more than dominated Smiljkovic’s pile of 925,000 chips. One double-up came for the German but it was merely a stay of execution as in the next hand, his couldn’t hit against Weisman’s as a board of gave the latter a Broadway straight. The lady had sung for Weisman, and he collected the top prize of $240,300, Smiljkovic sidling to the rail to cash for $155,750 as runner-up.