It was a busy week in the world of poker and we’ve got some happy and sad news to pass along. We’ll start with the good news of a big win out of the Czech Republic:
Tuna Wins Prague No-Limit Hold’em
Tuna reeled in a very big fish last week in the Czech Republic.
Akin Tuna, a professional player from Turkey, claimed the first live tournament win of his career. He snagged the championship of the 2018 PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague 10,300-euro No-Limit Hold’em event, winning just over 125,000 euros by topping a field of 38 entries. Tuna had finished second in two previous tournaments, one of them in Dublin, and had compiled $725,000 in career winnings. However, he had never finished in the top spot before this.
It was a relatively small event as only 38 players entered the field. The rest of the top five was rounded out by Ognyan Dimov, who was the runner-up and won just over 86,600 euros, Davidi Kitai, who was third and won over 55,200 euros, Daniel Dvoress, who was fourth and won 42,390, and Orpen Kisacikoglu, who was fifth and won 33,170.
Wilinofsky Victorious In Calgary
The DeepStacks Championship Main Event at Grey Eagle Resort in Calgary came and went this past week, and it was Ben Wilinofsky who rose above the competition. As a result, he collected just over $168,600 in prizes, boosting his career live earnings to $1.6 million. If you think, however, that this will mark a continued and sustained run of live tournament play for the online poker regular, you’re mistaken.
Wilinofsky shot down the notion that he would continue to dive into live play after his win, which required a lot of topsy-turvy sequences and was riddled with nerves before he managed to close the deal and secure a sweet victory. He promptly stated that he doesn’t plan to play any more tournaments this year or next. His plan is to go out on top with his big win and look toward other pursuits in life.
Taking a look at some of the other top finishers, Steven Dahrouge was the runner-up and won just over $118,000 while John Foley placed third and took home around $76,000.
‘Minneapolis Jim’ Meehan Dies At 66
Some sad news to pass along as a well-known man in the poker community has passed away. “Minneapolis Jim,” who was a recognizable face on the World Series of Poker, has died.
James Meehan, who made history as the first person from Minnesota to win a WSOP bracelet, passed away last Thursday. He was 66 years old.
Meehan practiced law for two decades and became a poker player in the other half of his productive adult life. He won almost $1.4 million in live tournament play. To this day, he’s one of the most successful players that the state has ever produced.
He made eight final-table appearances, many in summer events, and won his bracelet in 2003. He was inducted into the Minnesota Poker Hall of Fame in 2015.