UK online and live poker pro Elior Sion (26) has scored his biggest win yet – $1,395,767 – taking down the $50,000 buy-in Poker Players Championship at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
To do so, the quiet-spoken Brit had to best a stellar field of 100 that included top international players like Isaac Haxton and Daniel Negreanu, who finished third and fifth respectively.
His reward includes his first gold WSOP winner’s bracelet and his name on the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy.
The competition was notable for the gruelling, five-hour heads up phase in which Sion started out at a 3 to 1 disadvantage to German pro Johannes Becker. Unfazed by the disadvantage, Sion fought his way back into the game in an exciting finale that saw big pots across a mix of games, and the lead change several times.
Eventually Sion was able to hold the lead and eliminate a very skilled opponent, sending Becker home with the second placing prize of $862,649.
Other final table pay-outs included:
Isaac Haxton $595,812
Ivo Donev $419,337
Daniel Negreanu $300,852
Paul Volpe $220,111