Simon Brandstrom adds another major victory to his poker resume by winning the WPT UK Main Event for $330,000.

Another tournament, another trophy for Sweden’s Simon Brandstrom.

Brandstrom continued to stay white-hot in 2019 as he took down the World Poker Tour UK $3,300 Main Event for $330,000 for his third major title this year.

The victory makes him the first player to hold both a WPT Main Tour title as well as a WPTDeepStacks title, after winning WPTDeepStacks Barcelona in April 2019 for €270,000.

In addition to both of his WPT victories, Brandstrom’s resume includes a victory in the largest field ever for an EPT Barcelona Main Event this past August for a massive €1.2 million payday.

“This feels surreal,” Brandstrom said to the World Poker Tour right after his victory. “It feels like it shouldn’t be possible to have back-to-back wins, and I don’t fee like I am worth it.”

Brandstrom outlasted the 690-entries that piled onto the piled into the Dusk Till Dawn Poker & Casino in Nottingham for the Main Event. When the final nine took their seats, Brandstrom knew he was going to have to battle some top-tier poker talent as both partypoker MILLIONS Nottingham champion Maria Lampropulos and Triton High Roller Montenegro Main Event winner Manig Loeser were also seated to battle for the WPT UK trophy.

WPT UK Final Table Results

1st – Simon Brandstrom – $330,000
2nd – Ryan Mandara – $221,650
3rd – James Rann – $168,500
4th – Matthew Eardley – $128,500
5th – Maria Lampropulos – $98,500
6th – Paul Siddle – $76,000
7th – Manig Loeser – $58,500
8th – Leo Worthington-Lesse – $46,000
9th – Paul Jackson – $36,000

At the start of the final day, nine players remained with Brandstom holding the chip lead, however, it wasn’t smooth sailing to get to the trophy.

It took nearly two hours before players began to hit the rail as Paul Jackson was knocked out in ninth place for $36,000. He was followed out the door by Leo Worthington-Leese in eighth place for $46,000 and finally, three hours from when play began German crusher Maig Loeser hit the rail in seventh place, adding $58,500 to his $10.8 million in career earnings.

After a short break, the final six players got to the business of crowning a champion.

Paul Siddle’s bustout hand wasn’t really the hand that did him in. About an hour and a half into six-handed play he and Matthew Eardley, nearly equal in stacks, got their chips in the middle with Siddle holding JdJs and Eardley holding AcKs. The massive flip went Eardley’s way as the Ad appeared on the flop and no additional help came for Siddle. After the chips were counted down Siddle was left with roughly 1/6th of an ante which he put in on the very next hand. Although he had the solid holding of AcQh he was eliminated as an onlooker in a pot where Eardley made a full house holding JsJd on a 8h2h2dKh2s board. Siddle collected $76,000 for his sixth-place finish.

The very next hand Maria Lampropulos shipped her short stack with the Ah2s and was called by James Rann and his 8c8d. The KdQs7d provided Lampropulos, the 2018 PCA Main Event champion, little help and when the 5d hit the turn she was down to two outs. The 6s came on the river and the accomplished Lampropulos headed for the exit in fifth place taking home $98.500.

With four players remaining, Brandstrom has long since lost his chip lead and was in desperation mode as Ryan Mandara and Eardley assumed the top half of the chip counts. Then the chips starting flying with all four players taking turns applying pressure, shoving their short stacks and finding themselves in tricky spots. It took 56 more hands before the next player was knocked out.

After a raise from Mandara, Eardley shipped his ten big blind stack holding Ac9s. With the action back to Mandara, he made the call with the Td9d. The 8h5hQc kept Eardley in the lead but the door opened up for Mandara with the 7h turn card. The river was the Jh, giving Mandara the runner-runner straight and eliminating Eardley in fourth place for $128,500, the largest cash of his career.

Three-handed play lasted for nearly an hour when finally James Rann shoved from the small blind with the Ad2h and was quickly called by Mandara holding 7d7s. There was little drama along with way as the board ran out KcJd5c5hKd and Rann headed to the cashier to pick up his $168,500 third-place payday. With the score, Rann leaps over $1 million in lifetime live earnings.

Mandara held the chip lead headed into heads up play but Brandstrom picked up crucial in the first few hands. Then, only seven hands into heads up, the title was decided. Mandara put in a raise with JsTc and Brandstrom called with 9h7s. The flop came 9c7c3d giving Brandstrom two pair and Mandara a gutshot to the straight. Brandstrom check-called another bet from Mandara. The turn fell the 4c, changing nothing. Brandstrom checked it to Mandara who put in a sizable bet which Brandstrom called. The river was the Kh and Brandstrom checked for the third time. Mandara tanked, used a time-bank card and eventually over shipped the pot, putting himself at risk. Brandstrom had Mandara barely out chipped and didn’t take too long to make the correct call. Mandara finished as the runner-up for $221,650.

Simon Brandstrom took down the WPT UK Main Event for $330,000 and a $15,000 entry into the 2020 WPT Tournament of Champions.

Brandstrom Joins The POY Points Leaders

Donald Maloney still holds the pole position in the Hublot WPT Player of the Year but he’s going to have to contend with Brandstrom, who after his WPT UK victory is tied with him Maloney and Aaron Van Blarcum with 1,200 POY points. Maloney and Van Blarcum hold an edge on earnings, putting Brandstrom in third place.

WPT UK Runner-up Ryan Mandara also leaps into the top 10 with his $221,650 cash which was worth 1,000 POY points. He takes over the #8 position and that pushes Brian Altman out of the top 10 into the #11 spot despite being the only player in the top 20 with more than a single cash early in this season.

1st: Donald Maloney – 1,200 points
2nd: Aaron Van Blarcum – 1,200 points
3rd – Simon Brandstrom – 1,200 points
4th: Uke Dauti – 1,000 points
5th: Roger Teska – 1,000 points
6th: Nitis Udornpim – 1,000 points
7th: Gueorgui Gantchev – 1,000 points
8th – Ryan Mandara – 1,000 points
9th: Kevin Albers – 900 points
10th: Jared Griener – 900 points