The PokerStars WCOOP World Championship of Heads-up NLHE crowned a winner earlier today. The UK's own Patrick Leonard triumphed over a field stacked with the best of the best online poker players.
The win marks Leonard's fourteenth COOP title, coming hot on the heels of his thirteenth, which he claimed just one day prior in Event 46-M: $109 FLHE (6-Max). Leonard's exhaustive Instagram story content gave his followers a front row seat to some of the highlights of the runs. In each post, Leonard analyzes hands, either in real time or in the hand re-player, and talks through his thought process.
Leonard bests the best
The $5,200 buy-in attracts a mix of both tournament and cash game players, as the heads-up format favors players with experience in deep-stacked play. Leonard's win in the event also comes with a certain level of prestige attached to it. Although the tournament garnered only 46 entrants, there were no weak spots in the field. They're all end bosses. Pure crushers. Accordingly, Leonard encountered more than his fair share of world-class opponents on the way to victory.
The first, and perhaps the toughest, of Leonard's opponents came in the form of Henri 'buttonclickr' Puustinen. The Finnish player is well-known for his prowess in the heads-up format, but couldn't get the job down against Leonard. Another opponent, Goran 'mandza17' Mandic, put Leonard to the test with a couple big bluffs. Then came Pedro 'pvigar' Garagnani. The Brazilian's skills are widely recognized in both the online and live realms of poker and his match with Leonard was a heavyweight bout. Garagnani, like Mandic, tried his best to win pots with pure aggression, but Leonard's careful thought process led him to the right decisions when it mattered.
The final round of the event saw Leonard face off against 'neverstandard'. The match didn't last long and the final hand saw Leonard's pocket nines hold up against the bottom pair of his opponent. The win earned Leonard $80,500 for his efforts.
Feature Image Courtesy of Joe Giron Photography
