PokerStars
$195,486
Before Kaladjurdjevic was once, twice, three times a champion, he was Montenegro’s first Spring Championship of Online Poker winner. The European country of only 622,137 residents now has a triple SCOOP champion to call their own. Kaladjurdjevic’s historic run began on April 4 with a win in the $530 SCOOP Kickoff. Topping a field of 1,321 entrants was good for title number one and $78,406. He was back on the grind two days later in Event #11 ($530 NLHE 8-Max PLO). This time, another 987 players fell in Kaladjurdjevic’s wake, meaning he collected a second title and $64,337. The Montenegrin scored his third victory last Thursday in Event #17 ($1,050 NLHE Deep Stacks). Stepping up in stakes didn’t seem to matter, as the result was the same. Kaladjurdjevic beat 276 players to win $52,743 and take his overall earnings to $195,486.
$325,316
COVID-19 may have moved the goalposts in terms of how live events are run but that doesn’t mean bars can’t be raised. The first live European Poker Tour main event of 2021 not only gave Martirosyan his maiden title but was bigger than last year’s. With 852 entries in this ₽175,000 ($2,311) main event consisting of 548 players and 304 reentries almost all hailing from Russia, the total field size saw a 51% increase over 2020. Martirosyan’s first EPT trophy was his second-biggest live score (behind $495K in the Partypoker Millions Live super high roller event in March 2020, just before the world started to shut down). “The trophy has such a cool design,” he said to event reporters after the final table. “It was one of the reasons why I didn’t cut a deal.”