For the second consecutive year, a German professional player has won the prestigious Aria Casino Super High Roller Bowl. In the Las Vegas casino event with a buy-in of $300,000, poker professional Christoph Vogelsang triumphed over 56 other participants to claim a prize of $6 million.
In the previous year, Rainer Kempe from Germany bagged the top prize of $5 million, overcoming his compatriot Fedor Holz in a heads-up. This year, Vogelsang and Stefan Schillihabel, another German, both secured spots in the top three. Jake Schindler from Pennsylvania landed the second place, earning $3.6 million.
Vogelsang came from behind to win prestigious Vegas event
When the money bubble burst with seven players remaining, Vogelsang was in the middle of the pack. However, upon his return as part of the final three on Thursday, he was significantly trailing behind chip leader Schindler.
Schindler started the three-handed play in second place, possessing half the chip stack of Schillihabel. However, after Schillihabel’s swift departure in third place, the one-on-one showdown commenced with Vogelsang at a similar 2:1 disadvantage. This direct confrontation spanned five hours, during which the chip stacks fluctuated. Nevertheless, Schindler fought his way back, mirroring Vogelsang’s earlier efforts.
Eventually, Schindler chose to go all in as a bluff on the river in the final hand. Vogelsang responded by calling with two pair, handily defeating Schindler. With that, the event concluded, declaring Vogelsang the champion. He shared insights about his performance with Poker Central.
I’m elated, and the feeling came as a surprise, given I didn’t have many chips and was competing against a superior player. It’s wonderful, I’m in high spirits. This tournament is fantastic – it has the best structure I’ve ever seen. The Aria is performing incredibly well, and I aspire to play here once more.
Kevin Hart headlines Super High Roller Bowl field
The field of 56 players included virtually all prominent poker professionals. However, the name that garnered the most attention was comedian Kevin Hart. Despite busting out on the second day of play, the celebrity managed to eliminate Holz and all-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.
Hart was the most renowned non-professional participant in the tournament, but he wasn’t the only one. Other hobbyist players included sports punter Haralabos Voulgaris, investment banker David Einhorn, and business executive Lauren Roberts. Cary Katz also competed. Prior to establishing Poker Central in 2015, Katz had founded a student loan firm. Poker Central is a media corporation that hosted the event on its newly launched subscription poker platform, PokerGO.
Leon Tsoukernik and Justin Bonomo clashed on and off the felt
Casino owner Leon Tsoukernik was the highest-ranking amateur, finishing fourth. Tsoukernik is the owner of Kings Casino in the Czech Republic, which is set to host the WSOP Europe later this year.
Justin Bonomo, who finished in seventh place, may not be partaking in the journey overseas. He had a disagreement with Tsoukernik at the final table. Tsoukernik was upset with Bonomo’s choice to not comply with the procedure of revealing his hole cards to the table’s RFID readers, which record this data. Bonomo did place his cards on the reader, but only after the completion of the hand.
On the final table livestream, Tsoukernik openly criticized Bonomo, questioning his professional behavior. In a later conversation with PokerNews, he even suggested that Bonomo should have been disqualified.
To clarify, no players were penalized or disqualified for their behavior at the final table. Nevertheless, following a presumed conversation with the production team during a break, all players adhered to the standard hole card protocol upon returning to the table.
After just three years, tournament rivals WSOP Main Event in prestige
Launched in 2015, the Super High Roller Bowl rapidly cemented its status as the season’s premier high roller event. Its popularity soared due to its higher than average buy-in of $300,000 and its scheduling just before the WSOP. It has garnered a significant following, with players dubbing it as the year’s biggest tournament. Furthermore, it is also perceived as one of the most challenging fields.
Unlike other high-stakes events, this one doesn’t struggle with small player pools or a quick format where luck overly influences the outcomes. The tournament’s initial launch as a televised event on CBS Sports before transitioning to PokerGO’s select package of livestreamed events also contributes to its success.
The tournament, in many aspects, compensates for the gap left by the World Poker Tour (WPT). The WPT formerly held high-profile events with high buy-ins at Bellagio at the start and close of summer. However, as the WPT has now moved its tour to smaller buy-ins with larger fields, Super High Roller fills the gap by offering a tournament that ensures an all-star, unmissable final table line-up every year.
The final table results from this year’s Super High Roller Bowl are as follows:
First place went to Christoph Vogelsang, who won $6,000,000. Jake Schindler came in second place and took home $3,600,000. Stefan Schillihabel got third place and was awarded $2,400,000. Leon Tsoukernik, who finished fourth, won $1,800,000. Byron Kaverman, who came in fifth place, got $1,400,000. Pratyush Buddiga finished sixth and won $1,000,000. Justin Bonomo, who came in seventh, took home $600,000.
