Andrii Novak of Ukraine won the $5,000 WSOP Online Main Event on GGPoker for $3,931,259, his first bracelet, plus a $30,000 Super Pass to the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event. The field of 6,008 entrants built a $28,538,000 prize pool, and Day 2 began with 608 players returning before play reached a nine-handed final table. Results are one thing, but the hands that decided each elimination are a better teacher. This is a hand-by-hand look at what happened and what final table strategy tournament players can take from it.
The final table payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrii Novak | Ukraine | $3,931,259 |
| 2 | Simon Beckmann | Austria | $3,030,486 |
| 3 | Moyan "JinWanDalaoHu36" Chen | China | $2,336,938 |
| 4 | Fernando "liano96" Liano | Austria | $1,802,141 |
| 5 | Charles "LaughingStorm" La Boissonniere | Canada | $1,389,754 |
| 6 | Pavlo "filthiest" Yakovliev | Ukraine | $1,071,761 |
| 7 | Arian "Who Am I" Hassankashani | Hong Kong | $826,555 |
| 8 | Yury "Ex Nadinsky" Nadinsky | Kazakhstan | $637,476 |
| 9 | Pablo Silva | Brazil | $491,676 |
Look at the structure of that ladder. Ninth place is worth $491,676, while first is worth $3.93 million. Each step up from nine to eight adds roughly $146,000, and from second to first adds about $900,000. When the pay jumps are that large relative to stack size, ICM pressure becomes the dominant force in every decision.
Hand 1: Silva's ace-queen against ace-king (9th)
Pablo Silva opened ace-queen from middle position and jammed over Simon Beckmann's three-bet. Beckmann called with ace-king and both players paired their kickers, so the better kicker held. This is the classic dominated-hand spot. Ace-queen is a strong hand, but against a three-betting range it is often dominated by ace-king and pairs. When you are short at a final table and the payout ladder is steep, shoving ace-queen is often correct because folding bleeds your stack. The risk is being dominated, which is exactly what happened.
Lesson: with a short stack, calculate your fold equity and your shove range before you open. If you plan to shove over a three-bet, ensure the hand is in your range for the stack depth.
Hand 2: Nadinsky's ace-four against ace-king (8th)
Yury Nadinsky three-bet all-in with ace-four. Charles La Boissonniere called from the button with ace-king, and the ace-king held. Ace-four is a common bluff-shove hand because it blocks ace-x calling hands and has some equity when called. But against a player on the button who is not sensitive to ICM, a call with ace-king is easy.
Lesson: blockers help but cannot save you when the opponent's calling range is dominated by hands you cannot beat. Know whether your opponent is risk-averse or not before pushing a marginal blocker hand.
Hand 3: Tens against jacks (7th)
Arian Hassankashani committed his short stack with pocket tens and lost to Moyan Chen's red jacks. No ten appeared on the board. This is a straightforward "cooler" spot: tens versus jacks, about an 80/20 split. There is little to learn strategically except that committing a short stack with a mid-pair is standard, and the loss was unlucky rather than a mistake.
Lesson: distinguish between bad decisions and bad outcomes. Our poker odds page shows how often such pair-over-pair situations occur and what the equity looks like.
Hand 4: Ace-queen of clubs against sevens (6th)
Pavlo Yakovliev held ace-queen of clubs against Chen's pocket sevens. A queen arrived on the river, but the board had four spades, which gave Chen a flush. Ace-queen versus a pair of sevens is a classic coin flip, nearly 50/50. The river queen would have given Yakovliev top pair, but the four-spade board made the flush possible and decided it for Chen.
Lesson: when you are in a flip, the board texture on later streets can change which holdings matter. Watch for suits and runouts that can beat your made hand even when you hit your card.
Hand 5: Threes against ace-jack (5th)
Charles La Boissonniere called Novak's all-in with ace-jack of clubs against pocket threes. A jack flopped, then a three came on the turn, leaving La Boissonniere drawing dead. Pocket threes against ace-jack is a small favorite for the pair, but a flopped jack briefly flipped the lead, and the turn three made a set.
Lesson: low pairs are underdogs on many runouts. They also benefit from ICM-driven pushes because opponents must call wider to stay in the tournament.
Hand 6: Ace-ten against ace-queen (4th)
Fernando Liano's ace-ten lost to Beckmann's ace-queen of clubs after a queen came on the turn. This is another dominated-kicker situation. Ace-ten is playable on the short side, but ace-queen dominates it. Liano's elimination highlights how often final tables are decided by who has the better kicker.
Lesson: kicker problems matter more at a final table because players call and shove wider. Hand-reading becomes crucial: if your opponent's range is full of ace-queen and ace-king, ace-ten loses a lot of equity.
Hand 7: Nine-eight against queen-jack (3rd)
This was the most interesting hand tactically. Chen defended the big blind with nine-eight against Beckmann's queen-jack of diamonds on the button. On an ace-ten-nine flop, Chen check-raised all-in, and a four came on the turn. Beckmann called and made a king-high straight on the river.
Chen had middle pair of nines, and the check-raise all-in was an aggressive play that put Beckmann to a decision. Beckmann's queen-jack held an open-ended straight draw (a king or an eight), so his call was reasonable given the price. The river king completed his king-high straight.
Lesson: jamming a medium pair on a wet board is a strong play, but you must expect to be called sometimes by hands with their own outs. Our how to bluff guide explains when a semi-bluff earns its keep.
Heads-up: Novak versus Beckmann
After eliminating Chen, Beckmann held the chip lead, but Novak took a large pot with a double-up. In the final hand Novak had roughly a 10-to-1 chip advantage. He raised with ace-jack and Beckmann called all-in with queen-seven of hearts. An ace on the flop helped Novak, a ten on the turn gave Beckmann some outs, and a five on the river ended the tournament.
Heads-up play rewards aggression and position, and a 10-to-1 chip lead means the short stack is nearly forced to gamble. Calling all-in with queen-seven suited is reasonable at that depth.
Strategy takeaways
Respect pay jumps. At a final table, the difference between consecutive spots can be six figures. Fold marginal hands when a short stack ahead of you is likely to bust, and apply more pressure when covering short stacks.
Know who is ICM-sensitive. La Boissonniere called with ace-king against Nadinsky's shove, and Beckmann called off with ace-king earlier. Calling wide is easier for big stacks.
Study kicker dominance. Four of the eliminations were decided by kicker or domination. Learning to avoid being dominated is worth studying. Our poker strategy hub and hand rankings page cover the basics.
Variance is part of the game. Several of these outcomes were coin flips or cooler spots. Read our bankroll management advice so a few busts do not wreck your finances.
Bottom line
Andrii Novak's $3,931,259 win came from a path that mixes skill and luck: a strong early run, accurate pressure at the final table and favourable results in the key all-ins. For players, the value is in the details: shove ranges, domination, ICM and board texture. Study the hands, not just the payouts, and you will extract more from the result than the headline offers. If you want to practise these spots, try the poker odds calculator and check our tournaments page for online options.